1.   At Chicama in the Flatiron district, Douglas Rodriguez is setting up a frequent-diner discount and rebate program with a special membership card.

2.   A few firms have already been thrown out or suspended from the rebate program for violating its guidelines, city officials said.

3.   According to Audrey Weil, senior vice president and general manager for CompuServe, the rebate programs are banking that novice Web surfers will bring their wallets with them.

4.   But Brown of Time Warner said the apparent success of the satellite rebate program indicates otherwise.

5.   But they also endorse the rebate program.

6.   But with almost every rebate program, he said, a significant percentage of buyers never applies.

7.   By contrast, several oil companies offer gasoline rebate programs with their credit cards but require you to buy gas at their stations.

8.   Commission spokesman Russ Rader said the commission believed the original rebate program would get people to stop using the dishwashers.

9.   Consumers have been buoyed by lower interest rates and aggressive rebate programs, which have made new vehicles more affordable than they were last year.

10.   Host instituted a new rebate program for retailers, who cashed in on the rebates more than consumers did.