FZ20 and free case + battery offer

For awhile Panasonic was offering a free case and battery with the =
purchase of an FZ20 from Circuit City. I bought my FZ20 during that =
period and mailed in my rebate forms, but have not received anything yet =
(it's been about seven weeks). Did anyone here apply for the rebate and =
receive the stuff?

I ordered my Z20 through the same promotion. After about 8 weeks and having
to keep my camera wrapped in a towel to protect it, they sent me this tiny,
gray plastic thing, barely large enough to store a battery in, let alone my
Panasonic. I did get a battery with it, however. I took the plastic, tumor
looking thing to my local store and whined that the case was supposed to
worth about $60 since they originally said the value of the promotion was
$100 ($39 for the battery which leaves a $60 case value). Fortunately, the
manager of the store was customer-service-oriented and allowed me to pick
any case I wanted. So I did and have an incredibly good case as a result.
This is the kind of thing that leaves a bad taste with me regarding ordering
on line. It really irritates me that CC will gladly take your money in an
instant but can't get you your agreed item within a reasonable time frame.
If I were you, I would begin applying the "squeaky-wheel" method of getting
results. Go to your local store, if you have one, call customer service
from your paper work and e-mail anyone you can and begin bitching up a storm
until you get results. Good luck and hang in there.

bob




__________________________________________________ ________
"Swingman" wrote in message
. ..
For awhile Panasonic was offering a free case and battery with the purchase
of an FZ20 from Circuit City. I bought my FZ20 during that period and
mailed in my rebate forms, but have not received anything yet (it's been
about seven weeks). Did anyone here apply for the rebate and receive the
stuff?

=20
I ordered my Z20 through the same promotion. After about 8 weeks and =
having=20
to keep my camera wrapped in a towel to protect it, they sent me this =
tiny,=20
gray plastic thing, barely large enough to store a battery in, let =
alone my=20
Panasonic. I did get a battery with it, however. I took the plastic, =
tumor=20
looking thing to my local store and whined that the case was supposed =
to=20
worth about $60 since they originally said the value of the promotion =
was=20
$100 ($39 for the battery which leaves a $60 case value). =
Fortunately, the=20
manager of the store was customer-service-oriented and allowed me to =
pick=20
any case I wanted. So I did and have an incredibly good case as a =
result.=20
This is the kind of thing that leaves a bad taste with me regarding =
ordering=20
on line. It really irritates me that CC will gladly take your money =
in an=20
instant but can't get you your agreed item within a reasonable time =
frame.=20
If I were you, I would begin applying the "squeaky-wheel" method of =
getting=20
results. Go to your local store, if you have one, call customer =
service=20
from your paper work and e-mail anyone you can and begin bitching up a =
storm=20
until you get results. Good luck and hang in there.

Thanks for the reply. Regarding a case I got a nice one soon after =
buying the camera as I knew it would take a long time for this "offer" =
to arrive. I'm really only interested in the battery at this point. My =
wheel will start gently squeaking soon g.

Robert wrote:

I ordered my Z20 through the same promotion. After about 8 weeks and having
to keep my camera wrapped in a towel to protect it, they sent me this tiny,
gray plastic thing, barely large enough to store a battery in, let alone my
Panasonic. I did get a battery with it, however. I took the plastic, tumor
looking thing to my local store and whined that the case was supposed to
worth about $60 since they originally said the value of the promotion was
$100 ($39 for the battery which leaves a $60 case value). Fortunately, the
manager of the store was customer-service-oriented and allowed me to pick
any case I wanted. So I did and have an incredibly good case as a result.
This is the kind of thing that leaves a bad taste with me regarding ordering
on line.

Incidentally, I recommend a Tamrac 5683 for the FZ-10/15/20. Quite a
snug fit (if you keep the hood fitted which I do), but a nicely made case.
You can certainly get a spare battery, SD cards, and a lens-cloth in
there too.

pete
--
"there's no room for enigmas in built-up areas"

I also ordered my FZ20 when that camera bag plus battery rebate offer
was running in December. No luck so far in getting those items. I
definitely won't be a happy camper if the case they do eventually send
is cheap junk that isn't even large enough to hold the FZ20. If they
don't have better cases available to send then they should ship the
battery along with a coupon good for $60 off the purchase price of a
camera bag.

I've been keeping my FZ20 in an old padded bag I dug out of the garage
which was originally intended to carry around a Nintendo Entertainment
System. Plenty of storage room inside it, but I had to use sections
of bubble wrap for padded dividers to keep the items inside from
bumping against each other.

On Tue, 25 Jan 2005 07:20:02 -0800, "Robert"
wrote:


I ordered my Z20 through the same promotion. After about 8 weeks and having
to keep my camera wrapped in a towel to protect it, they sent me this tiny,
gray plastic thing, barely large enough to store a battery in, let alone my
Panasonic. I did get a battery with it, however. I took the plastic, tumor
looking thing to my local store and whined that the case was supposed to
worth about $60 since they originally said the value of the promotion was
$100 ($39 for the battery which leaves a $60 case value). Fortunately, the
manager of the store was customer-service-oriented and allowed me to pick
any case I wanted. So I did and have an incredibly good case as a result.
This is the kind of thing that leaves a bad taste with me regarding ordering
on line. It really irritates me that CC will gladly take your money in an
instant but can't get you your agreed item within a reasonable time frame.
If I were you, I would begin applying the "squeaky-wheel" method of getting
results. Go to your local store, if you have one, call customer service
from your paper work and e-mail anyone you can and begin bitching up a storm
until you get results. Good luck and hang in there.

bob




_________________________________________________ _________
"Swingman" wrote in message
...
For awhile Panasonic was offering a free case and battery with the purchase
of an FZ20 from Circuit City. I bought my FZ20 during that period and
mailed in my rebate forms, but have not received anything yet (it's been
about seven weeks). Did anyone here apply for the rebate and receive the
stuff?

Thought I'd post an update. It's been about 10 weeks now since I =
submitted my rebate forms for the case and battery - they have still not =
arrived. I called the panasonic customer service number on the rebate =
form and was told:

1. It can take up to fourteen weeks for the stuff to be sent. =20
2. There is no way to track the rebate or even confirm it's in the =
system.

Fortunately, this rebate was not an incentive for me to buy the camera, =
which I like very much. It was just an unexpected bonus. I hate =
rebates to begin with, and the fact that there is no way to confirm or =
track this one makes it worse then most. =20

I think I'll breakout my camera and take some pictures now g.

VS

Bill Rude wrote:
[]
I think Panasonic would have contracted another company to fulfil the
rebate deal and unfortunately, many of these fulfillment companies
are not much more than scammers. In the end, Panasonic or whoever the
original company is gets screwed too, in terms of cost and customer
satisfaction.

Rebates seem to be a rather American way of encouraging purchases, at
least that's the impression I get. In the UK many people buy mainly on
price or sometimes "free flight" etc. offers. It is something in the
American character which produces "rebate mentality" or did things just
develop that way?

With all the problems people report, I would have thought that a lower
price up front would have been better for both vendor and customer!

Cheers,
David

In article , says...
Bill Rude wrote:
[]
I think Panasonic would have contracted another company to fulfil the
rebate deal and unfortunately, many of these fulfillment companies
are not much more than scammers. In the end, Panasonic or whoever the
original company is gets screwed too, in terms of cost and customer
satisfaction.

Rebates seem to be a rather American way of encouraging purchases, at
least that's the impression I get. In the UK many people buy mainly on
price or sometimes "free flight" etc. offers. It is something in the
American character which produces "rebate mentality" or did things just
develop that way?

With all the problems people report, I would have thought that a lower
price up front would have been better for both vendor and customer!

Cheers,
David




Being an American (and a Yankee) I think I can put some spin on it for you.

Most of the older generation of Americans (50+) dont expect a "free ride"
EVER, but we have brought up a generation that expects "something for
nothing" on a regular basis.

Most rebates are probably given because the vendor expects (and rightly so)
that more than half the buyers will not pursue the rebate, another 20% will
not file it in time, and another 10% wont persue it if they dont get it even
if they did file on time.

I have never bought anything because it had a rebate, but I have always filed
them and persued them if they were offered.


--
Larry Lynch
Mystic, Ct.

Larry wrote:
[]
Being an American (and a Yankee) I think I can put some spin on it
for you.

Most of the older generation of Americans (50+) dont expect a "free
ride" EVER, but we have brought up a generation that expects
"something for nothing" on a regular basis.

Most rebates are probably given because the vendor expects (and
rightly so) that more than half the buyers will not pursue the
rebate, another 20% will not file it in time, and another 10% wont
persue it if they dont get it even if they did file on time.

I have never bought anything because it had a rebate, but I have
always filed them and persued them if they were offered.

Oh, thanks for that perspective!

Can't people see that the "something for nothing" just raises the product
price somewhere? It would be less time and effort for them simply to get
a product where there was no rebate offered, providing it's good value for
money. Of course, that then raises the question of "how much is it
worth?", or from the vendors' viewpoint, "how much can I get for it?".

I felt that the Panasonic FZ20 was good value for money, but the Nikon
8800 not such good value (lens, mainly), and that's what helped make up my
mind. Not that anything with the life of a "digital" unit can ever be
good value for money (just wait six months and it's "half" the price...).

Cheers,
David

In article , says...
Larry wrote:
[]
Being an American (and a Yankee) I think I can put some spin on it
for you.

Most of the older generation of Americans (50+) dont expect a "free
ride" EVER, but we have brought up a generation that expects
"something for nothing" on a regular basis.

Most rebates are probably given because the vendor expects (and
rightly so) that more than half the buyers will not pursue the
rebate, another 20% will not file it in time, and another 10% wont
persue it if they dont get it even if they did file on time.

I have never bought anything because it had a rebate, but I have
always filed them and persued them if they were offered.

Oh, thanks for that perspective!

Can't people see that the "something for nothing" just raises the product
price somewhere? It would be less time and effort for them simply to get
a product where there was no rebate offered, providing it's good value for
money. Of course, that then raises the question of "how much is it
worth?", or from the vendors' viewpoint, "how much can I get for it?".

I felt that the Panasonic FZ20 was good value for money, but the Nikon
8800 not such good value (lens, mainly), and that's what helped make up my
mind. Not that anything with the life of a "digital" unit can ever be
good value for money (just wait six months and it's "half" the price...).

Cheers,
David




I tend to see what I want and go buy it, not waiting for "discounts" or
"rebates".

When Sony came out with the F717, and I saw some sample shots from one (of
familiar subjects) I just went out and bought it ($999 US), same thing with
the F828 ($999 US).

So now I sit with 2 cameras that cost a thousand dollars apiece, and if I
were to sell them I probably couldn't get half my money back...Did I over
pay?? Only if I disregard the hundreds of pictures I have sold from those two
cameras. They have paid for themselves several times over.

I'll do the same when I go to a DSLR this spring. I'll just find the one I
want and BUY it. I dont mean I'll be stupid about it, I'll check to see if
someone has it "on sale" for less than recomended retail, but in the end I'll
buy it regardless, when I NEED it.

(Im leaning toward the Olympus DSLR because of the "self cleaning" feature,
and the fact that I dont have any Canon, Nikon, or Minolta lenses.)




--
Larry Lynch
Mystic, Ct.