Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2002/01/31/kodak_uturn_victory_for_consumers/

Kodak U-turn victory for consumers

Now Kodak must come clean on numbers

By Tim Richardson

Posted in On-Prem, 31st January 2002 12:07 GMT

Kodak's decision to back down and honour an agreement to sell a wrongly priced digital camera has been hailed as a major victory for consumers.

As Kodak attempted to play down the U-turn those who have been battling against the company have been sharing their views at such an important victory.

Alan Stevens of the Consumers' Association said: "We're pleased to see that they have finally honoured their obligation – although not without a great deal of arm-twisting [from legal and media pressure]."

Michael Archer, the lawyer with Beale & Company, who was leading the legal fight against Kodak said: "This is very pleasing and very sensible. I just would have wished this could have been done earlier."

And in a posting on the Kodak Camera campaign Web site, Internet veteran Laurence Godfrey wrote: "I am very pleased to read that there appears to have been a remarkable U-turn and now you are all going to get your cameras.

"In my view it is a remarkable victory for 'people power' (I cannot think of a better phrase) and also an excellent illustration of how extraordinarily powerful the internet can be when used to bring together an otherwise disparate group of individuals with a common interest and a specific purpose."

While campaigners celebrate this astonishing turn-around Kodak is trying to put a brave face on things.

A spokeswoman for Kodak denied the company had backed down insisting that it just "took a while to resolve this". Nor did she accept that the threat of legal action had prompted Kodak's change of heart.

However, Kodak still refuses to say exactly how many people ordered the cameras at the knock-down price of £100.

Some reports claim that as many as 10,000 could have been ordered although until Kodak comes clean, no-one – except Kodak themselves - will know the true extent of this fiasco. ®

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