B&H Shipping Issues

Run&Gun

Run&Gun

Veteran
I've always considered B&H the gold standard for buying gear on-line and have said their system is the bar by which others should be measured. It's always been easy to find and select what you need, their shipping has always been fast and reliable and in the event you need to make a return, it's easy, too. But the last two times I've bought something from them, they have dropped the ball on the shipping.

Last month I had a shoot come up that I needed a photo turntable on for football helmets that we were shooting for transitional elements for a network. The shoot was on a Sunday afternoon and I ordered the turntable on the Thursday before that. The order was placed before their cut-off time and I selected "next day shipping" so that it would be there the next day, Friday. I received the usual confirmation email stating that they had received the order it was approved and it would ship out and I'd receive the item the next day. I was out of town on a shoot that Friday and didn't get back until late that evening, so it wasn't until 9:00-9:30pm that I remembered about the turntable. I hadn't received anything about it being delivered. So I jumped on my computer and grabbed the tracking number and saw that the item had shipped FRIDAY, when it was supposed to have been delivered and it would not be delivered until Monday- the day AFTER the shoot. To say I was mad was an understatement. This was the first time that B&H had let me down. And I really needed it. Luckily my grip was able to locate a turntable from someone else around town to save the shoot, but it cost me three hours driving back and forth and back and forth to get it and take it back to the guy. So when that Monday rolled around, I had the shipment refused and sent back to B&H.

I tried to chalk it up to a fluke. It was an anomaly. Or so I thought... But this past week, almost the same thing happened, again. I ordered a new Rock 'N Roller cart on Monday, right after lunch, several hours before their order cut-off time. It wasn't an emergency, so I chose the free two-day shipping, which would have them arriving on Wednesday and it said as much on the order confirmation email. A few hours later I received the shipping confirmation email that said it had shipped and again, it said Wednesday delivery. So Wednesday rolls around and no cart. I check the tracking number and just like with the turntable, the cart shipped out a day late. This time, it wasn't really as big of a deal, because I didn't need it that day, but this is very out of the ordinary for B&H and troubling if they can no longer be depended upon for on-time delivery.

Two orders in a row where they dropped the ball on the shipping. And another strange thing, the day after the cart was delivered, ANOTHER cart was delivered. And I only ordered one.

So, all of you out there that shop with B&H, have you had any shipping problems or issues with them lately that weren't caused by weather or similar problems that would have affected the shipping companies like UPS and FedEx? I know a while back there were accusations and news articles about B&H allegedly mistreating some of their warehouse staff and I wonder if this could be related...?
 
Kinda ironic you posted this...I’ve had similar issues with my past two orders through Amazon; both work/shoot related items. Just this past week I ordered an in-stock item that was “sold and shipped from Amazon” on the 18th. It was “guaranteed” two days later and while the status said “in route to UPS” by Friday it still hadn’t made it there. When I called the first time on Thursday they had no idea and there’s nothing they could do until the 26th...huh? I could see if it was s third-party seller but you can’t even talk amongst your own company to see where the ball was dropped? It seems their solution was to HOPE it would magically appear at some point in the future...not good enough for a shoot that was supposed to happen on the 24th - which now I’ve had to resechdule because every other place (B&H, Adorama) that I COULD’VE purchased through to begin with (had I known Amazon would let me down a second time in a row) are closed for a holiday until Monday. Needless to say I cancelled my order with Amazon and requested a refund.

So while B&H *should* understand that some of their orders are for professionals who are banking on these items - try explaining that frustration and the loss of time/money to an Amazon rep...they don’t get it and while a “extra free month of Prime” is a nice gesture I’d much prefer just receiving the item as promised. What is the point of a guarantee otherwise?
 
DLD said:
Is this related to the Jewish holiday schedule?
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I believe digitalinnovation was stating he couldn't order from B&H because they were closed for the holiday, but the holiday should have had nothing to do with either of my shipping slip-ups. The first time there was a shipping issue was in early August. They had no posted closing dates, the item just did not ship when it was supposed to. This week, yes, they were closing for Rash Hashanah, but that was two days AFTER my order was placed and supposed to have shipped.
 
I thought I'd read that they were moving out of their Brooklyn warehouse to one somewhere in NJ. Lease problems or something. Perhaps that has something to do with it.
 
Jewish holidays "can" definitely impact shipping. You sort of need to check their schedule at times to make sure that you are in the shipping windows at certain times of the year.
 
Run&Gun said:
So, all of you out there that shop with B&H, have you had any shipping problems or issues with them lately that weren't caused by weather or similar problems that would have affected the shipping companies like UPS and FedEx? I know a while back there were accusations and news articles about B&H allegedly mistreating some of their warehouse staff and I wonder if this could be related...?
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The company dropped the ball... twice.

I would call customer service and ask for a supervisor and then complain. You may get something for your troubles.

Although I am surprised. They are usually spot on, but the warehouse move may have something to do with it.

Regardless, there is no excuse for that and they need to make it up to you in some fashion.
 
Not to justify the tardiness, but the place is massively busy. One won't understand until he or she has been inside there.

It's insane.

I've always picked up almost everything I've ordered (hundreds of items over the years) from the Manhattan store, so not sure if everything ships from that Brooklyn warehouse, but sometimes they just get super backed-up.

I haven't seen this in a while, but sometimes they would have a notice on certain products (well before the cut-off time) that mentioned it would ship the next day. I remember being surprised when I first saw that note because everything normally always said it would ship the same day if it was ordered before the cut-off time.

Maybe they stopped using this notice and just try to get out as much possible, but sometimes just can't keep up.

I've been in that situation though...not fun.
 
I stopped buying from B&H after 25 years of loyalty. More & more of the items they advertise are "special order" and/or "noncancelable/returnable". Customer service won't even negotiate this even if the order hasn't been placed with the supplier. I told them, I'll perhaps shop somewhere else and they said that's your choice. Well, it is and I'm not buying from them anymore. Adorama either has or can get (and not with restrictive terms attached) anything pro video I need.
 
markoconnell said:
I thought I'd read that they were moving out of their Brooklyn warehouse to one somewhere in NJ. Lease problems or something. Perhaps that has something to do with it.
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It's funny you mention that. The order this week originated in NJ and I just went back and ran the tracking number for last month and it originated in NJ, as well. I tried to look at my last order that shipped on-time, from back in June, and UPS must have changed their system, because now the only info I can get out of the tracking number is that it was delivered- no origination location or other "path of travel" info that is normally there.
 
I am a big fan of B&H. I have ordered a lot of stuff from them over the years. Once they had resolved one of my complaints amazingly well, so I am loyal to them. Your posts suggest some intentional sabotage from disgruntled staff. However, delivery schedule is something which is easily tracked. You may write to customer complaint or may be shoot an email to their higher ups. I would feel sad if the standard of B&H slips and hope that these are temporary.
 
I buy most of my gear from B&H, $13K so far this year. Usually they do a real good job and I get my stuff. The biggest problems I've had were when I ordered something that was not in stock, and would be shipped from the manufacturer to them, then on to me. The problem is, they give a statement like, "Usually ships within 7-10 business days". I ordered the Epson DiscProducer 50II on Feb 1, 2015 and it didn't ship until March 3. I was on travel again by the time it arrived and had to bother someone else to go pick it up for me. More recently, I ordered the OConnor 1030D & 30L Tripod on Feb. 15th, and it didn't ship until May 10th (that's 86 days). They wouldn't work with me at all. I asked if they could hold the item once the manufacturer sent it to them, until I was back in town and could pick up my mail. Nope. No returns or refunds of course on special orders. I asked if I could change the shipping address so it would go to a friend's house, since I was going to be on travel. Nope. My lesson learned was to avoid ever ordering anything that they don't have in stock ready to ship today. I checked Abelcine and they had the OConnor in stock. Hate to spread my business all around but it's better than having a $9,000 tripod chasing me all around the various countries, since I leave forwarding addresses to wherever I'm going next. The OConnor arrived to my remote location all in one piece, but man what a hassle to add that to my luggage all of a sudden, it aint the model that folds up into a suitcase.
 
Three things occur to me here.

First, I have a long history with B&H. And with other companies like Sweetwater, Full Compass, Adorama... nobody's perfect. Period. I've experienced the same issue with B&H before, but only twice in many years and across many orders. I've had shipping errors and defective items from other merchants as well, but I still go back to them. A large company that handles shipping on that scale every day is bound to hit an unintentional delay once in a while. A box gets left in a corner, or packed on the wrong pallet. Or it's possible that the UPS truck accidentally left it behind.

Second, it sucks when it happens, especially when a production deadline is involved, but when it happens it's worth a conversation (or three... moving up the chain as far as you need to) with customer service before slandering them on an Internet forum. If they are having issues with shipping and those issues haven't pinged on their radar, they need to know. And they need an opportunity to make it right.

Last, regarding the increasing number of items that are special order, it's getting harder and harder to survive as a retailer on any scale at all. A very good friend of mine owns a music (instrument and sound gear) store, and it's getting hard because the manufacturers have minimized the profit margin for retailers. Buy-ins are higher, and MAPS are lower. A powered speaker, wholesale for the retailer, may cost $249. MAP is $299, and the retailer is also going to pay $25 freight. $24 for a $299 item? There's no profit, and no room for the retailer to work with a customer. The manufacturers are selling directly online now, so why would they need the retailers?

Large-scale operations like B&H have it easier, but they still are not immune. There are minimum order lines, above which the manufacturer will not charge freight, and it's much easier to hit those when you're a high-volume dealer than a local mom-and-pop. And the more you buy per order, the less you pay per unit. But the slim markups can still be prohibitive. As a retailer, you're only going to stock what you know you can sell, especially when the profit margin makes idle inventory such a massive liability. I doubt B&H is going to carry things that they cannot move faster. Other retailers who do keep them in stock know that they can move them relatively quickly.

I don't think B&H is going to fault you for buying something from another merchant when it's in stock there but not at B&H. There's no rule that says you have to buy from one shop only, and I certainly know what I can get and from where across different stores.
 
We all like B&H but the retail environment is in a state of flux. This mirage of free shipping has got to be a killer for all. I see the trend as Alex stated to an ever more direct sale situation which leaves retailers in the middle without a margin. Never an excuse for poor service but knowing the realities of the landscape helps us temper our expectations. 10 years ago we expected a 7 day shipping period, now it is 3 days or less. Even B&H can not keep up with Amazon which has a delivery subsystem as part of their company.

It would be surprising to hear if B&H did not take care of you as a customer as so many of us have had great experiences over the years.
 
I am glad to see this post. I too have a LONG history with B&H, and like many here have spent tens of thousdands of dollars with them. For the most part the price and quality of their service and goods is excellent and return policy also. But recently B&H dropped their Canadian delivery contract with Purolator in favour of UPS. Well Big Brown is just that in Canada. s*%tty! I have NEVER had good experience with them ever. They overcharge Canadians for brokerage and offer terrible service. This dates back to buying a Betacam deck from the USA in the 90's and having it dumped on my doorstep in Vancouver totally destroyed to my last order from BH a few weeks ago. The delay was just stupid for the two items I ordered, almost 10 days, the order was split in two separate deliveries. it was impossible to track as UPS didn't know where either or the two were for more than a week. Finally one package was delivered without signature and left on my doorstep and I had to go to the USP warehouse to pick up the other. Now I live in a major Canadian city, Montreal. Leaving something on my doorstep wtih BHPhoto Video labels on it is more than an invitation to anyone who might be deliverying circulars or checking the recycle bin for bottles.
B&H didn't give a damn when I complained and UPS told me to open an account with them and it would be better next time. I also note that now when I try to apply the free delivery for anything over $100 US, it may or may not be free, the brokerage fees compared to what we were paying with Purolator and significantly more expensive. But what is a real piss off is that they are so big at B&H that they don't care.
So needless to say my next A6500 will not be from B&H like my two A6000, my PXW Z150, OSMO+ and so on.... screw 'em I will buy from Canada and pay a bit more for less grief. And I encourage my fellow Canadians to do the same. As noted when posting to the Canadian Cinematographers FaceBook page, dozens chimed in agreeing with me or sent PM's suggesting a more formal protest. Why bother, they don't need us up here do they? Maybe the Brazilians will feel the same at some point?
 
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Bassman2003 said:
We all like B&H but the retail environment is in a state of flux...
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Ask Toys R Us. Or HH Gregg.

Seriously, I was going to post a note on this in the "end of Hollywood" thread. The online shopping not only is killing the brick & mortar retail but also creating a cutthroat competition between the online retailers themselves. In the old days, one might have gone to several competitors in person and try to negotiate a better deal. That consumed hours of driving , gallons of gasoline use and no small amount of patience. These days, one can check between the "usual suspects" and place an order within a few clicks. The downside is that, as Alex said, the margins are a lot slimmer and the retailers will chip at own costs whenever possible. And the service suffers accordingly.
 
Bruce Watson said:
For it to be libel, it has to be false, and it has to be shown to have injured the target. The OP just seems to be stating the facts. If there has to be a label for it, that label would be: truth.
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I am not stating whether it is or isn't.

I am saying that if anyone is going to call it one or the other, it would be LIBEL (a written statement). Not SLANDER, which is spoken.

On the internet, it would be libel.
 
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