How to pre-order a Z and have it shipped from US to Canada?

I called our local Sony Store, I asked the person who answered the phone if they knew when the new Z notebook would be available ... he had not idea what it even was ...

I then asked to talk to the Manager asked him about it ... he said he had one (I knew he didn't, lol) and put my on hold real quick ... when he came back he said he had it in his hands and it was his last one $1999 or something ...

Of course it was the SZ he was talking about ... long story short he knew nothing about nothing, couldn't answer a question about any pc they had in stock ... unreal .... how does Sony expect to sell product in their stores when their staff has no clue .... i went though the same thing with them on a big screen tv a few years ago ....

All that being said, can we safely assume August 15th is the release date and if so can anyone refer me to a Dealer in the States who will likely stock the Z and offer shipping to Canada....

It's been such a wait and run I'm almost thinking on going with the Dell XPS 1330, with a good warranty then I'd be good to go ... but this Z has me drooling, LOL ....

 

the Z series is coming to canada, so why not just wait? if not wait until some online stores have it in stock and have it shipped to canada.

 

shipping a around $1000 laptop seems to be costing people around $200 (including taxes, shipping duty etc.) to import from across the border. I say wait unless you have a dire need.

 

well there is one more option, wait until pre-configed models are in sony stores in the US and then drive across the border and get one from an american sony store, depending on how close you are to the border.

 

when do you think we'll see them in stock at Sony.ca or in Sony Stores for sale in Canada?

I heard August 24th, then I heard it was pushed back to September ....

 

They will probably be available for preorder at SonyStyle.ca mid August, with them shipping late August/early September. Then again, who knows for sure. I'm going nuts in anticipation to just PREORDER it!

 

Here are your options:

1) Wait until we get them in Canada. It'll inevitably be a slim collection of pre-configured models, with exactly the wrong combo of options, & slightly more expensive than the U.S. prices to reflect the fact that we're Canadian and are used to getting screwed over on pricing. Maybe we'll get a CTO option if we're really lucky, but I'm not optimistic.

2) Drive or fly across the border and get a pre-configured model. Declare it at the border or smuggle it in, your call (it's not like laptops are uncommon for people to travel with). Note that your warranty may only be good for the U.S. Also note that the 3g modem will probably be locked to Sprint, so you won't be able to use it.

3) Order a CTO model, have it shipped to a friend in the U.S. or to a UPS center located near the border, where you can have them hold it till you get there to pick it up. Same caveats as #2.

I went with option #2 for my last two Vaios -- a Z505 (in 2000) and an S170 (in 2004). I can't remember what I saved on the Z505, but I saved a few hundred bucks on the S by buying it in the U.S. Fortunately neither ever needed warranty repair.

 

I mentioned in some other threads that the Z series is meant to be available in canada in late august, after the 31st, but was not told if that meant pre order or for sale and pre order earlier. so wait a month if you can.

 

another option I've thought about is the LG P300 compared to the Z it's a great buy, and can't think of anyting really 'wrong' with an LG P300 over the Z, I don't game much ...

 

Well, the main difference is it lacks an optical drive compared to the Z, but does have a more powerful GPU because of the free space from no optical drive.

 

Wow, $200 for a $1000 laptop? So if my laptop came to $3000 I would be paying ~$600 for shipping, duties and brokerage fees?

 

Anyone know? Toronto Guy do you know how much we'll end up paying for customs/duties/brokerage fees if we order from P1?

 

Well, the Z590's from P1 are made in the US, so does anybody know if I need to fill out certain paperwork to avoid duties from shipping the laptop for the US to Canada? Or is it automatically not charged?

 

That sounds like a lot of trouble. Think of the time and gas money among other things.

I think you should be able to customize the Z series in a Sony store in Canada. If not, I wouldn't even buy one based on principle. If Sony is going to snub their nose at Canada like that. They should at least have something mentioned somewhere why. Even Dell offers Canadians some customization of their laptops and although it's not exactly the same or offering the same choices, it is at least halfway acceptable.

 

Many Sony of Canada employees are seemingly left in the dark unfortunately.

I remember a couple of months ago I wanted to get the Sony Grip Belt for my a700 DSLR which has been available in the US for months. I called Sony of Canada (in Toronto, I think) and spoke to two people there who had no clue what I was even talking about. Then finally a "supervisor" came on and said that he found the product in the system but he didn't anticipate it would be available in Canada anytime soon, if at all. Well I was shocked to see the item listed on their site that same evening under "pre-order". I ordered it a week later and received it.

I wouldn't be surprised to see the Z available in august for pre-order or even ordering on Sonystyle.ca. But be prepared to pay through the nose for it and be significantly less customizable than in the US (based on my previous SZ ordeal).