Originally posted by Sepia1 I have a few questions:
1) Does Pentax own the Pentax forum? It sure seems like it. If that's so, it's not a real forum.
2) What are the rules of this forum. I don't allow cursing in mine, but this is not my forum and I'm not a prude.
3) I hear the words aggressive. Show me what is aggressive, please.
4) Show me what is insulting or bickering on this forum. The blog is not the issue. The issue is the post made on this forum that kindled a frustration over the selection and value of Pentax glass.
5) Since when do you delete posts because they are all negative. Perhaps there is a reason they are negative. Again, what are the forum rules?
I've been in Marketing and Retail for 15 years, and Ned's comments on small stores in the same breath as making the actual street price higher makes no sense to me. Even the larger storefronts don't sell the high-end glass, and that seems to be the lenses most affected. Ned created this mess, not the loyal Pentax customers. Do you think we would take all this time out of our busy schedules vent our frustration for no reason? Meanwhile, long time Pentax customers are questioning their loyalty. For example, I need a high quality WP wide prime and wide zoom for my K5 (which I love). I also love my 55mm and 50-135mm WP lenses. But the absence of WP choices in the wide range makes my investment in Pentax difficult. Pentax has the 16-55 WP, but even the most loyal forum members view it as unfit for the "DA" moniker. To make the street price significantly higher to customers without addressing (fixing) the any of the many issues sited on this lens, by Pentax forum members, is at best an unwise marketing decision.
1 - no
2 - for rules ask the mods, they are pretty lenient but will adress over the top (and have in these very threads AFAIK)
3- the tone of your posts have been aggressive AFAIAC, but i'm not a mod. my point was you just are repeating the same thing 4 times in a row. I get it you're not happy., and having read what you posted to the blog I can see why he would choose a comment that is less heated to respond to the same issues raised
4- your new to the forum i can tell you many feel the tone and nature of the forum has become very negative lately It's supposed to be about photography
5 - I don't delete negative post (i'm not a mod) it is however it is Ned's right to only approve select comments (or none at all) it is a Blog not a forum. I think he approved a representation that covered the bases and answered as much as expediency would allow.
I spent 25 years in CE retail BTW (you don't mention what area of retail you are in) and I can tell you that the race to the bottom in the last few years on GM is why you see these things happening with many suppliers (Pentax is hardly unique previously Nikon, Sony and Canon have all addressed this). I think that Ricoh likely has a number of things in the pipeline that needed this addressed. Pentax US is addressing an issue that may well have been caused by constraints placed on them by the previous owner. I get that people aren't happy having to pay more. My point is that in general many of the prices are very competitive, those that aren't will adjust over the next few months. As for retailers not carrying the high end glass I can give a very valid reason. If the DA* lenses were going out the door online at 5points margin they aren't viable to stock. If you are bringing in an expensive lens and carrying the cost of stocking it you have the right to expect a return for that. In smaller stores with a small brand it may sit for a few months. now that is 1 but likely you need to stock at least 2 (a demo and one to go) so it may take 4 or even 5 months to see a return on investment. the reason higher end product has higher margins is exactly that. the lower end will work on lower margins and turn faster
It is definitely better to do this all at once rather than incrementally with new product launches, it's a breif period of pain for long term gain. Most definitely some will leave the brand over it. It's unfortunate but the brand needs a number of things done to make it viable in the modern market. It may seem like you are being punished but reality is you've had a pretty free ride for a long while at the expense of the strength of the brand which ultimately is not good for the end users or the retailers or the brand. this is a step (amongst many i would assume are coming) to address the endemic problems of Pentax in the market.
Anyway, I think it's time to move off these threads and get back to what i came here for originally which is discussion of photography techniques and styles, and what I think made the forum the place it is (or at least was)
So gripe away folks but be aware it's not likely to change Pentax' plans.Expect however that they will fine tune things as time passes. Chill and go take some pictures it's why we all by our cameras (brand is the least important aspect in your photography anyway, at this point they all make good gear)