S&W $50 rebate and questionable dealer practices

[StephenT]

Hi everyone,

This morning, I picked up a NIB S&W M&P9 compact -- great little gun. Like many others, I was lured by Smith & Wesson's $50 off + the two free magazines.

I was annoyed, however, by some gun dealers' sales practices. At Houston's gun show this morning, one dealer plastered $359 as the final cost of an M&P9C after the discount. I was in the process of buying the gun when I realized that the dealer wanted to charge me $449+tax. When I argued that the price should be $409 to come out to $359 after the discount, he stated that the price accounted for $50 plus the two magazines, priced at $20 each. Needless to say, I cancelled the transaction and bought the same gun from another dealer not playing these games.

Has anyone else noticed that many dealers have jacked up prices on M&P pistols in an effort to cash in on the S&W rebate? I remember them going for $399 not too long ago at shows. I don't mind the practice so long as the upfront cost to the customer is clearly marked and the dealer doesn't resort to deceptive tactics...

 

[Rayden]

Which dealer was it so I can avoid?

 

[asknight]

Collect that dealer's information and report the scam to S&W. I don't think it will be long until S&W pulls his dealership authorization.

 

[StephenT]

Hi Rayden,

It was at the Schramm's booth where they tried this stunt. It's too bad because they have the best prices generally. If you're looking for an M&P, Bachman's had the best deal for $429.95 + tax (before rebate). There, the price on the tag is the price you pay. AJC Sports had an M&P9C marked at $410, but was really charging $460. At least, ACJ indicated clearly that the price was after the rebate and didn't try to charge customer an extra $40 for the free S&W magazines.

 

[conw]

Report them!

I would report them to the better business bureau or equivalent, the chamber of commerce, S&W, and anyone else you can get a-hold of or think of.

This kind of stuff is false advertising, and is illegal...mfr. companies really frown on it because it makes them look bad.

I've heard about gas stations, etc, doing this with cigarette promotions - overcharging because the company was doing a 2-for-1 promotion.

It's definitely something that the above-listed orgs would wanna hear about!

Conwict

 

[StephenT]

Done! Email sent to Smith & Wesson's customer services with the FFL's full address. I'm not holding my breath, but it can't hurt.

 

[JaxNovice]

They tried to charge you for the two magazines that S&W were giving you for free?

 

[StephenT]

Jax -- Yep, that's how they were justifying the extra $90: $50 for the mail-in rebate and $20 each for S&W's "free" magazines. They thought that I would just pay the difference after completing all the paperwork. The aggravating part is that I asked another salesman if the price was going to be $409.95 and he said yes. Then, another person wrote up the sale and the manager refused to budge on the price. That's when I walked away. Over the years, I've bought something like 20 guns from this dealer, but my business will go elsewhere from now on.

 

[bannockburn]

I remember sometime back where some less than scrupulous dealers would take the spare magazine out of the box, then tell you the gun you were buying only came with one. Then amazingly enough, they would have this brand new mag to sell you when you asked about buying a spare. Most manufacturers take a very dim view of stocking dealers taking free promotional merchandise, and turning around and trying to sell it to potential customers. Report this to S&W and let them look into it.

 

[Confederate]

Ummm...now would you like the optional barrel and firing pin that fits that gun? How about the factory grips? And of course I have to sell you this here instruction manual at a minimal fee. Okay...ummm...I'll throw in the box, but there's a recycle fee I have to charge you for, and would you like a bag for that?

Thank you for shopping Mr. Haney's Handgun Emporium, Mr. Douglas!

 

[MAKster]

I think you are looking at this backward. The dealer wasn't raising the price from $359 to $449 to erase the rebate and mag offer. $449 is a great price for a M&P. But he was being sneaky by displaying the $359 number since it wasn't what you would have actually paid him, but was the after rebate "value" of the purchase. Best Buy and Circuit City do this all the time in their advertisements. The ad says $699 in big print and then in tiny print it says "after mail in rebate."

 

[DENALI]

I'm with MAKster, it wasn't really dishonest, just sneaky advertising, and at any rate you nailed em on it. By the way that rebates a great promo for everybody, those S&W mags are genuine steel, a rarity these days.

 

[jdorian]

Not illegal, but rather a bad use of the fine print to entice buyers. I don't think they would be able to scam too many people since once they pull out their wallet they would know the out of pocket price. Still not right since the buyer had filled out the forms and everything.

 

[Bulldog]

Maybe he's trying to recoup his $40 loss on me from last weekend in Ft. Worth.

I bought an M&P45 w/night sights that was marked at $549. When I was checking out, Jeff (Schramm) walked by and noticed what the girl was charging me, and he then realized that he mismarked the price. Price should have been $589, but he honored the marked price, no questions asked.

The tag on my gun didn't have any rebate info on it at all, so I didn't see any unscrupulous practices on my transaction. Other dealers at the show, however, were doing the $419...... (after$50rebate) thing.

 

[19-3Ben]

That's still darn cheap. I actually plan on getting the M&P9 on Monday. The cheapest in CT that I can find is $500. If I saw it for $450, i'd be gleeful.

 

[Rayden]

I just bought a Ruger P345 from them. I think the display price for your M&P were a little sneaky but overall they are an ok dealer.

 

[Javelin]

Schramms is a CLIII dealer as well and I am very familiar with them. I will not even consider them for my next purchase. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[NJG33]

This dealer was definitely acting in an unethical manner. The sign said final cost was $359 but even after the rebate and (now not so) free magazines he would have paid a total of $399, and no explainations, justifications or fudging of the math would have changed that fact.

 

[MaterDei]

I'm going to the Houston show today. I just might have a friendly talk with Mr. Schramm.

 

[Alan Fud]

This type of stuff happens all the time with other products and it is not unusual for it to happen with guns as well. Just do some research and the math before handing over the money.

 

[wuchak]

Sounds like they don't understand the difference between final value and final cost. The way I see it the final cost is the final amount of money that is gone out of my pocket when the whole deal is done. That includes rebates coming back etc. The final value is the value of the whole package when the deal is done. Looking at it in this way the value of the free magazines can be added to the final value but cannot be subtracted from the final cost.

 

[Guapo]

This dealer was definitely acting in an unethical manner. The sign said final cost was $359 but even after the rebate and (now not so) free magazines he would have paid a total of $399, and no explainations, justifications or fudging of the math would have changed that fact.

This is how I see it. The dealer was basically selling mags that were supposed to be free. Posting "After Rebate" prices is one thing. Charging for items that should be free from the mfg is totally fraudulent.

 

[wally]

Bad marketing move with this promo, but if you reject buying from S.A.W.S because of it, you'll sometimes be missing out on the best price. He most definitely did not have the best price on S&W M&P pistols, but he did have the best price on the SIG .223 rifles at the show, among others.

I've done lots of business with them over the years and always been treated fairly, although now that "Doc Walther" has retired, Jeff probably would be voted the most grouchy at the Houston shows

I saw the M&P offer and though it deceptive and moved on, others had better prices and selection on the M&P guns anyways.

IMHO we are fortunate to have competitive dealers at the Houston shows as Houston gun stores are universally high priced with even "on sale" items being routinely 20-25% higher than the best show prices.

--wally.

 

[StephenT]

Hey Wally -- You're absolutely correct that these gun shows are a blessing, as compared to any of the gun stores in Houston. Well, perhaps not a blessing because they're terribly addictive. I've never had a problem with Schramm's on previous gun purchases, so I'll probably forgive them if they continue to be competitive with the other vendors. Perhaps, S&W will slap them on the wrist for what they were doing with the M&P.. Just wish I could have got it for $399 + rebate like you did!