[vonBaloney]

It is entirely conceivable that there are no other Pentax employees east of the Mississippi River. The Mississippi River is 1000 US Miles from Boston at its shortest. That's 24 hours by car; there are no trains; and unplanned air travel is nearly impossible here - every seat is booked days in advance.

That's what I was thinking -- there probably are no other reps to call in.

[monochrome]

That's what I was thinking -- there probably are no other reps to call in.

Hello Chicken. I'm Egg.

[ofer4]

This is all consistent with what a store owner told me last year. I was traveling in a large midwestern city that I know well, and I stopped into the main camera store there. A Pentax rep had been there recently to try to bring their products back. But the owner refused when he learned that his nearest rep--the person that the owner turns to for help--would be in California. Honestly, it sounds as though Pentax only has maybe 2-3 reps for the entire country. The store owner wouldn't touch it with a 10-foot pole.

[EricBrown]

I'm glad Pentax is keeping their story straight. This is the response I got from my post on the Pentax Facebook page. I'm glad they are keeping tabs on the social media side.



PENTAX Hi Eric, please understand that our representative could not make the show due to lockdown travel from Boston. Please send a private message and we can put you into contact with the representative the next time he is at Ace.

[monochrome]

Honestly, it sounds as though Pentax only has maybe 2-3 reps for the entire country. The store owner wouldn't touch it with a 10-foot pole.

Is there no such thing as a Broker in this business?

[Blue]

That's what I was thinking -- there probably are no other reps to call in.

They could have called in a few of our forum members such as MRiley!

[fuent104]

how many Rep's does it take to cover Amazon, B&H, Adorama, Crutchfield, Best Buy, Target, Abe's of Maine (probably all John Carlson) and then Hunt's, Ace, Creve Coeur, Samy's Frys, Calumet and the remaining few Authorized B&M Dealers?

I was just at Calumet in Los Angeles today. They no longer carry Pentax gear.

[Clavius]

It is entirely conceivable that there are no other Pentax employees east of the Mississippi River. The Mississippi River is 1000 US Miles from Boston at its shortest. That's 24 hours by car; there are no trains; and unplanned air travel is nearly impossible here - every seat is booked days in advance.

The Denver Post article about Pentax moving to Downtown Denver from Golden, CO said 50 employees made the move. That's all - 50, including Marketing, Parts, Warehouse, bookkeepers, secretaries and everything else After JC and JM (was Ned), how many Rep's does it take to cover Amazon, B&H, Adorama, Crutchfield, Best Buy, Target, Abe's of Maine (probably all John Carlson) and then Hunt's, Ace, Creve Coeur, Samy's Frys, Calumet and the remaining few Authorized B&M Dealers? I bet there are three Rep's: 1).National Accounts, 2).East and 3).West.

I think this was just an unfortunate coincidence, though it does indicate the tough challenge PRAC has trying to expand USA market share. UPP can't do it alone.

Sorry, the concept of such extreme travel restrictions is 100% alien to me.

Anyway, Pentax could have replaced the representative with almost any other employee that has product knowledge. Even if the person would have been oblivious to 90% of the consumer questions, noting their enquiries down and giving them the answers later would have been vastly superior to just not having anybody there.

[monochrome]

Denver is 700 miles farther.

[Blue]

Sorry, the concept of such extreme travel restrictions is 100% alien to me.

Anyway, Pentax could have replaced the representative with almost any other employee that has product knowledge. Even if the person would have been oblivious to 90% of the consumer questions, noting their enquiries down and giving them the answers later would have been vastly superior to just not having anybody there.

It isn't about travel restrictions. It is about driving distance. Denver to the D.C. area is 1662 miles (2674 KM) 1 way. That is almost twice as far as Berlin to Rome.

[Kunzite]

Indeed, and having Pentax employees (I disagree with the statement that "almost any other" employee could do it) readily available, in several locations all over the continent is IMO not realistic - but an unnecessary waste of resources.
After all, it's not a matter of life and death.