VENT! Manufacturer / Dealer relationship

Knoxworth

Knoxworth

Well-known member
Friend and I originally bought HVX & shot on tape. We figured we'd get used to it before taking the P2 plunge. Two months ago we ordered 2 eight gig cards from full compass with the understanding "no word when the shipment will come in." Foolishly we thought it would be a matter of weeks. So we put the $1200 down to get in line. They are, after all, high in demand.


So we start developing a few ideas. More and more of our college friends show interest in helping us out with our movies. We waste weekend after weekend because "HD will look so much better." And here we are. Still no P2 cards. I don't blame full compass or panasonic but the relationship between the two does piss me off. Let's face it. Panasonic would be obligated to fill orders or atleast be upfront about the supply. Dealers have the ability to play dumb or defer the blame to the manufacturer. Our money was taken for essentially thin air at the time. And we stopped looking for better deals as soon as the money was "spent."

If anyone has any leads on 8G or 16G I will gladly cancel the order & go after whatever is tangible. The waiting game is ruining my summer & before long all my college friends will be back in school with no movies under our belt.

We did shoot for a ten hour film fest using mini DV. The look is decent but nothing compared to 720 or 1080. Called it "Glory Be Damned."
 
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We did consider, and my experience with firestore was one feature film where the producers suffered dropped files off the firestore. They also forgot to charge it over night at one point which almost lost us a day of shooting.

It appeared that navigating and finding the correct files was painful, and that it wasn't quite as reliable as P2. I set up a couple FX shots for them that they lost, which anybody knows can be frustrating... and a bad first impression. Most our hangups, in fact, I recall the DP and director hovering over the firestore & troubleshooting this or that.

You could also ask "why didnt we buy used?" and my answer is that my friend is sort of a usedaphobe. Anything bought he likes right out of the box. I think he's warming up to the option now though.
 
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I agree with Ned. Give serious consideration to the Firestore. Despite your own experiences with the device it is a great piece of gear. If used properly (and charged) it works as well as any workflow you will come across. My personal experience with it is error free. And that includes using it in some pretty severe conditions.

Just my two cents worth.

Jim
 
Try looking for local dealers in and around your area. The Panasonic dealer page can help you locate some within 50 miles of you. It seems that the more popular dealers are on backorder while the smaller dealers may have a few on hand as there are less people calling.
 
Full Compass? Oh geez, what lead you to that decision?

How 'bout Spec-Comm, B&H, AVS, Studio Exchange, Omega, Able-Cine, Lerro or any of the other dealers we've all purchased from and received product from without great delay (or been lied to)?

My apologies to any of the reliable/respectable agencies I may have left out.
 
dregenthal, I'm not sure if you are trying to be sarcastic or not, but I've done business with Full Compass, and have never had a problem or been lied to.

Knoxworth wrote that he was put on a waiting list for 8GB cards with no promises regarding availability -- he has not been lied to. The 8GB cards are just as hard (if not harder) to find than 16GB cards, the fact that they are in short supply is not the fault of Full Compass.
 
Full Compass is a great dealer, an authorized dealer, and has a rep who comes on DVXUser frequently. I've never heard a bad word about Full Compass.
 
I have found Firestore very reliable under all kinds of tough conditions. Don't blame the device for someone not charging the batteries or looking into a wide range of alternative power options.

Ned
 
Well I'm happy that you've had a pleasant experience--undoubtably others have as well. He's been waiting for two months and you may be assured that scarce or otherwise a couple of additional phone calls would have secured his 8gig cards by now.

The situation is well known (and not unlike when the HVX first introduced) but changes *sometimes* almost daily. I acquired four 8gig cards within the same time period by calling two of the agencies listed above.
 
I have no gripes with Full Compass. Everything beside this one product has been shipped to us within two days of ordering. It was my mistake to play the waiting game, not FC's. If we decide to purchase a firestore it will most likely be from Full Compass and no one else. They have been honest about every purchase.

Frustration: Even though the manufacturer is making two 8G cards (pretty much specifically for my demand) I can't talk to anyone personally and say "What the hell's taking so long??? You have my money." Because they don't. they just have numbers from the dealers.


Firestore sounds better and better. Thanks for soothing my trepidations.
 
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Wait... You ordered p2 cards "with the understanding that there was no word on when shipment would be." So, why are you complaining? If you didn't want to wait "indefinitely" then you shouldn't have paid for something that had no definite, or even guesstimate on delivery... Search around. There are numerous, reputable dealers to pick from (full compass being one of those reputable dealers).

But, then you said your gripe isn't with full compass... so, I assume it is a gripe about the availability (or rather the lack) of P2 cards... In which case, that particular piece of info is well known and there have already been enough threads on this topic, that I don't see much value in adding another thread to the already well known fact that p2 cards are hard to get right now. They have been hard to get since the announcement of 16 gig cards for 900, and there is not really an indication of when that might change.

But... if you search around... do a little research (if you are now in a rush to get cards) you can find 4,8, and 16 gig cards. Just in the last week I have seen all three varieties for sale here in the marketplace.

Nothing personal.

EDIT: I just locked this, but decided to re-open it. If it helps you guys for whatever reason to yap about this, then who am I to stop you.
 
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You can lock, delete. Whatever you want. I got some advice on my personal situation from some friendly folks.
 
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Thanks for reopening it, Jason. I stopped going to another forum because the moderators there wouldnt let people speak their minds or even respond to inquiries.
Your understanding and patience is commendable.
 
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If you need to shoot HD, you could always rent a P2 card while waiting for your order.
 
Thanks ozduc,

Haven't been able to find rentals where I live. I'd have to drive three hours to Nashville. Decided to go with FS-100 since they are readily available.
 
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