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Beware B&H new shipping methods!!!

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Henry Posner/B&H Photo-Video said:
.. a day or two
ago some chap who couldn't find my e-mail address in my forum
profile
Click to expand...
Not "couldn't",...just forgot about the-address even being in the profile..I plead a "senior moment', partly due to my belief (still current) that the answer would be interesting to other forum members. I think the rapid responses on the thread bore this out. [Imperfection acknowledged, When the lights came back on ...the hand hit the forehead about the time "Duh!" came out of the mouth]
Henry Posner/B&H Photo-Video Inc. said:
...posted a public question about some B&H shopping procedures
which he prefaced by freely admiitting should rightly have been
e-mailed to me and which were VERY off-topic for the forum.
Click to expand...
I find this statement puzzling(?) ..

The thread we are in NOW has survived several days/numerous posts re. B&H's PACKING practices.

How is it that SHIPPING(not "shopping", typo, I believe) practices are so OT, while apparently PACKING practices are on-topic,when they both are of concern to forum members under the general heading of "ordering and getting stuff from B&H"?
Henry Posner/B&H Photo-Video Inc. said:
Subsequently he did find my address and sent me an e-mail.
Click to expand...
Yes, and both it and the forum post were intended as respectful questions, accompanied by a full description of the situation prompting the question. Not as a "complaint", although one poster interpreted it (wrongly) as such. Most did not, and a current discussion shows that most were as surprised as I was at the deletion.
Henry Posner/B&H Photo-Video Inc. said:
If this is the thread in question it was rightly removed since it
was very much off topic and not consistent with the forum regs to
which we've all agreed to abide.
Click to expand...
Well OK,...but I re-read the rules, and keeping them and THIS thread in-mind, don't see the "OBVIOUS"-ness of the transgression.
Henry Posner/B&H Photo-Video Inc. said:
I am the biggest FREE SPEECH advocate you'll ever meet, but IMHO
(if we ARE talking about thge same message) this was not
censorship, it was editing and there was nothing improper about it.
Click to expand...
Yes, I am sure that we are talking about the same message.

Thanks, Henry, for responding here with your comments.

I hope you will find time to answer the chap's e-mail, ...as he would appreciate the info so that he can place his order, ;-)

I DO appreciate that you are probably buried under such mailings, ...goes with the turf, I suppose.

Larry
 
Larry H. Smith said:
Henry Posner/B&H Photo-Video said:
.. a day or two
ago some chap who couldn't find my e-mail address in my forum
profile
Click to expand...
Not "couldn't",...just forgot about the-address even being in the
profile..I plead a "senior moment'
Click to expand...
I'm learning all about those. :-)
Larry H. Smith said:
Thanks, Henry, for responding here with your comments.
I hope you will find time to answer the chap's e-mail, ...as he
would appreciate the info so that he can place his order, ;-)
Click to expand...
I'm sending you a partial reply via e-mail today and will have more Thursday.
Larry H. Smith said:
I DO appreciate that you are probably buried under such mailings,
...goes with the turf, I suppose.
Click to expand...
I thought "surf" was supposed to go with "turf," but instead I get 912638421 viagra ads a day. Maybe my wife? :-)

--
Henry Posner
B&H Photo-Video, Inc.
 
Henry,

If all OT stuff was removed we'd have very little to read on this forum. I thought the discussion was very civil and there wasn't repeated bashing by any one person. When someone asks about experiences with certain companies I will reply, but I don't start threads bashing a product or service. Also that type of behavior takes a while to get you banned as a true pattern has to deleop. I would also say that post about where to buy from, and how to get stuff shipped are on topic, certainly more so that ford pintos. Since most of us keep our postings to one or two forums over time we develop respect for other contributors to that forum. It is from those people we seek advice so we post messages, ask quentions (and answer them) and chat with our cyberspace frieds in our favorite forums. Since you monitor all of these forums you may not have developed a sense of who is who in any one particular forum, but this is a driving force behind why they are successful (look at outcry evertime a long time member gets banned). Should I get banned I hope that someone will speak up for me.
Henry Posner/B&H Photo-Video Inc. said:
If this is the thread in question it was rightly removed since it
was very much off topic and not consistent with the forum regs to
which we've all agreed to abide.
Click to expand...
When editing is done for content (which appears so in this case) -It is by definition censorship!
Henry Posner/B&H Photo-Video Inc. said:
I am the biggest FREE SPEECH advocate you'll ever meet, but IMHO
(if we ARE talking about thge same message) this was not
censorship, it was editing and there was nothing improper about it.
Click to expand...
One last question Henry, Did you complain to Phil about these threads. Considering what has been allowed in the past I have a hard time believing he deleted the threads in question without the uring of someone.

Kyle
Henry Posner/B&H Photo-Video Inc. said:
--
Henry Posner
B&H Photo-Video, Inc.
Click to expand...
 
I received my 70-200 VR today, it was ordered on Monday, shipped yesterday with standard shipping. When I received the box I gave it a shake, nothing moved inside. Opened it up, it was packed with the airbags on top, sides and bottom of the contents. As far as I'm concerned, B&H has made good on the promise to improve the packing. And overnight delivery was just icing on the cake. To B&H, thanks.
--
RGK
 
today I received a package from Adorama. The box within was jammed against the bottom and two sides of the outer box and the two sides and top were stuffed with peanuts. If you're in a hurry, you can fail at any packing method...

--
Thom Hogan
author, Nikon Field Guide & Nikon Flash Guide
author, Complete Guides to the Nikon D100, D1, D1h, & D1x and Fujifilm S2
http://www.bythom.com
 
I don't know if they have received enough complaints but I received a new lens earlier this week form B&H and it arrived just fine. I also had requested a new lighting catalog and that was packed in peanuts. I don't recall how the lens was packed but it was received just fine.
Shakmatay said:
Hi all,

FYI...

I've ordered equipment from B&H in New York for 3 years now. Always
had great service. Packages were always packaged with styrofoam
peanuts "surrounding" the product so as to cushion the impact of
forces on the box.

EXCEPT in the last three weeks, I've had 3 separate orders all
delivered in totally PATHETIC condition...

All of my recent shipments used some plastic air bags placed on TOP
of the product, BUT on the BOTTOM of the box it was ONLY lined with
a measly quarter inch of that skinny little air bubble strip!!!

Consequently, my $800 Nikon 80-200 lens was literally shaking in
the box as I held it in my hands. And when I opened the package,
the Nikon box was so battered that it literally FELL APART in my
hands! The glued flaps that keep the Nikon box together had been
completely come undone.

If this were a one-time occurance, I might understand, but this has
now happened 3 times on 3 shipments of expensive lens.

They're simply throwing some air bags on top of the box, but
leaving the SIDES and BOTTOM virtually exposed to impact.

I'm very disgusted with this. Has anyone experienced RECENT
problems of this nature?

--Shakmatay
Click to expand...
 
70-200 and a couple of filters came in with a thin layer of bubble wrap and air bags on top. It did not shake in the box. I still prefer peanuts and Adorama sent my lowepro surrounded by peanuts, lol..

Both seem to be good companies
Shakmatay said:
Hi all,

FYI...

I've ordered equipment from B&H in New York for 3 years now. Always
had great service. Packages were always packaged with styrofoam
peanuts "surrounding" the product so as to cushion the impact of
forces on the box.

EXCEPT in the last three weeks, I've had 3 separate orders all
delivered in totally PATHETIC condition...

All of my recent shipments used some plastic air bags placed on TOP
of the product, BUT on the BOTTOM of the box it was ONLY lined with
a measly quarter inch of that skinny little air bubble strip!!!

Consequently, my $800 Nikon 80-200 lens was literally shaking in
the box as I held it in my hands. And when I opened the package,
the Nikon box was so battered that it literally FELL APART in my
hands! The glued flaps that keep the Nikon box together had been
completely come undone.

If this were a one-time occurance, I might understand, but this has
now happened 3 times on 3 shipments of expensive lens.

They're simply throwing some air bags on top of the box, but
leaving the SIDES and BOTTOM virtually exposed to impact.

I'm very disgusted with this. Has anyone experienced RECENT
problems of this nature?

--Shakmatay
Click to expand...
--
Thanks for the education,
Harvey
 
They are sending another camera, but after reading this post I think I will return all back to them on Monday.

50mm
17-40
10D

Steve
Harvey Elmore said:
From B&H today

I am aware of, but have not yet waded through, the dpreview
conversation.
The issue of packaging with airbags was addressed internally
recently in a
meeting between our General Manager (my boss) and the manager of the
warehouse involved. My understanding is the problem will not recur.
-- -

regards,
Henry Posner
Director of Corporate Communications
B&H Photo-Video, and Pro-Audio Inc.
Click to expand...
--
Steve Cutter
 
I received a new lens from B&H this week. Ii a had few of those air bags on the top and nothing between the lens box and the shipping box. It was just a 50mm f/1.8 but it deserves better packaging. I get less package damge from items shipped FedEX when I buy from other vendors. I've had too much damage from UPS!

jjolly
Shakmatay said:
Hi all,

FYI...

I've ordered equipment from B&H in New York for 3 years now. Always
had great service. Packages were always packaged with styrofoam
peanuts "surrounding" the product so as to cushion the impact of
forces on the box.

EXCEPT in the last three weeks, I've had 3 separate orders all
delivered in totally PATHETIC condition...

All of my recent shipments used some plastic air bags placed on TOP
of the product, BUT on the BOTTOM of the box it was ONLY lined with
a measly quarter inch of that skinny little air bubble strip!!!

Consequently, my $800 Nikon 80-200 lens was literally shaking in
the box as I held it in my hands. And when I opened the package,
the Nikon box was so battered that it literally FELL APART in my
hands! The glued flaps that keep the Nikon box together had been
completely come undone.

If this were a one-time occurance, I might understand, but this has
now happened 3 times on 3 shipments of expensive lens.

They're simply throwing some air bags on top of the box, but
leaving the SIDES and BOTTOM virtually exposed to impact.

I'm very disgusted with this. Has anyone experienced RECENT
problems of this nature?

--Shakmatay
Click to expand...
 
I'm seeing an increased use of air bags, and I think they're a great idea, since they not only work well, but take a whole lot less room in the garbage (and far less for the War Department to notice). However, all the items I've ordered (not from B&H) have been first rolled up in a few layers of bubble-wrap to provide proper protection to the packaged item, then the air bags stuffed in to fill the remaining volume. That's what they SHOULD be doing IMHO.
-RogM
 
Yes, their package is very bad recently. I don't want to buy anything from them. But their price is pretty good. If I choose pick up myself, do I need pay the NY tax, I live in New jesery.

can any one link this page to B&H?
Shakmatay said:
Hi guys,

Thanks for the feedback from everyone. I really do like doing
business with B&H.

But as some of you have suggested, I think we all need to take the
time to start writing them/contacting them to let them know that
these new practices are simply unacceptable.

By the way, it's interesting that some of you mentioned that
Adorama has always shipped things well. My only experience with
them was a month ago when I received a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 that was
so poorly packaged that the Nikon box was SEVERELY dented in. I
mean REALLY bad.

But that was my only order with them, so I can't say it's a trend.

The question now is, from whom will I purchase the new D70 dSLR...
perhaps going local for that purchase is the prudent thing to do.

In the future, I'm going to make it a practice to inquire as to how
they package things, no matter who I order from.

Take Care,
Shakmatay

P.S. Don't forget, let's all contact B&H with our concerns.
Click to expand...
 
I ordered 2 Nikon lenses ( 17-37mm/F2.8 and 70-200mm/F2.8 ) and a bag from B&H 3 weeks ago and I received my stuff 2 weeks later after I placed the order. They just put all things in a huge box with some plastic bags which are almost no use and the lenses can move in the box easily. When I received the box, it was broken and the original maker packaging boxes of the lenses were also broken.

I decide that I will never buy anything from B&H any more.
 
There are much better places to buy photo equipment than B&H. Considering price, packaging and polite people.
I will no longer buy from rude New York sales people.

I have an issue with my local UPS monkey throwing my packages containing lenses etc from about 10 feet onto my porch. UPS service has deteriorated here in Michigan this past year. They no longer ask for a signature nor ring the bell in our area.
Ted Johnson said:
FWIW, I rather like the air bags and have never had a problem with
a product shipped in them. They do require more thought in the
packing process, though -- something that is often in short supply
in a shipping room.

Regards,
bethrouns said:
Agreed...packages within the last few months have come ripped and
torn from B&H. Items inside are loosely packed....maybe with air
bags on top....but not snugly.

Adorama packs their stuff quite well...never have got a poorly
packaged item.

So...basically service is slightly better with B&H, packaging is
better with Adorama.

-Beth
(gear listed in profile)



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Calumet is great. May be a few more $ than B&H in some cases but well worth it.
Henry Goh said:
did not get a response. I guess they will not be replying after all.

It is sad.

Has anyone used Norman Camera and how do they pack their orders?

Henry Goh
Click to expand...
 
Not a peanut in sight. Just a lot of airbags. Seems like this is the trend in the mail order industry in general.
 
I was ordering the 70-200 VR from B&H and I have always used UPS.

Based on the posts I'll order it from Adorama and using Fedex.

Thanks for all the input
 
Here's my "longer" version of problems with B&H shipping....

I ordered a lens last November and it got real crappy packaging, but no damage to the lens...I think?

The posts your reading now, started back in Feb 04 and a B&H fellow, Henry Posner, had been following the posts and finally assured us that the packaging would get better. Based on his responses, I ordered another lens last week and still got crappy packaging. So based on the poor packaging combined with horrible UPS handling, I'm pretty much finished both of them when ever possible.

I won't even start to tell you about the $3000.00 guitar UPS destroyed, they ate that one :-)

jjolly
 
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