will_webster Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 I've been a fan of B&H for some time, but my regard for them is starting to slip. I placed an order online Wednesday night, thinking that it would ship out Thursday or at the latest Friday. When their website still showed it as "processing" late Thursday morning I gave them a call to see if there was a problem. The gentleman who I spoke with told me that it had cleared verification and would ship "shortly". On Friday morning it was still showing "processing" so I called again as soon as they opened; I was referred to the website where it says that processing can take up to a couple of days. It's now after 1:00 Friday - they're closed for the weekend - and it still shows "processing". So it looks like my order, which was charged to my card ($6K) on Wednesday night and which I was told would ship Thursday, won't get on the truck until Monday at the earliest. Maybe I'm spoiled by other companies' quick response, but this seems a bit excessive. B&H may be the biggest and they used to be the best, but they aren't the only game around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ldw Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 Will- Interesting, I can't say I have had an experience like this at B&H. I literally placed an order for a D200 today at about 9:30AM. It shipped already. I have been a huge fan of B&H and find there service quite impressive, which is why I continue to go back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mitchfalk Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 I've been dealing with B&H for several years, when ordering over the web site the usual turn around is 2 days - tops. Try that with any of the other on line dealers and see what you get. BTW if you ordered 6K worth of stuff from my place I would also wait to make sure I got paid and everything was legit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will_webster Posted March 9, 2007 Author Share Posted March 9, 2007 Yeah, I wouldn't ship either until payment was verified. But they told me yesterday morning it was verified and about to ship. If they had been honest with me on the phone then I wouldn't be upset now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich B NYC Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 Will, I'd say that's abnormal for B&H. Of course, that doesn't get you your equipment any faster. Perhaps, as Mitch said, the dollar amount of the order resulted in the delay. I've been a B&H customer going back at least 25 years. I work within walking distance of the store but almost always place my orders over the Internet for the sake of convenience. Friday afternoons and Saturdays, aside, if I order an item by noon, it's usually received by noon the following day. That's with regular shipping. Granted, it doesn't have to travel very far, but they must be shipping quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pvp Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 /-<I>sniff</I>-/ Why is it, every time B&H Photo fails to give someone the complete red carpet treatment that they feel they deserve, there has to be a thread here telling the world what a bunch of incompetents those B&H guys are? And the rants invariably include some reference to B&H being closed on Friday, the Jewish sabbath. I assume you'll be taking your business elsewhere in the future... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will_webster Posted March 9, 2007 Author Share Posted March 9, 2007 Alan, I don't give a crap what days they're closed, I'm pissed that they lied to me on the phone about when they were going to ship. Why don't you take the snide comments somewhere else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leicaglow Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 BH Photo used to ship at the speed of light. Now it's taking a couple days and then I have to wait a week for ground shipment to the West Coast. I started ordering film and darkroom gear from Freestyle these days. They are very quick and competitively priced. I still use BH Photo when I can wait. BH still has one of the best online-tracking systems for ecommerce. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crabseye Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 Will, the same thing happened to me when I ordered my D80 a few months ago. The order wasn't as large as yours, but was not insubstantial. Since I'm overnight via ground delivery from NY, I got my expectations up for receiving the order quickly (a day or two). Finally, after 3 days, I broke down and called, and sure enough the order shipped within 24 hours of the call. But as the phone rep. pointed out, even with them waiting 3 days, the order was received by me in the time delivery estimate. I was a little disappointed, but I used the cheap shipping, and I didn't actually *need* the stuff by any particular time. It did educate me that if I do have a time-sensitive need, I have to bump up the shipping method. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandra_schaffer Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 The only problem I ever had with them was getting moeny back. They acted like I was asking for ransom for the Lindbergh baby... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken_jeanette1 Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 Won't we all be overjoyed when the transporter is a reality. Beam me a Canon G7 Scottie! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will_webster Posted March 9, 2007 Author Share Posted March 9, 2007 Sounds like they won't fulfill your order in a timely manner unless you pay for expedited shipping. I know Amazon's started doing this; I didn't realize that B&H was also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will_webster Posted March 9, 2007 Author Share Posted March 9, 2007 Oops. Looks like I owe B&H an apology. The order was still showing "Processing" an hour ago, but just now (4:30 Eastern) it's changed to "Shipped". Maybe the shipping department stays open later than the store on Fridays. I guess "shipping shortly" can mean up to 30 hours. I'm just glad it went out today instead of waiting until Monday; I'm looking forward to playing with my new toys. I should have waited until Monday before I posted based on assumptions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike D Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 Ordered a D200 from B&H late Wednesday night via 1 day FedEx. Got it Friday morning at 10:00 AM. This is better than I expected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eye-of-searle Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 I had a recent order still showing as "processing" even though it was shipped earlier that same day. The end result was I still got the order via 2 day air on time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bloosqr Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 I was going to say my orders from B&H always say processing after they ship but it looks like you have found this out.. -best, -avi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShunCheung Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 B&H gives priorities to orders with overnight and 2-day shipping. If you are like me and prefer to choose the cheapest shipping options, it can take a bit longer. Now, you ordered on Wednesday night and now it is only Friday. I can see you maybe a bit disappointed, but why is this such a huge deal? Next time, if there is one, use two-day shipping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valen Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 Seems reasonable to be at least a little irritated since they charged your card on Wednesday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed_Ingold Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 Shipping is your choice and your money. B&H is very reliable, and in the case of shipping, very predictable. B&H gives about the same priority to picking and shipping the order as you give in in the method of shipment. If you select next day delivery, B&H will pick the order the same day if placed in the early afternoon. If you pick 2nd Day delivery, they will pick it the next day, so it will take about 3 days. If you choose ground delivery, it might take 2 or 3 days to pick the order. Once in the shipper's hands, you will usually get it in another 3 days, even though the spec is 3-5 business days. You pay more for shipping at B&H than you would at the UPS station, but you get something for your money - a think lumped under "handling". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
see_r Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 If Israel is still there, you might try dealing with him. After having a lot of bad communication with them, he was ultimately helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucecahn Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 That is not the only questionable business practice at B&H. I ordered a wide angle bellows for a Linhof which they were advertising for under $400. They said it was out of stock and they would get me one. Then they charged my card for the advertised amount. About a month later I called to ask about my bellows. Oh, they said, the price went up. It now almost $700. Meanwhile they were using my money. They didn't even bother to call and explain the situation. They did return the money but............. The fact is that B&H is owned by a money person, not a photo person. Any knowledge that anyone there has of photography is usually superficial. Why don't you buy from a smaller specialty shop that needs and caes about you as a customer. They will most likely take much better care of you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pvp Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 <I>I should have waited until Monday before I posted based on assumptions.</I><P> Oops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
don_e Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 "Sounds like they won't fulfill your order in a timely manner unless you pay for expedited shipping. I know Amazon's started doing this; I didn't realize that B&H was also." If I pay for expedited shipping, I expect my package to go somewhere up at the head of the queue. If I don't pay for expedited shipping, I expect it to be somewhere at the end of the queue. Or is that just crazy talk? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
will_webster Posted March 9, 2007 Author Share Posted March 9, 2007 "If I pay for expedited shipping, I expect my package to go somewhere up at the head of the queue. If I don't pay for expedited shipping, I expect it to be somewhere at the end of the queue. Or is that just crazy talk?" When I order from Newegg in the morning with standard shipping, it's on my desk by lunch the next day. If I pay for expedited shipping I expect the _shipping_ to be expedited. If they're going to drag their feet about filling the order because I didn't pony up for overnight shipping when I live a few hours' drive from the warehouse, they should make that clear when I'm ordering. Or is that just crazy talk? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen_w. Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 Wahhh, I want it NOW, wahhh. Chill. you don't like saving money with the BEST, buy elsewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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