Smith and Wesson Mail-In Rebate Problems

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Hi, I purchased a S&W Shield 9mm back in July when they were running their "perfect summer hideaway" rebate. The rebate consisted of 2 boxes of ammo, a mag loader, and a few spare magazines. The rebate is processed by Milano Promotional Services.

It has been 4 months now and a dozen emails/phone calls by me with no rebate yet! I sent them my Cabela's store reciept and they mailed me a letter last week stating that the serial number was handwritten by the store (claim it should be typed instead). The receipt has all of the details including the SKU number, however they deem this as invalid. Milano has a voicemail service that you leave your details with, I have called them 4-5 times with no response over the past month. Smith and Wesson has been shockingly unhelpful.

Overall conclusion, no more smith and wesson for me or my friends/family. I will go out of my way to persuade others to buy something else. This mail-in rebate from them was a complete scam.
 
If you haven't already write a letter directly to S&W requesting their help along with copies of you receipt. Along with the correspondence you have gotten from or lack of correspondence you have gotten from their rebate vendor.

Thanks for sharing with us.
 
Last edited:
Yep that is the game, Deny and wear down.
They plan on only paying a fraction of the rebates that is how they pocket money.
 
Originally Posted By: Rand
Yep that is the game, Deny and wear down.
They plan on only paying a fraction of the rebates that is how they pocket money.


I find it hard to believe they would intentionally blacken their image in the minds of the public. One bad deal posted on social media and they’re cursed for as long as people think they remember the issue.

I participated in and was successful in getting my rebate from them as I know many many others were. Even those who initially had issues or lagged behind all got theirs in the end.

This is not an intentional, bait and switch, attempt to discredit rebates just to garner additional income for S&W. It’s an isolated incident with more to the story than we see here causing some unique and unintended issue.

And for the record, I’m no S&W fan nor do I have any connection to them, Milano, or otherwise. I prefer Gaston’s models but I did buy a Shield on rebate as it was too good a deal to pass on.
 
I have dealt with 3 separate rebates from Browning over the years. And every one of them went off without a hitch. It sounds like the problem is with the agency they're using. Not with Smith & Wesson themselves. All of these type of promotions are jobbed out.
 
Patience grasshopper, It took four months to get mine. My new Shield ended up costing me $224 and was well worth the wait.
 
As mentioned, these were farmed out, and if I recall S&W has noticed and apologized on social media for the slower than usual delivery. And I am no S&W apologist, especially since the last two wheelguns in a row came to me in a non functional state.
 
Originally Posted By: gman2304
Patience grasshopper, It took four months to get mine.


Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
That does seem excessive wait, I remember people talking on a shield group that the were all getting their rebates in about 10-12 weeks.


The difference here is only a month. That's nothing in terms of waiting for rebates. Remember, you're waiting for THEM to give YOU money. It goes against human nature. You can't expect them to be too Johnny on the spot about it.
 
Originally Posted By: Robenstein
And I am no S&W apologist, especially since the last two wheelguns in a row came to me in a non functional state.


You bought 2 NEW Smith & Wesson revolvers that wouldn't even run?
 
I got a shield in april. It had the “savings you can carry” rebate.
It took quite a while to get my rebate but i did.
I purchased my shield from nw armory it was 325
Rebate 75 bucks so 250. Nw armory put the sn on the receipt and it was printed so no problem there.
If the problem with the rebate is that Cabelas handwrote the sn on the receipt
I think the beef is with Cabelas.
 
Originally Posted By: FirstNissan
Hi, I purchased a S&W Shield 9mm back in July when they were running their "perfect summer hideaway" rebate. The rebate consisted of 2 boxes of ammo, a mag loader, and a few spare magazines. The rebate is processed by Milano Promotional Services.

It has been 4 months now and a dozen emails/phone calls by me with no rebate yet! I sent them my Cabela's store reciept and they mailed me a letter last week stating that the serial number was handwritten by the store (claim it should be typed instead). The receipt has all of the details including the SKU number, however they deem this as invalid. Milano has a voicemail service that you leave your details with, I have called them 4-5 times with no response over the past month. Smith and Wesson has been shockingly unhelpful.

Overall conclusion, no more smith and wesson for me or my friends/family. I will go out of my way to persuade others to buy something else. This mail-in rebate from them was a complete scam.



Please post their response so we can see exactly what it says. No where on the rebate form does it say to type the S/N so I doubt they would use that as a valid reason for denial. My guess is that it was illegible or incomplete.
 
What I'm having trouble with here, is that every gun I have ever purchased from Cabela's was bought on an electronically typed and printed 4473 Form. In fact every bit of personal information that I was required to give them for purchase was TYPED IN at a computer terminal. So it doesn't make sense that Cabela's would be scribbling in serial numbers. Unless it was on the rebate form. And even then, they require a copy of the sales receipt when you send in the form. And Cabela's ALWAYS has the serial number of the firearm on the sales receipt. Something here isn't right.
 
I am the OP. The exact reason on the rejection form was "illegible/invalid sales receipt". This is my first time every dealing with a firearms mail-in rebate and definitely my last. The cabelas receipt had an item number, SKU, price, UPC number, and price all TYPED. The Serial number was handwritten. This was a Instore-pickup since they had sold out their shield's otherwise, maybe that is why they hand-wrote the number?
 
Originally Posted By: FirstNissan
I am the OP. The exact reason on the rejection form was "illegible/invalid sales receipt". This is my first time every dealing with a firearms mail-in rebate and definitely my last. The cabelas receipt had an item number, SKU, price, UPC number, and price all TYPED. The Serial number was handwritten. This was a Instore-pickup since they had sold out their shield's otherwise, maybe that is why they hand-wrote the number?



Typed, printed, or hand written, the SN is not required to be on the receipt for rebate purposes. The SN is required to be clearly written on the rebate form though. I submitted two, and received two, without the SN on either receipt.

However, since the SN was hand written on your receipt, it now has to match the SN you wrote on the rebate form. If it doesn't then there is a valid reason for denying the rebate.

Did you make a copy of all the paperwork? If so and, the two SNs clearly match the pistol's, there should be no valid reason that Milano has to deny it.
 
Originally Posted By: billt460
Originally Posted By: Robenstein
And I am no S&W apologist, especially since the last two wheelguns in a row came to me in a non functional state.


You bought 2 NEW Smith & Wesson revolvers that wouldn't even run?


Yep. A model 638 airweight was nearly bound up and would not open. Someone at the factory forgot to screw in the ejector rod all the way. We had to rubber mallet it open to screw it in all the way. Minor problem that I was able to remedy. The second was a Model 67 that was out of time when new on two chambers. Had to send it right back where they replaced either the cylinder or the extractor which was not machined properly. Both were bought early in year.
 
Originally Posted By: billt460
Man that's terrible. I feel your pain.


I think S&W, like everyone was expecting a different political climate and just churned out guns in the fall of 2016, putting quality control on the backburner for the consumer to sort out for them. When I decided to buy early in 2017, I was lucky to get the fruits of those rushed efforts. They work well now, so I am only mildly perturbed.
 
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