Difference of opinion

[TacoBubba]

Food for thought. I recently purchased my first ar. A bushmaster carbon 15. I like the way it feels, shoots just fine for me. Its my first, will not be my last ar. Now to the story. Bushmaster is offering a $50 rebate. Fine with me. So I sent off for it thinking hey, I can use $50 on some ammo. So get the note in the mail Saturday thinking sweet! Wrong! Denied! They say that my gun was purchased before the promotion started. So, I call them today. They say because I put it on layaway in July thay I didn't qualify. I told the csm that i purchased it on September 2, a month after the promo started. He said that remington/bushmaster didn't see it that way and went by the layaway date instead. I said seriously!? I said that is just wong. He said he saw my side of it, but could not go against policy. My first words were come on man! I call bs.... I have recipts that were circled and mailed to them when I sent in the rebate. I followed instructions to the T. Luckily, its not the end of thr world. But, I think that's just lame. Enough of the rant. Thanks for reading

[Rightwinger]

Fight it.  I think in most of these "rebate" deals, they are like insurance companies and anytime they can deny, they do so.  I bought my first smart phone in August and part of the deal was a 50 dollar rebate.  Followed all the bells and whistles, got denied, no proof of purchase submitted.  So jumped through hoops again, pictures, attachments, blah blah.  They got them and promptly denied again stating the phone wasn't eligible for rebate!  Sent them the conversation with the online specialist and the receipts (again) showing it was eligible.  Okay, accepted.  No word for weeks.  Called, oh, there was a system glitch, you were denied again but we will fix it.  Three more weeks, no rebate card.  Called again, told guy all above and he said he saw that on the records and finally, got my rebate card last week.  9 weeks after it all started.  Be persistent.

[zybysco]

I've been in retail most of my life. It goes by the day you bought it. How do they even know when you put it in layaway?

[TacoBubba]

Fight it. I think in most of these "rebate" deals, they are like insurance companies and anytime they can deny, they do so. I bought my first smart phone in August and part of the deal was a 50 dollar rebate. Followed all the bells and whistles, got denied, no proof of purchase submitted. So jumped through hoops again, pictures, attachments, blah blah. They got them and promptly denied again stating the phone wasn't eligible for rebate! Sent them the conversation with the online specialist and the receipts (again) showing it was eligible. Okay, accepted. No word for weeks. Called, oh, there was a system glitch, you were denied again but we will fix it. Three more weeks, no rebate card. Called again, told guy all above and he said he saw that on the records and finally, got my rebate card last week. 9 weeks after it all started. Be persistent.

I'm wondering the same thing. My receipt says nothing about a layaway. Just says the amount total paid, and the date purchased with a copy of my background check with the same date.

[bersaguy]

Yep Fight it and you will get it eventually. Went through the same thing with Cricket Phone Company 15 years ago not to long after Cricket opened. They were offering a $100.00 rebate on phone and 1st month service. I followed the instructions to the letter, dotted every i and crossed every T and it got denied so I went through the entire process again but this time had to use copies of all the paper work because you had to send in the original paper work with the first request.

 

They denied it the second time because I used photo copies which they said in the original forms they would not accept. Finally I had to go to a store near where I got my phone so I stopped in the Cricket Store and told them what I was going through. The manager was totally in agreement with me that they should have sent it but it was out of his hands. He said if their was anything else I could do let him know and he handed me his card.

 

On that back of the card was a note that said call this number. It turned out to be the CEO and owner of Crickets private number. I called it and the guy actually answered the phone and I called him by his first name so he thought it was someone he knew and I began to explain to him why I was calling. He asked me how I got his personal number and I said from a concerned Cricket employee but would no tell him which one of which store. He turned out to be a great and very understanding person and we actually became phone friends.

 

After listening to what all I went through he explained to me that Cricket does not actually do the rebates but they are handled by a company in Arizona but that he promised he would look into it and get back with me. I thought yea right and thanked him for his listening to my problem and he made sure before hanging up that he had my correct phone number. Well two weeks passed and one day my phone rang and it was him. He said that he had learned that the rebate company contracted by Cricket to provide the rebates were scamming most folks because they had everyone's original paperwork and refused to accept photo copies. I learned from him that he had hired an attorney to file criminal charges of fraud against the company and also sue them for an undisclosed amount. 

 

Then he told me that he appreciated the fact that I did pursue this issue or he may have never learned of it. He said that he could not do anything about getting me the $100.00 but he said I can do something better for you.  He said i have contacted the billing section of my company and you will be getting 1 year of free Cricket Phone Service and from that month which was August 1989 to August 1990 I had phone service and didn't get my first bill till September 1990.

 

So don't quit fight for your rebate and don't take no for an answer because I figure eventually they will send it to you just to shut you up if not for any other reason and make sure it is an actual rebate from  the Firearms Manufacturer or like in my case it was not the company but a rebate company under contract to fill the rebates like cricket had...............jmho

[Bubba0031]

I'm going to play Devil's advocate and offer another view, or question.  If you bought it in Sept 30 days after they started offering the rebate then I assume they began offering it in August.  You put it on lay away in July 60 days before the purchase and 30 days before the rebate.  My question is was the rebate advertised in July?  In other words did you purchase in July expecting the rebate and/or did you even know about it?  They may view as being similar to purchasing an item in Sept and then it goes on sale over the Holidays and someone asks for the difference after they have made the purchase. l

[TacoBubba]

I'm going to play Devil's advocate and offer another view, or question. If you bought it in Sept 30 days after they started offering the rebate then I assume they began offering it in August. You put it on lay away in July 60 days before the purchase and 30 days before the rebate. My question is was the rebate advertised in July? In other words did you purchase in July expecting the rebate and/or did you even know about it? They may view as being similar to purchasing an item in Sept and then it goes on sale over the Holidays and someone asks for the difference after they have made the purchase. l

I actually saw the promo for it in July. That was one reason I went for the bushmaster. I liked the way it felt and that was actually part of the sales pitch. So, I thought what the heck. I got a good deal on my first ar. And I went for it. Put the sucker on layaway and paid for in just over a month. I busted my butt in ot for that thing. Granted, its only $50 but heck its $50!

[runco]

Not an expert, but I think rebates are handled and paid by 3rd parties.  These 3rd parties pay a certain price to the manufacturer, and basically gamble on the sales vs. actual qualifying rebates.  I am not 100%, but I think thats how that works.  I had some similar experience with something from Sears about 20 years ago, and that is what I learned. 

[Grand Torino]

Stay on their asses.........any company worth it's salt would make this right in a  heartbeat......just sayin'.

[Randall53]

To me a layaway is not a purchase until it's paid off, you get the receipt and the background check is complete. That is when you take possession, purchase has been made and you walk out the door with it.

[DaveTN]

I would call Bushmaster Customer Support (1-800-883-6229). I doubt Bushmaster is even involved in this, but they can make a call or send an email and fix it. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks.

[TacoBubba]

I would call Bushmaster Customer Support (1-800-883-6229). I doubt Bushmaster is even involved in this, but they can make a call or send an email and fix it. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks.

Thanks for that number. It is on my to do list tomorrow.

[Trekbike]

My receipt says nothing about a layaway. Just says the amount total paid, and the date purchased with a copy of my background check with the same date.

I'm still curious on how they even knew about the layaway...