Perhaps they simply drive a hard bargain.. and instead of bargaining down, they bargain up... "Take the DEAL or the price is going UP!!"
If anything, they've saved me at least 750+ dollars for the time being.. as I've currently decided to wait until Photokina to see what the heck Pentax is thinking.. if it still stinks like 3 day old fish then.. I will just save my pennies and upgrade to another brand later next year (unless BF poses a deal).
Which is a shame because there is nothing inherently wrong with Pentax's technology.. they simply have a bassackwards team at the wheel right now steering the ship ever slowly towards the rocks..
All of my gear will function tomorrow if Pentax is no more.. great. But the issue is I'm stuck with what I have and there are lesser options as time moves onward when 3rd parties see the drinking pond drying.