Rebate for HP Pavilion 15.4" is not acknowledged

I purchased a HP Pavilion 15.4" that was offered with a $100 rebate. $50 from the manufacturer and $50 from the store Circuit City. The store returned my rebate form saying that the purchase date was invalid (11/23/07). The online information that shows the qualifying dates is not longer available and they expect you to spent hours on the phone aggravating you, to tell you that you don't qualify. The curtomer service and rebate center have a poor service and they are taking advantage of the buyers.