Like everybody else, I am very disappointed in the way S&W has dropped the ball in processing rebates. And, the apology letter from S&W CEO Matt Buckingham has proven to be another empty promise and embarrassing shortfall for him, personally!
I bought TWELVE (12) Shields during the rebate period, six 45's, four 40's and two 9mm's, and dutifully filed all 12 rebates via certified mail as I bought the guns in April, May & June. Having gotten no acknowledgment of my submittals, I then submitted the rebates online using the S&W website. I never heard a peep from S&W's rebate processor, Milano Promotional Services or from S&W until Buckingham's mass-mailed apology letter came on June 21st. Otherwise, no (pun).
Sooo, I did a little Googling and found the Milano owner's phone number and called her to inquire as to whether my rebates ($900) were at least in their system.
Days later, after I called 2 or 3 more times, I was told that the first 3 rebates, which I submitted on April 1st, were in the system and three checks had been authorized. She blamed S&W for being slow to provide Milano with serial number verifications which Milano needed to authorize checks. I was told that my first three checks were authorized June 22nd and that I should receive them soon. I got them on June 30th. That's about 12 weeks processing time. S&W's printed promise is 8-10 weeks. But, not too bad overall.
But, when I asked where my other NINE rebate submittals were, I was told that they had no idea! She said they were overwhelmed with the response to the rebate program and so far behind that rebates submitted in May would not show up in their system for processing until August!!! And those submitted in June would not show up until September!!!
Piss poor to say the least! A total letdown by S&W when their rebate form said to allow 8-10 weeks to receive a check! So, now they're talking 90-120 days!
Worse, is that you don't get any acknowledgment that your rebate submittal has either been received or authorized or processed or mailed...it's just one big, black hole!
Shame on S&W and, in particular, their president Matt Buckingham, who hasn't done anything to speed up the process or keep S&W's original promise of 8-10 weeks. His apology letter on June 21st and his deadlines have since passed with minimal results. So, we're forced to wait and wonder and hope that our blind faith in S&W and Milano will someday result in our rebates getting fulfilled as promised.
This is an unresolved mess caused by S&W's lack of concern for loyal customers who put their money on the line, trusting in the S&W brand name. Instead, we got thrown into the black hole of customer dis-service and left there by S&W's top guy, Matt Buckingham.
Well, nowadays it seems everybody's got a boss and Buckingham's lives at the headquarters for S&W's owner, American Outdoor Brands, American Outdoor Brands, (844) 363-5386, James Debney, President & CEO. Maybe, just maybe, it's time for a little exposure at the top of the food chain. By the way, according to SEC disclosures, poor James Debney only earned $5,259,071 Total Compensation last year. What's a few $75 checks to that guy, huh?
If a few thousand unhappy customers called or wrote to Big Jim Debney about just how unhappy we are with this rebate processing fiasco, maybe there'd be a few more resources thrown at the program besides Milano's overwhelmed owner asking Gertrude or Millie to come in on Saturday morning for a few hours to try to enter a couple more names into the Milano website computer (which is a misleading and dysfunctional mess in and of itself).
Well, patience my friends, and maybe a few thousand phone calls, emails and letters of complaint to Mr. Debney will provide us with a brighter future in the form of our overdue $75 rebate checks.
PS - If they can't cut a $75 check after 3 months, how the hell are they gonna send us a handful of magazines, a mag loader, and a couple of boxes of Hornady ammo that doesn't feed worth a poop through most Shields??? Fool me once......
I bought TWELVE (12) Shields during the rebate period, six 45's, four 40's and two 9mm's, and dutifully filed all 12 rebates via certified mail as I bought the guns in April, May & June. Having gotten no acknowledgment of my submittals, I then submitted the rebates online using the S&W website. I never heard a peep from S&W's rebate processor, Milano Promotional Services or from S&W until Buckingham's mass-mailed apology letter came on June 21st. Otherwise, no (pun).
Sooo, I did a little Googling and found the Milano owner's phone number and called her to inquire as to whether my rebates ($900) were at least in their system.
Days later, after I called 2 or 3 more times, I was told that the first 3 rebates, which I submitted on April 1st, were in the system and three checks had been authorized. She blamed S&W for being slow to provide Milano with serial number verifications which Milano needed to authorize checks. I was told that my first three checks were authorized June 22nd and that I should receive them soon. I got them on June 30th. That's about 12 weeks processing time. S&W's printed promise is 8-10 weeks. But, not too bad overall.
But, when I asked where my other NINE rebate submittals were, I was told that they had no idea! She said they were overwhelmed with the response to the rebate program and so far behind that rebates submitted in May would not show up in their system for processing until August!!! And those submitted in June would not show up until September!!!
Piss poor to say the least! A total letdown by S&W when their rebate form said to allow 8-10 weeks to receive a check! So, now they're talking 90-120 days!
Worse, is that you don't get any acknowledgment that your rebate submittal has either been received or authorized or processed or mailed...it's just one big, black hole!
Shame on S&W and, in particular, their president Matt Buckingham, who hasn't done anything to speed up the process or keep S&W's original promise of 8-10 weeks. His apology letter on June 21st and his deadlines have since passed with minimal results. So, we're forced to wait and wonder and hope that our blind faith in S&W and Milano will someday result in our rebates getting fulfilled as promised.
This is an unresolved mess caused by S&W's lack of concern for loyal customers who put their money on the line, trusting in the S&W brand name. Instead, we got thrown into the black hole of customer dis-service and left there by S&W's top guy, Matt Buckingham.
Well, nowadays it seems everybody's got a boss and Buckingham's lives at the headquarters for S&W's owner, American Outdoor Brands, American Outdoor Brands, (844) 363-5386, James Debney, President & CEO. Maybe, just maybe, it's time for a little exposure at the top of the food chain. By the way, according to SEC disclosures, poor James Debney only earned $5,259,071 Total Compensation last year. What's a few $75 checks to that guy, huh?
If a few thousand unhappy customers called or wrote to Big Jim Debney about just how unhappy we are with this rebate processing fiasco, maybe there'd be a few more resources thrown at the program besides Milano's overwhelmed owner asking Gertrude or Millie to come in on Saturday morning for a few hours to try to enter a couple more names into the Milano website computer (which is a misleading and dysfunctional mess in and of itself).
Well, patience my friends, and maybe a few thousand phone calls, emails and letters of complaint to Mr. Debney will provide us with a brighter future in the form of our overdue $75 rebate checks.
PS - If they can't cut a $75 check after 3 months, how the hell are they gonna send us a handful of magazines, a mag loader, and a couple of boxes of Hornady ammo that doesn't feed worth a poop through most Shields??? Fool me once......
Last edited:
