My First Purchase From B&H

[Alex Azar]

Greetings,

I wanted to buy a Sony VX2100 for my son and I for various projects. We are going to be famous video producers you know. I have in the past made a lot of purchases from eBay and have been generally happy with the transactions. I've even bought a used car there. Although that transaction was really initiated there and completed in person. It was a great deal. Although, I don't think I would have bought a car that way without the warranty that this used car came with, provided by a reputable third-party company.

But when it came to making the sizable purchase of a VX2100, I had to think about it. So I called one of the vendors on eBay to ask them a few questions. I did not like their demeanor or the answers to my questions, which I already knew the answers to. So I started researching other vendors on the Internet. It doesn't take long to find those too-good-to-be-true vendor prices. I little research though reveals the nightmares behind dealing with those companies. It was not my intention to be penny wise and dollar foolish. I didn't just fall off the turnip truck yesterday you know.

In researching vendors I came across resellerratings.com. One could see from the sheer volume of reviews from B&H customers that they were a major player in the businesses. Reading those reviews I found a significant number of negative reports. That gave me some pause. But after reading for a while it seemed that most of the negative reports were dubious, or petty, or were simply from people who seem to have trouble where ever they go and in whatever they do. So I decided to look further.

Finally I found my way to this site. I was eager to find out what people who made a leaving with the equipment that B&H sold thought of them. People who had longterm experiences with B&H. The consensus was overwhelming in favor of B&H being a reputable company.

So I placed my order on a Friday. It was shortly thereafter that I was introduced to B&H's somewhat unorthodox, or should I say, orthodox Jewish business hours. But that was fine with me. It is in the finest traditions of being an American that we respect each other's religious convictions.

Come Tuesday, their third business day, I checked on the order and their order system didn't even know about my order. I know the transaction went through. I check my back account. I had received a confirmation e-mail from B&H as well. I am also verified with my card issuer which is an additional step at the end of the online transaction that requires one to input a special password. Which I did. So I called B&H. I was on hold for about 5 minutes. Seems longer when one is slightly annoyed. The gentlemen who answered asked me for my order number and then asked me if I had ever ordered from them before. I said no. He then asked me if a had another phone number other than the cell phone number which was listed with the card company. I told him no, I didn't need two phones. After he had put me on hold for a moment, he came back and said that my purchase would go out that day. At the end of the day I received an e-mail confirming that. That e-mail contained a link to UPS's tracking information for my shipment.

The moral to this story is, if one is a new customer with B&H, and orders online, it would be prudent for them to follow-up their order with a call to B&H to verify the payment details with them. Their prices are good, so they must work on a slim margins, which doesn't allow for much loss through fraud.

I'll finish my report tomorrow after I've received my item from UPS.

Regards, Al.
The Story Teller

[Cal Johnson]

I bought my Canon XL2, and Miller Arrow 30 tripod (the tripod was $5199, so not a small item) from B&H, as well as some other stuff like my wireless system. I've had nothing but the best service from B&H, they are totally professional and legitimate.

[Alex Azar]

Ditto!

I received my purchase, double boxed, today as promised. Add another happy customer to B&H's list.

I'm so excited to have my new camcorder. Wait until my son sees it.

Regards, Al.

[Joe Allen Rosenberger]

I buy from B&H all the time.....good customer service and reliable.

I

[Holly Rognan]

I recently had problems with B&H and would never suggest them or use them again. They were nothing but problems, but eventually I got my camcorder after a significant amount of hassle and falling through the cracks.

[Joe Allen Rosenberger]

Could you be any more vague???? I think if you are going to post a negative report as you have, you should have explained exactly what happened.

Anyway, I have been buying from B&H for over 8 years, never one single issue..... and highly recommend them.

[Pete Bauer]

Holly has described her displeasure in detail in other threads; no need to re-hash it.

Look, folks, retailers only get to be sponsors here at DVinfo when they have established an outstanding track record. Still, nobody's perfect and mistakes or delays do happen in this and every other facet of life. I even thought I was wrong once, but I was mistaken.

While I can see a discussion developing if something truly odd, heinous, repetitive, or otherwise newsworthy happens, I don't see much point in making a big deal out of every gripe about an honest and normally reliable vendor being a day or two late getting a shipment out the door on a brand new product, or making a mistake on an order that they then fixed when the customer spoke up. It happens.

If a vendor has a consistent problem, it'll become apparent. With that, I think this thread has run its course and I'll close it, pending eithier Chris deciding to re-open it or a mistake-free person wanting to share with us how they manage to do it!