This morning, I received the following e-mail from "Ms. X" at Sony in response to my e-mail to my Sony contact last night. I have included my response to her e-mail as well:


Hi Michael,

Thank you so much for your insight, we truly appreciate it and will certainly address your points. I am sending your information to my contact now, if you do not hear back from her in 24 hours, please contact me so that we can get this resolved.

Again, I apologize for the run around you received.

-----Original Message-----
From: Michael Bender
To: Ms. X @ Sony
Subject: Re: Issue with shipping item in Sony SxS Card
promotion/070573B-PMW-EX1 SxS Memory Card offer

Hello Ms. X,
Thank you for writing back to me so promptly. First, let me
say that I really do appreciate that so much of the rebate
process can now be done on-line. I am very impressed with your
prequalification form process, and I do like the fact that I
can go to your website and get rebate status on-line. I realize
also that your system may have some bugs to work out and with
the move of your facility to a new building, I can completely
understand that some things can get lost in the shuffle.

> My name is Ms. X, I handle End User programs for Sony and Dr. X
> brought to my attention that you are having a problem finding
> out the shipping information regarding your SxS Memory Card. I would
> like to apologize for the issue you are having. Upon receiving your
> email, I contacted our fulfillment center and spoke to the manager. I
> informed her of the situation. She explained that normally all
> shipping information is loaded into their systems on a nightly basis so
> that customer support can easily access it. At the moment, they are in
> the process of moving the fulfillment center to a new building, while
> this is happening, their systems have been shut down.

Thank you for the explanation.

> If you wouldn't mind providing me with your exact name, address, Zip
> code, invoice and any other information you have such as the printed out
> online claim form, I will forward to my manager and have her locate the
> shipping information.

Here is the information on my rebate:

Promotion: 070573B - PMW-EX 1 SxS Memory Card Offer
(etc... personal details removed for this post to DVinfo)

> Please except my apology for this, I am sorry that the person you spoke
> to did not explain the reason why they could not provide shipping
> information at the moment.

Thank you, I understand. I would like to make a suggestion that
you tell the folks answering the phone to explain to the caller
why shipping information is not immediately available, and perhaps
also put a note on the website (on each rebate status page) that
explains things as well.

Is this rebate center really a Sony division, or does Sony contract
out rebate processing to this company? The address to send rebate
materials to looks very similar (if not identical) to addresses
that I have used for other non-Sony rebates, and I"m wondering if
part of the problem here is that the rebate processor is used to
just approving rebate checks (you know, those $2 checks you get
back when you buy a packet of razor blades ;-) and handling a
relatively expensive item such as an SxS card is new to them.

> Please let me know if you feel you were not treated properly when you
> called to inquire about your card and I can assure you that I will
> address it.

Well, I have to say that the numerous times that I have called since
late December to inquire about this and several other Sony rebates
that I have in the pipe have always been very pleasant experiences.
The phone people are courteous, polite and, given what access they
have to information, very informative. I give the rebate processor
customer service representatives very high marks, and I do understand
that there is only so much they can do if their call center IT
systems don't provide the necessary information. Fixing *that* part
of the rebate experience would be much appreciated my myself and
others. I think that a lot of us are used to dealing with on-line
merchants such as Amazon, B&H Photo, FedEx, etc... where up to the
minute, accurate information is (almost) always available, and so
to be presented with an on-line rebate status tracking system that
doesn't provide all the information that it should (or, that our
on-line generation thinks it should, at any rate) is frustrating.

> Please feel free to contact me anytime should you have any questions or
> concerns.

Thank you, I will.

I have sent in some comments on the operation of the rebate center's
website that I feel are very user-unfriendly, and I have attached
that e-mail here (I haven't received a response from the rebate
center on this issues yet).

I hope that in all of this, we can get a better, faster, more customer
focused processed going that will make everyone happier.

Thank you again for responding to me, and thank you for listening to
my suggestions!

mike


The attached e-mail that refer to is an e-mail I sent to the rebate processor's customer service e-mail address telling them that the error message you receive when you try to click on a link or refresh a page when your session has timed out is very unfriendly, and doesn't tell the customer what the real problem is, nor does it provide a link back to the Sony rebate home page which is:

https://www.rebate-zone.com/sonyb2b

This response from Sony is pretty darned amazing, and I'm surprised that they got back to me as quickly as they did - kudos to them!

mike

Sony Canada is great! I got my 8Gb card just 1 week after mailing the info card back to them! No hassles. They sent it by Purolator. I'm glad I bought my camera in Canada instead of from the States, otherwise I wouldn't have been entitled to the free card.

We got our EX in the middle of December and mailed off our card offer form to Sony about two days later. The card showed up on Tues. via Purolator. We're on the Canadian west coast.

- Don

Sony called me yesterday with a UPS tracking number. It shows my card will be delivered on Monday.

When I called them about the web page not finding the claim I had asked if they could email me the tracking number and they said they couldn't but would call with it. It does seem to indicate they have a serious issue with handling things "online" if their web database isn't working properly and they can't email tracking numbers. I do hope they get that fixed because taking and making phone calls has to be less efficient but I'm glad they had the courtesy to call me back. That's good service.

Mine arrived yesterday!

Chuck

My card just showed up this morning. I never was sent a tracking number by Sony, just a message about 10 days ago that they had received my paperwork.

I am still waiting for my large batteries to be delivered though!!!!

Daniel Weber

Sony's website still says "Claim not Found," but I got my card today. :-)

Also got my big battery from B&H today... life is good.

received my card today. thanks Sony!

At the risk of beating this thread to death, got my card today, too. But ya gotta think the noise we made maybe sped up the process. The website never did acknowledge my submission, though.

Bill -

out of curiosity, when did you submit your info for the rebate? I'm putting in an order over the weekend and would like to have an idea of what to expect.

Thanks

Well I still haven't received my card and website still does not acknowledge my submission.

Maybe Monday...

Just got mine today via UPS!
Mailed in the forms, bar codes, etc. on 12/28/07

I think I mailed it Dec. 26, so about 4 weeks. The fine print indicated 8-10 weeks (I bothered them with lots of phone calls, but always civil).

I mailed in my rebate 28 Dec and received the card in the mail today.

I mailed mine out on Jan 2nd and received mine today.

Never received any communication from Sony.

Got mine today - UPS with no signature required.

Got mine today too. UPS I signed for it. Mailed rebate in the last week of December.

I ordered my camera 12-14-07 and had it on 12-15-07. I sent in my rebate materials on 01-07-08 and my card showed up UPS today 01-21-08.

The whole process was a real drag mostly due to poor implementation and communication by Sony's rebate center ( a contracted 3rd party I am sure) but clearly they are trying to make amends by getting these cards out quickly. On the plus note, when I called the toll free number to call center in Minnesota, I actually got a person in Minnesota.

David Schmerin
www.GotFootageHD.com

I got my EX1 at the beginning of December and I just mailed my rebate card in last week. 6 days later and I now have my 2nd 8gb memory card.

Mailed mine on 1/15. Scheduled for delivery(UPS) on 2/7. I was able to track UPS with your claim ID as the reference code along with Country and Zip Code.

Bryan

I sent for my rebate on 2/4/08.

Received today UPS ground.

Never showed up on the Sony site even after the phone representative gave me a confirmation #.

Thanks!

Just got mine today - I liked the return address - It was from the "Sony Fulfillment Center" - that worked for me.

Out in Canada here.

I sent my papers out by courier on a Monday and had my card in the mailbox by Friday. They seem pretty organized.

Paul

I mailed my form out 1/29/08, their website said were received 2/4/08, and I was checking on the site yesterday, wondering when I'd get my free card and it gave me a UPS tracking number... yea! I checked the UPS tracking number and it said 'delivered.' Looked outside my door and there was an envelope by the door! It took some time but not as long as it could have. I'm happy.

Wow, the SF Bay Area was feeling the 8gb love yesterday. Nice.

Keith (Brisbane)
Leonard (North Bay)
Me (San Jose)

And me, in San Jose, sent Feb 4, confirmed Feb 13, received Feb 25. Painless.

I got the email saying my rebate has been approved. The website says "cannot find any record of rebate" and gives a 1-800 number to call?

The card must be closing out and coming quicker. I had my confirmation email in three days and the card was mailed out on the same day. IE from applying to receiving just a week.

I don't understand why Sony Canada is able to deliver the free 8gig card in about 2 weeks (as some people here said) and Sony USA is taking 8-10 weeks?

I submitted my rebate almost a month ago and only a few days ago I recieved an email saying that they recieved it and it is valid. When I called them to get tracking and aski them why my claim read "claim not found" on th sony website , they said "it may take another 8-10 weeks to process and ship.

I just don't know why it has to take 2 months for something so simple.