Re: Was my Minilux new or demo?

[Tom Hodge <thodge@charweb.org>]

Joe,

As a former part-timer in a camera store, there is absolutely no 
conceiveable reason for the battery to have already been in the camera 
when you bought it as new.  None.  Zero.  Zip.  Nada.  Nein.

I'd elaborate but I think you get my most emphatic meaning.

I don't know how your side of the pond handles things like that but they
basically owe you a NEW camera.  Yes, I think you got a demo.  When new
models come out and the supplies are rather few in supply or the store
manager might want to get only a couple to see how they "move", it's
common to put a demo out, sell the few on hand - rotating the first demo
with the inventory if there's a chance any excess consumer handling could
make any models not re-sellable as new - and get some more in. 

Folks, you'd all be terribly surprised how many cameras and lenses you've 
bought that have been 'displayed" before you bought 'em.  Some of 'em 
have been fingered more times than the Unabomber.  (U.S. joke!)

But a battery should never, EVER be left in a camera re-boxed and sold as 
new.  They sure don't come that way from the manufacturer!

Unless the item you purchase is absolutely, positively known by you to
have never been opened - your blood relative is the store manager or
something or you're in the store when the latest shipment comes in and you
get one right out of the crate.....it's probably been "displayed". 

Sealed boxes can be opened and re-sealed without any signs of having 
happened.....if you know how to.  Shrink-wrap can always be replaced with 
identical looking shrink-wrap.

Hate to burst your bubble, Joe, but if you think you got a "newbie", I'd 
vote otherwise after reading your posting.  In fact, I'm absolutely sure 
of it.

Regards,

Tom Hodge


   

On Mon, 20 May 1996, joe b. wrote:

> I bought a new Minilux last year from a UK dealer, about a week after
> they first became available, and it had its battery in it when I opened
> it, and compared to the next battery I put in the camera, the first
> battery had noticeably less charge and the flash recycling times were
> noticeably longer. The replacement battery needed a couple of days use
> to reach that slower recharge speed. This has been nagging at me ever
> since- did they sell me a demo camera? Any opinions? 
> -- 
> joe b.