I, too, got one of the "Dear John" letters from Vista Outdoors, re: my online rebate submission for an LRHSi (for which I paid a little over $1200 from Grabagun.com). I called in and spoke to one of their CSRs, who said that there's nothing that he can do because the UPC on the packaging for my optic is not on the list, as it shows to be an Elite Tactical model. He then suggested that I submit for the rebate by mail.
Now, first things first... I admit that the packaging in which my optic was delivered DOES say "Elite Tactical Hunter";
HOWEVER, I had no way of knowing that prior to purchasing (and receiving) the optic, since even the Bushnell webpage for my particular model of optic (
http://bushnell.com/hunting/rifle-scopes/elite-long-range-hunter/lrhsi-4-5-18x-44mm) does not at the time of this writing have the word "tactical" anywhere on it. Further, the part/product number on the packaging for my optic (E45184HI) matches what Bushnell shows on their product information page.
So, I have taken screen grabs of the Bushnell website (that include the URL), and I plan to print them out and go nuts with a highlighter showing the part/product number and the Elite Hunter product name to include with my mail-in submission. The long and short of it is that I purchased this optic in good faith that I would be able to take advantage of this rebate, taking care to ensure that I read the entirety of the rebate form before making my purchase. That Bushnell/Vista Outdoor is taking this approach is extremely frustrating.
I am certainly going to send everything in via snail mail, but the point is that I shouldn't have to. If all else fails, I have prepaid legal representation through my job, so I can file a lawsuit with nothing more out of pocket than filing fees (about $30). I don't WANT to go that route, but if Vista Outdoors wants to be shitty about things, I guess we'll have to be shitty about things.