B&H

[Juan Stevens]

I really can't give any details. All I can say is I had special circumstances and B&H worked with me. They shipped my D3 today. They get all of my business from now on. Oh yeah, F#$@!!!! Adorama. Jack Gold lied to me. He also bent me over but I agreed to that because I listened to his lies. All I wanted was the truth even if it wasn't what I wanted to hear but I guess that was too much. So to sum things up:

I LOVE B&H!!!!
F$!# Adorama

Sad thing is it probably isn't the whole company. One person can spoil an image.

Oh, one more thing. For all those who live in Maryland in the Baltimore area. I normally give my business to Service Photo. I even had problems with them. As much money as I've spent with them all they could tell me is the owner doesn't give out details about the list and what position you're in. How honest is that? All the money I've spent there. That pi$$ed me off. Well, they've lost my business too.

 

[carauction]

I partly agree. But you are forgetting that when you bend over at Adorama, they do give you a little strudel to nibble on.

 

[Juan Stevens]

It seems I not special. Someone over at Nikonians was able to put an order in also. I suggest that everyone give B&H a call when they open to see if they can get orders in.

 

[thafuzz]

B&H got a Nikon shipment yesterday. I ordered the 200-400VR and it arrived today. The must have gotten some D3s at the same time.

 

[audu67]

I've been looking at the B&H web site since the rash of deliveries around New Years but it always showed "backordered" and would not accept an order. I read on several forums that by phone they will accept an order if they have been notified of an expected deliver from NIKON and if the expected deliver quantity has not been sold out. I called B&H several times a day for a few days and was always told that the system would not take orders at that time but to continue to call back. On the 3rd day (1/10/2008) I was surprised when the salesperson said that the system would now allow an order, so I immediately placed my order. I was even more surprised that I was notified the next day (1/11/2008) that my D3 had shipped and should be delivered by 1/16/2008. So, yes I consider myself very fortunate and can't wait to start shooting.

 

[gonzalu]

LOL.. .I am just having fun at your expense. I hear you man, I have lived in NYC all my life and have been to both B&H and Adorama hundreds if not thousands of times... if you ever set foot in either of their stores, you'll see the difference RIGHT AWAY.

Good luck and good decision...
--
Manny
http://www.pbase.com/gonzalu/
http://www.mannyphoto.com/
FCAS Member - http://manny.org/FCAS

 

[beautifulimpressions]

more and more I've been reading reports of people calling in and getting a D3 almost immediately if not sooner.

have all the pre-orders that were placed in early Dec been filled our did everyone just cancel their orders ?

 

[BRJR]

Juan Stevens:

1. I had been on the Adorama list for a D3, since Sep 12, 2007. On Dec 12, 2007, I got tired of both waiting and not receiving any information as to when they believed I would receive the D3; therefore, I simply canceled my order with Adorama.

2. On, the same day, I canceled my D3 order with Adorama, I phoned B&H, was charged the full amount for the D3, but had one shipped to me in a little over 2 weeks, of having ordered my D3 from B&H.

3. I had never ordered anything from Adorama, prior to this experience with them; and, of course, I will not do so, again,

--
BRJR ....(LOL, some of us are quite satisfied as Hobbyists ..)

It seems I not special. Someone over at Nikonians was able to put an
order in also. I suggest that everyone give B&H a call when they open
to see if they can get orders in.

 

[Micro32]

Oh, one more thing. For all those who live in Maryland in the
Baltimore area. I normally give my business to Service Photo. I even
had problems with them. As much money as I've spent with them all
they could tell me is the owner doesn't give out details about the
list and what position you're in. How honest is that? All the money
I've spent there. That pi$$ed me off. Well, they've lost my business
too.

Stop your whining! Service Photo made it clear to everyone that they will honor and fill NPS member's orders first. It doesn't matter if you dropped $40K with them the previous day. I have to admire a company that sticks to fair play even though it wouldn't have been a benefit me for the D3. One has to respect a company that sticks to the rules and treats everyone fairly. My experience with B&H was just the opposite, they dropped the ball on Dec 2nd orders and offered poor excuses surrounding the circumstances. I still like B&H, but they are no longer my first choice for major purchases.

Oh, if you want preferential treatment and no guarantee of where your place in line is, even if you paid in full upfront, you should have taken your business to Penn. I won't deal with them for the way they handled their D3 wait list. First come first serve should mean just that. Getting bumped behind the scenes isn't fair to everyone. I refuse to deal with a seller that wants to play musical chairs.

 

[Juan Stevens]

How do you even know what the rules are? They wouldn't even say anything about the damn list or where anyone was on it. There's no whining involved. I posted my opinions and sticking to them. I'm glad you like them very much. More power to you. If you had better knowledge or know the owner, good for you because that's damn sure what it sounds like. I didn't say I should get my D3 before anyone else or have better treatment. I do believe because of the amount of business I have given them that I AT LEAST should know where I fall on the list and have updates when I call and inquire. I shouldn't hear, "Well, we're not allowed to disclose any info about the list" F#@! that. And I think any customer would feel the same. And what I did what take my business to B&H. I ordered a few days ago and I'm getting my D3 on MONDAY!!!!!! Just stating facts. If that's a screwup by B&H, they can do that to me ANY day.

 

[Micro32]

How do you even know what the rules are? They wouldn't even say
anything about the damn list or where anyone was on it. There's no
whining involved. I posted my opinions and sticking to them. I'm glad
you like them very much. More power to you. If you had better
knowledge or know the owner, good for you because that's damn sure
what it sounds like. I didn't say I should get my D3 before anyone
else or have better treatment. I do believe because of the amount of
business I have given them that I AT LEAST should know where I fall
on the list and have updates when I call and inquire. I shouldn't
hear, "Well, we're not allowed to disclose any info about the list"
F#@! that. And I think any customer would feel the same. And what I
did what take my business to B&H. I ordered a few days ago and I'm
getting my D3 on MONDAY!!!!!! Just stating facts. If that's a screwup
by B&H, they can do that to me ANY day.

I won't confirm or deny that I have any affiliation with Service Photo, but I will say that the "rules" were clearly stated to everyone inquiring about the D3 whether by phone or in person. And your claimed experience with Service was exactly the same as mine with B&H after they already had my $5K. Not that it matters to anyone, B&H didn't get my $5K when all was said and done. I've been happily enjoying my D3. Again, I have no problem being bumped by NPS members buying from any dealer. The only objective I had at the time was finding a dealer that could deliver the D3 to me as soon as possible. I've learned a lot about various dealers through this debacle and I now know which ones will be getting my business and recommendations and the ones that won't. The bottom line is there are way too many decent dealers out here to buy from instead of playing games with ones that can't or won't deliver. Good luck and I hope you enjoy your new D3.

 

[BurkeSeim]

Ok everyone - here's how it works:

Nikon has a limited amount of D3 cameras to ship in the USA, so not everyone will get theirs quickly, and be happy. Some people understand, and wait patiently, and other wait impatiently (and noisily). Each dealer chooses how they wish to handle the situation, and not everyone will like what we do. We've actually received quite a bit of praise fo our handling of the situation, but we also understand that not everyone will be happy with us. I know a lot of people at Nikon, and I am friendly with many Nikon USA dealers - here's what I've seen with respect to the D3 so far:

First of all, Nikon has been unbelievably efficient when taking care of NPS priority orders for the D3. I have never seen them this effieicient before. I'm not kissing anyone's ass either - it's just the fact. The majority of those on many Nikon D3 wait lists are (or were) NPS members. So, once they got their cameras, there wasn't an overwhelmingly large amount left over for general allocation to photographers.

The D3 has been slow to come, and complaining won't get them here faster. If it makes you feel any better, the EOS 1Ds MArk III waiting list is moving even slower! We answer questions all day long, and try to explain the situation to our customers. Some "get it", and others don't want to listen to our "excuses". Our wait list is 100% no obligation - with no deposit necessary. We fill orders in chronological order, with the exception of NPS priority shipments - where the NPS customer's name is actually on our Nikon packing list! I have been offered bribes on several occassions - up to $1K - to get the D3 to someone quickly by bumping them up to the front of our list. It's tempting, but I won't do it. For the long term, it is better for me to personally communicate well with our customers, keep them informed about the D3 list, and deliver them in chronological order. Unfortunately, this is not always easy during a busy Holiday season.

For the record, I will personally discuss the D3 camera with anyone who is on our waiting list, or thinking about adding their name to it. I can tell someone where they are on the list, along with my expectations for delivery, etc... BUT, I really don't want to pass that information through to all members on my staff. Comments & information can be misinterpreted, misunderstood, and some people just get it wrong - both my staff & our customers. THAT can make for a set of big issues. If anyone needs information, they should email me personally. As far as I can tell, there is no Juan Stevens on my D3 list, and never has been. I'm sorry that we've lost your business. But, we'll do whatever we can to inform & serve photographers who appreciate our level of service, along with great Nikon prices.

I do not have a crystal ball, but I do expect to take care of the majority of our D3 list in January - before the PMA show. Maybe, if we're lucky, we'll even have some cameras in our regular stock. I'd love to have a demo & rental unit available.

Thanks,
Burke Seim - owner
Service Photo, Inc.
Baltimore, MD

 

[Juan Stevens]

Wow! That makes me feeling even more fuzzy to find out that I'm not even on the list in the first place. I really don't even know how to respond to that one. So I called to put my name on the list and it wasn't even put on there. THEN I call for statuses and they didn't even check the list at all to even know I wasn't on there. Like I said, I don't even know how to respond to that one. All I was saying it would have been ok if they would have let me speak to you to tell me all that but they didn't.

 

[BurkeSeim]

For our lists, we usually ask people to send us an email, or we fill out a form in-store, so that we have a written record. Of ocurse, sometimes people call in, too. My list is not long, and it's hard to believe that there could be confusion over it - but anything can happen. If it is our fault in any way - I apologize. We do hope that we can take care of everyone in January, and I think that we've got a shot at it - email me if you would llike to be contacted if a D3 becomes available.

Thanks,
Burke Seim - owner
Service Photo, Inc.
Baltimore, MD