Receive Z1U starter "rebate" kit ?

[Gints Klimanis]

I just bought the Z1U, which is eligible for the Z1U rebate kit, which includes two NP-F970 batteries , ten tapes and Sony Vegas 6. 8-10 weeks delivery time falls on the edge for my main fall event (Nov 17) which will need two batteries, but probably not more. I'd like to avoid the situation of buying two $100+ batteries and then receiving the two free batteries shortly afterwards.

Has anyone received this rebate? How long did it take?

[Ervin Farkas]

I tried to apply, the Sony website would not take my serial number, it comes back with "this serial number is not eligible". Called B&H, they double checked something... and said all is fine on their side, I have to call Sony. I e-mailed them a week ago, they never e-mailed back.

[Michael Hendrix]

I sent mine in I think on August 4th, got an email on August 24th saying I qualified and allow 6-8 weeks. It's been over 4 weeks and I haven't received anything. Called Sony and they show it is still processing.

This is why I hate rebates, I just don't understand why it takes so long to process this thing, I did the preapproval online, sent in all of my stuff, qualified and it still takes this long.

I am sort of in the same situation except with tapes, I use the high end Sony tapes and now am out from the first batch I bought with the camera. I have a new project coming up starting on Oct 14th, two weeks away, will the tapes make it? Probably not but at least I have batteries.

[Boyd Ostroff]

Originally Posted by Michael Hendrix

This is why I hate rebates, I just don't understand why it takes so long to process this thing

Come on now, you don't really think it takes 6 to 8 weeks to "process" your rebate do you? There just isn't much incentive to do this quickly from their point of view.

I'm sure the rebate will be honored, and probably within the guidelines they stated. However I would have a "plan B" if I needed batteries by a specific date...

[Douglas Spotted Eagle]

FWIW, Sony, (like most companies) doesn't manage their own rebates. Clearinghouses provide those services and they generally aren't the most efficient organizations, based on a reasonable amount of past experience.
Drop em' a note, maybe the squeaky wheel gets the grease?

[Gints Klimanis]

Well, said DSE. Rebate houses are getting trickier and trickier. One set of disk drive rebates (WD or Seagate, I forget) would deny every disk drive rebate that I submitted, as well as those of my friends. Once we all called up, the company said that there was no problem and changed the rebate status to pending.

Though, I suspect that this Sony rebate is really about bunching up rebates and processing them in a single shot, rather than as they arrive.

Although I am grateful for any rebate, it's really a pain unless it is actually an "instant rebate" through the store. For this rebate, the tapes are no doubt valuable in the future. Sony Vegas 6 has been out for a while. Since Vegas7 is supposed to be about HDV editing, I think Sony should have included 7 or some sort of incentive to buy it. The batteries two-pack will be wasted unless resold. Come on. If the rebate batteries show up sometime like three months later, an FZ1 owner stuck with that underwhelming stock battery will have to buy 1-2 of the F-970s. Then, when the complimentary batteries show up, there will be too many. Anyone needing that many batteries will likely have purchased them well before the rebate is fulfilled.

[Ervin Farkas]

After trying about a week ago and being refused by the Sony website ("this serial number does not qualify for the rebate), I tried again today and was able to print the form - so I am sending it in tomorrow. Must have been a glitch on their website... or just a trick to steer me away... as discussed above.

[Gints Klimanis]

I received my Sony Business Kit rebate (10 tapes, 2 batteries, Sony Vegas6) today, almost four months after submission. Cool.

[Marshall Levy]

same here...got mine a few days ago and the rebate was submitted last august.

[Ervin Farkas]

Submitted October 5th, received January 22nd - late, late, very late, but it is within the 10 weeks promised by Sony... at least in my case.

It looks like they wait until they have a certain number of rebates accumulated, then they ship them all at the same time.

[Steven Davis]

Originally Posted by Michael Hendrix

I just don't understand why it takes so long to process this thing,

Inside Sony's mind (maybe they'll forget, maybe this will keep them from sending in the next rebate we offer)

Like Boyd said, they're just isn't any incentive for Sony to process it quickly. I'm sure they have one dude processing these things in a room full of rebate stacks, he has one ink stamper, a comodor 64 computer, and a half a role of tape.

[Gints Klimanis]

Originally Posted by Steven Davis

Like Boyd said, they're just isn't any incentive for Sony to process it quickly. I'm sure they have one dude processing these things in a room full of rebate stacks, he has one ink stamper, a comodor 64 computer, and a half a role of tape.

I'm quite sure that they the orders are fulfilled by an ultra-efficient rebate processing firm. It's easy to see that Sony would prefer to hold on to their money for another quarter. As a customer, I would prefer the rebate sooner.

Mail-in rebates have grown so abundant that I now avoid many purchases due to the rebate, as I have been screwed on a couple. I no longer consider them to be true discounts and consider the full price of the item offered in the case that the rebate is unfullfilled. A rebate should be a true discount, not a gamble.

In the future, I'd prefer a slightly lower "instant rebate" that is processed electronically at the store point-of-purchase.

[Theodore McNeil]

I ordered my rebate in August. I also requested the laser pointer pen. Pen showed up in seven weeks. The batteries and tapes arrived two weeks ago, making it analmost six months wait.

Now, that the wait is over I have to say it was worth it. Two batteries batteries and premium tapes were great.

Why I don't understand, is why don't simply have an extra-life battery package? In my life, I have never met a prosumer that has just a shortlife in his/her camera kit.

[Greg Patch]

I guess that I screwed for this rebate. Did you all include the original bar code or a copy? I included the original upc barcode from the box, like i'd ever need it again, well somewhere down the line my rebate stuff must have gotten lost in the mail. I submitted in August and never made it into the system. They said that I could not resubmit without the barcode. Reciepts and serial #'s are not enough..The serial number is the same as the barcode, yadda yadda yadda..

Why don't they just include that stuff when you buy the camera instead of making us jump through all these hoops?

Oh yeah, I never got my pen either..

[Douglas Spotted Eagle]

Originally Posted by Greg Patch

Why don't they just include that stuff when you buy the camera instead of making us jump through all these hoops?

..

because they vary from region to region, depending on which region has XXX stock. Additionally, rebate numbers are significantly lower than actual sales, because many folks just don't want to jump through hoops. Somewhere, I once read that fewer than 10% of folks holding rebates actually redeem them.
I know I'm guilty. ;-)