Federal not honoring my HST ammo rebate?

[Macchina]

I just checked the status of a rebate I submitted in November for 5 boxes of HST (P9HST3) I bought from Bonefrog. Federal says it's "unqualified". The fine print doesn't have anything that stands out and the rebate form I read before purchasing simply states it needs to be at least 2 boxes of HST ammo.

This is the rebate:

https://promotions.vistaoutdoor.com/EN/US/Promo/1069/85/EntryForm

And this is the rebate status:
Promo Number:
R9838
Date Received:
12/1/2018
Status:
Processed
Qualification:
Unqualified

The product(s) purchased are not eligible for this offer.


I don't like this at all. Anyone else experience this?

 

[Ohen Cepel]

Did you buy the ammo in November? That is the only thing I can see that may get you.

I got hemmed up on a rebate a while back as I bought a 100rd box of ammo and it was only for the 50rd boxes. I have given up on the rebate game, mark the price down if you want me to buy it rather than take my $$ and maybe, months later, I get some of it back.

 

[buck460XVR]

I guess I'd go to the federal website and use their "contact us" links and ask what the issue is. Like many registrations for rebates, one must jump perfectly thru a series of hoops. Online applications only take a single download that doesn't take to make your application invalid. If you kept your receipt and UPCs you may be able to resubmit as long as you met all the other requirements.

 

[Texas10mm]

Did you buy the ammo in November? That is the only thing I can see that may get you.

I got hemmed up on a rebate a while back as I bought a 100rd box of ammo and it was only for the 50rd boxes. I have given up on the rebate game, mark the price down if you want me to buy it rather than take my $$ and maybe, months later, I get some of it back.

That's not going to happen. The number of people who use the rebate is low. So they can show the rebate price but know that most people won't bother.

 

[JohnKSa]

Go through the rebate requirements line by line to see if you fulfilled all of them. If you did, contact Federal and ask them what's going on.

 

[buck460XVR]

That's not going to happen. The number of people who use the rebate is low.

Exactly why one has to jump thru all the hoops. Manufacturers are betting that if the process is tedious, a big percentage of folks either won't bother or won't comply fully, thus making themselves "Unqualified". Menards is a good one for continuously advertising "Huge Rebates", but in fine print you see you don't get cash back, but merchandise credits for future purchases. If you buy a whole case of cabinet knobs, you need to seen in a rebate form for each knob. So even if you go thru all the hoops or sending in the rebate, you have to go back to their store to spend that rebate, very possibly resulting in a sale that requires you to dig into your pockets again. While just a marketing technique, as long as there is a tracking system in place for the OPs rebate, he should be able to get an answer to why his purchase does not qualify.

 

[Macchina]

Yup, bought in November. Looks like I meet all criteria... The only thing that might be weird is:

Purchases made through ExpertVoice®, Wholesalers, Distributors, Vista Outdoor discount programs and retailer employee discount programs are excluded.

Though I doubt Bonefrog is actually a wholesaler or distributior I guess you could argue any website could be one of those...

 

[JohnKSa]

I think Federal is the only one who's going to be able to answer your questions.

That said, is it possible that Bonefrog purchases their ammo through ExpertVoice, or through a Vista Outdoor discount program? If Federal tracks their ammo through UPC, they may know how it originally left them.

This might be a hint from the Bonefrog website:

"**Per manufacturer requirements, this product is available for purchase by LE and Qualified Customers Only."

That suggests to me that they bought the ammo from Federal through a discount program.

 

[H&R Glock]

I got my rebates, but it took weeks.
I copied all the materials that were rendered as per instructions. I made sure the UPC numbers were on the list of eligible rebates.
You might double check the UPC numbers that were turned in.

 

[earlthegoat2]

I got an approval for my rebate request in mid December. No rebate yet.

I don’t get bent out of shape about it. I was going to buy the ammo anyway. Rebates are scams in my view. I will NEVER buy something because of a rebate.

 

[alfsauve]

I got my rebates from buying their ammo without a hitch. That was a year ago. I haven't seen any lately I wanted to buy. I wonder if it has to do with the retailer? Kinda like a gray market product?

 

[Macchina]

I think Federal is the only one who's going to be able to answer your questions.

That said, is it possible that Bonefrog purchases their ammo through ExpertVoice, or through a Vista Outdoor discount program? If Federal tracks their ammo through UPC, they may know how it originally left them.

This might be a hint from the Bonefrog website:

"**Per manufacturer requirements, this product is available for purchase by LE and Qualified Customers Only."

That suggests to me that they bought the ammo from Federal through a discount program.

I believe this is a new thing. Federal recently it's requiring you prove you're an LEO to buy their 50 round packs of defence ammo. This is actually why I bought the ammo when I did to get in before I had to provide proof of anything...

 

[wally]

I just bit on one of the CCI "buy 5 get 1 free" rebate offer. Even if they stiff me on the rebate I'm getting a bit better quality ammo than I usually get from Walmart (Federal 36gr bulk pack) at essentially the same price or a really nice price if I actually get the rebate check.

Not every rebate is a scam. I've got rebates from S&W buy M&P AR15 get free Sigma VE, buy M&P Pistol get two free mags, from Crimson Trace (now part of S&W) buy Laser sight get free rail mounted weapon light. There are others but these I remember from the fast fulfillment. Rebates for computer stuff is probably the absolute worse -- Fry's and Newegg take the cake ofr poor.

 

[ar-newbie]

I submitted my rebate back in early december, and just yesterday received the debit card. Which I activated and used today. If you have one of the cards, be certain to utilize it quickly, as the expiration date is fairly short on them.

 

[Texas10mm]

I just bit on one of the CCI "buy 5 get 1 free" rebate offer. Even if they stiff me on the rebate I'm getting a bit better quality ammo than I usually get from Walmart (Federal 36gr bulk pack) at essentially the same price or a really nice price if I actually get the rebate check.

Not every rebate is a scam. I've got rebates from S&W buy M&P AR15 get free Sigma VE, buy M&P Pistol get two free mags, from Crimson Trace (now part of S&W) buy Laser sight get free rail mounted weapon light. There are others but these I remember from the fast fulfillment. Rebates for computer stuff is probably the absolute worse -- Fry's and Newegg take the cake ofr poor.

If a rebate is a scam then get your state's attorney general involved. Rebates are just like anything else. RTFM, follow the directions and you're golden.

 

[huntsman]

I don’t think scam would be appropriate, more like targeted or selective. I found out the hard way the rebate for American Eagle excluded.45Colt

 

[earlthegoat2]

I know they are not a scam legally, just I’m my view. Too many rules and documentation needed.

Once my receipt printed badly and the date or something couldn’t be read. Tried to get a reprinted receipt from the retailer to no avail. Found out the difference between a receipt and an invoice with another rebate attempt. I still don’t know the difference as it pertains to proof of purchase. So it goes.

 

[NorthBorder]

I got refused a rebate once that I sent because I have a PO Box. Don't know what difference it made. I think it was for some broad heads.

 

[ar-newbie]

Normally I am not one to pursue rebates, but honestly this one was not that bad to navigate through, and I actually did receive the rebate, albeit on a debit card, but it worked.

 

[slowr1der]

If you call Federal, let us know what they say. I just purchased a few of these 50 round boxes and was wondering if they'll qualify for the rebate.

 

[Jenrick]

Federal's customer service is actually pretty good. If you talk to an actual human being, odds are they can give you a straight answer or get it right.

 

[earlthegoat2]

Rebates are handled third party usually so calling Federal may not directly help. Just be prepared for a run around.

 

[GBExpat]

FWIW ...

One of my first steps before making a purchase with a Rebate offer is to carefully check that the product part number listed in the Rebate documentation matches the item that I am about to purchase.

Good Luck with this, Macchina! I hope that you get this sorted.

 

[Eddietruett]

I've found that rebates are usually not worth the hassle for what you get back. Not knocking the OP, but look at what he has already gone through just for $10. The last rebate I go was when S&W gave the $75 off IIRC on the shields. I had to send mine in twice because the first time I forgot to send something and it just wasn't worth the hassle. I got better things to do than spend a lot of time to get $10-$20 bucks back on a rebate that may take 3-4 months. I think the companies know that and it looks good in the advertisement but what percentage really follow through. I'm sure that most people when they hit the least little snag or hurdle with a rebate decide to forget it.