No Rebate for Alaska and Hawaii at DVinfo.net

Wayne Zebzda · February 29th, 2008, 04:15 PM

Sonys rebates seem to exclude these two states. I've contacted them and they politely sidestep any explanations. I live in Hawaii and the last time I checked we were still part of the union.
Does anyone know a way around this problem?
Aloha,
z

Gabe Strong · February 29th, 2008, 04:32 PM

Don't get me started! This ticks me off as well. I guess we are still just considered territories, except when the tourists want to come visit us. I don't know why some companies think it is ok to exclude some states. I mean I understand we are farther away and all, but come on! I know for a fact that Sony does plenty of business up in Alaska, I'm pretty sure they could offer the rebates to us without going out of business.

Robert Young · February 29th, 2008, 09:44 PM

I've given Sony an earfull about it as well, only to be totally blown off. No one has been willing or able to give me any explanation for this.
The only way around it is to have the product shipped to someone in the lower 48, then have them forward it to you and eat the extra UPS cost.
I've complained bitterly to B&H about it too, but it is obviously out of their control.

Wayne Zebzda · February 29th, 2008, 10:45 PM

Aloha Robert !
In Hawaii everything costs M O R E and is shipped in by boat or plane. We pay $3.60 for a gal of gas and $6 bucks for a box of cereal, and we NEVER get free shipping offered on many items, often having to pay for 2nd day air freight as the only option.
Ouch!
Maybe Sony should double the rebate if you live in Hawaii...Alaska too. At the very least honor it or offer an explanation for this exclusion.
Sony? your turn.

Gabe Strong · March 1st, 2008, 12:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wayne Zebzda

Aloha Robert !
In Hawaii everything costs M O R E and is shipped in by boat or plane. We pay $3.60 for a gal of gas and $6 bucks for a box of cereal, and we NEVER get free shipping offered on many items, often having to pay for 2nd day air freight as the only option.
Ouch!
Maybe Sony should double the rebate if you live in Hawaii...Alaska too. At the very least honor it or offer an explanation for this exclusion.
Sony? your turn.

Ya, same here, with the exception of Anchorage and Fairbanks which are on the road system and can get truck shipping up the Alcan. Most of Alaska has everything flown, first by jet to one of the cities, and then by bush plane from there. The AVERAGE price of gas in Alaska is $4.54 and outside Anchorage in the villages, it reaches as high as $7 a gallon!
Many times you only have one option when you do manage to buy something on the internet and have it shipped....the most expensive next day air option. Of course none of the carriers will honor the next day guarantee to Alaska....many times you pay for next day air service and wait up to TWO WEEKS to get what you ordered. (Plus we have to walk to work uphill BOTH WAYS in the snow!)

Anyways, I'd like an explanation at the very least as well. If you aren't going give us the rebate, at least explain to us why you can't or don't want to give it to us! That doesn't seem to be too much to ask.

Henry Posner · March 5th, 2008, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robert Young

I've complained bitterly to B&H about it too, but it is obviously out of their control.

I know this is vexing, but Sony USA rebates are designed by Sony USA with no input from us (or from any other retailer as far as I know) and the limitations are entirely Sony's.

Wayne Zebzda · March 7th, 2008, 05:14 PM

I just noticed we are also inelligible for the additional 8 GB SxS card for the new ex1.
Now that's a real bite in the butt.

Shawn McCalip · March 7th, 2008, 06:10 PM

The only plausible explanation for Sony to do something like this is because of the way most maps are drawn. See, Rand McNally and friends almost always put Alaska and Hawaii right next to each other in the lower left corner of a map of the USA. They must think that we belong to Mexico, or that the quarter-inch white border surrounding both states is an impenetrable wall over a mile high!

Gabe Strong · March 9th, 2008, 04:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shawn McCalip

The only plausible explanation for Sony to do something like this is because of the way most maps are drawn. See, Rand McNally and friends almost always put Alaska and Hawaii right next to each other in the lower left corner of a map of the USA. They must think that we belong to Mexico, or that the quarter-inch white border surrounding both states is an impenetrable wall over a mile high!

LMAO.....

I've actually had people argue with great conviction with me that it was impossible to drive to Alaska from the rest of the US because....they believed we were an island somewhere in the vicinity of Hawaii. Left unexplained was how Hawaii could have sun, beaches, surfing, and such and Alaska could be populated by eskimos, igloos, polar bears, and penguins.

I didn't know that the extra 8 gig card for the EX-1 was also out of bounds for us. That tick me off. I'm glad I saw that though, I was just preparing to buy the EX-1 from B&H within the next week or so, so that I could take advantage of the extra 8 gig card offer that expires at the end of the month. Now that I know I can't get that anyways, I'm just going to wait on buying the EX-1 and see what NAB brings, makes it easier to wait for me, that's for sure.

Wayne Zebzda · March 9th, 2008, 02:30 PM

"I didn't know that the extra 8 gig card for the EX-1 was also out of bounds for us."

Gabe,
a local retailer said he'd kick in the xtra card here in HI. I don't know if it's out of his pocket or if they have friends in high places, so you might check an Alaska outlet if there is one and see if they have a way around.
Aloha,
wz

Wayne Zebzda · March 10th, 2008, 01:27 AM

Gabe, Forgot to mention , by local I mean just a plane ride or boat ride away to the next island (Oahu) across 100 miles of ocean from here...

Gabe Strong · March 15th, 2008, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wayne Zebzda

"I didn't know that the extra 8 gig card for the EX-1 was also out of bounds for us."

Gabe,
a local retailer said he'd kick in the xtra card here in HI. I don't know if it's out of his pocket or if they have friends in high places, so you might check an Alaska outlet if there is one and see if they have a way around.
Aloha,
wz

Thanks for the idea. Unfortunately, Alaska doesn't have the population of Hawaii and thus we don't have a local retailer (as far as I know). If we did have one, I would certainly send some business that way as currently I order everything online. There used to be a small video gear shop (with a few lower end things), here, and one day I walked in to buy something, and they told me they didn't have it but could order it online for me. I told them I could order it online myself if it came to that, and started talking to them. It appears they quit stocking things because people were ordering stuff online, which than led to them not having stuff when people like me DID walk in, prompting those few people who did walk in to just order online themselves. It ended with them going out of business, sad as I used to try and support them whenever possible. It's nice having a local retailer around for the support they offer (like kicking in an extra card for you!) Even if the 'local' retailer is on another island!

Peter Wiley · March 15th, 2008, 02:59 PM

Some states limit or exclude rebates of various kinds because they deem them to be anti-competitive. Before you blame Sony you should check the state law in Alaska and Hawaii.

Gabe Strong · March 18th, 2008, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter Wiley

Some states limit or exclude rebates of various kinds because they deem them to be anti-competitive. Before you blame Sony you should check the state law in Alaska and Hawaii.

Um.....I'm pretty sure this one is Sony's fault. They won't even actually SELL the camera to me because I am in Alaska. I tried to buy the EX-1 from a site sponsor (B&H) and got the following email:
"B&H is not permitted to sell the PMW EX-1 outside the continental US (lower 48)"

I called B&H who told me they'd love to sell me the camera but that Sony would not permit them too. WOW!

Shawn McCalip · March 18th, 2008, 07:23 PM

That is downright ludicrous! However, it brings further questions to the table:

1: Does this apply only to the EX1? Gabe, would you have received the same response if you tried to order something like the Z7 or a V1?

2: I know of another production house up here that just had a couple of EX1 cameras delivered about 3 weeks ago. Now, I'm wondering where they got them from!

February 29th, 2008, 04:15 PM	#1
Wayne Zebzda Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Kauai, Hawaii Posts: 86	No Rebate for Alaska and Hawaii Sonys rebates seem to exclude these two states. I've contacted them and they politely sidestep any explanations. I live in Hawaii and the last time I checked we were still part of the union. Does anyone know a way around this problem? Aloha, z

March 15th, 2008, 02:59 PM	#13
Peter Wiley Major Player Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Lewisburg PA Posts: 752	It Might Not Be Sony's Fault Some states limit or exclude rebates of various kinds because they deem them to be anti-competitive. Before you blame Sony you should check the state law in Alaska and Hawaii.

February 29th, 2008, 04:32 PM	#2
Gabe Strong Major Player Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Juneau, AK Posts: 814	Don't get me started! This ticks me off as well. I guess we are still just considered territories, except when the tourists want to come visit us. I don't know why some companies think it is ok to exclude some states. I mean I understand we are farther away and all, but come on! I know for a fact that Sony does plenty of business up in Alaska, I'm pretty sure they could offer the rebates to us without going out of business.

February 29th, 2008, 09:44 PM	#3
Robert Young Trustee Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Coronado Island Posts: 1,472	I've given Sony an earfull about it as well, only to be totally blown off. No one has been willing or able to give me any explanation for this. The only way around it is to have the product shipped to someone in the lower 48, then have them forward it to you and eat the extra UPS cost. I've complained bitterly to B&H about it too, but it is obviously out of their control.

February 29th, 2008, 10:45 PM	#4
Wayne Zebzda Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Kauai, Hawaii Posts: 86	Aloha Robert ! In Hawaii everything costs M O R E and is shipped in by boat or plane. We pay $3.60 for a gal of gas and $6 bucks for a box of cereal, and we NEVER get free shipping offered on many items, often having to pay for 2nd day air freight as the only option. Ouch! Maybe Sony should double the rebate if you live in Hawaii...Alaska too. At the very least honor it or offer an explanation for this exclusion. Sony? your turn.

March 7th, 2008, 05:14 PM	#7
Wayne Zebzda Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Kauai, Hawaii Posts: 86	I just noticed we are also inelligible for the additional 8 GB SxS card for the new ex1. Now that's a real bite in the butt.

March 7th, 2008, 06:10 PM	#8
Shawn McCalip Major Player Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Anchorage, AK Posts: 315	The only plausible explanation for Sony to do something like this is because of the way most maps are drawn. See, Rand McNally and friends almost always put Alaska and Hawaii right next to each other in the lower left corner of a map of the USA. They must think that we belong to Mexico, or that the quarter-inch white border surrounding both states is an impenetrable wall over a mile high!

March 9th, 2008, 02:30 PM	#10
Wayne Zebzda Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Kauai, Hawaii Posts: 86	"I didn't know that the extra 8 gig card for the EX-1 was also out of bounds for us." Gabe, a local retailer said he'd kick in the xtra card here in HI. I don't know if it's out of his pocket or if they have friends in high places, so you might check an Alaska outlet if there is one and see if they have a way around. Aloha, wz

March 10th, 2008, 01:27 AM	#11
Wayne Zebzda Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Kauai, Hawaii Posts: 86	Gabe, Forgot to mention , by local I mean just a plane ride or boat ride away to the next island (Oahu) across 100 miles of ocean from here...

March 18th, 2008, 07:23 PM	#15
Shawn McCalip Major Player Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Anchorage, AK Posts: 315	That is downright ludicrous! However, it brings further questions to the table: 1: Does this apply only to the EX1? Gabe, would you have received the same response if you tried to order something like the Z7 or a V1? 2: I know of another production house up here that just had a couple of EX1 cameras delivered about 3 weeks ago. Now, I'm wondering where they got them from!