Convergent Design Open Letter to Odyssey7Q Owners

Jim Ritscher said:
There is no need to ridicule me. I was just asking a question about your policy. Regarding the March 31 deadline, does that mean that all aspects have to be completed by that time? For example, do I have to have installed the Sony option in my new 7Q+ by that time? (I don't think I can get the extra money and buy one that quickly). And do I have to have used up my credit? What if any portions of the loyalty program continue past March 31? (Sorry if this has already been answered. There has been a lot to read.)
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Sorry if that came off as mean-spirited, I was trying to illustrate how the logical extremes of such an idea could play out.

The only purchase necessary by March 31st is of the Odyssey7Q+. You don't buy another FS RAW option by that time because whatever options you have on your 7Q at the time of registering the 7Q+ will be duplicated on the 7Q+ at no additional charge. If you don't have it on the 7Q then you don't get it at no charge on your 7Q+. Of course you can always choose to pay for it at any time later on. The $500 credit coupon is yours forever until you decide to use it for yourself or give to someone else to use.
 
Mitch Gross said:
Noah, you appear to be the only person who is having difficulty with this. Simply stated, in order to take advantage of the Loyalty Program, you must have ownership of an Odyssey7Q. If you no longer own one then you cannot take advantage of the program. It is that simple.

If you wish to work out some arrangement with someone who is purchasing your Odyssey7Q from you that's just fine. It's none of our business and we really don't care. But if this arrangement somehow does not work out then we will not be held responsible. Our policy is simple and clear. If you choose to do something outside that policy then that is up to you. You're right that it will likely work out just fine, but if it doesn't then that is on you.
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The only person on this forum? Or the only person in the past week since this new product and policy was announced? Why is that relevant? Just because I am the first person to ask for clarification on your new policies doesn't mean no one else will ever need such clarification. So now it's sounding like you are saying that ownership of a 7Q is defined as having a 7Q currently registered to you, which is what I would expect as it is the simplest and probably only relevant definition of ownership to CD. Your previous post seemed to imply CD would be taking a much broader and complicated definition of ownership which would make it unclear whether or not certain circumstances might become an issue for eligibility for the loyalty benefits. I know it may sound to you like I'm nitpicking but I think for any 7Q owner considering trading up these are very relevant things to understand fully before going through the whole process of buying a new 7Q+, using loyalty benefits to their fullest, selling the old 7Q, and transferring ownership and not getting screwed on one of those steps or even just understanding first whether the whole process is worth it financially. I went through a similar process with my RED and I can tell you the minor details really of these proprietary processes of ownership transfer and ownership benefits really make a huge difference and are often quite difficult to navigate or not fully understood by most owners.

Mitch Gross said:
As for changing the registered owner of an Odyssey7Q, we would like to have both parties contact us to confirm the ownership. If there is a dispute somehow then we will attempt to determine the rightful owner but this enters into legal territory for which we cannot be held responsible. Keeping track of such things is really not that complicated a thing, especially as there is a human being on our end who will always oversee the process rather then just let it happen automatically. If it really got ugly then I would say that we would hold back from either party reaping benefits until the dispute was settled, either by the parties directly or by law enforcement.

Honestly, I don't think it will ever come to this. But just to be clear, there is reason for us to handle things this way. While the idea of the program is to benefit 7Q owners, the way we can issue such benefits is via the tracking of individual serial number units. So we have a one-to-one policy for the program, meaning that an individual Odyssey7Q can have a Loyalty Program benefit exerted on it toward a new Odyssey7Q+ just once. We have to keep track of things somehow.
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Ok got it. Though I still don't really understand why the current registered owner wouldn't be the sole party responsible for giving permission for transfer of ownership to another person... seems pretty simple and anything else seems a little dangerous.
 
nyvz said:
Ok got it. Though I still don't really understand why the current registered owner wouldn't be the sole party responsible for giving permission for transfer of ownership to another person... seems pretty simple and anything else seems a little dangerous.
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Because the original owner might be dishonest, pass away, refuse to communicate, be lazy, or for who knows what reason simply not ever let us know or refuse to cooperate. That would screw the new owner and would not be fair. And such things have happened before.

All we want to do is be fair. Unfortunaately people seem to take what is a simple concept and turn it into something far more complicated. Unlike RED and some other companies, we will not be charging anyone for this transfer of ownership. Trust me it would be a lot easier ofor our paperwork if we simply didn't do any of this, but again we wanted to handle things in the fairest possible way. It really can get complicated when the concerned parties are in different nations to one another and to CD. Then there can become VAT and other fees involved. Nothing is easy here.

All that said, we have a pretty good handle on how many people will likely take advantage of the Loyalty Program and how many issues like this are likely to pop up. That's why I can safely state that you are the only one who has made it an issue. Yes, it has only been a short time but if there are more than a handful of people during the entire run of the program that have such questions I will be quite surprised. History bears such things out. Please don't take it as an attack of any kind; I'm happy to clarify the program to you and therefore anyone else. But I feel that you are generally creating a problem where one does not really exist. Don't go thinking that there will soon be a massive flood of Odyssey7Qs on the market. Many people -- most people -- are wholly satisfied with the 7Q for their needs. Or at least they don't particularly feel the need to switch to a 7Q+. Remember, almost half of the Odyssey7Q units currently in service are being used as monitors, not recorders. So you might have a motivated buyer right now and that's great, but don't feel the need to rush into a sale to beat some perceived devaluing of the Odyssey7Q on the used market. It's not likely to happen, at least not with the rapidity you appear to fear. These thoughts are addressed to all, not just Noah. The Odyssey7Q still holds great value for many clients, and of the thousands of units sold we expect a relatively small percentage will feel the need to move to an Odyssey7Q+. Our product appeals to various segments of the market, many of whom are not effected in any way by the use of 4K over HDMI.
 
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Noah, I think CD's decision that you have to *currently* be the owner of the 7Q is similar to any other policy created by a company. It's to minimize possible issues. Technically, someone could sell a 7Q with a promise of "it's eligible for the upgrade program!" (maybe the buyer wants two devices and it's cheaper in the long run to buy a used 7Q and get free licenses+warranty+$500 credit on the 7Q+ purchase.)

Well, if the seller of the original 7Q doesn't need to be actively in control of the device, they could sell it with that promise and then just keep the serial number and activate it on their account for the 7Q+ upgrade.

Or an even more realistic situation: What if someone sold their 7Q a few months ago, but still had all the serial numbers? If the program didn't take into consideration who was set up as "owner" of the device, this person could just buy a 7Q+ and get all the upgrade benefits even though they haven't owned a 7Q for months.
 
Let's say I want to sell my 7Q. When does the clock on the extended one-year warranty for the 7Q start? Is it when I purchase the 7Q+, when I send in the paperwork, or a later time of my choosing (when I transfer the ownership to a new person). Obviously I would prefer the latter ("You have a full year of warranty."), but this might be difficult for you folks to administer. And just to make sure I understand, the remaining warranty is fully transferable to another person, right? (As part of the transfer of ownership).
 
First, all 7Q warranties are now universally extended to 1/1/2016. This is regardless if you sell it, keep it or whatever.

Next, if you take advantage of the Loyalty Program, the warranty for the Odyssey7Q involved goes until 1/1/17. It doesn't matter whether you implement the Loyalty Program today or on March 31, the end date for the extended warranty is the same, 1/1/17.

Once executed, it does not matter who owns the Odyssey7Q, the warranty for the product remains until the date noted above. But please be in touch with Convergent Design about transfer of ownership so that we may keep records straight.

Easy, right? No worrying about this date or that. Everyone gets the same date and it is a long way off. The only deadline we have is if you wish to participate in the Loyalty Program you must do so by March 31st.
 
Mitch Gross said:
The only deadline we have is if you wish to participate in the Loyalty Program you must do so by March 31st.
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I doubt I will take advantage of this but just to clarify will it be enough to have a purchase invoice from March 31st or does one need to register the O7Q+ by March 31st on your website? Living in Finland it always takes a week or two to get units shipped so just making sure in case I decide to go for the O7Q+ after all come March...

Thanks!
 
Essami said:
I doubt I will take advantage of this but just to clarify will it be enough to have a purchase invoice from March 31st or does one need to register the O7Q+ by March 31st on your website? Living in Finland it always takes a week or two to get units shipped so just making sure in case I decide to go for the O7Q+ after all come March...

Thanks!
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The registration on our website of the new Odyssey7Q+ is to take place by March 31st.
 
The Loyalty program does not seem so convenient to me. I use my Odyssey only with FS700 and now with the FS7, if I have to think to a B camera with HDMI I will probably go with the shogun. Said that it's extremely convenient for all the rentals, the most expensive part are the recording options, and you can have it for free on an second unit!!! My trusted rental is very very happy about that. If you have some difficulties to sell your 7Q for the 7Q+ try with rentals, they have so much benefits:if you transfer them also the $500 credit, you will probably have the 7Q+ without adding any money.
Best
p.
 
I am looking to sell my Odyssey 7Q with the FS700 Record option. I have upgraded to the most current firmware and it shows the warranty extension to 01/01/16. I will be purchasing a new 7Q+, so you would get to keep the FS700 Record Option and the warranty would be extended until 01/01/17. And as an added bonus, I will transfer the $500.00 Convergent Design credit to the purchaser. I will sell for $2000.00 (very firm). I will only sell via PayPal and ship to a confirmed PayPal shipping address with Within the United States (Shipping Included). My unit is 100% as new, no scuffs, scratches, nicks, screen damage, etc. I also have all of the original packaging.

If you are local to the Pittsburgh area, I will gladly meet up to allow a demo.

PM me if you are interested.

Thank you,
Robert Pfeifer
www.pifemaster.com
 
Hmmm, not sure I understand. You say the Loyalty Program isn't so convenient and then you appear to illustrate some of the benefits. Anything I can help clarify here?
 
Probably a dumb question, but it sounds like the loyalty program will only allow duplication of any upgrade licenses purchased before 12/19/14, right? Not any licenses purchased after?
 
nyvz said:
Probably a dumb question, but it sounds like the loyalty program will only allow duplication of any upgrade licenses purchased before 12/19/14, right? Not any licenses purchased after?
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No, we are leaving that loophole open. Purchase away and get 2-for-1.
 
Colinelves said:
Is this now an indefinite offer? As the original press release said it was only until 31st March 2014
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Thanks for asking.

To clarify further: The loophole of purchasing a Record Option on an Odyssey7Q in order to get it added to an Odyssey7Q+ is only available if the two Odyssey units have not yet had the Loyalty Program executed on them. Upon activating a new Odyssey7Q+ on our website, you will be guided through the process of linking to the Odyssey7Q you currently own and will be asked if you wish to execute the Loyalty Program. Once this occurs you cannot alter the benefits.

Here is the only way this loophole works for you. If you know you would like to get the Record Options on both units, purchase the Record Options on the original Odyssey7Q before buying the Odyssey7Q+. When you buy the Odyssey7Q+ you will get the Record Options duplicated on it and then you can choose to do whatever you like with either unit.

No matter what you choose to do in this process, the Loyalty Program option must be executed by March 31st, 2015. So this is a long-winded way of me reiterating that no, this is not an indefinite offer at all. If you choose to keep both Odyssey units that's great. but if you purchase a Record Option after the Loyalty Program has been executed - even if it is still before March 31st - that Record Option will not be duplicated on the second Odyssey.

I hope this is clear. Please let me know if anyone has any questions.
 
if everyone is upset now wait till you see what happens to the camera market in 6 months. it will be mind blowing!!!

grow ur own food, the performance benefits out weights the dolla there!!!
 
nyvz said:
Any chance the store credit is transferable?
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Yes it is! You cannot turn it into cash, but it functions as a coupon. Give the coupon to someone else and he/she can use it his/her own account. So if you sell someone your Odyssey7Q as part of the Loyalty Program, you can also make part of the deal the $500 website account coupon. The buyer could use this to purchase a record option you did not have on the Odyssey7Q. Please not the order of events, whereby you would then not receive the free duplicate of that record option on your new 7Q+.
 
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