BEWARE buying ammo etc. from Cabella's

[CHLSteve]

If you paid by credit card, you may be able to take it up with them too. They swing a much bigger bat, and can at least get your money back. I've done this on rare occasions when a store wouldn't make something right.


Bottom line is they promised you a certain product, you paid for that product, and they did not deliver it.

[Right2Carry]

I just returned from a 90 minute round trip drive to Cabella's to purchase ammo for my new 1911, as well as a few other things. I was pulling out the various boxes of ammunition, and randomly opened the box of .40 S&W Winchester Silvertip Hollow Point ammunition that I'd bought for my XD .40. ....

The store location is on I-35 north of Fort Worth. That's the last time I visit that store.

I would take it back to the store and ask to speak to the store manager, if he doesn't do anything then I would ask for the 1-800 number for customer service and keep asking them for their supervisor until you get to someone who will rectify the situation.

Good luck with this tactic ... Using this method used to work at just about every retail store. However, in recent years, many people (even managers) could care less about giving good customer service. In my experience you will get a semi-placating, nonchalant "Sorry about that." Rather than any kind of meaningful satisfaction. Even a sincere "I am sorry" would be nice.

It works provided you keep on going up the chain of command. Eventually it gets to a person who just wants to make it go away.

[Mike1951]

Not saying that Cabelas handled this properly, but no one has mentioned the reason Cabelas and other retailers have a no return policy on ammo.

That reason is tampering.

Someone could pull some of the bullets, insert triple charges of Bullseye, and return the ammo, waiting to read about the shooters' injuries in the newspapers.

[BigBlueDodge]

Ding, ding, ding. Mike wins the prize. I was goint to respond with the same thing but he beat me to it. This issue is safety and liability. There is nothing preventing someone for going home, and putting in some super duper handloads that are unsafe, and thus Cabelas reselling them to an unsuspecting buyer.

It's a bitter pill to swallow, but I do appreciate you posting this. Up until this point I had never really thought to check my ammo before I bought it, but I will from now on. If it makes you feel better, I'll post a story where I got burned (my fault). I have been wanting to get some Federal HST for my 1911 for a while. I knew that I could order them from AmmunitionToGo.com, but never got around to doing it. Well, I was at the gun Show at Will Rogers, and walked by one of the ammo tables, when something caught my eye. Sure enough, the dealer had 6 boxes of HST (50 count each) for $39.99. I remembered that when I had visited AmmunitionToGo site, and saw them for $24 for a box. For whatever reason I thought the $23 price on the site was for a box of 20 (which all self defense ammo seems to come in). So I was thinking, I can buy a box of 50 for $39.99 or buy two boxes from AmmoTogo for $24 a box ($48 total). I thought I had finally found a deal at the gun show (which is always overpriced on ammo) and bought all 6 boxes for $240 total (He came off $10 for me since I bought all 6 boxes). Well, later when I got home, I casually went to AmmunitionToGo's site to look at their price, so I could pat myself on the back for finding a good deal. Then thats when I realized....their $24 price was for a box of 50! So I paid pretty close to double what i could have got it for frmo AmmoToGo. I don't like it, but I am glad that I have the ammo. I tested a round in a hog we killed while hunting, and the performance was impressive. The extracted round looks exactly like what is shown on the site.

[DEADEYE1964]

Not saying that Cabelas handled this properly, but no one has mentioned the reason Cabelas and other retailers have a no return policy on ammo.

That reason is tampering.

Someone could pull some of the bullets, insert triple charges of Bullseye, and return the ammo, waiting to read about the shooters' injuries in the newspapers.

I agree 100% that they should not take the ammo back ( federal law).What I disagree about is how Cabela's and other companies handle the situation.Are there goofballs that actually buy the cheaper ammo then exchange the contents to get better ammo, sure but I could not imagine it is a big problem. That is also called shopliffting, just like changing a price tag. Are there goofballs that actually want to see someone get hurt, sure there is but not accepting returned ammo will solve that. I would have issued him a gift certificate for the difference because apparently someone made the switch and he did not get what he paid for. I could not imagine that a company like cabela's would risk losing a customer and any negative publicity over 20 to 25 dollar difference in the ammo. It cost a company a lot more than that to get a paying customer to walk through the doors via advertising. Do we learn from this experience and open all boxes of ammo we are looking at just to make sure it is labeled properly, can you imagine what the packaging is going to look like in the ammo isle with all of those open proof boxes torn open ? I know it is only my opinion but I think Cabela's really dropped the ball on this one. It is sad that you throw customer service out the window because such a small percentage of idiots try to ruin it for everyone. Remember, I am in no way saying Cabela's take the ammo back, just make it right with the person (your customer) with some kind of store credit.

[vickark]

I do hope that Cabellas will do you good by this. Please let the board know. This would change shopping habits of others and myself. I spend a lot at cabellas (just ask my wife-lol)
I do know when buying ammo , it is to your advantage to open and check the contents. I found this out when i bought some ammo (9mm and .40 cal) from wallyworld. Got home and there were several rounds missing from each tray. These were stored in a locked cabinet in sporting goods. Hummm- sounds like inside job to me.
It's a shame the world has came to this.
Good day and good shootin'

[particle]

Thanks fellas - I will definitely let the board know what comes of this. I'm sure nothing will come of it, but I did email customer service via their website submission form, and got an email response stating they would pass it to the appropriate person. That was a couple of days ago...

[CodeJockey]

Thats really surprising. I'd try calling back and speaking to the manager. I work literally 2 min from there and have bought several items, with a few returns here and there, and I've always found their customer service to be stellar. Now, FWIW, they have a recently posted sign hanging on the door that says they will not accept returns on ammo, powder, primers, etc. But i would still think they could do something for you like a gift card, or sell you a box of what you intended to buy for the price of the target ammo to make things right.

[razoraggie]

Speaking for a large retailer that I personally manage: We do have return policies as mentioned above. I also understand about returning ammo once it has been purchased can be a hazard. But as most retailers will NOT tell you is that most returns do NOT end back up on the shelf. Defective, damaged or unusable merchandise that is returned by customers is usually cycled through the store in a "credit from vendor" process. Most larger retailers have a return clerk that work in tandem with the receiving department that is responsible for contacting vendors to get credit on returned merchandise. Why would a store want to resell something at a discount when they can get full credit for it from the vendor? This happens around 75% of the time at my location. Some things CAN and ARE resold. But most stores would not want the headache of reselling a return only to have it come back again and again with the same quality complaint. It's just bad business from a dollar-for-dollar standpoint.

With that said. Ammunition cannot be returned and RESOLD per federal guidelines. HOWEVER it should be able to be refunded (at the stores discresion) and the store should take the proper means to retrieve the credit for the either defective or damaged merch.

Put this "round" in your chamber next time you have an issue with a retailer about faulty merchandise. Ask the manager at the location this specific question: "Isn't it your responsibility to keep myself and others coming back to your establishment and exchange our money for your goods and services? Don't you have a clerk that handles returned merchandise and that you receive full credit for the retunrned merchandise in most occassions from the vendor? If you cannot handle this situation then I would like the number of your local corperate office and speak to your area manager. I would like him to know how I feel I am being treated here."

Using that wording will get you a result 9 out of 10 times without having to actually call the regional office.

[secure]

It is for this exact reason that I always open my ammo before I check out. Sorry to hear about this. Actually, Cabellas check out people should inspect the ammo at checkout and this would never happen.

[tju1973]

Instead of avoiding cabella's i'll just use this experience as a warning to make sure and check what's really in the box.

flb: I was thinking the same thing But I guess that wouldn't be fair to the next person that bought the "hollow points"

This almost happened to me at Gander Mtn-- I just happened to check the box before I bought them (due to a small tear on the flap) and the .45ACP Hydrashocks had been swapped with WWB-- I like the WWB, but I aint paying HS price for them. I took the box to the gun counter and the employee was like "oh sh*t!"-- I went back and got a box and was on my merry way. I always check now at GM, Cabela's, Dick's etc-- wherever the ammo is out in the open...

Good story, sorry you got the shaft on it though..

[Morgan]

Yes, they have several ways of handling it without taking those back. Like selling you a box of what you WANTED at the price of what you got. Or refunding the difference and telling you to keep them. Losing a customer over the price difference between range ammo and premium ammo?? Stupid. It's not like you're trying to get over on a case... it's ONE BOX.

[Rex B]

I was there last night, bought some snap caps on a tag marked $5.99.
Looked like a deal.
At the register, they rang up at $14.99, so I commented to the cashier. He ignored me.
I paid, then walked back to where I got them. After finding the correct peg and price label, I saw they were $12.99.
I pointed that out to one of the long-time employees at the counter. He immediately walked it to CS and they cheerfully refunded the diff.

The people at the firearms section have mostly been there from the time the store opened. They have always been helpful, professional, courteous, even knowledgeable about their product. I haven't had a problem there so far that they have not corrected.

[CopOnce]

What has really worked great for me in the past is the Better Business Bureau (BBB). The complaint ends up with some executive and in my cases, heads rolled and the problem was rectified. Give it time to work though, it doesn't resolve over night. Good luck and next time, look at the ammo before paying for it. I do.