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    #31
    Originally posted by BillinSC View Post
    I could not find a local dealer in my section of South Carolina. I am not even sure there is one in Charlotte, at least I did not find anything advertised.
    There's a huge dealer in both Charleston SC and Charlotte NC, The WH Platts Company.

    What would be nice is a dealer directory on the Panasonic website. If there is one, I could not find it.
    Go to the Panasonic Broadcast site, click on "how to buy", then click on "reseller locator."
    ..
    The AU-EVA1 Book - The DVX200 Book - The UX180 & UX90 Book - Lighting For Film & TV - Sound For Film & TV

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      #32
      DVX100 . . . B&H
      HVX200 . . . EVS (back when Rush was there)
      HVX200 . . . AVSupply, San Diego
      HPX170 . . . AVSupply, San Diego
      TM-700 . . . Amazon
      Canon 60D . Amazon
      AF-100 . . . Spec-Comm

      Price is hard to overlook (for me anyway) when there's an appreciable difference. Availability is right up there too!
      I've spent in the vicinity of 35-40k with B&H in the past 48 months. My experience is that as long as you're able to have an adult conversation it's pretty hard to beat B&H's customer service. I second all that regarding buying locally (but we don't have none within a reasonable driving distance), that pretty much leaves me with B&H or Amazon.
      Canon 70-200 & 24-70, Rokinon 35, 50, 85, 135, GH4, Lumix 20, 12-35, 35-100, 100-300.

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        #33
        For me it is about customer service. I am on the road at least 100 days a year, so I need a dealer that I can send a product to for repair/service and if my relationship is good they will send a temporary replacement.
        Price does come into consideration, but most dealers are pricing the same. I am not going to stake my business and reputation on a few hundred dollars.
        I think a good question to Jan is "What criteria does Panasonic have when selling pro gear?"
        i would assume it is very strict.
        James Bridges
        [url]www.typeamedia.com[/url
        Sony F55, Panasonic GH4, Ronin M, and too many accessories!

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          #34
          OT: Jan, trying to send you a PM but it is full. Please clear some out or PM me your contact info. thanks!

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            #35
            Originally posted by Mark Williams View Post
            ... . As far as Panasonic as a company I think they have a lot of improvement to do concerning communication during warranty service. I have communicated my concerns about this to them several times but never heard anything back.
            We've had pretty good experiences with the LA service center. They answer the phones .. and tell you what's wrong and what
            the options are. I thought that was pretty good.

            jeff

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              #36
              Jmarkham, I realize this may be drifting off the thread subject but feel it may be helpful to others. I have had to send my HPX170 camera in twice for warranty work. Once in 2010 and 2011. In both instances Panasonic (via online warranty repair ticket) had me send it to their repair center in Overland Park, KS which I learned is a contract run operation. When you call there they will not allow you to talk to anyone since they are not Panasonic. Actually they are a company called Heartland Services which mainly repairs Panasonic Toughbooks . After several weeks of hearing nothing about my camera I finally contacted Jan who put me in touch with a Panasonic technician at the Seacacus NJ repair facility. He was helpful in giving me an update on the repair status at the Overland Park facility. He actually asked me why I did not send it to Seacacus for repair and was suprised when I told him that Panasonic would only let me send it to the KS facility. Unfortunately over a month went by before my camera was returned. It then had to be sent back again because they failed to fix it and a new circuit board had to be ordered from Japan. I think it was beyond their capability and they needed guidance from Panasonic in Seacacus.

              My conclusion, based on two instances, is that the Overland Park repair facility, if it is still operational, is not top tier. I got the impression that this is where Panasonic has you send less expensive cameras for repair. I think cameras which are more expensive than the HPX170 are sent elsewhere or there would be complaints from others on this forum. If I need warranty service again I will insist that it be sent to Seacacus for repair.
              Last edited by Mark Williams; 05-20-2012, 01:36 PM.
              Regards,

              Mark

              GH5, Panasonic 12-60, 14-45, 45-175, Olympus 60 macro, 75-300, Benro S6 Tripod, Rhino Carbon 24" Slider, and Edius 8.5 WG.
              Video channel: https://vimeo.com/channels/3523
              Stock Video: https://www.pond5.com/artist/mark29#1/2063

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                #37
                For me it's reputation, price, and customer service. Been buying from B&H for years and they hit all three. I'm in a small market and there is no local Panasonic reseller so I generally do my homework online then make my purchase. B&H has always been good about taking something back if I wasn't happy with it and so far it has worked for me. Would be nice to have Panasonic do some sort of road show or demo tour to get to the smaller market towns. They do it in the bike biz. Specialized, Cannondale, or another big bike company will roll into town, setup some bikes at the local cyclist hangout and allow test rides on new gear that may or may not be in the bike shops yet. Would think something similar could be done with cameras and video gear.

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                  #38
                  Originally posted by Mark Williams View Post
                  Jmarkham, I realize this may be drifting off the thread subject but feel it may be helpful to others. I have had to send my HPX170 camera in twice for warranty work. Once in 2010 and 2011. In both instances Panasonic (via online warranty repair ticket) had me send it to their repair center in Overland Park, KS which I learned is a contract run operation. ...
                  That's unfortunate. As I wrote, the LA service center is excellent .. very responsive and they've turned around stuff
                  very quickly for us. They also answer questions if you get really stuck.

                  jeff

                  Comment


                    #39
                    Originally posted by Mark Williams View Post
                    If I need warranty service again I will insist that it be sent to Seacacus for repair.
                    Just contact them directly and that should get you where you want to go.

                    Best,

                    Jan
                    Jan Crittenden Livingston
                    Panasonic System Communications Corporation
                    Partner Sales Manager, NY and NJ

                    Comment


                      #40
                      I bought my AF100 from Texas Media Systems as they had one available when everyone else was backordered, their customer service was great, and they had free shipping (and no tax as out of state), so I got the best deal through them as well.

                      With my Samurai, I bought it from Safe Harbor Computers, due to them having by far the best price at the time. Their customer service was excellent as well, and when I had a problem with that Samurai on arrival (it arrived without firmware) they got me directly touch with Atomos right away, who then had a tech person video-chat with me to trouble shoot it and then got a new tested unit out to me in time for my shoot the next day. I was really impressed with the level of customer service from both Safe Harbor Computers and Atomos, which was one of the best customer service experiences in my life.

                      Being in NYC, I bought my first camera from B&H, but was never really impressed with the customer service, and have had several problems with them, not to mention that I always get the impression when there that they could care less about my business. I only really use them when they have a significantly better price on something I need right away. For most of the stuff I need right away though I goto Adorama or other speciality places such as Barbizon for lighting related stuff. I just bought new headphones for a shoot tomorrow at Gotham Sound as they had them in stock, had great customer service, and when I called they matched the price of a place that was out of stock...

                      So yea, it comes down to customer service, price, and when I need it... I want to get the best deal while not feeling like I am just a number waiting to hand over cash; this stuff is not cheap, and while I understand what I spend is nothing compared to some production companies and studios, I want to feel like they appreciate my business and will stand behind what they sell.
                      Panasonic AF100 w/ Adaptimax Plus Nikon Mount
                      Atomos Samurai w/ 2x Intel 120gb SSDs
                      Nikon Mount Lenses:
                      - 11-16mm f/2.8 - 20mm f/3.5 - 24mm f/2.8 - 28mm f/2.8 - 35mm f/1.4 - 50mm f/1.4 - 50mm f/2 - 85mm f/1.4 - 135mm f/2.8 - 200mm f/4 -
                      Other Lenses:
                      - Lumix 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6, Fujia 35mm f/1.4

                      sigpic

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