d**k's Sporting Goods d**k's Falsely Advertised My Free Baseball and Frequently Uses the Bait and Switch Technique With Coupons Internet, Ohio

I received a coupon in the mail for a "Free Rawlings Official League Baseball valued at $2.99." My son needed new baseball shoes and batting gloves and he insisted on shopping at d**k's so that he could get a free baseball. We gathered our purchases, found the free baseball, and went to the register. I had IN MY HAND a Rawlings Official League Baseball priced at $2.99 and, to my dismay, the cashier told me that I could not use the coupon for the baseball. She said that, even though the baseball in my hand was identical to the free baseballs that they had given away, the store was out of the "special baseballs" being used for the promotion and I would have to purchase the one in my hand. In my opinion, if you have an item in the store that is identical to the item listed on a coupon, it is misleading to advertise that the baseball is free if it isn't. If you don't want to give away the baseballs, then don't stock them in the store during a promotion. I explained this to the cashier and she could see that I and my son were visibly upset. She did not offer to get a manager or to give me a rain check. She just said that they would not be getting in any more shipments of the baseballs and my son was forced to give back the baseball and to leave the store in tears. I was EXTREMELY upset when I left the store and I contemplated returning the items purchased and driving 20 miles to another store. The only reason that I did not do this was to avoid my son leaving the store empty handed when he had been so excited about going in the first place. I will not shop here again and I will advise the people that I know not to shop here as well. Frankly, I would like for my son to have the baseball that he deserves. I know that this is only a 3 dollar baseball, but it's the principle of the matter. If you offer a specific coupon and you have the item listed on the coupon in stock in the store, then the coupon should be honored. This is especially true when children are the typical recipients of the free item listed on the coupon.This is unacceptable.

I have been upset about d**k's coupons in the past. It seems as though most of their coupons are practically worthless due to excessive exclusions. I actually emailed customer service in the past and asked that they stop sending me coupons because the amount of exclusions on the coupons enraged me. It was clear that they wanted me to go to the store thinking that I could use a coupon and decide to purchase the items anyway after learning that the items were excluded. They are famous for the bait and switch tactic. I still receive the coupons. I should have known that a coupon with no exclusions from d**k's was too good to be true.