Instant-Camera Refunds Are No Snap
Question: Because I am one of the millions who got stuck with one of Kodak’s Instant Cameras several years ago, I read with great interest the ad that Kodak ran in The Times on May 22 telling how to get the refund due me as a result of the settlement with Polaroid.
There was a coupon to fill out, of course, but then the wording said: “Tape your nameplate here, face up, using clear tape. Do not send your camera, only the nameplate.”
OK, fair enough, but then there was the following: “The nameplate of a Kodak Instant Camera is attached with a light adhesive and can be easily removed. Carefully lift a corner of nameplate with tweezers and gently pull off. A hair dryer will help loosen the glue if needed.”
Hah! I examined my Colorburst model of the Instant Camera, and I defy anyone except a brain surgeon or a professional automobile demolition team to get the nameplate off it with a tweezer--or an acetylene torch, for that matter.
What kind of a bad joke is this? Why didn’t they include the real instructions for getting the nameplate off? “Gently pull off” with “tweezers” my foot!--B.K.
Answer: Surprise! And, by now, you should also have received Kodak’s follow-up letter, which, unfortunately, doesn’t make the nameplate-removal procedure one bit easier. It’s just the latest in the series of headaches that Kodak has had since--in the face of a patent-infringement suit brought by Polaroid--it pulled the instant cameras off the market three years ago. And then, in 1986, it also lost a class-action suit in Chicago’s Circuit Court, which resulted in the settlement that is only now coming to a head. In all, Kodak has agreed to refund up to about $250 million to some 4 1/2 million people who bought the cameras before January, 1986.
Carroll Howell, a customer service representative in Rochester, N.Y., concedes that the instructions for removing the nameplate fall somewhat short of being a model of clarity. In all, there are about 39 models involved, Howell said, “and some of them are a lot harder to get the nameplate off of than others.”
It’s true that on all models the nameplate is a small metal strip, so that you’re not likely to tear it beyond recognition (as you could, very easily, if it were paper or plastic), but with so many models involved, as Howell notes, “some are harder than others.” The Colorburst models 50 and 250 are particularly thorny, because there is not only an adhesive involved, but there are also three holes and pegs behind the nameplate that are a part of the attachment mechanism.
“You could do it with a tiny jeweler’s screwdriver, I suppose,” Howell observed.
But, if your own jeweler’s screwdriver happens to be out getting re-honed, what then?
“Well, that was the problem,” she continued. “Our lawyers were awfully hesitant about putting anything in the material that might lead people to hurt themselves.”
This would probably rule out such take-the-bull-by-the-horns advice as: “Take one 6-inch butcher knife, honed to razor sharpness, and . . .” As a consequence, Kodak’s instructions, in effect, are a “best scenario” approach to the nameplate removal. Many plates can indeed be removed gently with a pair of tweezers.
“If, somehow, they do break the facing around the nameplate they should just send us the pieces, including the nameplate,” Howell said.
And, rather than risk hurting themselves, she added, “we would much prefer that customers call Rochester directly, on our 800 number, and have one of our people walk them through the removal, step by step.” That number is (800) 242-2424.
The nameplate and the form you fill out are essential to the rebate, however, to establish exactly what model Instant Camera you purchased, because this (because it establishes the price you paid) dictates the rebate.
“There are four categories, depending on the price of the camera,” Howell said. “Group 1 consists of a $15 cash rebate and a $35 certificate. Group 2 is a $20 rebate and a $35 certificate. Group 3 is a $30 rebate and a $30 certificate, and Group 4 is a $40 rebate and a $30 certificate.”
So, while it’s worth a little effort, it’s not worth risking a punctured artery to get.
Q: I am an active-duty officer in the U.S. Air Force. For purposes of deducting an Individual Retirement Account, is the military considered to have a pension plan--in reference to your recent article on IRAs? Also, is there a specific office at the Internal Revenue Service that handles questions and items of interest for the military?--H.E.M.
A: This isn’t the answer you want, I’m quite sure, but yes, if you’re in the military you’re considered covered by Uncle Sam’s pension plan. The bright spot here, as I’m sure you know, is that the military pension--by private employer standards--is a good one. No, Internal Revenue doesn’t have a specific office fielding military-related tax questions, according to IRS spokesman Rob Giannangeli, “but there are a number of publications available that direct themselves to military personnel and their tax situation.”
