Hi,

When I bought my Pd170 it came in a box that was not sealed. Is this normal?

The reason I ask is I am thinking about buying another camcorder and I am unsure about buying from the same place.

It certainly isn't normal, but it isn't necessarily fatal either.

Did you buy your camera from a reputable dealer? You can check a number of on-line dealers reputation at sites like resellerratings.com

You can go into the camera's menu, to the last item, and check to see if the camera has any hours on it. Obviously, it shouldn't, if it was purchased new by you. Refer to the manual for more info.

Are all the items in the box that you should have? Manual, remote control, battery, AC charger/adapter?

If everything seems OK, I wouldn't worry too much. But you certainly could put in a phone call to the store and ask about the open box.

Wayne Orr, SOC

Are all the items in the box that you should have? Manual, remote control, battery, AC charger/adapter?

In addition to those there should also be the Sony VCLHG0758 wide angle adaptor lens. Click on the accessories link here:

http://bssc.sel.sony.com/BroadcastandBusiness/DisplayModel?m=0&p=2&sp=11&id=71949

Thank you for information.

I bought it from a place called the HB Group. It has all the accessories and the no hours on it. Maybe it was a return. Maybe someone reset the hours or it was refurbished. Maybe a floor model. It had an odd two scratches on the lens hood. I'll never know.

I've had the camera for a year and it works well.

I don't think the store was upfront with me. They were rude. I won't buy from them again.

If anyone has any insight or suggestion I am interested.

"I bought it from a place called the HB Group."

Do you mean B&H? I purchased my PD170 from B&H. The box was not sealed with tape or shrinkwrap or anything, but the box clearly had never been opened and the camera was brand new. Inside the box, the camera itself and the various included accessories were wrapped in plastic, IIRC. I can't say that I have seen the packaging for a lot of PD170s, but based on mine I doubt that Sony seals the cartons.
B&H is one of this board's sponsors, and there is no more reputable company.

B&H is a fantastic company- completly legit and great turn-around. I had only 1 problem in the 5 or so years I've been ordering from them. I got a 1DmkII digital SLR and the box appeared to have been opened. Even smudges on the LCD, etc. I called and described the problem- sent it back with an RMA and was replaced with a perfect on a week later.

How a company deals with problems should be a consideration as well...beings problems, however seldom they are, will crop up regardless of what retailer your dealing with. B&H got an A+ for how they dealt with the issue.