Breaking news: According to Sony, Hawaii isn't in the US. (Hilo: lease, insurance)

[Joliefille]

I had to LOL over a chat session I had with a Sony rep. I bought a new laptop online and it included free delivery anywhere in the US. Love the laptop, but the 9 & 0 keys stick.

Anyway, as we were "chatting" he asked if I had friends or relatives in the US I could mail my laptop to in order for it to get serviced. I told him Hawaii was part of the US, but he said it wasn't, according to Sony!

[Surfer-Girl]

Wow.... he could've said 'continental US' or something, at least.

[Jeepers Creepers]

Originally Posted by Joliefille

I had to LOL over a chat session I had with a Sony rep. I bought a new laptop online and it included free delivery anywhere in the US. Love the laptop, but the 9 & 0 keys stick.

Anyway, as we were "chatting" he asked if I had friends or relatives in the US I could mail my laptop to in order for it to get serviced. I told him Hawaii was part of the US, but he said it wasn't, according to Sony!

People such as that, just need someone to tell them to Google the word
"delusional" and/or "Map-Hawaii and 1959"

[hotzcatz]

True, we've only been a state for 53 years. Next time you could inquire if the fellow were really old since we've been a state since '59 and he needs to update his database. Sony isn't the only one, unfortunately, who won't ship things here. Betcha Alaska has the same problem since they aren't attached to the continental mainland. There's also the outlying territorial islands who probably have it worse than us, too.

[KauaiHiker]

The longer you live in Hawaii, the more you anticipate this. Anything having to do with shipping or mailing is different between the mainland and Hawaii (Alaska too). The Sony rep was just looking at his shipping zones in his computer. You're lucky the rep actually noticed: some promise to ship it, then 3 days later call you back and tell you they can't because the computer won't let them.

The good thing is that the US post office delivers mail and parcels to all 50 states for the same price. The problem is that parcel delivery was deregulated, meaning that companies are free to charge whatever they want. So of course, UPS and FedEX, etc. all charge less to ship on the mainland and more overseas. Fair enough, you say, but then companies that contract with them for their shipping always cut costs by buying the lowest shipping rate from them, the one that doesn't include HI.

Many smaller companies, and some larger uninformed ones like Sony, don't account for their HI and AK customers and refuse to ship to them because their shipping contracts are not set up that way. Some small companies will go out of their way to take a package to the post office for a HI order, but many don't.

Frankly, I see this as a barrier to inter-state commerce. I think there should be a law: if the USPS or UPS delivers there, you can charge more, but you can't refuse to ship there. If Hawaii's a state, then we should at least have the same benefits. I can't believe our longtime senators aren't all over something like that.

[whtviper1]

Other crazy things - Shipping over your leased or financed car. If you lease a Lexus (and I'm sure others also) and ship it to Hawaii - your process will be very frustrating - you won't get your car registered.

This happened to me:

Shipped car from Bay Area
Got Insurance
Safety Check
Go for registration - told need permission from lienholder.

Ok, no problem, go home - call Lexus. They deny permission - why I ask, well - we are Lexus N. America and Lexus in Hawaii is Lexus Japan, we are separate companies. Huh??? They direct me to the fine print in the lease agreement, and sure enough - can't ship to Hawaii. After talking with supervisors - no dice.

I say - ok, I'll buy the car, where do I send the check. They say, in Hawaii - it must be done by the dealer. Can't send the check.

I go to Servco Lexus - ask for the finance guy (this is in 2008 when the lot is completely empty) - ask him to do the paperwork. He says, we don't do that. I offer to pay a doc fee. Nope. I tell him I'll be a customer in the future - nope.

I ultimately from the the friend of a friend route - paid a independant dealer to do the paperwork so I could own it and get plates. Of course - had to offer an "incentive" payment.

Was probably the most frustrating experience I had.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Companies also don't recognize the mailing addresses in Hawaii. Our address is 94-1234 Lois Lane (made up address for those of you who will jump on it), but Verizon refused to take an order for a new phone there because according their computer that address doesn't exist. I told them that it was assigned by the Hawaii County Government, and therefor more legal than their computer, but that didn't matter because it wasn't in their computer. I ended up telling them that my address was just 1234 Lois Lane, then I tracked the package with Fed Ex, and when it was received in the Hilo office I called and gave them the correct address.

[Becca8377]

Alot of people also don't realize that to ship something to Hawaii via the "cheapest method" means that it gets sent over on a boat. I forgot my sneakers at my parents house in MA after Christmas one year and my stepmom had to mail them back to me - 3 weeks later, they finally arrived. I almost just went out and bought a new pair

[zentric]

i love it when people refer to the rest of the united states as the "the states."