Fed up with B&H poor service!

[Ulysses]

Like I said, though. There are always two sides to these sorts of stories. I say that as someone who runs a business and who has good customer service.

All I can say is that the only slightly negative experience I've ever had with B&H is when I made my first visit EVER to them, and had a little (and I mean little ) run-in with the parking lot attendant for the free parking when we'd stayed in the store for much longer than expected. Other than that, not even anything to mention by way of a complaint. Maybe it's that they know us, both by phone as well as by face as we visit the store on a regular basis, and the personnel is very stable and consistent.

There's never any excuse for one bad employee giving the customer a hassle. After all, "the customer is always right", right? But sometimes, as in forums here, there are going to be clashes between personalities. And it sounds like that's more what you experienced here. For every negative experience with B&H mentioned here, you will probably find many more positive experiences with service.

As to whether they can actually give you info on dates and so forth, anyone who says that they can simply doesn't understand how this sort of thing really works in the retail and distribution world. I've found B&H and their employees to be very helpful and honest in the waythey treat information and their customers.

I don't mind waiting...... I do understand the camera is just now
being released..... I just thought the guy could have been more
friendly and had a better attitude.

--

Ulysses
http://www.ulyssesphotography.com

 

[Ed Halley]

The guy on the phone was so rude, he just said "look I don't know
what to tell you, if you wanna cancel the order, I'll cancel it for
you right now if you want."

Go VISIT New York City sometime. It'll make more sense to you then. You're probably just miffed that the guy on the phone wasn't as obsequious as your average Pacific Rim "service" agent.
--
[ e d @ h a l l e y . c c ] http://www.halley.cc/pix/

 

[tominboston]

I have to throw in my 2 cents in defense of B&H. I've never had a bad experience. They turn around orders very quickly and, at least from my experience, "in stock" means they actually have it. I'm sure if they had a bunch of 1DIIs, they would ship them.

I will say that when you call them, they're not chatty. They answer your question and that's it. I think that is partly NYC attitude, and probably mostly they're just busy. I agree with other posts, after a couple of hundred calls of "where's my 1DII?" it probably gets tired. Agree, they probably should be nicer to you, but get over it.

Tom

Why is it most other retailers can tell you an estimated time
period of when you will actually have the camera, but when I call
B&H to check the status of an order that was not only placed over 2
months ago, but paid for in full already, I can't get an answer?
They act like I'm out of line for asking if they know how many they
will be receiving in and when.

The guy on the phone was so rude, he just said "look I don't know
what to tell you, if you wanna cancel the order, I'll cancel it for
you right now if you want." I told him I did not wish to cancel my
order, I just wanted to get a little info on what the estimates
were and where about I was on the list. I have no patience for
people with no customer service. Maybe I should just cancel the
order since the other retailer I ordered from was nice enough to
let me know where exactly I stand on the list, and when I could
most likely expect it. Sorry...makes my blood boil and I felt like
complaining. Has anyone else received this poor attitude from B&H?
I've spent over 10K with them last year alone....you'd think one
could get a friendly rep on the phone now, wouldn't ya?

Matt

 

[Ulysses]

I will say that when you call them, they're not chatty. They
answer your question and that's it. I think that is partly NYC
attitude, and probably mostly they're just busy.

Awwww, c'mon, man. I'm originally from down South (the home of hospitality). If anyone had reason to complain, it would be someone like me. But having been here in NY for nearly 10 years, I understand it here, like it here, and have my home here. It's not really any different than anywhere else, as far as manners and attitude go.

That said, the customer service rep isn't intended to be our "brother".

We've been on the phone with B&H just about every two days. They DO chat with us. We talk about business. They know us. And they have record of our calls and any issues we've discussed in the past with them.

From what I see, you can sometimes pretty much get back what you dish out. If the original poster was impatient and rash, then it's possible that he got an ineperienced person on the phone or someone who had simply been through a difficult day. Whatever the case, it seems more the exception than the rule.

--

Ulysses
http://www.ulyssesphotography.com

 

[John Mackintosh]

The guy on the phone was so rude, he just said "look I don't know
what to tell you, if you wanna cancel the order, I'll cancel it for
you right now if you want."

Go VISIT New York City sometime. It'll make more sense to you
then. You're probably just miffed that the guy on the phone wasn't
as obsequious as your average Pacific Rim "service" agent.
--
[ e d @ h a l l e y . c c ] http://www.halley.cc/pix/

 

[John Mackintosh]

"It's not really any different than anywhere else, as far as manners and attitude go."

Ulysses, I'm sure you'll get a lot of disagreements with you on this, even from New Yorkers.
John

I will say that when you call them, they're not chatty. They
answer your question and that's it. I think that is partly NYC
attitude, and probably mostly they're just busy.

Awwww, c'mon, man. I'm originally from down South (the home of
hospitality). If anyone had reason to complain, it would be someone
like me. But having been here in NY for nearly 10 years, I
understand it here, like it here, and have my home here. It's not
really any different than anywhere else, as far as manners and
attitude go.

That said, the customer service rep isn't intended to be our
"brother".

We've been on the phone with B&H just about every two days. They DO
chat with us. We talk about business. They know us. And they have
record of our calls and any issues we've discussed in the past with
them.

From what I see, you can sometimes pretty much get back what you
dish out. If the original poster was impatient and rash, then it's
possible that he got an ineperienced person on the phone or someone
who had simply been through a difficult day. Whatever the case, it
seems more the exception than the rule.

--

Ulysses
http://www.ulyssesphotography.com

 

[John Mackintosh]

" I think the dealers that are phoning customers with good news are

doing so because they have actually received bodies (or KNOW they
are on the way). Once they have the goods (or, say, a tracking
number) it's easy to say, "Your camera will ship tomorrow." I bet
none of those dealers could have given an exact ETA last week."

I completely agree. But if some dealers are getting this info, and passing it along to their customers, how come the giant, B&H, doesn't? Are they really in the dark?
John

I shop at B&H and many local stores and I've had this conversation
with many camera sales reps. They really don't know. Sometimes
when they are receiving regular shipments they can make educated
guesses, but in the case of a new product they are as much in the
dark as we are.

It's not just Canon, either. It's common practice for a store to
put in their order and wait for it to arrive with little or no
communication from the manufacturer.

I don't think the smaller dealers employ physics either. But many
of them (smaller dealers than B&H) seem to have the "when" info.
I've read several posts today of people, in the U.S., getting info
from their dealers that their 1D2 is in, or will be in in a day or
2, or has been shipped to the customer. Why doesn't B&H have info
like this?
John

 

[tominboston]

I wasn't really complaining. The few times I've needed to call them, they were professional and answered my question. That was fine with me. But, as others have said, they're not into hand holding and trying to make you feel good. If you want someone to say "have a nice day" to you, B&H probably isn't your kind of place.

That is really my point. When B&H gets their shipment of 1DIIs, they'll ship them to those who preordered. But they're not going to spend 15 minutes on the phone with each customer discussing the status of their order and reassuring them.

Tom

I will say that when you call them, they're not chatty. They
answer your question and that's it. I think that is partly NYC
attitude, and probably mostly they're just busy.

Awwww, c'mon, man. I'm originally from down South (the home of
hospitality). If anyone had reason to complain, it would be someone
like me. But having been here in NY for nearly 10 years, I
understand it here, like it here, and have my home here. It's not
really any different than anywhere else, as far as manners and
attitude go.

That said, the customer service rep isn't intended to be our
"brother".

We've been on the phone with B&H just about every two days. They DO
chat with us. We talk about business. They know us. And they have
record of our calls and any issues we've discussed in the past with
them.

From what I see, you can sometimes pretty much get back what you
dish out. If the original poster was impatient and rash, then it's
possible that he got an ineperienced person on the phone or someone
who had simply been through a difficult day. Whatever the case, it
seems more the exception than the rule.

--

Ulysses
http://www.ulyssesphotography.com

 

[Mitch G.]

That's pretty funny. Ritz is notorious for giving out wonderful "information", places in line, etc., and then renigging on each and every assurance that they give the customer. This is PRECISELY why places like B&H don't give any of that information out . . . if they don't have any information on which they can rely, they don't give it out . . . PERIOD!

Which is more frustrating . . . getting no information, or getting unreliable information? "I don't know" is a perfectly acceptable answer to any question, if they really don't know!

M.G.

I don't mind waiting...... I do understand the camera is just now
being released..... I just thought the guy could have been more
friendly and had a better attitude. His willingness to try and help
or sooth my wound as a customer was nil. When I called
Ritzcamera.com (the other place I ordered from pretty early), I was
not only told exactly where I stand in line, but got excellent
customer service. I was not promised a date their either, but the
guy could at least hold a conversation without being a prick.

waiting is not the issues...that's on Canon...but when I spent
nearly $5000 (after tax) in your store the least you could do is
show me some respect. This is what my paying or non paying
customers expect from my business...why should it be different
anywhere else???

Matt

 

[Mitch G.]

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1032&message=8497120

MG

 

[RickS170293]

I don't know about "obsequious", but (we can only assume from the attitude he displays in this thread) he seems to feel that since he spent $5,000, he should get his butt kissed by an anonymous person, that probably doesn't know him from Adam (not AdamT), and has likely spent the last 3 weeks taking similar phone calls from 100 people a day.

I can only imagine working for B&H right now (or being a Canon Rep also).

"hello, B&H - how can I help you today?"

"Hi, yeah - uh, I bought a MarkII and paid in full about a month & 1/2 ago - Chuck Westfall says they're shipping now, is mine ready to go?"

"No sir, they're not in yet, and Canon hasn't notified us exactly when, or how many we're getting".

"HEY, how could you take my money, and not be able to tell me when I'm getting my camera? This is bull*&$%, why don't you just tell me when they're coming in."

"look I don't know what to tell you, if you wanna cancel the order, I'll cancel it for you right now if you want."

"WAAAAAAH, I don't want a refund, I want my MarkII".

CLICK...

What do you want dude? Maybe the salesman should figure out how to pull EVERY MarkII pre-order from the system, and then sort them by order number to tell you what place you are on "the list".

I wonder if B&H records calls for "training & customer service"? Be really cool if he posts the "MarkII Greatest Hits", of impatient customers. I'd love to hear this guys call. Sounds like his salesman is not the only one with a BAD ATTITUDE.

My shop has a list of 20. Probably 5 of them (ok - ME and 4 others) are calling almost daily to check the status. There's no shipping & receiving dept, no cc verification dept, just 3 guys running a store. I get the SAME ANSWER you're getting from the B&H Megastore. Sorry Rick, Canon Rep hasn't told us ****. We'll call you when it gets here, or call & check back. And I OFFERED to pay in full when I put my name on the list. They don't do that, couldn't even FORCE them to take my $$.

CHILL OUT AND WAIT like everyone else, or cancel your order and get a refund if you like. Just QUIT WHINING like a CHILD. We ALL want our MarkII and we're ALL in the same boat.

Rick

The guy on the phone was so rude, he just said "look I don't know
what to tell you, if you wanna cancel the order, I'll cancel it for
you right now if you want."

Go VISIT New York City sometime. It'll make more sense to you
then. You're probably just miffed that the guy on the phone wasn't
as obsequious as your average Pacific Rim "service" agent.
--
[ e d @ h a l l e y . c c ] http://www.halley.cc/pix/

 

[John Mackintosh]

Hi Dave,
Yes, it's been a year. How have you been?

What's old news to you, Teski, and others could be new news to many others. You can tell from the lead title on this thread that it is a knock on B&H. If you don't want to hear it, you don't have to read it. Just go on to another topic. But I, and others, have the right to discuss it. It's called freedom of speech.

While I don't agree with B&H's prepay policy, I do purchase some products from them. Certainly not prepay products. Last year I purchased 2 10Ds, but not from them. This year I have 2 1D2s on order. Again, not from them. But that doesn't mean I won't buy from them in the future. I just don't think it's good business for me, the consumer, to prepay for something, and not know when I'll get it, if I don't have to. So, my dislike is not with B&H, it is with their prepay policy.

Dave, you have the right to disagree with what I say, and please correct me if I'm wrong, but please don't ask me to stop talking.
I hope all is well with you.
John

"been waiting patiently like the rest of the world."
The rest of the world hasn't paid for the camera in full.

Histrorically, John, you have really shown a dislike for B&H. Going
back a year now, I think. Why don't you just give it a rest ?

Don't do business with them, fine, but there's no reason to try to
show to everyone that does like B&H that they are wrong to like
B&H.

It's just getting tiresome after, what ? 12 months now ?

 

[John Mackintosh]

"No sir, they're not in yet, and Canon hasn't notified us exactly when, or how many we're getting".

That's hard to believe since several smaller dealers have been notified by Canon. Where do you get this info from?
John

I can only imagine working for B&H right now (or being a Canon Rep
also).

"hello, B&H - how can I help you today?"

"Hi, yeah - uh, I bought a MarkII and paid in full about a month &
1/2 ago - Chuck Westfall says they're shipping now, is mine ready
to go?"

"No sir, they're not in yet, and Canon hasn't notified us exactly
when, or how many we're getting".

"HEY, how could you take my money, and not be able to tell me when
I'm getting my camera? This is bull*&$%, why don't you just tell
me when they're coming in."

"look I don't know what to tell you, if you wanna cancel the order,
I'll cancel it for you right now if you want."

"WAAAAAAH, I don't want a refund, I want my MarkII".

CLICK...

What do you want dude? Maybe the salesman should figure out how to
pull EVERY MarkII pre-order from the system, and then sort them by
order number to tell you what place you are on "the list".

I wonder if B&H records calls for "training & customer service"?
Be really cool if he posts the "MarkII Greatest Hits", of impatient
customers. I'd love to hear this guys call. Sounds like his
salesman is not the only one with a BAD ATTITUDE.

My shop has a list of 20. Probably 5 of them (ok - ME and 4
others) are calling almost daily to check the status. There's no
shipping & receiving dept, no cc verification dept, just 3 guys
running a store. I get the SAME ANSWER you're getting from the B&H
Megastore. Sorry Rick, Canon Rep hasn't told us ****. We'll call
you when it gets here, or call & check back. And I OFFERED to pay
in full when I put my name on the list. They don't do that,
couldn't even FORCE them to take my $$.

CHILL OUT AND WAIT like everyone else, or cancel your order and get
a refund if you like. Just QUIT WHINING like a CHILD. We ALL want
our MarkII and we're ALL in the same boat.

Rick

The guy on the phone was so rude, he just said "look I don't know
what to tell you, if you wanna cancel the order, I'll cancel it for
you right now if you want."

Go VISIT New York City sometime. It'll make more sense to you
then. You're probably just miffed that the guy on the phone wasn't
as obsequious as your average Pacific Rim "service" agent.
--
[ e d @ h a l l e y . c c ] http://www.halley.cc/pix/

 

[John Mackintosh]

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1032&message=8497120

MG

 

[joeyjoejoe]

Why is it most other retailers can tell you an estimated time
period of when you will actually have the camera...

Because most retailers are full of you know what.

It seems a lot of people confuse good customer service with good butt kissing. If B&H has no idea when they are getting the cameras in, I appreciate the fact they will tell me. I'd rather hear an honest "we have no friggen idea" than some bs artist make false promises. I'm guessing that people who live outside of the northeast are sometimes surprise how obnoxious New Yorkers naturally are

--
Dr. Joey Joe Joe Jr. Shabado

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Why is it most other retailers can tell you an estimated time
period of when you will actually have the camera...

Because most retailers are full of you know what.

It seems a lot of people confuse good customer service with good
butt kissing. If B&H has no idea when they are getting the cameras
in, I appreciate the fact they will tell me. I'd rather hear an
honest "we have no friggen idea" than some bs artist make false
promises. I'm guessing that people who live outside of the
northeast are sometimes surprise how obnoxious New Yorkers
naturally are

--I just called to check on my order , The guy coul not have been any nicer to me. It all depends on how You ask and what YOU say. They are not in yet and should be within a week and his comment was we usally will get a boat load in and my order not knowing exactly were I sit that I am very close to the top of the list given my customer number and there should be no problem filling my order on the first load. Very Pleasant but maybe because I was very pleasant and said immediately , i know you are getting tons of calls but I figured I should check also and I know they are shipping elsewhere. It is all in the approach, so stop whining and learn how to address someone. You get what you give out

Dr. Joey Joe Joe Jr. Shabado

--
GUY

 

[tominboston]

Give me a straight answer over butt kissing any day. B&H has good credibility (at least with me). If they say it hasn't arrived yet, it's because it hasn't arrived yet.

Tom

Why is it most other retailers can tell you an estimated time
period of when you will actually have the camera...

Because most retailers are full of you know what.

It seems a lot of people confuse good customer service with good
butt kissing. If B&H has no idea when they are getting the cameras
in, I appreciate the fact they will tell me. I'd rather hear an
honest "we have no friggen idea" than some bs artist make false
promises. I'm guessing that people who live outside of the
northeast are sometimes surprise how obnoxious New Yorkers
naturally are

--
Dr. Joey Joe Joe Jr. Shabado

 

[sasha197411]

Why is it most other retailers can tell you an estimated time
period of when you will actually have the camera...

Because most retailers are full of you know what.

It seems a lot of people confuse good customer service with good
butt kissing. If B&H has no idea when they are getting the cameras
in, I appreciate the fact they will tell me. I'd rather hear an
honest "we have no friggen idea" than some bs artist make false
promises. I'm guessing that people who live outside of the
northeast are sometimes surprise how obnoxious New Yorkers
naturally are

--I just called to check on my order , The guy coul not have been any nicer to me. It all depends on how You ask and what YOU say. They are not in yet and should be within a week and his comment was we usally will get a boat load in and my order not knowing exactly were I sit that I am very close to the top of the list given my customer number and there should be no problem filling my order on the first load. Very Pleasant but maybe because I was very pleasant and said immediately , i know you are getting tons of calls but I figured I should check also and I know they are shipping elsewhere. It is all in the approach, so stop whining and learn how to address someone. You get what you give out

Dr. Joey Joe Joe Jr. Shabado

--
GUY

 

[tominboston]

If you're a small dealer and ordered five MkIIs, I suspect Canon might be able to give you an answer on when they are going to be shipped. But B&H, like other high volume dealers, has probably ordered hundreds of these cameras. Canon has to spread out the supply over the universe of dealers, so the B&H order gets filled over a period of weeks. I'm going to guess B&H isn't on the phone to Canon every day asking about their order. They just ship out whatever comes in -- probably in the order the orignal sales were made.

Tom

I can only imagine working for B&H right now (or being a Canon Rep
also).

"hello, B&H - how can I help you today?"

"Hi, yeah - uh, I bought a MarkII and paid in full about a month &
1/2 ago - Chuck Westfall says they're shipping now, is mine ready
to go?"

"No sir, they're not in yet, and Canon hasn't notified us exactly
when, or how many we're getting".

"HEY, how could you take my money, and not be able to tell me when
I'm getting my camera? This is bull*&$%, why don't you just tell
me when they're coming in."

"look I don't know what to tell you, if you wanna cancel the order,
I'll cancel it for you right now if you want."

"WAAAAAAH, I don't want a refund, I want my MarkII".

CLICK...

What do you want dude? Maybe the salesman should figure out how to
pull EVERY MarkII pre-order from the system, and then sort them by
order number to tell you what place you are on "the list".

I wonder if B&H records calls for "training & customer service"?
Be really cool if he posts the "MarkII Greatest Hits", of impatient
customers. I'd love to hear this guys call. Sounds like his
salesman is not the only one with a BAD ATTITUDE.

My shop has a list of 20. Probably 5 of them (ok - ME and 4
others) are calling almost daily to check the status. There's no
shipping & receiving dept, no cc verification dept, just 3 guys
running a store. I get the SAME ANSWER you're getting from the B&H
Megastore. Sorry Rick, Canon Rep hasn't told us ****. We'll call
you when it gets here, or call & check back. And I OFFERED to pay
in full when I put my name on the list. They don't do that,
couldn't even FORCE them to take my $$.

CHILL OUT AND WAIT like everyone else, or cancel your order and get
a refund if you like. Just QUIT WHINING like a CHILD. We ALL want
our MarkII and we're ALL in the same boat.

Rick

The guy on the phone was so rude, he just said "look I don't know
what to tell you, if you wanna cancel the order, I'll cancel it for
you right now if you want."

Go VISIT New York City sometime. It'll make more sense to you
then. You're probably just miffed that the guy on the phone wasn't
as obsequious as your average Pacific Rim "service" agent.
--
[ e d @ h a l l e y . c c ] http://www.halley.cc/pix/

 

[MCR216126]

I live in NY..... Waaaaaa back to you. People like you are pathetic with your false assumptions. Go away will ya!