Derek Hawkins
Veteran Member
at someone else's doorstep. This has always been a recurrent nightmare in my case. Call B&H and hear what they have to say as well about this.
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fedex and B&H
- Thread starter randy corbin
- Start date
Burke Churchill
Forum Enthusiast
NEVER had a problem. Their delivery is twice as fast as similarly priced UPS and they require a signature. Never had a problem with them lying or otherwise. When possible I always use FedEx. FedEx Ground is fantastic and FAST.
My daughter goes to Miami of Ohio. We live in St. Louis. I send FedEx Ground to her and as long as I get it to the receiving station by 5:00 pm it will be there in TWO days! Unbelievable. UPS would take more than twice as long.
'The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.' Edmund Burke
Burke Churchill
My daughter goes to Miami of Ohio. We live in St. Louis. I send FedEx Ground to her and as long as I get it to the receiving station by 5:00 pm it will be there in TWO days! Unbelievable. UPS would take more than twice as long.
--
'The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.' Edmund Burke
Burke Churchill
Kent Thomas
Member
Regarding deliveries from B&H ... I would much prefer UPS.
Niether of them are perfect of course, but my problems with FexEx are:
1) Their online tracking stinks. I is alway 12-24+ hours out of date. The last time I got a delivery from B&H the FexEx website didn't show that the package was out for delivery until 11 a.m. that day. Up until then it showed it was still two states away.
2) I live in the metro NY area. UPS has what the call their regional zones. For me, that includes Eastern PA, Northern NJ, Southeastern NY and Western CT. They get the package their THE NEXT DAY for their lowest cost price. FedEX is alway two days and sometimes three days. I think that FedEX purposely delays the packages to get you to pay more for faster service.
Yes, I wish B&H would offer UPS, but alas, they probably have some compeling deal with FexEx.
Here's to future improvement.
Niether of them are perfect of course, but my problems with FexEx are:
1) Their online tracking stinks. I is alway 12-24+ hours out of date. The last time I got a delivery from B&H the FexEx website didn't show that the package was out for delivery until 11 a.m. that day. Up until then it showed it was still two states away.
2) I live in the metro NY area. UPS has what the call their regional zones. For me, that includes Eastern PA, Northern NJ, Southeastern NY and Western CT. They get the package their THE NEXT DAY for their lowest cost price. FedEX is alway two days and sometimes three days. I think that FedEX purposely delays the packages to get you to pay more for faster service.
Yes, I wish B&H would offer UPS, but alas, they probably have some compeling deal with FexEx.
Here's to future improvement.
jim clarke
Forum Enthusiast
All thigs being equal UPS works best for me. Years ago I ordered a lens and my UPS driver knew I usually took my baby daughter for out in the stroller each afternoon. He actually drove around the block to find me. He had me sign for the package and then delievered it to my house. That is service! Fedex is hot and cold but they are only 10 minutes away from my home.
As someone who works in the shipping industry I can say for certain that you got Fedex Home delivery. It doesn't require a signature and the driver gets paid per delivery (so why would he want to wait? - We lost a $1000 eMac learning this very lesson.) If you ship something (or get it shipped to you) then ship anything but Ground and have it require a signature then this won't happen.
J
Joe Ciarcia
Guest
In my experience (and several of my friends') UPS seems to have a knack for damaging electronics, especially if the package is heavy. A lot of places won't use them for that reason. FedEx is by no means perfect but they do (again in my experience, YMMV) seem to have a better track record.
Cheers, Joe
Cheers, Joe
J
Joe Ciarcia
Guest
... I'm sure there will now be a string of FedEx shipping damage horror stories. 
eeek!
Cheers, Joe
eeek!Cheers, Joe
Chris Fichera
Forum Enthusiast
Here is what happened to me.
As a result, I no longer order from B&H.
Up to a year ago I ordered all my stuff through B&H. I mean my D30, lenses, filters, flash and other stuff. Then when the D60 came out last year I went to my trusty ol' B&H to order and they told me that they can not ship to a Mail Boxes Etc. anymore. Now all the stuff I ordered previously was sent to MBE. Now no. I explained not only to the sales rep but also his manager that I am out of town alot and MBE is the safest place to send photography equipment to. The owner is bonded, he signs for the package and then it goes into a caged area util I get back. NO was the answer. They wanted me to give them a neighbors address. But what if they aren't home, I said... All the manager said was, sorry, but we will not ship to MBE. Then I said, well, you lost a customer.
So I guess B&H would rather your photography equipment just sit on your door step for all to see. Good thing it was an inexpensive lens. just think if you would have ordered an 50mm f1.4, or a 100-400L, or a 10D...etc
I like B&H, they are a trusted source. But because they would rather your stuff sit on your porch instead of a secure area has turned me away.
So now I order from Canoga, Adorama, Delta and my new 1D from Dell. I would say that B&H has lost about $10,000 in sales from me.
Their loss not mine.
Anyway, glad that all was well with your lense.
--
Peace,
Chris
Equipment list in profile.
As a result, I no longer order from B&H.
Up to a year ago I ordered all my stuff through B&H. I mean my D30, lenses, filters, flash and other stuff. Then when the D60 came out last year I went to my trusty ol' B&H to order and they told me that they can not ship to a Mail Boxes Etc. anymore. Now all the stuff I ordered previously was sent to MBE. Now no. I explained not only to the sales rep but also his manager that I am out of town alot and MBE is the safest place to send photography equipment to. The owner is bonded, he signs for the package and then it goes into a caged area util I get back. NO was the answer. They wanted me to give them a neighbors address. But what if they aren't home, I said... All the manager said was, sorry, but we will not ship to MBE. Then I said, well, you lost a customer.
So I guess B&H would rather your photography equipment just sit on your door step for all to see. Good thing it was an inexpensive lens. just think if you would have ordered an 50mm f1.4, or a 100-400L, or a 10D...etc
I like B&H, they are a trusted source. But because they would rather your stuff sit on your porch instead of a secure area has turned me away.
So now I order from Canoga, Adorama, Delta and my new 1D from Dell. I would say that B&H has lost about $10,000 in sales from me.
Their loss not mine.
Anyway, glad that all was well with your lense.
--
Peace,
Chris
Equipment list in profile.
Radomir [NC]
Well-known member
I had the same thing happen to me with UPS... except it was a $1000 lens in the box.. just left it at the front door...
On the other hand, FedEx has been great.. never left anything that required signature.. You may check with the seller, and ask him to add "signature required" to the shipment..
So, as you can see, your mileage may vary.. so, just ensure the seller asks for signature.. and you should be OK...
On the other hand, FedEx has been great.. never left anything that required signature.. You may check with the seller, and ask him to add "signature required" to the shipment..
So, as you can see, your mileage may vary.. so, just ensure the seller asks for signature.. and you should be OK...
Nigel Pond
Well-known member
My Fedex experiences are just the opposite of this.
Amongst other things I review home theater hardware and DVD-Audio/SACD discs as a hobby, so I have lots of boxes delivered to our house. I would much rather have them delivered by Fedex than by UPS. Because both my wife and I work, I went to the local Fedex center and signed a signature release form with instructions for packages to be left at the rear of the house. This works like a charm -- even if the shipper has given explicit "no release without signature" instructions, they still leave it where requested. Luckily we live in a very "safe" neighbourhood. Even if Fedex were to take a package back to the center it is only about 10 minutes away.
UPS on the other hand is a different story -- they have no "signature release" system so I always have to sign the slip they leave and even then it is at the discretion of the driver whether to leave the package. Their center is about 10 miles away in an area where the traffic is absolutely terrible so a trip down there wastes at least an hour of my time. Luckily I have the phone number of the center (not the 800 number) and they know me now, so it is a little easier to get things delivered.
Given the choice it's Fedex for me every time.
Amongst other things I review home theater hardware and DVD-Audio/SACD discs as a hobby, so I have lots of boxes delivered to our house. I would much rather have them delivered by Fedex than by UPS. Because both my wife and I work, I went to the local Fedex center and signed a signature release form with instructions for packages to be left at the rear of the house. This works like a charm -- even if the shipper has given explicit "no release without signature" instructions, they still leave it where requested. Luckily we live in a very "safe" neighbourhood. Even if Fedex were to take a package back to the center it is only about 10 minutes away.
UPS on the other hand is a different story -- they have no "signature release" system so I always have to sign the slip they leave and even then it is at the discretion of the driver whether to leave the package. Their center is about 10 miles away in an area where the traffic is absolutely terrible so a trip down there wastes at least an hour of my time. Luckily I have the phone number of the center (not the 800 number) and they know me now, so it is a little easier to get things delivered.
Given the choice it's Fedex for me every time.
David Giacomini
Leading Member
We own a business and used to ship everything FedEx (ground and express). Lot's of people wanted us to use UPS instead. We eventually switched to UPS and now lot's of people want us to use FedEx. You just can't please everyone all the time.
It also would be too inefficient to offer both options for our business. One of the main reasons we switched is because FedEx Ground and FedEx Express is really two different companies involving two different pick-ups, two different account managers, etc. It was really a hassle. With UPS, the driver picks up everything we have at once and reliability has been excellent. In three years of shipping thousands of packages, we have only had 2 lost packages (claimed by customers) and about a dozen late packages that we are aware of. FedEx was very reliable too.
As for FedEx not delivering early, some might view that as a benefit. FedEx tried to market a "day-definite" service. For instance, many of our customers want us to ship a product to arrive as a birthday gift on a certain day for example. It is nice to know that it will arrive on the promised day and not early or late. This is pretty trivial though since even with UPS, 99.9% of the packages arrive on time and not early anyway.
It also would be too inefficient to offer both options for our business. One of the main reasons we switched is because FedEx Ground and FedEx Express is really two different companies involving two different pick-ups, two different account managers, etc. It was really a hassle. With UPS, the driver picks up everything we have at once and reliability has been excellent. In three years of shipping thousands of packages, we have only had 2 lost packages (claimed by customers) and about a dozen late packages that we are aware of. FedEx was very reliable too.
As for FedEx not delivering early, some might view that as a benefit. FedEx tried to market a "day-definite" service. For instance, many of our customers want us to ship a product to arrive as a birthday gift on a certain day for example. It is nice to know that it will arrive on the promised day and not early or late. This is pretty trivial though since even with UPS, 99.9% of the packages arrive on time and not early anyway.
JimB
Leading Member
This is a PEOPLE problem not a company problem. I've had the exact same problem with UPS. UPS or Fedex would not approve of this but since PEOPLE work them mistakes happen... Both companies keep our economy rolling support them!
Henry Posner/B&H Photo-Video Inc.
Veteran Member
Thanks.
Here's the real deal as I understand it. FedEx requires a human sig for every parcel UNLESS the addressee (you) has previously filed a sig-waiver form at your local office. The retailer can instruct FedEx to ignore waivers and deman a sig for EVERY delivery. We used to do this but got so many complaints we stopped.
FWIW, IMHO a lot of what I read in this thread is the responsibility of the local dispatch office and/or individual driver, not FedEx or UPS company policies.
Because a retailer gets the best rates (and can pass them on to customers) if the retailer gives the shipper more business.
WRONG!!! Home delivery requires a seperate contract between FedEx & the retailer. We don't have one. There's no FedEx Home Delivery from B&H.
Regrettably true. The incidence of fraud was spectacularly out of proportion to the number of parcels sent to MBE-type places. Customers didn't get stuff and were VERY unhappy.
Not at all. We'd rather the stuff ended up in your hands than in the hands of some scaliwag using an MBE as his personal funds-free shopping cart though.
Amen to that!
FWIW, we're constantly looking at both FedEx & UPS and seeking ways to improve our operation. Constantly.
--
Henry Posner
B&H Photo-Video, Inc.
Abi Harbani
Active member
That's right... I ordered two times from B&H with an economy fedex (3-5 days) and received the stuff in 2 days.
D
Dave Lewis
Guest
Well sure, they all leave stuff on my door step. That way I don't have to go looking for it. I think all of them will put things where you want them to if you let them know. If you have a package coming, contact the carrier and give them special instructions. They will work with you. Those folks are in a hurry. If they have a signature release from you or a signature is not required, they will leave it in the most convenient location. They don't have time to make second deliveries with Fedex Ground, which is what B&H uses. You surely appreciate the reasonable price of it don't you. If you want them to come knocking then specify Federal Express service. It will cost you twice as much but the girl will knock on the door and have you sign for it.
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Dave Lewis
Derek Hawkins
Veteran Member
From the B&H web site;
SHIPPING INFORMATION
How we ship
Federal Express:
Our standard shipping method within the continental USA, except Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, is Federal Express "Saver" service - Approx. 3-5 Business days delivery from
shipping date.
Other options include Federal Express Economy 2 Business days delivery, and Federal Express Priority overnight 1 Business day delivery.
A signature is required for all Fedex shipments upon receipt.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
SHIPPING INFORMATION
How we ship
Federal Express:
Our standard shipping method within the continental USA, except Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico, is Federal Express "Saver" service - Approx. 3-5 Business days delivery from
shipping date.
Other options include Federal Express Economy 2 Business days delivery, and Federal Express Priority overnight 1 Business day delivery.
A signature is required for all Fedex shipments upon receipt.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
JimB
Leading Member
I have a signature on file with Fedex allowing them to leave the packages without a signature. With Onecall they setup the Fedex package to override this and I have to sign for the package. With B&H the Fedex packages are left. EVERY TIME. B&H must specify to over-ride the signature on-file otherwise they leave it at your door. I've ordered many things from B&H and it's never required a signature. Onecall items never ever get left at my door.
JimB
Leading Member
When my 70-200 L IS lens was left without a signature by B&H!!!
Max Savin
Veteran Member
--
max...i live in a very secure area and have on file with fedex a note to leave packages at the door if nobody is at home. never had a problem.
Derek Hawkins
Veteran Member
who's at fault here. Your case seems a bit convoluted to be definitive.
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