Hey Chris, A Question About DV Info Net Sponsors...

[Patrick King]

Mr. Posner,

I've got to give your website kudos. Amazing place. You know that everyone uses your website like an Audio/Video/Photo encyclopedia, right. Anytime anyone here mentions an obscure piece of A/V gear, I open another window and search for it on your site. I'm certain that's why your company has put what must have been considerable time and effort into the establishment and day-to-day upkeep of such a great website. You've got to get a certain number of sales just because it can be easily located on your website. Anyway, just wanted to brag on the html/php elves you have working in a back room somewhere.

[Jacques Mersereau]

I am sorry to report another B&H mishap. FYI, I have purchased thousands
of dollars of gear from them and never had a problem until this time.

I ordered a LACIE big disk Extreme from B&H. I could have bought it directly
from Lacie (done that too), but as B&H is a sponsor here I thought why not?

The drive arrived. The outside box as in PERFECT condition. Cool.
Opened it and took out the Lacie box. Immediately my heart sank as
that box was SMASHED. It looked like it had been dropped from the top
shelve and hit the floor from 20 FT up. With trepidation I opened it and
took out the drive. It was in THREE PIECES. The face plate was totally
off and the drive was half out of the enclosure. In case you don't own
a Lacie drive, they do NOT open . . . they are all press fitted together.

I emailed BH and my partner phoned them. After a lot of hassling and trying
to explain that the outside box was perfect, but the Lacie box was smashed,
the customer rep. begrudgingly said that he would replace the drive, but WE
had to pay for shipping the new drive. He would send us a UPS bar coded
return sticker for the broken drive via web page. I sent the broken drive back,
but as BH smashed it at their warehouse,
didn't feel like ordering another one from them.
I just now found that BH has not credited us the full amount, but
kept back the original shipping charge. It is only $15, but as I did NOTHING
wrong (except order from them?), WHY should I take this hit?!

I hope that someone from BH will help make me a happy customer once again,

[Richard Alvarez]

Jacques,

FOr what its worth, I sent my edit system back to my retailer for some upgrades. It arrived back at my home and was signed for by my son while I was out. I looked at the box it came in, and it was HUGE... much larger than the one I shipped in. I immediately got my digital camera, and photographed it as I opened it and looked in. The CPU was laying in the box, with the rubber bumpers off, and a handfull of peanuts tossed in. I freaked and called my supplier... And emailed them the photos.

Turns out, that was not the box it was shipped in. Also turns out that the system was not harmed... but my retailer had a nice loooong talk with the shipper.

This sort of thing has happened to me twice in the last two years.

I now make it a matter of course, to photograph anything I ship, as I pack it, and anything that arrives as I unpack it. I don't put it past the shippers, to damage and repack expensive electronics, hoping to pass the damages back into the system.

Not saying that this is what happened in your case, but it's the sort of thing that can happen, and then be mistakenly attributed to the sender, not the shipper.

[Jacques Mersereau]

Yup, my partner took video of the whole thing, but the outside box
was a B&H box with the tape.

My take: someone in shipping tossed the Lacie
box from some super high shelf and it hit the ground and smashed . . . gulp.
Put it in the shipping box and sent it on its way. Knowing how a customer
who spends thousands gets the NY attitude, I can only imagine the beating some
minimum wage schlepper in the warehouse will get for smashing a $400 piece with low markup.

[Henry Posner]

<<<-- Originally posted by Jacques Mersereau : I am sorry to report another B&H mishap. FYI, I have purchased thousands of dollars of gear from them and never had a problem until this time. -->>>

Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I have replied more extensively via e-mail.

[Chris Hurd]

Thank you Henry!

[Alan Craven]

Is it possible to use this special URL to place an order from the UK? I am interested in the Beachtek DXA 8 which is not readily available here.

If the order is possible, what happens about the various customs procedures, duty, etc?

[Chris Hurd]

Good questions, Alan. Please contact B&H directly and let us know what the response is.

[Henry Posner]

Originally Posted by Alan Craven

Is it possible to use this special URL to place an order from the UK? I am interested in the Beachtek DXA 8 which is not readily available here.

If the order is possible, what happens about the various customs procedures, duty, etc?

Our paperwork will accurately reflect the contents and the price paid. The customer is responsible for import fees, duty, Customs, local taxes, etc.

[Chris Hurd]

How about that Alan, a direct response from B&H within 30 minutes of your posted question, and about 15 minutes after I moved it to this forum. Now that's what makes the internet an amazing thing. Thanks Henry!

[Alan Craven]

Amazing!

It took several emails, and a personal intervention on my behalf from a major customer of a highly regarded dealer here in the UK to reach this point!

I have replied to Henry Posner directly. Now to tackle Gordon Brown - our esteemed guardian of the public purse.

Sorry about posting in the wrong forum and hijacking a thread - I thought as B&H were looking there, it would get a response.

[David Jasany]

I didn't know about linking from the DVi forums to B&H for a purchase I made last night for a Sony HC7 HD camcorder. After reading the sticky this morning I see that it's important for B&H to know when purchases are made as a result of the DVi community's sharing of information.

Please know that this forum was instrumental in helping me choose and purchase the HC7. That combined with my excellent experience with B&H led to the make purchase. Thanks.

Dave

[George Ellis]

Originally Posted by David Jasany

I didn't know about linking from the DVi forums to B&H for a purchase I made last night for a Sony HC7 HD camcorder. After reading the sticky this morning I see that it's important for B&H to know when purchases are made as a result of the DVi community's sharing of information.

Please know that this forum was instrumental in helping me choose and purchase the HC7. That combined with my excellent experience with B&H led to the make purchase. Thanks.

Dave

I too deal almost exclusively with B&H for hardware. Just traded my VX2100 (I did not like the price much, but the low risk factor sealed it in the end) and bought a HC7 too.

I have never had an issue with any of the sponsors I have dealt with and they are top e-tailers (videoguys are the other one I have done a lot with.)

[Bill Spearman]

Glad I ran across this, as I am preparing to order a couple of things from B&H, but would not have used the sponsor link to do it. I will ensure that I do so going forward when ordering from any sponsor. A suggestion from a marketing perspective - perhaps highlighting this point somehow to the members upon signing up would make the point more directly?

[Chris Hurd]

A very good suggestion, Bill -- will do. Much appreciated,