2nd free 8GB sxs by mail?

[Andrew Wilson]

I got a "we haven't received your materials yet e-mail" but my tracking number tells me it was delivered 3 days ago. I called the number and they told me that it can take 4 weeks from when they get the materials to when it shows up on the rebate center.

That sounded pretty lame to me. In the days of bar codes and pre-registration, my info should be up on the website 3 minutes after someone opens that envelope.

I mean, FedEX.com tells me my package has been delivered 10 minutes after I sign for it and show me my signature.

[Michael Bender]

So the process marches on, now my SxS rebate claim status has changed to "Approved", but still no UPS tracking number on the website:

Rebate Details
Promotion: 070573B - PMW-EX 1 SxS Memory Card Offer
Claim ID: xxx
Business Name: BIT VIDEO
Customer Name: MICHAEL BENDER
Address: xxx
Postmark Date: 12/20/2007
Received Date: 12/26/2007
Claim Status: Approved
Pre-Qualification Code: xxx
Fulfillment Information:
Fulfillment #: xxx
Description: Sony SxS Memory Card
Quantity: 1
Ship Date: 1/22/2008
Shipped Via: UPS
Submission Origin: Standard Submission

[Vince Gaffney]

Mine is much the same as yours as of today.

vince

[Craig Seeman]

Even though I'm still getting "Claim Not Found" on the web, I called Sony and they informed me the card shipped to me yesterday via UPS even though the web says Fed EX (I told them the web says Claim Not Found). They do not have a tracking number.

[Michael Bender]

I called today (1/23) and the rebate center rep told me that my card had shipped yesterday (1/22) but she was unable to provide me with a tracking number nor information on what shipping method and service was used.

This does seem like a pretty cavalier attitude given that the SxS card they are sending has a list price of some smaller DV cameras! You would think it would be everyone's best interest if the rebate center ran a much tighter ship when it comes to tracking such an expensive rebate item.

mike

[Michael Bender]

Here is a copy of the e-mail that I wrote to the customer service folks at the Sony rebate processor:

Dear Sony Rebate Center,
I am writing to you concerning my experience trying to obtain
shipping and tracking information on the Sony SxS card that is
sent to the customer on your rebate promotion:

Promotion: 070573B - PMW-EX 1 SxS Memory Card Offer

I called today (1/23) and the rebate center rep told me that my card
had shipped yesterday (1/22) but she was unable to provide me with a
tracking number nor information on what shipping method and service
was used. The web site was also devoid of details, other than to
specify that the card was shipped by UPS; however this information
is suspect since another person that is also expecting a card called
the rebate center and was told that the card was shipped via a
different method than what the website said for their rebate info.

This does seem like a pretty cavalier attitude given that the SxS card
that you are sending has a list price of approximately $600. Without
shipping and tracking information, you have no idea if I received the
card, and I have no recourse if the card is not delivered to me. I also
can not be sure to be available when the shipping service delivery
person delivers the card. Do I need to sign for it? If not, what proof
is there that it was ever delivered to me? If I do need to sign for
it, I would certainly like to know when I need to be present at my
studio to sign for it - I am out in the field quite a bit, and it's a
large inconvenience to have to sit around waiting for this card
without knowing when it is scheduled to arrive nor how it is going to
be delivered to me.

I think it would be everyone's best interest if the rebate center ran
a much tighter ship when it comes to tracking such an expensive rebate
item. I am hoping that you will fix your processes to be much more
customer friendly, especially to customers such as myself that have
spent almost $7000 on a camera and have had to endure weeks of
frustration with both Sony and the rebate center due to mixed up
offer starting dates and serial numbers. Handling something as simple
as a rebate should *not* be this difficult.

thanks,
mike

It will probably get filed in the Round File, but, hey, you've gotta try, right?

BTW, I also Cc:'ed the e-mail to my contact at Sony that has helped with the serial number fiasco.

[Bill Heslip]

Every call is a bag of surprises!

Hi, I'm calling about claim #xxxxxx
Everything is fine with your claim, sir.

Can you tell me when it might ship?
I'm sorry, we're not allowed to give shipping estimates.

Why doesn't my claim show up on your website?
Our site was probably down.

But I've tried 20 times over 2 weeks.
It's down a lot, sir.

Not everyone is having difficulty. Will you have (supervisor) call me?
Can you hold, please?

45 seconds tick by...

Sir? I see that your rebate is scheduled to ship in a few days, but I have no further details. Do you still want a supervisor to call?
Yes, please.

and so on....

A $2 razor-blade rebate is run better. Sony should be embarrassed.

[Michael Bender]

I just received an e-mail from my contact Sony (it's 9:45PM here in California, so he is working some serious OT ;-) and this is what he said:

Hey Mike,

Once again, I apologize. I will fix this.

I've really got to hand it to Sony, it seems that when you bring things to their attention, they get right on the problem and try to get it fixed.

mike

[Vince Gaffney]

My memory card just arrived via UPS. As of 30 minutes ago there was no tracking number posted on the Sony site with my rebate info. Nice surprise.

vince

[Christopher Witz]

mine just arrived 10 mins ago.... total shock!.... should I take back all the bad mojo I was spreading? My cup is back to half full!

[Michael Bender]

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

[Pierre Louis Beranek]

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.

[Don Greening]

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

[Craig Seeman]

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.

[Chuck Wall]

Mine arrived yesterday!

Chuck