Lost Trust in B&H Photo

Status
Not open for further replies.
I have already expressed my opinion. I do find it however interesting, that the overwhelming response is negative to the OP. I find the response of Mitch particularly interesting, in that he is involved in a retail business. Like I already said, I find B&H pretty stellar overall. But that doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement - there is, in any business that is conducted on planet Earth (rather than in Utopian Ideal Heaven). So to pound on the OP as hard as that is puzzling. Even if you think he's being too demanding, he genuinely got bum products. That's too bad, but it can happen to any business. The problem is different - the damage was extremely easy to spot - and product that should not have been sent out at all (bad motherboard - just turn it on and you see the issues) - that is different from hidden damage. That, to me, is a problem. If I were running a business, I'd like to know about a problem with QC in my Used Department. I'd like to take responsibility beyond just returning the money - a few words to the customer is a small price to pay. Because I understand that there is the hassle factor for the customer, plus perhaps work delays and other issues. It's not just about the money. As a customer, you like to feel you are being heard - just a few words would be nice. Not cynical, like Mitch suggests, but genuine expression of regret, BECAUSE YOU CAUSED IT THROUGH POOR QC - this is not a force of nature, random event. Especially when the customer experiences a series of such, not a one off. Second, as a business owner, I'd like to know about problems - a customer who lets me know, is a good customer, just like a critic is a friend. For example, for my clamp, I found it not worth the $20 to complain. I just sucked it up. I didn't take the time to complain - and so B&H was unaware of an issue. Maybe if I did - and everyone did, they'd be alerted to the issue of QC. The OP should have been at least told - genuinely - "we're sorry for the problems. We want to assure you that we are taking a closer look at our procedures. We value you as a customer, and want to always do the best for you." How much would that cost - 3 minutes of an employee time? It's not about the money - a customer was inconvenienced, and a problem with your QC was highlighted... isn't it worth dealing with, beyond "here's your money"?

Yes, B&H has an A+ reputation. A few customer complaints won't change that. People will defend them. But if I were in their place I'd note that arrogance precedes the fall. Don't rest on your laurels - even if you are #1. Even if you don't think losing this customer is a big deal - it's a matter of principle, and PRIDE IN YOUR OWN BUSINESS. I'd like to have a clean conscience - knowing in my heart that I've done the best, even if the customer is unaware of it, and even if the customer is difficult... which I don't think the OP was being.

I guess I just see things differently. Not "bad B&H" - but perhaps "you are a champion - act like one". Even the best should strive to keep getting better yet. Excellence means never resting. I'd rather see B&H in that light - always striving to do better, than simply "oh, you're #1". Those are different things.

Peace.
 
Jordan_S said:
Thanks for the reminder to submit my review though I think reports have shown stores like B&H tend to have shills.
Click to expand...

I don't know about any other stores like B&H, but I do know about B&H and as far as B&H is concerned we have never had shills or any other activity on any rate-the-retailer site that ANY individual could even remotely consider unethical in any way at all. We did not, we do not, we would not.

I appreciate you're upset but this is uncalled-for and undeserved IMO.

To "Oldcorpse" -- I agree with almost everything you said. One of the reasons we frequent this site and a hundred others, and have done so for 20 years back to the era of the usenet newsgroups, is that we understand and appreciate two things:
- We are not and will neve be perfect, and
- It is often feedback from others that most eloquently shows us where to invest effort and energy to improve.

Thank you for your post. Thanks also to the numerous others here who were kind wnough to report positive experiences with us. We are grateful.
 
Last edited:
OldCorpse said:
.... this is not a force of nature, random event. Especially when the customer experiences a series of such, not a one off.
...
Click to expand...

Overall, I like what you are saying in your post. But the above may not be true. You may be aware of Poisson Distribution. The fact is that in nature (or business), things can bunch up. There is no way to know if it was a random event or a QC issue without being the B&H quality department.

There are ways to approach a problem. If Jordan had approached this differently, he'd be getting a different response. Having had four bad items is a real issue for the reasons you already cited. But seeking an apology and letting us all know he is never going to use B&H again is not the solution. What might have been a better approach would have been to posted a subject like '"Issues with used equipment from B&H?" to see if this was an odd singularity or if others had the same issues with B&H used equipment. Then go on to mention the issue of the four items. We all would have marveled that such a thing could happen. Especially from B&H. The odds of getting four bad items is astronomical. It is so astronomical, I have to really question what happened here. If I were B&H, I'd really be wondering what is up. If others also complained, then we have the evidence that there is a QC issue at B&H.

Jordan kicked this off on the wrong foot and like lemmings, we all piled on Jordan. Jordan's approach was ineffective. If Jordan were to document what happened with specifics (did this all happen on one order or was this over two years?), and seek counsel from the community about others having issues, we might view this in a different light.
 
Last edited:
I'm in agreement with ^ your latest post, Paul. But then, when you write something like this:

Paul F said:
Jordan,

Please accept our apology. We are very sorry we had you as a customer.

Regards,
B&H
Click to expand...

it tells me that you may have become too emotional about this.

Look, we are all human beings and it's not just, "Here's your money back," like OldCorpse said. I wasn't looking for someone to beg. Just simply recognition that a mistake had been made. I gave them that chance. And they ignored my email.

I do think there are issues with QC in B&H's used department. The problems I listed were not from one order. I've only had one problem with a new product from B&H: a memory card. Because I was traveling, I requested that the replacement be sent to my current location but they outright refused.

In any case, Paul is right. I should have approached this problem differently. Perhaps in the future I'll be reassured that their used department is more careful.
 
Oh, that's just my terrible sense of humor. Sarcasm often gets the best of me. Think of my B&H response as cartoon in the New Yorker.
 
Mark Watson said:
I've been done wrong many times over, on a daily basis even. But one has to choose their battles, or waste much of your life trying to get some form of justice. In the big scheme of things, your complaint on this forum is rather petty. You've actually done the bigger wrong by posting the way you did, given that they refunded you promptly. Get over it and move on.

Mark
Click to expand...

Actually, I think most people would agree that B&H will be taking a close look at their used department as a result of this thread.

And get back to me after you've lost a client or a rare opportunity for images directly due to B&H's carelessness. Of course, in this case (as always) I had backup cameras; however, I was definitely encumbered by their mistake and had to waste my time.

It was an obvious defect that only required turning the camera on to notice.

In the case of the bad memory card that was mentioned earlier, the problem was not apparent until it came time to copy the files. I could only do three at a time, then take the card out, and do it again. It took quite some time. B&H had included the free card with the purchase of a new $1800 camera. It's noteworthy that a free memory card was problematic.
 
Last edited:
I'm sorry to hear about these problems as well. I've never bought anything used from B&H. But I've found all my new purchases have always gone off without a hitch, even on the few occasions where I've needed to return things after discovering they didn't fit my needs or work as intended.
 
I've never order anything from B&H, but have seen them over the years at various shows...

My biggest beef was getting a pile of catalogs in the mail, long after it was obvious that the Internet site was the place to go for finding anything.

I think they've finally stopped coming...
 
Jordan_S said:
It was an obvious defect that only required turning the camera on to notice.
Click to expand...

It's quite possible that the mother board went bad between power cycles. B&H tested it, powered it down, and the next power cycle (when you received it) was the killer. That's nobody's fault, just unfortunate timing. You got a refund.

R.E. the bad SD card... SD cards have a higher rate of manufacturing defects than many other things I've experienced. Still not B&H's fault, especially since they replaced it.

Jordan_S said:
Actually, I think most people would agree that B&H will be taking a close look at their used department as a result of this thread.
Click to expand...

Most people? Based on what data?

I'm curious, since you've only referenced an email in your complaint. At any time, did you actually call B&H customer service by phone? Did you ask to speak to a supervisor or manager? Did you exaust all options within B&H before taking to this forum to drag them through the mud?

The email likely came from a low-tier customer service rep who is processing hundreds of emails a day. It seems to me that getting a hold of someone higher up, on the phone, would be the next logical (and reasonable) step. And rather than making the call in anger the way you posted this thread, starting the conversation with a calm demeanor would have gone miles. Something like, "I just had an oddly sizable run of defective products from your used department, and I thought you might like to know about it. It doesn't seem like something B&H would want to have happen." That gives the supervisor or manager not only a reason to look deeper, but also a reason to make it good.

This thread likely won't cause B&H to look too deep. How can they? As Henry pointed out, without a full customer name and transaction/invoice number, how in the world can he know what he's looking for?

I get it. You feel put out and the Internet is a very quick and easy way to make your feelings known to a wide audience. That's a knee-jerk reaction, which isn't usually the best tactic. Sure, Internet postings about bad customer service have worked, but in those cases all other options had been exhausted, including customer service phone calls.

I agree with Henry, though. The attack on B&H is uncalled-for and undeserved.
 
j1clark@ucsd.edu said:
My biggest beef was getting a pile of catalogs in the mail, long after it was obvious that the Internet site was the place to go for finding anything.
Click to expand...

Oh come on, where's your sense of fun? The giant B&H catalog has long been like Playboy for us camera/gear junkies. :Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)
 
Scott F said:
Oh come on, where's your sense of fun? The giant B&H catalog has long been like Playboy for us camera/gear junkies. :Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)
Click to expand...

Meh, hasn't been the same since all the cameras have rain covers now. . .

I only read it for the articles

I've only seen the first 15 pages, then I'm tired.

Waka Waka.

I'll be here all week.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top