Big demand closes Minn. rebate program

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Minnesota's appliance rebate program is closed.

Just a day after the program opened, the state Commerce Department said the 25,400 available rebate reservations were all claimed by 9 a.m. Tuesday. Reservations for washing machine and dishwasher rebates were all gone by Monday evening, while freezer and refrigerator reservations all went by Tuesday morning.

The waiting lists in each appliance category are also full and new requests are no longer being taken, the department said.

Many consumers expressed frustration with the program. Program officials said overwhelming demand, along with some potentially suspicious activity, led the program's Web site to crash Monday morning. The telephone line was also jammed.

The Minnesota Trade-in And Save Appliance Program was funded with more than $5 million in federal stimulus money, and was designed to encourage consumers to replace old appliances with energy-efficient models. It offered rebates of up to $200 on major appliances that meet federal Energy Star guidelines.

Each state designed its own program, and Minnesota opted to issue larger but fewer rebates.

The waiting lists have more than 10,000 names on them, and there's no guarantee of rebates for those on them. Wait-list rebate forms will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis as funds from consumers who don't claim their rebates are released after 30 days.

___

On the Net:

Minnesota Trade-in And Save Appliance Program: http://www.mnappliancerebate.com