The GetDPI Photography Forum

Great to see you here. Join our insightful photographic forum today and start tapping into a huge wealth of photographic knowledge. Completing our simple registration process will allow you to gain access to exclusive content, add your own topics and posts, share your work and connect with other members through your own private inbox! And don’t forget to say hi!

B+H poor customer service

glenerrolrd

Workshop Member
I hope a few people read this as I learned a good lesson..the hard way. I searched for a refurbished epson 3800 and finally found a great deal at B+H ..$799 and free shipping.

Received the printer in just 3 days . Then I started to set up the printer and realized that the front load paper tray was way out of alignment(not B+H fault).

The return process is what steamed me enough to write this. No pick up service! The box weighs 55Lbs and Carolyn and I had to lug it to the local UPS store . $45 shipping that I may get reimbursed? And of course ....no printer or refund until they process the return. Giving someone a refund on a defective product only after they have complied with your process is bad enough..but making us carry the printer to a store front to ship seems to much. OH and it took three calls and 45 minutes just to get someone to answer the phone in the USED DEPT.

This is completely out of character for B+H and can only be a reflection of the Used Dept practices. They are off my list.
 

eekimel

Member
Hi Roger:

I'm a little confused on your post. I've had, on several occasions, had to return items to B&H and pay the return shipping but since you pay the shipping, what does B&H have to do with UPS not making a pickup at your house?
 

docmoore

Subscriber and Workshop Member
This is completely out of character for B+H and can only be a reflection of the Used Dept practices. They are off my list.
Roger,

I have had to return a few items to B&H...have to admit its a pain. Beats living and driving into NY to shop however. They are a good company with a huge customer base...necessitates a few procedural hurdles for those of us who use them.

I mainly wish to encourage you to find an acceptable 3800....best printer I have used. Mine is a couple of years old and I have never had a clogged head or any issue with it. I recently took some 40 prints to a friend who used to work as a pro in NY shooting 8x10 and MF for major catalog and fashion magazines. Now in retail...he was stunned at the quality of the prints...everything from 6x9 to 17x22 on a variety of papers. The ink cartridges last a long long time.

Returns are a major hassel with any vendor unless they are across town.

Hard to think of a more reliable respected company for mail or net order.

Just a few thoughts.

Regards,

Bob
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
I've done thousands of dollars worth of business with B&H over the past two decades. Remarkably few returns needed, and never had a single problem with any of them. I don't mind paying return shipping on exchanges or dissatisfaction returns. On defective new product returns, they've always reimbursed me for shipping, I haven't read their policy on used and refurbished goods.

Regardless, if you have a heavy package to ship and don't want to lug it to a UPS office yourself, you can just pick up the phone ... or go to the UPS website ... and schedule a pickup. If you didn't, that's not B&H's fault.
 

glenerrolrd

Workshop Member
Since I posted this I made a contact at B+H who apologized for the handling of the my return. I fully understand B+H business model and that they are set up to fulfill orders and returns following a standard process. This works well for most products and I have no doubt that they are fair in handling returns.

I hate to think about how much I ve spent at B+H over the years..so I obviously find their business practices to be excellent. This situation was a bit different and I believe their response was lacking.

First it took three calls and 45 minutes just to get a customer service rep on the phone. I was disconnected twice. This was because the printer was refurbished and sold through the Used department. Second...I explained to the representative that the printer was heavier than I felt comfortable in taking to the UPS store. He offered no alternatives ..repeating store policy ...and indicating that this is the only way it will be handled. Had I purchased the printer elsewhere(say Epson) they would have emailed me a return shipping label and scheduled a pick up. (An update B+H agreed with me and sent a shipping label unfortunately well after I had completed the return shipment..so it was obviously possible).

Some may view this as needless bitching .....but BH indicated that they will be using my complaint to reevaluate how they should handle this type of return. They viewed it as a serious concern and seem to be handling it professionally.

I will obviously continue to use B+H for the things they do best and other dealers when they have an advantage. This one didn t work for me (your results of course may be different).
 

glenerrolrd

Workshop Member
Regardless, if you have a heavy package to ship and don't want to lug it to a UPS office yourself, you can just pick up the phone ... or go to the UPS website ... and schedule a pickup. If you didn't, that's not B&H's fault.[/QUOTE]

Godfrey

To schedule a return and a pick up I am pretty sure you need to establish a business or personal account. We did this a few years back and found that it was (1) very expensive for personal use and (2) more trouble than it was worth. Generally for the volume of shipments we do..the UPS store is easier and the USPS considerably cheaper. I considered this but concluded ..it just needed to get done. If we had access to business rates like B+H the shipment would cost a fraction of what I paid.

Its not a question of fault....they can set their business practices up anyway they want. Lots of examples of businesses that take your money and then tell you the product is backordered for example. I don t buy from them. I was just surprised and very disappointed in how B+H responded..having had excellent service results in the past.

My mistake was buying a Refurbished Product and expecting the same service levels as new. Since this was a matter of policy ...its not just a situation where someone dropped the ball.

Roger
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
Hmm. I've had a personal UPS acct for many years. Never cost me a dime. They pick up when I call a shipment order in, no problem.

I don't ship enough to warrant a business acct. That's a whole nother level of services.
 
R

Ranger 9

Guest
When I've bought new items from B&H and have had to return them, I've always expected to arrange return shipping myself. And it made perfect sense to me that they didn't issue a refund credit until they'd actually received the item; otherwise, how would they know that I hadn't shipped them a box of rocks?

So your experience doesn't seem out of line with standard practice to me, although I'll concede that it's a lot more inconvenient when you're returning a large, heavy item. (That's one reason I try to buy such items locally when I can, even if I have to pay a bit more.)

I know that some other classes of merchandise (such as laptop computers) sometimes come with onsite pickup return services -- but you're paying for the extra cost in the profit margin on the original price of the equipment.
 

glenerrolrd

Workshop Member
Hmm. I've had a personal UPS acct for many years. Never cost me a dime. They pick up when I call a shipment order in, no problem.

I don't ship enough to warrant a business acct. That's a whole nother level of services.
Godfrey

Of course the account doesn t cost anything....its the rates that are a lot higher for a personal account(when compared to the USPS).

If you think B+H handled this well.....great....I didn t because of the size of the item.

Roger
 

glenerrolrd

Workshop Member
UPS.com to schedule a pickup, no account is required...

https://wwwapps.ups.com/pickup/schedule?loc=en_US
Learn something new everyday ..thanks ...if I knew this then it wouldn t have been much of a problem. But looking at the process..I believe you have to schedule a shipment first(and this requires an account to be able to log in) . If its a prepaid shipment you ,of course , have a label. Otherwise how would UPS collect the shipping and payment information . Maybe its possible to set up a one time account?
 
Last edited:

Godfrey

Well-known member
... Of course the account doesn t cost anything....its the rates that are a lot higher for a personal account(when compared to the USPS). ...
If you're comparing US Postal Service with UPS ... yes, of course the rate for a tracked service are higher. You might look at UPS Ground services too ... much cheaper than shipping via the express and air services. I shipped a 75 lb packaged computer system US coast to coast for about $35, IIRC, that way.

I don't get all the bellyaching, Roger. Create yourself an account and schedule a pickup, or don't. Try doing that at all with USPS. And if you feel B&H aren't treating you right with their used department, do business elsewhere for used equipment.

I buy Epson printer refurbs only from Epson, personally. They guarantee them and offer good service direct. They don't always have what I want when I need it ... I wait ... patience is a virtue. :)

enough.
 

glenerrolrd

Workshop Member
If you're comparing US Postal Service with UPS ... yes, of course the rate for a tracked service are higher. You might look at UPS Ground services too ... much cheaper than shipping via the express and air services. I shipped a 75 lb packaged computer system US coast to coast for about $35, IIRC, that way.

I don't get all the bellyaching, Roger. Create yourself an account and schedule a pickup, or don't. Try doing that at all with USPS. And if you feel B&H aren't treating you right with their used department, do business elsewhere for used equipment.

I buy Epson printer refurbs only from Epson, personally. They guarantee them and offer good service direct. They don't always have what I want when I need it ... I wait ... patience is a virtue. :)

enough.
Likewise Godfrey ..I had enough of you as well. I am not belly aching but simply responding to a list of rebuttals . All which seem to make my point. You admit that you wouldn t buy a used printer from anyone but Epson. Why.... because of the guarantee and service. I expected more of B+H based on years of good experience(not sure whats wrong with that?) IMHO they dropped the ball on handling the return. Several people disagree as they accept the need for the customer to ship back defective merchandise. But at the same time they often indicated that on heavy items or those that could have problems ....they don t buy from B+H for those items.

Obviously I didn t know better when I relied on my experience. I knew buying a refurbished printer was risky but B+H had always been so good in the past. Epson was out of stock when I ordered.

You are certainly free to express whatever opinion you have on the subject.
But please don t tell me that I should keep quite on the subject.

You may also note that B+H has responded to my complaint in a very professional way. I received a call from the service manager and a few emails from the Customer Service department. They sent a return shipping label and offered to help me get a replacement quickly. You certainly can t ask for more than that. Keep in mind that this occurred after I posted my complaint and had shipped the printer back.

Roger
 

Jan Brittenson

Senior Subscriber Member
I don't get all the bellyaching, Roger. Create yourself an account and schedule a pickup, or don't. Try doing that at all with USPS.
For smaller packages USPS click-n-ship works fine, I've used it many times. Don't need to schedule a pickup either, just hand it to the carrier. They will do residential pickup for a fee, though. But I don't think it would be possible to ship a 3800 with CNS.
 

woodyspedden

New member
May I please say that number one I know Roger Dunham very well having been by his side for ten days in Germany on the Leica/Porsche trip. He is a gentleman, very knowledgable with regards to photography in general and Leica in particular, and don't believe for a moment that he would be caught dead in a flaming war.

I know Godfrey only from posts on these fora sp? However he seems also a real gentleman, knowledgable about photography and Leica, and totally a sensible man.

I submit that sometimes, as these threads so aptly demonstrate, heat gets in the way of normal personality traits and people are then labelled as something they are not (at least not "normally")

So, in the spirit of these GetDPI threads can we please agree that two very capable persons are caught in the middle of an argument they really didn't start and don't want to take any further. These two guys are so good at what they do and so representative of all that is good about this site that I want only for all to applaud what they do and give them a chance to start over with each other.

After all folks, this is about photography, not about life. Never get caught believing otherwise.

Love and peace to all

Woody
 
Top