B&H

[<dspdem>]

Has anyone else had problems with orders from B&H? I ordered, waited months for delivery and then was told that the item was advertised on their website incorrectly and they would not give it to me at that price, even though the ad was still on their website for the price I paid when we talked. At that point they had already taken my money, told me it was backordered and then refused to honor the order. I had someone from another supply house tell me they had heard stories like this about them in the past. I have ordered from them before without incident, but now am steering clear.

[<actionnewsman>]

Sorry to hear of your troubles with B&H. I've ordered from them twice and had no problems whatsoever. Have you tried disputing the charge through your credit card company?

[<ordered many times>]

I have ordered from them many times over the past few years and have never had a single problem. I think Henry Posner (of B&H) hangs out on several of the still photography forums (like dpreview.com). You may want to post over there and see if you get a response from him - sorry I can't remember his email address at B&H.

[Air_7]

I had a small problem with an on line order and spoke to a supervisor by the name of Mike and he cleared it up and also got a deal on a Tamrac backpack...

You may want to get that wheel of yours squicking alot louder.....Just keep going up the ladder untill you get satisfaction and you can also go to the BBB ....Ask for mike when you call in on the status for online orders......

[Terry E. Toller]

If they advertised on a website then change the price after taking your money, that is called "Bait and Switch". It is very illegal! I would fire a letter off to the Attorney Genital of their state as well as the BBB. Be sure to CC a copy to B&H.

Good luck.

[Run&Gun]

I've ordered online from them before with no incident. If you paid by credit card, just contact your card company to dispute the charges, you shouldn't have any problems if they have good customer service and/or you have a platinum card or something similar, they tend to really take care of their "good" customers. ;)

[Nino]

I don’t believe a single word. Most likely you are a competitor trying to discredit B&H. I’ve seen these sorts of posts against B&H on other newsgroups, always vague with no details. If you want some credibility put your real name and the link to the item in question, why the anonymity, are you afraid that they are going to retaliate against you? I’ve been buying from B&H for over 25 years, long before the web existed when we had to pick items from a quarterly catalog, even back then their catalog was the best. Although no one is perfect, in this business they are the best. I never had any problem that wasn’t corrected immediately. This kind of service in the mail order (web order these days) is a rarity. Their web site is simply the best and the most informative and will tell you if the item is in stock. If the item is out of stock their site will not allow you to place the order but will notify you when the item is available. Whenever I need something for an upcoming job, I get on their web site by mid-afternoon and the order will be at my front door by the following morning. I hope they stay in business at least until as long as I will.

[David R. Busse]

Agree with Nino.
I've spent well over $15,000 with B&H in the past 20 years with no problems whatsoever. Probably the best mailorder photo house out there...

[<Lenseman>]

I get a feeling Nino is right about this. I have ordered a ton from B&H and my only complaint is that once or twice delivery was s-l-o-w. But by and large B&H has been terrific in terms of prices, service and selection.

[<goodfoot>]

I've ordered a lot of gear from cameras to software from B&H with great results. I think they are the best company I have dealt with for products and I find it hard to believe that they would commit any kind of fraud or "bait and switch".

[<B&Her>]

I was surprized to read this post.

Not only have I spent a truckload at B&H, but my orders are always filled on time, if not damn fast. Last order was for a still camera lens and a memory card. It took 2 days to get to my house without any special shipping.

[<No way>]

B&H...bait and switch??? No way! They are very meticulous about making sure your order is correct. It would never go on for months if there was a problem. You would be contacted immediately if the web ad was not correct. By the way, I needed my last order overnight. I ordered at 3:30pm and the item was on my doorstep at 11:00am the next morning. Yeah, you may pay a little more, but trust B&H.

[McColl]

Allow me to 'pile on' this weak attempt to disparage B&H.

I am among those who have had YEARS of positive dealings with this company. The bait and switch accusation is simply untrue. In fact, their website tracks the availability of every single item in their inventory. If something is out of stock, it clearly says so. You are given the option of personal email notification when items you're interested in become available.

In fact, they lost a sale with me because they didn't have a camera case I wanted. I didn't want to wait for it... but I still got that email notification when they finally did get it in.

I'm not so naive as to think that there won't be bumps in the customer service road with a company of this size. But I don't believe the individual who started this thread... not for a second.

[Dble(Punched)Vision]

This thread looks to have been started by anonymous...it should be nuked because obviously its going to remain one-sided. My experience has been positive with B&H as well... the other guys-- well, you get what you pay for! It's good to hear your experiences with B&H have been as solid as mine.

[corpvid]

OK, I'll Chime in...I made a huge purchase at the NAB show this year-you know had mad it was at their booth. I received all the items that were in stock in a week, infact, one item was delivered before I got home. They do a great job and have some of the best prices around.

[Terry E. Toller]

Now that I think about it, it does sound strange. I have ordered from them many times and no problem with the exception of holding an order for a few extra days due to "backorder". That could happen to anyone.

Anyway, if the original post is true and correct it should be dealt with. It is easy to do if the complaint is real.

As for B&H, I will actually be ordering from them next week. their lighting catalog has me hooked! Some of the coolest equipment and you don't have to spend hours looking for exactly what you need or want.

[<my two cents>]

I have only had one problem in over 50 dealings with B&H. For the most part they are a good group. However, I was taken on a ride a few years ago when I bought a high end DVD player. I was sold the remote and manual seperate. They should have been included. So, while the price was lower than anyone else I ended up paying much more after I bought a remote and manual which should have been included and not removed from my box. The also removed all the bulbs from a light kit I bought, then sold me a set when I bought the lights. I called the company that made the lights and they said they alwats include a bulb with each fixture. Is this illegal? Not sure.

[cameragod]

Well even we in New Zealand order stuff from B&H and no probes I’ve ever heard of.

[Icarus112277]

They're right down the block. They are over priced, but a good place for me to go and look at gear.

[Shaky & Blue]

I hate B&H. They always try to rip you off and steal your money. They never send you the right stuff. They engage in animal testing and pollute the environment. They're involved in racketeering and money laundering, but all the witnesses disappear before they can be brought to trial. They smell bad and their mothers dress them funny.

Not really, but I just had to post something negative to level out this bizarro love fest.

Seriously, though, I used to shop in there and buy things in their NY store occasionally, and I always felt I got exactly what I paid for. Someone had mentioned a weird vibe if you deal with them in the store and attributed it to a "NY thing," but that post seems to be gone now. Actually, I know the vibe he was talking about. I don't mean this in any negative way whatsoever, but I think that's more an Orthodox Jewish thing than a New York thing.

Orthodox Jewish customer service tends to be no-nonsense, without all the flowery crap you get from other places. Right down to business. What do you want? This is what I have, and this is how much it costs. And you usually get a fair deal for both parties, with you not paying too much but getting exactly what you're sold. I used to deal with the corporate sales folks at J&R Computer World also, and they were exactly the same way. Even the non-Jews who work in these companies often adopt the same customer service style just from being in constant contact with that kind of corporate culture.

If you're not accustomed to it, it seems a little cold at first, and they can come across as a little arrogant. Personally, I like it, because I always know where I stand when dealing with that kind of negotiator, that he's not trying to sweet talk me into something I don't want or need for an unreasonable price. Buying through a website removes that whole vibe from the transaction, but if you're ever in NY, visit the actual store and you'll see what I mean.

One other interesting legend about them. People said that Orthodox Jews believe that if they give the first customer of the day a really good deal or something extra for their money, business will be better for the rest of the day. The legend was that if you were the first customer to buy something at B&H, J&R, the Jewish diamond merchants in town or any other Orthodox Jewish business, they would give it to you at half price or throw in something extra for good luck. I never met anyone who had actually received such a deal, and I suspect there was never any real truth to it at all. But the legend still persists.

[RichVid]

B&H is the bomb...they've always been up front and reliable, with prices just about in the middle of the mail order business; that is, MUCH better than retail and not quite as good as the gray market, bait and switch companies. I've ordered all kinds of stuff from them over the last 10 years and NEVER had a problem...

The "Orthodox" customer service described above is pretty effective - we're not buying lingerie or skin creme...Like the post pretty much says, there are no frills and not much time is wasted...That's a big plus!

[<ladyshooter>]

Another good review of B&H:

Yes, they may seem a little "gruff" to the out-of-town customer, but they're right up front with any information you need. They'll give you the truth about a product, good or bad.

Several years ago, a fellow photog's camera fell and broke in the middle of a wedding shoot. I ran several blocks with his assistant to B&H. They gave us another set up within minutes.

[Lensmith]

B & H has even shipped things to me here in the middle of Central America. I've never had a problem or been mislead by them.

Sometimes their prices are a little higher than other places if you shop around but...they normaly have more in stock than most other suppliers if you are in a "I need it now" situation.

I'm in the same camp as Shakey & Blue. I like their no nonsense, get down to business style. They don't waste my time and I know what something is going to cost and when I'm going to get it without any games.

I give them a five star rating when it comes to business practices...which is more than can be said about other suppliers. ;)

[<dspdem>]

To Nino, goodfoot and all the rest of you who so quickly jumped to the conclusion that I fabricated the post or that I work for a competitor, you are dead wrong. What happened, happened just as posted. I was just trying to find out if it was an isolated case or a pattern. Sound like most of you have had good luck with them, and that's fine. I never said it was a deliberate bait and switch and I don't think it was. I just think they screwed up in their internet ad and refused to make good on it, even after taking payment for the merchandise. The money will be returned (in fact may have already been, I haven't heard from our business office on that), I'm not worried about that. It's just the idea of taking our money and then later telling me that we would have to pay a considerable amnount more to get all of the items advertised in the kit....after I had waited a very long time being told the kit was backordered....that ticked me off. To the person who suggested talking to Mike, I did talk to Mike and he would not honor the order as advertised. I work for a large company and order a lot of equipment. I had not used B&H much, but an assistant pointed out a good deal and I decided to give them a try on it. It didn't work out, so fine, I'll stick to my normal suppliers and you can all happily use B&H. I don't care, just don't question my honesty.

[<I prefer>]

I prefer Custom Supply (http://www.mediasupplystore.com/) They usually beat B&H's prices and come without the NY attitude. They charge less for shipping too. Which where B&H seems to make a few more bucks on every deal.

[Run&Gun]

Originally posted by &lt;my two cents&gt;:
I have only had one problem in over 50 dealings with B&H. For the most part they are a good group. However, I was taken on a ride a few years ago when I bought a high end DVD player. I was sold the remote and manual seperate. They should have been included. So, while the price was lower than anyone else I ended up paying much more after I bought a remote and manual which should have been included and not removed from my box. The also removed all the bulbs from a light kit I bought, then sold me a set when I bought the lights. I called the company that made the lights and they said they alwats include a bulb with each fixture. Is this illegal? Not sure. What type of fixtures? I have never bought any lights(Arri, Lowel, Kobold, etc.) that came with lamps.

As to the last post about Custom Supply beating B&H's prices, they are right. They were $2,000 less on the D-50WS/PVV-3 that I purchased from them compared to B&H(B&H only offered to knock $500 off their price, which was $2,000 MORE, when I told them me and a friend were going to purchase two at once). But, they beat the crap out of everone else in the country, too, not just B&H.

[ July 31, 2004, 09:36 PM: Message edited by: Run&Gun ]

[<my two cents>]

I bought a Bescor light as a back-up for my travel bag. The bulb didn't cost much so I never made a fuss. It did teach me to do a little more research. B&H has good stuff but they will not cut you any slack. If they can sqeeze a few more bucks out of you they will.

From the Bescor website:

VS-100AC Includes 100 watt A/C bulb $55.20