 Update, 6:10PM - Hope for customers at last? Click here.
As we predicted (click here for earlier story), the Kodak DX3700 online ‘special offer’ controversy that broke yesterday is gathering momenentum. In this update we have some news from Trading Standards, speculation from The Sun newspaper that up to 10,000 may have ordered the camera at the give away £100 price and, finally, we have a selection of your thoughts on the story. Has Kodak accepted your payment?We’ve had a brief conversation with a representative from UK Trading Standards, Tony Northcott. Unfortunately he spoke to us via a mobile phone from a conference and won’t be able to study the evidence we’ve sent him until tonight, but his primary interest is in whether or not Kodak have actually debited customers’ credit card accounts. If anyone can confirm with their credit card company that money has been taken from their accounts, we’d like to hear from you (click here). This could be key to the debate about whether Kodak is obliged to honour orders. We’ll have a more detailed update as soon as we have the information. It’s National newsThe Sun newspaper carries a story in today’s edition that suggests Kodak could have accepted as many as 10,000 confirmed orders for the £100 DX3700 deal. Calculating the difference between the corrected price of £329 and the original price of £100, Kodak is forced to honour the orders, it could lose out by around £2.3 million. So much for our estimates of a few hundred orders! Your commentsWe have received a lot of emails on the subject and here is a selection. Not all are anti-Kodak... Charles Richmond:
I am sorry to say this, but as an expatriot (UK citizen) I am embarrassed by my fellows greed and willingness to take advantage of someones mistake . The price was patently wrong from the start and each 'purchaser' had to know that.
Mark Costigan:
If I purchased the camera in a store and they gave the wrong price, yet swiped my card and gave me the goods with the corresponding receipt, they would have to honour their cock-up and the goods would be mine at the price they requested.
Gordon Bijelic:
I was one of the 'caught-out' customers. I am now planning to file claim with Small Claims court...but will give some time to Kodak to come clean and honour the order.
John Marlow:
A lot of folk have been stating in newsgroups that this offer was too good to be true and the people that applied were trying it on. I discovered the offer in a newsgroup entitled "uk-discounts.and.bargains" which hinted that this was a special deal. It proclaimed on their website that it was a special deal.
It is 1st week in January, mid sale season, and I was bargain hunting, looking for a special deal.
The camera is offered elsewhere for £220, a good deal, if not special. They offer it for £100, they make it, they are household name, I believed this may be the special deal for which I searched.
They say in the refusal that it was an error made on the 31st December 2001 and corrected 24 hours later. I made my offer to purchase at 1am 6th January and received confirmation about an hour later.
Brian Toller:
I'm sure Kodak are well aware of levels of interest in their products at specific prices but just possibly the amount of orders for this product at £100 may inspire a significant price reduction after they catch their breath. Well we can all hope can't we?
Simon Rafferty:
I think all of the customers who recieved confirmation of their orders should join together in a class action against Kodak.
Mark Slade:
Surely the confirmation email we got was acceptance to trade at the agreed price???
I really thought this was a great deal and was getting rid or out of date stock (new products taking its place) it was marked as a special deal and I got a email accepting (confirmation) my offer to buy the camera at £104.99 (including delivery).
David Francis:
I see your article about the Kodak camera and ordered one. I will be disgusted if Kodak fail to honour my order. I hope that you will do everything you can to help us get our cameras.
Gavin Chester:
I'll keep watching the page, I'm interested as I ordered one and even have the confirmation email at home to say it was ordered at £100, I thought it was too good to be true and printed and PDF'd the page just in case of this happening and they try and charge me the full price.. £100 is a great price, £329 is not...
Paul Currie (from Estevan, SK. Canada)
Can you keep me informed as to your findings in dealing with Kodak? Myself and a friend each ordered one on Jan 5, and received the Web confirmation and the email confirmations. Seems to me that they entered into a contract when they sent me info telling me that 109.99 pounds was to be deducted from my credit card.
Tell us what you think too – click here to email your opinion. Coverage from The Inquirer - click here.
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