Originally posted by pxpaulx The only thing I am upset about really is the unfair distribution of said rebate cards. I already got the camera over $100 off MSRP from provantage. Think about it from a retailer's perspective as well - Pentax, if your scenario is correct (handed the cards to retailers to distribute), then how does it make any other retailer or distributor of their product feel when the company is deliberately driving sales to particular retailers? If I owned a business, I would not be impressed.
As someone who is trying to run a business in this industry, I don't begrudge Pentax, B&H nor any other retailer who attended the expo the chance to have a special promotion. It is a limited time, limited area event that takes a serious investment in time, staff and money. There is a lot of effort involved in participating in these events. It's completely reasonable for B&H to have those rebate cards when they committed to both Pentax and to the expo.
Last reason not to cast a negative eye on Pentax or B&H is that they have a dealer agreement just like every other authorized dealer and manufacturer. If some sort of arrangement between the two parties is made, that's not something another dealer can control. After having a day to think about the bitching I did to my sales rep., I realize that I can only control my own agreement with Pentax. If I find this particular rebate issue too unreasonable my recourse is to satisfy the terms of my dealer agreement and then terminate it. While I hate getting extra price pressure on anything, I especially hate it when the pressure is on something that is so hard to get. I actually see it as B&H leaving a lot of dollars on the table. Nevertheless, the Pentax brand, the products, the people and the culture that has grown in my store are so valuable that I would be off my rocker to toss it all over a rebate on such a limited number of pieces.