B&H Photo?

Be thankful B&H uses UPS. I no longer buy from stores that ship by FedEx. Why? I live in a rural area and have a 200 ft driveway. Despite numerous complaints to FedEx , they constantly just drop packages on the side of the road while UPS delivers to my door. Above all, I prefer using POBox USPS. I have never had a problem with B&H, Adorama or KEH, although method of shipping seems to depend on who answers the phone at KEH.

Never had a problem with B & H, nor damaged goods in shipping. But then I don't buy computers or tv's from B & H though I know they carry those products. As was said before, they are not the shipping company and it sounds like quick resolution was offered.

Hello all,

 

 

Long time browser but first time poster. It’s unfortunate that my first post is about something unpleasant but I knew I’d get good information here. Sorry in advance for the long read...

 

 

My wife and I are amateur photographers and she used to order from B&H often. It had been quite some time since she’d used them but when I was looking to purchase a few things for our home and studio, she recommended I give them a try. I first purchased a Sony tv that had a problem right out of the box. It would completely lose its picture for a few seconds before returning to normal. I got in touch with Sony first to make sure it wasn’t user error and after lots of troubleshooting, it was determined that the tv was faulty. Initially they told me it would be easier to return it to the retailer but I did my research and knew I wanted that particular model tv and also didn’t have a way to easily transport a large tv in order to ship it back. While B&H offered to RMA the TV, I took Sony up on their offer of an in home exchange. Even though my first purchase through them didn’t turn out great, I appreciated the customer service from B&H and decided to buy from them again.

 

 

So here we are... I needed a new workstation for editing our work and found a great price on a late 2016 MacBook Pro and made the purchase. It arrived fairly quickly but the shipping box was in horrible shape. Something very heavy had obviously been on top of it at some point. I voiced my concern to the UPS driver who seemed almost embarrassed to even deliver it. This was a $1800 computer... The box was so damaged that one corner was slightly open and I could see inside. After noticing that the laptop was in a separate box (and in an Apple box inside that), I assumed the computer was fine and accepted the shipment. I was wrong. Thankfully B&H has a policy of allowing 2 days to report items damaged in transit.

 

 

Upon opening the box, I noticed most of the packing material was smashed/deflated and the inside box was also pushed in from the top and had 2 puncture marks. The Apple box housing the computer was also noticeably pushed in from the top but not damaged to the extent of the other boxes.

 

 

When I opened the laptop, I was relieved to see that the top wasn’t busted or broken as far as I could tell but I was immediately sick when I saw the screen. It wasn’t shattered but there were very noticeable imprints/markings that I imagine came from the keyboard and trackpad being pushed against it. At this point, I immediately contacted B&H and was sent a prepaid label to ship the computer back. Again, a quick response to my issue.

 

 

Now, after 2 orders from B&H, both of them have arrived with issues and while they were quick to issue me an RMA, I am still a bit disappointed and above all, nervous considering how much money is at stake here. I’ve heard great things about B&H but have also heard some horror stories. Particularly with returns.

 

 

My question to you guys is whether or not this is typical of B&H these days? Will I have any trouble with my return? I can’t imagine anyone would be happy with an even slightly marked up screen on a new laptop. Especially one that was purchased specifically for photo and video editing where the screen is obviously very important. Looking at the tracking, it seems they have had it for a couple days now and it still says “not receieved” when I check the return status.

 

 

This is obviously a very stressful situation and I’d like to hear if anyone else has had any similar experiences with them.

 

 

Sorry to hear about this! I've had ZERO issues with B&H over the years.

I assume that you were made whole. If so, there's no problem with B&H, just the shipper.

 

A note to shippers, many "UPS Stores" are NOT owned by UPS, but are franchises. I have a documented case, from a few years ago, of UPS trying to push the blame out to the shipping "UPS Store". I shipped a guitar speaker cabinet and had the UPS Pack and ship. The box showed no apparent damage at the receiver's door, but he still took pictures before opening the box. Everything looked okay when he examined the speaker, but it did not work when plugged in. The speaker's magnet had misaligned and jammed, probably from dropping the box during shipping. We filed a claim with UPS and they picked up the speaker, back in its original packaging. They claimed that it was improperly packaged by the franchisee and even sent him pictures of a grotesquely damaged shipping box! Thanks to the receiver having images of the undamaged shipping box, UPS paid the claim, not the unfortunate franchisee. He said that this was not a rare occurrence and that he was considering selling his franchise.

 

Anyway, when receiving something valuable, take pictures of the box, whether damaged or not.

I've never had a complaint (or even heard a complaint) about B&H, KEH or Adorama. And I've never received damaged goods from any company. I'm knocking on wood.

Now, after 2 orders from B&H, both of them have arrived with issues and while they were quick to issue me an RMA,.... I’ve heard great things about B&H but have also heard some horror stories. Particularly with returns.

I think your own story is proof of the excellence of B&H's customer service. As many have said, once it's in the hands of the delivery service, it's out of B&H's control. I'm quite sure they're not shipping damaged boxes, because that's just asking to lose money on the deal.

I've recently had to return an item that was damaged to B&H, and that was fast and efficient. But I have noticed that things are not always packed as well as the used to be or should be.

I've recently had to return an item that was damaged to B&H, and that was fast and efficient. But I have noticed that things are not always packed as well as the used to be or should be.

You should let them know.

I did let them know. Seems that their shipping system has changed recently. Items take longer to arrive and packaging not as good as it used to be. Probably some cost saving for them. They acknowledged the problem and said they hope to improve.

Fed Ex failed to deliver a single package 3 times. Finally caught up with the truck driver and discovered one of three developing beakers was broken. They had a replacement to me in less than a week no questions asked. Probably could have used more bubble wrap and no telling how much it was tossed around all that time by Fed Ex.

my order last week had some weirdness. the outside box was in perfect condition but the items in boxes were damaged.... particularly the 120 pro packs all seemed to have crushed ends and my rosco filters were full of dings as if they were walked on... crinkly.

 

upon further examination i figured out why... shifting loads! the boxes of printing paper wasnt bubble wrapped and must have slamed eveeything in the shipping box. a bit careless id say.

 

the damage didnt ruin the film or anything really other than the rosco filters which i threw out cutting my loss and will never order delicate items from b&h mail order again. ill just stop in the store and pick that stuff up when im in the neighborhood.

 

on the whole, b&h is still my go to store for most things.