A word in your ear, Sony

I read this on Phtotclub Alpha:

"In countries such as Poland and the Netherlands we have much stronger presence performance".

Well, guess what, Sony: I don't know about Poland, but Sony Europe has its home in the Netherlands, and Dutch customers get special offers that no-one else gets, like the 70-200 mm with a EUR 500 refund ... but only if you have a Dutch bank account! Being a citizen of the EU with all the talk of free movement of labour and trade across borders, I feel discriminated against on account of my nationality (who outside the Netherlands would have a Dutch bank account, except maybe a Dutchman?). I bought the lens from a Dutch dealer, returned the necessary papers in good time - and received no refund.
Does Sony Japan approve of this?

I was at B&H last night, United Nations don't have this many foreigners.


People come to NY from Europe to buy electronics and price difference pays for airfair, hotel for a couple of nights and spending money too.

Yup - I'll get my sal16105 and an Olympus 25mm pancake right there in December :-D

by crossing the river and checking out prices at Abe's of Maine in NJ.
as far as I know they beat everybody's prices, disregard their past.

(I usually don't use "smileys", but this once I thought it would be OK).

I have bought a couple of new lenses from B&H and a used lens from KEH in the past, and I wish the dollar had been as low then as it has been recently. Especially so since customs and VAT add something like 40 per cent to the total price paid to the seller, including shipping and packaging.

The list price for the 70-200 in Denmark is DKK 25,000 (or around USD 5,000 - EUR 3,300), and I got it in Holland for EUR 2,000 (DKK 15,000 - USD 3,000), so in a way I got a discount, but Sony Europe is apparently Sony Netherlands, and while a lot of cashback offers were EU-wide, this particular offer was only valid for persons with a Dutch bank account, which borders on discrimination, and I may actually still turn to various consumer and trade organisations to find out if it's legal.

If I ever go to the USA, B&H has for long been on my list of places to visit.

Sounds like a good idea

Any good sights I can use as an excuse when explaining to my wife why we should go to NJ when we only have five days in NY? :-D

Klipsen said:

(I usually don't use "smileys", but this once I thought it would be OK).

I have bought a couple of new lenses from B&H and a used lens from
KEH in the past, and I wish the dollar had been as low then as it has
been recently. Especially so since customs and VAT add something like
40 per cent to the total price paid to the seller, including shipping
and packaging.

The list price for the 70-200 in Denmark is DKK 25,000 (or around USD
5,000 - EUR 3,300), and I got it in Holland for EUR 2,000 (DKK 15,000

• USD 3,000), so in a way I got a discount, but Sony Europe is

apparently Sony Netherlands, and while a lot of cashback offers were
EU-wide, this particular offer was only valid for persons with a
Dutch bank account, which borders on discrimination, and I may
actually still turn to various consumer and trade organisations to
find out if it's legal.

If I ever go to the USA, B&H has for long been on my list of places
to visit.

Click to expand...

Hi Klipsen.

I guess i was more lucky than you.

I bought the 70-200G in the Netherlands and got the cashback

But i agree. Danish Sony prices are insane.

Once i wrote to Mette Lautrup responcible for digital imaging in Denmark, and got an odd answer saying that it was the taxes in Denmark which made the products(lenses) munch more expensive.

But anyone with a calculator can proove thats she is far away from the reality.

David Bo

--

NJ is just over the river from manhattan, look on their site how far it is, i think less than 30 min away and you'll save money.
http://www.abesofmaine.com

see the photoclubalpha press conference

http://www.photoclubalpha.com/2008/09/10/alpha-900-launch-press-conference-part-1/