Pentax 35mm/50mm pricing mixup discussion

tele_pathic · 08-20-2013, 04:36 PM - **1 Like**

First, I want to personally and publicly thank Adam for his communication with Ricoh/Pentax about this issue. I applaud you sir, and I thank you. I love the community here, and I look forward to continued participation.

Second, "look forward to earning your confidence"? I don't think so. I'm not sure why they couldn't honor the $119 price only for orders placed during that time period. When I called pentaxwebstore a couple hours ago, the rep told me that the lens was on backorder but would ship for the $119 in 2-3 weeks. I don't think it will, but I will wait and see. For me, the worst thing about this is that I just bought my K-5ii a few weeks ago, been looking forward to the purchase since the K-5's release two, three years ago. Now, I'm not sure I can use it without a sense of bitterness. I'm sure I will get over it. In fact, I wasn't really even looking for this lens, just thought it was a great deal. Now, I feel pretty bitter but hope I can get over it.

mee · 08-20-2013, 04:39 PM

Well now I know... and this forum is the only way I'd have known since Pentax did not contact me stating the issue -- the charge dropped off my charge list and that is that.. no email, no phone call, nothing at all in the way of communication.

In my opinion this is an unfavorable way of doing business. Mistakes were made (apparently) in pricing and that happens -- no worries. However, the lack of communication is the issue for me. Send me a polite email saying there was a pricing mistake and outlining that the charges are going to be reversed/dropped and I'd be fine.

Just dropping the charge without notice to me (outside of happening upon this forum) is poor form. For all I knew (until I checked my statement and confirmed with this forum), I thought I was still getting some camera lenses this week.

Oh, and the discounts they are offering as an apology are less of a discount than simply buying new from B&H at the moment.. who, at this point, I have more confidence in shipping me a product.

**monochrome** · 08-20-2013, 04:50 PM

Originally posted by mee

Send me a polite email saying there was a pricing mistake and outlining that the charges are going to be reversed/dropped and I'd be fine.

We have no way to know how many individual, unique orders were placed (and thus how many individual emails would need to be sent), how long it might take SureSource to extract that information, nor for that matter what if anything RicohIAC will "publish" for general public consumption. Again, Brian's letter was specifically sent to the PF community, not to all affected customers of the Webstore.

JinDesu · 08-20-2013, 04:56 PM

Originally posted by monochrome

We have no way to know how many individual, unique orders were placed (and thus how many individual emails would need to be sent), how long it might take SureSource to extract that information, nor for that matter what if anything RicohIAC will "publish" for general public consumption. Again, Brian's letter was specifically sent to the PF community, not to all affected customers of the Webstore.

Then I hope they are working on that. If not for me, my friend would have been in limbo as her order is still on hold.

Brazeal · 08-20-2013, 04:58 PM

I personally feel that the email was a very poor response and does not directly address what happens with the existing orders that have not been officially cancelled. I emailed them this morning to check on the status of my order, and I never received a reply. Am I supposed to call back or wait for them to call me and ask for another $65? When they do and I cancel my order, do I have to wait for 6 days to get a refund to my PayPal like I had to do with Overstock recently? How is the response communicated to those from the deal sites who ordered and are not forum members? Wouldn't a respectable company call or email their customers to apologize and then explain what to do next?
I would have been fine if they would have cancelled all orders on day 1 or 2 and refunded everyone. With all that has transpired now and how they continue to handle the screw up, I'm really questioning if I want to give Ricoh/Pentax anymore of my business instead of just switching to Nikon.

**monochrome** · 08-20-2013, 05:00 PM

Originally posted by JinDesu

Then I hope they are working on that. If not for me, my friend would have been in limbo as her order is still on hold.

We shall see. There's what you and I - reasonsable people, I think - would do, what unreasonable people expect them to do, and what they do.

fuent104 · 08-20-2013, 05:00 PM

Originally posted by monochrome

We have no way to know how many individual, unique orders were placed (and thus how many individual emails would need to be sent), how long it might take SureSource to extract that information, nor for that matter what if anything RicohIAC will "publish" for general public consumption. Again, Brian's letter was specifically sent to the PF community, not to all affected customers of the Webstore.

It should take any company with even the most basic of databases almost no time whatsoever to find our how many orders were placed, or to generate a list of all email addresses to which initial confirmation messages were sent. I would be shocked if it would take even five minutes for them to come up with this.

Ineffectiveness as a company is not its own justification. PRICE absolutely should have been able to come with a statement or series of statements regarding what they were going to do with the orders by now.

**LaurenOE** · 08-20-2013, 05:05 PM - **2 Likes**

ROTFLMAO.

Epilogue: Game of Drones

As the sun sets over Pentaxia, the Kingdoms of B&H and Adorama, the true long-time allies of the House of Pentax, successfully repelled the usurpers from the evil empire of Ricoh and Ricohnian agents.
The usurpers, with their recent upheavals and secretive ways, had done much to destabilize the citizens of Pentaxia.
As night falls, things are starting to normalize again.

How was peace threatened in the realm in the first place?

In an attempt to convert the loyal, divide and conquer, the Evil Empire of Ricoh tried to lure many Pentaxians into a trap.
After all, Pentaxians are weak after several regime changes over the last few years.
Easy pickings.

The bait was laid, the trap was set.

Everything was going as planned and Pentaxians began to notice the temptations and began to trust.
The Evil Empire of Ricoh felt confident.
Quietly and without fanfare, rumors of a sweet LBA bounty were "discovered" in a place thought devoid of such things.
Pentaxians came.
First in small groups, then in droves.
The Pentaxians could almost taste the sweet bokeh, as offerings were made outside the silos that contained the stockpiled promises.

Ah finally, Pentaxians could drink and quench the same thirst as their Canikony brethren could.

For reasons we will never know, something horrible happened.
The silo's bounty was switched and disappeared at the last second.
The Ricoh trap began to crumble as the response was overwhelming as Pentaxians mad with thirst pounded for what was rightfully theirs!

Rumors quickly spread, that there was never enough to go around - all a cruel mistake - just the promise of sweet LBA pickings!

The news spread throughout the land.
Starving Pentaxians, famished from a season of high prices and increased cost, were vulnerable to anything to quench their LBA.

With nowhere to go, the Pentaxians rose up against the evil Lords of Ricoh.
The evil Ricoh overlords began to fear for their lives as the amassed Pentaxians took to various channels to announce the revolt and to call for support from whomever would listen!

As the aligned Kingdoms of B&H and Adorama heard what was going on, they reminded the Empire of Ricoh about prior treaties and agreements that kept Pentaxians happy.
They reminded Ricoh about where the real stockpiles were.
Places where LBA could be satiated.

The cruel trick on the Pentaxians was very difficult to watch and is now in it's twilight.

The Kingdoms of B&H and Adorama stood fast, and offered a remedy and option to prevent all out war and famine.

Secret meetings were held to establish peace throughout all the land and to remind the Evil Empire of Ricoh how to maintain peace in Pentaxia.

New agreements have been made, lessons may have been learned.
While Pentaxians will not be able to gorge themselves on an LBA feast, there is comfort in knowing what is available.

The Kingdom of B&H and Adorama will work with the Evil Empire of Ricoh and their Ricohnian agents to watch over Pentaxians.

In the coming months, when the winter solstice is near upon us, Pentaxians on a cold November Friday will probably reap the harvest of this mid August turmoil.
Seeds planted in Summer can bring a bounty in the fall.

And forever more, remember the proverb "Beware of Ricohnians bearing Gifts".

**monochrome** · 08-20-2013, 05:08 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by fuent104

It should take any company with even the most basic of databases almost no time whatsoever to find our how many orders were placed, or to generate a list of all email addresses to which initial confirmation messages were sent. I would be shocked if it would take even five minutes for them to come up with this.

Ineffectiveness as a company is not its own justification. PRICE absolutely should have been able to come with a statement or series of statements regarding what they were going to do with the orders by now.

No doubt true but each order is unique, by date, time, number of lenses ordered (do they honor none, or 1 - or up to three, or up to 50?), what is the website order status?, did the buyer cancel?, did the buyer already receive an email or a backorder notice or nothing?, whether other items were ordered on the same invoice, was the payment by bank draft, credit card or PayPal, US or overseas (which have differing laws), so that nearly every single buyer could need a custom, unique response.

There could be near infinite variables to address. I don't think they're finished yet.

**monochrome** · 08-20-2013, 05:13 PM

Originally posted by LaurenOE

n the coming months, when the winter solstice is near upon us, Pentaxians on a cold November Friday will probably reap the harvest of this mid August turmoil. Seeds planted in Summer can bring a bounty in the fall. And forever more, remember the proverb "Beware of Ricohnians bearing Gifts".

OMG

*

This is a family website.

Uluru · 08-20-2013, 05:24 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by LaurenOE

...
In the coming months, when the winter solstice is near upon us, Pentaxians on a cold November Friday will probably reap the harvest of this mid August turmoil. Seeds planted in Summer can bring a bounty in the fall.
And forever more, remember the proverb "Beware of Ricohnians bearing Gifts".

Batter my heart you thoughtless Pentax, for you
As yet but knock, breathe, shine and seek to mend.
That I may rise and stand o'erthrow me and bend
Your force to break, blow, burn and make me new.

robtcorl · 08-20-2013, 05:43 PM - **1 Like**

I'll have whatever Lauren is having!

RonakG · 08-20-2013, 05:45 PM - **1 Like**

Here's an update from my side.

I had placed my order for the 50mm on 13th and the order status on webstore is still showing as "Hold for Quote". I have their confirmation email with $120 price. No pending charge on my CC yet.

I called the customer support to find out what do they mean by "Hold for Quote". I talked to a guy named Thomas. I played ignorant so that he has to explain the whole situation, which he did nicely. When I asked about what it means for me, he told me that my order was 13th such order for the lens (with firesale deal) and it's put on hold till they figure out if they'll honor my order or not. Thomas was very confident that my order will be honored and I need not worry. The lens is right now backordered and will take 2-3 weeks to ship. He did not give me any estimate on when they'll finally tell me if I'm getting the lens for $120 or not.

Ducky62 · 08-20-2013, 06:26 PM

FWIW, if I wasn't reading this forum I'd assume nothing more or less than I'm waiting for a backorder to be filled so they can ship my 50mm lens. I wasn't overcharged, canceled, and everything from the tracking and Paypal indicates I should be receiving a lens as soon as it is in stock.

ruggiex · 08-20-2013, 06:35 PM

Hmm, that response is very unsatisfying but then again this is a Japanese company we are talking about so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. (No offense but I have worked with various Japanese companies in the past and their wishy washy decision making and communication really get to me at times.) The response is very unclear to people with orders pending. I remember back in 97 or so I bought into a deal that was clearly a web error. They didn't notice and fix the error until the weekend was over. But they quickly explained to everyone clearly what was going to happen with the error -- they honored whatever they had in stock and canceled rest of the orders, which was supposedly about 700 out of several thousands.

08-20-2013, 05:05 PM - 2 Likes	#23
LaurenOE Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Back in Florida, but worldwide gigs! Photos: Albums Posts: 3,690	ROTFLMAO. Epilogue: Game of Drones As the sun sets over Pentaxia, the Kingdoms of B&H and Adorama, the true long-time allies of the House of Pentax, successfully repelled the usurpers from the evil empire of Ricoh and Ricohnian agents. The usurpers, with their recent upheavals and secretive ways, had done much to destabilize the citizens of Pentaxia. As night falls, things are starting to normalize again. How was peace threatened in the realm in the first place? In an attempt to convert the loyal, divide and conquer, the Evil Empire of Ricoh tried to lure many Pentaxians into a trap. After all, Pentaxians are weak after several regime changes over the last few years. Easy pickings. The bait was laid, the trap was set. Everything was going as planned and Pentaxians began to notice the temptations and began to trust. The Evil Empire of Ricoh felt confident. Quietly and without fanfare, rumors of a sweet LBA bounty were "discovered" in a place thought devoid of such things. Pentaxians came. First in small groups, then in droves. The Pentaxians could almost taste the sweet bokeh, as offerings were made outside the silos that contained the stockpiled promises. Ah finally, Pentaxians could drink and quench the same thirst as their Canikony brethren could. For reasons we will never know, something horrible happened. The silo's bounty was switched and disappeared at the last second. The Ricoh trap began to crumble as the response was overwhelming as Pentaxians mad with thirst pounded for what was rightfully theirs! Rumors quickly spread, that there was never enough to go around - all a cruel mistake - just the promise of sweet LBA pickings! The news spread throughout the land. Starving Pentaxians, famished from a season of high prices and increased cost, were vulnerable to anything to quench their LBA. With nowhere to go, the Pentaxians rose up against the evil Lords of Ricoh. The evil Ricoh overlords began to fear for their lives as the amassed Pentaxians took to various channels to announce the revolt and to call for support from whomever would listen! As the aligned Kingdoms of B&H and Adorama heard what was going on, they reminded the Empire of Ricoh about prior treaties and agreements that kept Pentaxians happy. They reminded Ricoh about where the real stockpiles were. Places where LBA could be satiated. The cruel trick on the Pentaxians was very difficult to watch and is now in it's twilight. The Kingdoms of B&H and Adorama stood fast, and offered a remedy and option to prevent all out war and famine. Secret meetings were held to establish peace throughout all the land and to remind the Evil Empire of Ricoh how to maintain peace in Pentaxia. New agreements have been made, lessons may have been learned. While Pentaxians will not be able to gorge themselves on an LBA feast, there is comfort in knowing what is available. The Kingdom of B&H and Adorama will work with the Evil Empire of Ricoh and their Ricohnian agents to watch over Pentaxians. In the coming months, when the winter solstice is near upon us, Pentaxians on a cold November Friday will probably reap the harvest of this mid August turmoil. Seeds planted in Summer can bring a bounty in the fall. And forever more, remember the proverb "Beware of Ricohnians bearing Gifts". Last edited by LaurenOE; 08-20-2013 at 05:13 PM.

08-20-2013, 05:08 PM - 1 Like	#24
monochrome Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Working From Home Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 26,276	Originally posted by fuent104 It should take any company with even the most basic of databases almost no time whatsoever to find our how many orders were placed, or to generate a list of all email addresses to which initial confirmation messages were sent. I would be shocked if it would take even five minutes for them to come up with this. Ineffectiveness as a company is not its own justification. PRICE absolutely should have been able to come with a statement or series of statements regarding what they were going to do with the orders by now. No doubt true but each order is unique, by date, time, number of lenses ordered (do they honor none, or 1 - or up to three, or up to 50?), what is the website order status?, did the buyer cancel?, did the buyer already receive an email or a backorder notice or nothing?, whether other items were ordered on the same invoice, was the payment by bank draft, credit card or PayPal, US or overseas (which have differing laws), so that nearly every single buyer could need a custom, unique response. There could be near infinite variables to address. I don't think they're finished yet. Last edited by monochrome; 08-20-2013 at 05:58 PM.

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08-20-2013, 04:36 PM - 1 Like	#16
tele_pathic Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Photos: Albums Posts: 292	First, I want to personally and publicly thank Adam for his communication with Ricoh/Pentax about this issue. I applaud you sir, and I thank you. I love the community here, and I look forward to continued participation. Second, "look forward to earning your confidence"? I don't think so. I'm not sure why they couldn't honor the $119 price only for orders placed during that time period. When I called pentaxwebstore a couple hours ago, the rep told me that the lens was on backorder but would ship for the $119 in 2-3 weeks. I don't think it will, but I will wait and see. For me, the worst thing about this is that I just bought my K-5ii a few weeks ago, been looking forward to the purchase since the K-5's release two, three years ago. Now, I'm not sure I can use it without a sense of bitterness. I'm sure I will get over it. In fact, I wasn't really even looking for this lens, just thought it was a great deal. Now, I feel pretty bitter but hope I can get over it.

08-20-2013, 04:39 PM	#17
mee Veteran Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 7,403	Well now I know... and this forum is the only way I'd have known since Pentax did not contact me stating the issue -- the charge dropped off my charge list and that is that.. no email, no phone call, nothing at all in the way of communication. In my opinion this is an unfavorable way of doing business. Mistakes were made (apparently) in pricing and that happens -- no worries. However, the lack of communication is the issue for me. Send me a polite email saying there was a pricing mistake and outlining that the charges are going to be reversed/dropped and I'd be fine. Just dropping the charge without notice to me (outside of happening upon this forum) is poor form. For all I knew (until I checked my statement and confirmed with this forum), I thought I was still getting some camera lenses this week. Oh, and the discounts they are offering as an apology are less of a discount than simply buying new from B&H at the moment.. who, at this point, I have more confidence in shipping me a product.

08-20-2013, 04:50 PM	#18
monochrome Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Working From Home Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 26,276	Originally posted by mee Send me a polite email saying there was a pricing mistake and outlining that the charges are going to be reversed/dropped and I'd be fine. We have no way to know how many individual, unique orders were placed (and thus how many individual emails would need to be sent), how long it might take SureSource to extract that information, nor for that matter what if anything RicohIAC will "publish" for general public consumption. Again, Brian's letter was specifically sent to the PF community, not to all affected customers of the Webstore.

08-20-2013, 04:56 PM	#19
JinDesu Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: New York City Photos: Gallery Posts: 5,638	Originally posted by monochrome We have no way to know how many individual, unique orders were placed (and thus how many individual emails would need to be sent), how long it might take SureSource to extract that information, nor for that matter what if anything RicohIAC will "publish" for general public consumption. Again, Brian's letter was specifically sent to the PF community, not to all affected customers of the Webstore. Then I hope they are working on that. If not for me, my friend would have been in limbo as her order is still on hold.

08-20-2013, 04:58 PM	#20
Brazeal Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Forney, TX Posts: 277	I personally feel that the email was a very poor response and does not directly address what happens with the existing orders that have not been officially cancelled. I emailed them this morning to check on the status of my order, and I never received a reply. Am I supposed to call back or wait for them to call me and ask for another $65? When they do and I cancel my order, do I have to wait for 6 days to get a refund to my PayPal like I had to do with Overstock recently? How is the response communicated to those from the deal sites who ordered and are not forum members? Wouldn't a respectable company call or email their customers to apologize and then explain what to do next? I would have been fine if they would have cancelled all orders on day 1 or 2 and refunded everyone. With all that has transpired now and how they continue to handle the screw up, I'm really questioning if I want to give Ricoh/Pentax anymore of my business instead of just switching to Nikon.

08-20-2013, 05:00 PM	#21
monochrome Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Working From Home Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 26,276	Originally posted by JinDesu Then I hope they are working on that. If not for me, my friend would have been in limbo as her order is still on hold. We shall see. There's what you and I - reasonsable people, I think - would do, what unreasonable people expect them to do, and what they do.

08-20-2013, 05:00 PM	#22
fuent104 Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: California Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,356	Originally posted by monochrome We have no way to know how many individual, unique orders were placed (and thus how many individual emails would need to be sent), how long it might take SureSource to extract that information, nor for that matter what if anything RicohIAC will "publish" for general public consumption. Again, Brian's letter was specifically sent to the PF community, not to all affected customers of the Webstore. It should take any company with even the most basic of databases almost no time whatsoever to find our how many orders were placed, or to generate a list of all email addresses to which initial confirmation messages were sent. I would be shocked if it would take even five minutes for them to come up with this. Ineffectiveness as a company is not its own justification. PRICE absolutely should have been able to come with a statement or series of statements regarding what they were going to do with the orders by now.

08-20-2013, 05:13 PM	#25
monochrome Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Working From Home Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 26,276	Originally posted by LaurenOE n the coming months, when the winter solstice is near upon us, Pentaxians on a cold November Friday will probably reap the harvest of this mid August turmoil. Seeds planted in Summer can bring a bounty in the fall. And forever more, remember the proverb "Beware of Ricohnians bearing Gifts". OMG * This is a family website.

08-20-2013, 05:24 PM - 1 Like	#26
Uluru Banned Join Date: May 2010 Location: Back to my Walkabout Creek Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,535	Originally posted by LaurenOE ... In the coming months, when the winter solstice is near upon us, Pentaxians on a cold November Friday will probably reap the harvest of this mid August turmoil. Seeds planted in Summer can bring a bounty in the fall. And forever more, remember the proverb "Beware of Ricohnians bearing Gifts". Batter my heart you thoughtless Pentax, for you As yet but knock, breathe, shine and seek to mend. That I may rise and stand o'erthrow me and bend Your force to break, blow, burn and make me new.

08-20-2013, 05:43 PM - 1 Like	#27
robtcorl Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: St Louis, MO Photos: Gallery Posts: 11,606	I'll have whatever Lauren is having!

08-20-2013, 05:45 PM - 1 Like	#28
RonakG Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Bay Area, CA Photos: Gallery Posts: 603	Here's an update from my side. I had placed my order for the 50mm on 13th and the order status on webstore is still showing as "Hold for Quote". I have their confirmation email with $120 price. No pending charge on my CC yet. I called the customer support to find out what do they mean by "Hold for Quote". I talked to a guy named Thomas. I played ignorant so that he has to explain the whole situation, which he did nicely. When I asked about what it means for me, he told me that my order was 13th such order for the lens (with firesale deal) and it's put on hold till they figure out if they'll honor my order or not. *Thomas was very confident that my order will be honored and I need not worry.* The lens is right now backordered and will take 2-3 weeks to ship. He did not give me any estimate on when they'll finally tell me if I'm getting the lens for $120 or not.

08-20-2013, 06:26 PM	#29
Ducky62 Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 40	FWIW, if I wasn't reading this forum I'd assume nothing more or less than I'm waiting for a backorder to be filled so they can ship my 50mm lens. I wasn't overcharged, canceled, and everything from the tracking and Paypal indicates I should be receiving a lens as soon as it is in stock.

08-20-2013, 06:35 PM	#30
ruggiex Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: East Bay Area Photos: Gallery Posts: 811	Hmm, that response is very unsatisfying but then again this is a Japanese company we are talking about so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. (No offense but I have worked with various Japanese companies in the past and their wishy washy decision making and communication really get to me at times.) The response is very unclear to people with orders pending. I remember back in 97 or so I bought into a deal that was clearly a web error. They didn't notice and fix the error until the weekend was over. But they quickly explained to everyone clearly what was going to happen with the error -- they honored whatever they had in stock and canceled rest of the orders, which was supposedly about 700 out of several thousands.