Did B&H Send Me A Lens That Was Returned

<p>Order a Tokina AT-X 16-28 F/2.8. Received the Lens today in a unmarked shipping box,no B&H labels or B&H tape on the box,open the box and no bubble wrap in the shipping box to keep the boxed lens from banging around.I open the box to get the lens out and the lens was in the cardboard cut out but no wrapping or cellophane bag around the lens.No paper work at all in the box ,no manual, registration card,no even the order invoice or receipt.The tokina box also has some marks on it like its been opened before.I have never received any order from them like this before .The lens looks fine and i haven't used it but if it was a return there must be a problem with it,and I paid for a new lens not something returned. Now waiting until i can contract customer service Sunday or Monday and that this issue up with them.</p>

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<p>if it was a return there must be a prolbem with it</p>

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<p>Not necessarily.<br>

<br />I don't return things often, but once I returned a perfectly fine Nikon TC-20E III to B&H. At the time that teleconverter was new and difficult to find. I had placed an order with Amazon but it was backordered for months. Suddenly B&H had gray-market ones in stock so that I placed an order. As soon as I did that, I was going into Amazon's web site to cancel my order, but by chance, Amazon had it and was preparing for shipment to me, and I could no longer cancel my order.<br>

<br />I ended up having both teleconverters for a couple of days. The prices were the same such that it was not a very difficult decision to return the gray-market one (although the warranty and future repair possibility for a TC is largely meaningless), which was in totally mint condition.</p>

<p>I would check the lens carefully and make sure it is totally ok. Just because someone might have taken a look at it inside the store or returned it doesn't necessarily mean there is a problem. I would verify that all the paperwork and warranty cards are present, though.</p>

<p>If you return a perfectly fine lens for a replacement, your risk is that the replacement you get maybe worse.</p>

<p>Shun ,there was nothing in the box but lens,not even the invoice or a receipt,no warranty card .I never received and order from them without the order invoice that was I'm thinking that its a bit strange.I'm going wait until talk with them when they open. </p>

<p>Peter I hope you figure it out. I understand you are in a frustrating position - what you describe is nothing like my experience with B&H. At the same time, this isn't really fair to B&H to shoot first and ask questions later. I expect one of B&H's reps will see this thread and investigate. I guess the customer is always right.</p>

<p>Amazon no longer sends any invoice/receipt, but I always get one from B&H. By any chance the shipping box might have been opened by the shipper or someone else? I have picked up B&H shipment from the UPS office a few times. Those guys recognize the B&H sealing tape and have a good idea what is inside those boxes.</p>

<p>You can always get B&H to re-issue the paperwork to you. I am not sure how easy or difficult to get Tokina to re-issue the warranty card. Should you decide to sell this lens down the road, a wise potential buyer may ask for all the Tokina paperwork.</p>

<p>In the mean time, I would check out the lens carefully. If it were me, my approach could potentially be quite different if the lens is perfect or it is defective.</p>

<p>BTW, I just sent e-mail to Henry Posner about this thread. Hopefully Henry will respond early next week.</p>

<p>Thank You Shun</p>

 

<p>Weird, never had the happen with B&H before. Every package I get from them, including the two sitting behind me that arrived this week, always have the B&H tape on the outside and always have a receipt on the inside. Lately (last year or so), when I've had orders that came from two of their different warehouses, one box had the typical B&H receipt and the other had just a Xerox copy (in the old days they were both typical B&H receipts).</p>

<p>I'd give them a call, I'm sure there's an explanation.</p>

<p>Peter, please make sure that you also call B&H on Sunday or Monday.</p>

<p>It happens that I ordered some items from B&H this past Monday, which is Cyber Monday. (Just items for me, nothing to do with holiday gifts, but the timing was poor.) The entire chain is very busy such that it look B&H an extra day to ship the items and UPS is taking extra time to deliver them. Therefore, please be patient during the holiday shopping season, as I am sure plenty of people are working overtime and things will take a little longer.</p>

<p>I've had umpteen shipments from B&H, never anything like that. They're typically a box within a box, with plenty of plastic air pillows, and a copy of the invoice. I'm sure they'll sort you out when you contact them.</p>

<p>Could someone have tampered with it during shipping, customs inspection or similar??</p>

<p>Peter, ask them to exchange the lens, and they will do it. The idea that a store with the reputation of B&H might send you something worse in exchange is ridiculous.<br>

Keep in mind that:<br>

1. It's not always possible to tell what may have happened to the lens while it was transported without proper packaging.<br>

2. Should you decide to sell the lens sometime in the future, having the original packaging could make a difference to a buyer.<br>

3. Your feeling comfortable with the lens has value as well.</p>

<p>I order from B&H online. I always get a confirmation email and a shipping notice email. Even if you ordered by phone you should have an order number that you can verify on their web site and that verification should have a shipping/tracking number that should match the shipping label on the box you recieved.</p>

<p>Temperory help may not be familiar with or following procedures. No warranty card with new equipment is unusual.</p>

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<p>The idea that a store with the reputation of B&H might send you something worse in exchange is ridiculous.</p>

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<p>Not at all. If you have a perfectly working lens, who is going to guarantee that the next replacement or two you may receive are not defective? It has nothing to do with B&H per se; they don't and in a lot of cases are not allowed to open the boxes and check what they receive from Canon, Nikon, Tokina .... Therefore, if Nikon or Tokina ships a bad lens (hopefully among many good ones) to B&H, they'll simply turn around and ship that to some unlucky customer.</p>

What might seem unsettling to you now BH will surely make it right. They are probably the most reputable company on

the planet. Having said that we would love the juicy details of how that package was delivered to you in such a state as

you describe.

<p>Why all the drama?</p>

<p>Call B&H customer service, have them email you a prepaid UPS mailing label, and return the lens.</p>

<p>- Dan</p>

<p >Chip Chipowski , Dec 04, 2015; 05:49 p.m.</p>

 

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<p>Peter I hope you figure it out. I understand you are in a frustrating position - what you describe is nothing like my experience with B&H. At the same time, this isn't really fair to B&H to shoot first and ask questions later. I expect one of B&H's reps will see this thread and investigate. I guess the customer is always right.</p>

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<p>I agree. Too much of this shoot first stuff out there. </p>

<p> </p>

 

<p>By way of contrast, here's an order I received from B&H last year: a filter wallet, a five-pack of film, and some negative storage pages. These items came in two boxes with enough bubble wrap to pretty much fill up our recycling bin.</p>

<div></div>

Please keep in mind that Peter the OP started this thread late on a Friday afternoon, a few hours after B&H had closed in the early

afternoon. B&H is also closed on Saturday. Therefore, there is a 2-3 day window the OP cannot get in touch with B&H, and

some anxiety is understandable.

 

There is little doubt that B&H will correct this. What I am curious to see is the packaging Peter received. My experience is

that B&H either uses a cardboard box similar that in Kent's image or an envelop if the item is tiny such as a memory card.

I wonder whether the package was changed or at least opened on its way to Peter. However, if someone was trying to

steal it, it doesn't make sense that the lens itself arrived.

<p>Indeed, I have never received any item from B&H that did not at least have B&H tape on it, and would not be surprised if that's one way they can monitor the integrity of their shipments. </p>

<p>The box my lens arrived in is not like the box in Kent's photo.It is more like a shoe box with a lid on top with one thin piece of bubble wrap on the bottom but nothing on the sides or top and no B&H tape on it .I never seen them ship in a box like this before.</p><div></div>

<p>This is the way the lens was in the manufacturer box ,without a warranty card ,also no order invoice or receipt in the shipping box.</p>

<P>

<IMG SRC="http://static.photo.net/attachments/bboard/00d/00dcOw-559588084.jpg">

</P>

It's possible that the original

outside carton was damaged in

transit and the transportation

company repackaged the contents

in a new box.

<p>Clearly, you did not receive a new lens, which is what you apparently paid for.<br>

Send that one back a.s.a.p. and get a proper replacement!</p>

<p>Smells fishy to me. They wouldn't send a padded box with a lens? Nah. Very smelly. </p>

<p>Peter:<br>

I am sorry for your dissatisfaction. B&H will be happy to email return authorization with a pre-paid UPS return label and send you another lens as soon as we receive and process your return. Just email cs@bhphoto.com.<br>

It'd be useful if you'd also email me - henryp@bhphoto.com - with the original B&H order number so I can look into this.</p>

<p>Henry Posner<br /><strong>B&H Photo-Video</strong></p>