Winchester Ammo "Rebate" Hoops. I.

Mike Trudel

Well-known member
Purchased a flat of Drylock Supremes (10 boxes) with the thought of getting back the $50 rebate. In past years to receive a rebate required proof of purchase and the UPC off the case. I requested paperwork to send in to get the rebate, and Winchester has decided to make the buyer cut the UPC off every individual box. So they are asking the hunter to cut apart every box in the case to get the rebate. The shells arrived with no rebate paperwork, so all the boxes used so far have been discarded prior to the knowledge that each box needs to be gutted.

Sleazy marketing!
 
The same thing happened to me several years ago. I purchased more this year because of a great price and the rebate. I now have boxes with holes in them. The shells have an opportunity to sneak out of the boxes. I did receive notice that my rebate was being processed. I think Winchester requires the UPC from each box because you can buy less than a case for the rebate.

I do feel like I got screwed last time but I should have read the fine print. Maybe a call to Winchester will win your rebate back.

RVZ
 
Mike,
They did the same thing with AA target ammo this last summer. You can make a shallow cut around the UPC with an exacto knife or razor blade, then peal the top layer of the cardboard off to harvest the UPC without destroying the integrity of the box. Got pretty good at the process this summer while peeling 4 flats of 410 and a flat of 28ga. Took a while to get the money, but the good news is it was a check, and it did show up as promised.

-Bill
 
The hole in the box is easily remedied with some packing tape taping the bottom of the box. inside flaps protect the bottom so shells can't fall out if the box stays taped. Never had an issue with shells coming out of the box if I did it that way.
 
Dani beat me to it--though I was going to suggest duct tape--but it's still sleazy marketing. They are clearly counting on the fact that many of us will be seduced by the rebate, and a lot fewer will jump through the hoops.
 
Thank you Dani and Jeff... quite the easy solution to a small problem.
Over the years the "boxtop" requirement has been a standard. Cutting upc numbers is nothing new, or "sleazy" in my experience.
Many of the manufacturers did away with the case upc because of the cheaters out there.
PIA.... yes, unreasonable... no. Rebates have been around for a long time, along with the "proof of purchase" requirement.
Never have I had rebate forms or paperwork supplied with the product... guess that's why the call it a promotion.
Kind of an added "bonus" for something you are going to buy... Several of the ammo makers are running great rebate promotions now - take advantage of them if you can.
 
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My "sleazy" radar may be oversensitve. I'm in the "tell me your best price and I'll buy if the product is worth it" camp. Rebates, coupons, and online deals generally turn me off. I refuse to shop on "Black Friday". I guess I am reaching the cranky stage of life!
 
Mike, Rogers Sporting Goods will send them to you with the shotshells, as well as readily post them on their website.
 
That's a plus... never ordered from Rogers.
Usually Midway, or Natchez, is my "go to"...
Never know where the good deals are day to day.
I just ordered 2 cases of .410 skeet loads from Cabelas (of all places)....
at $48.99 a case with free shipping I couldn't pass that up! They didn't last long at that price unfortunately.
They also had a great deal on bismuth, but that went even quicker.
With the price of ammo these days it is a added bonus to get a rebate. But customer service is paramount - sounds like Rogers goes the extra mile.
 
For what its worth, because I hunt a lot of salt water the brass on my shells gets rusty if I leave them in the box (to the point they won't cycle). I will throw the shells in a quart sized zip lock bag, and then spray them lightly with CLP. Eliminates the rust issue, and might eliminate the box problem for you guys.
 
I been carrying my hunting shells in a plastic shell box or over 30 years.

I always figured you had to cut upc codes off of packages for rebates so no one could get rebates and still sell the products as new or return them.
 
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