And as I said, some are simply piling on B&H for their own agenda and nothing to do with supporting your issue.
Peace 😎
Talk about an agenda...look who's cheerleading B&H along here. Seems to me Henry could have stepped in long ago and did the right thing...refund the money immediately. This would have all been solved.
EB-1 wrote:
If I blamed and blacklisted every store for the faults of Fedex/UPS/USPS I'd not have anywhere left to buy.
EBH
Have you actually read this entire thread. Yes, there are delays by Fedex due to the storm...but that is NOT the issues the OP had with B&H. Please read again to fully understand what the issues are that we are discussing. It is NOT the delay by Fedex.
Yes, I did. Typically the second shipment would be after the Fedex finds the items and initiates sending it back to the store or when the customer orders a second unit. If the store sends a second unit first then the customer may end up with two units.
EB-1 wrote:
Yes, I did. Typically the second shipment would be after the Fedex finds the items and initiates sending it back to the store or when the customer orders a second unit. If the store sends a second unit first then the customer may end up with two units.
If that happens, the customer sends the extra one back to the vendor.
What you're talking about is not at all my experience. This is honestly the only time in my 24+ year history of ordering equipment online that I've been refused a re-ship with a package that's more than a week overdue. Especially when the package was overdue leaving the vendor on top of the shipping delay. Anything less is just not very good customer service.
Your "typical" situation in the case of a lost package would mean the customer never got the package... because if FedEx never finds the item, FedEx can't send it back to the store. Also, why should it be my responsibility as the customer to order a second unit at my expense and then sit around and wait for the previous package to either finally make it (at which point I have to pay to send it back), or be so irretrievably lost that the vendor finally decides to return my funds? That's just silly.
It's also counter to B&H's own policies that say that they will reship "right away" once a package has missed its original delivery date by a day.
So, sorry... you're just wrong in this case. What should have happened:
B&H was late getting it out. FedEx had a weather-related delay. Because I'd already waited a week past the item's promised date, B&H should have re-shipped the item when they said they would (the day after the day after it was originally late). At that point, the could initiate a recall on the package sitting in Memphis and ideally get it back. If it did get delivered to me, they send me a prepaid label to send it back.
That's how it's worked with every other vendor I've ever had this kind of thing happen with. It doesn't happen very often (maybe a half-dozen times over two decades), but I've never had a vendor refuse a reship... even if the package is eventually found.
That said, I've received the package (I'm actually kind of impressed that FedEx rolled a truck to deliver it on a Sunday.) and while it does leave a sour taste in my mouth, I have no outstanding issue with B&H or FedEx... so we can probably let this thread die.
I will email them (so that there is written record) that you request them to recall the package because it's already late, and no longer meets the need. To be double safe, I will put a note at my door telling fedex when it comes that I want to refuse delivery and ask it to be returned to sender.
Basically, if I don't intend to have the item anymore, I will avoid touching it even just temporarily. If you receive and then return it, it's a completely different game, and you are at their mercy regarding how soon you will get refunded, whether there is claim of item being damaged, etc.
On the CC side, if you need the money, you can make a quick call to AMEX to dispute. They will put the charge on the side before you have to dispute in writing. If you don't care loaning them the money, then there is still quite some time to dispute later, and I would imagine it probably will get resolved before the deadline.
TENOG wrote:
Who is this Henry guy? Is he some kind of company rep assigned to FM customers?
I've been with B&H since April of 1994. Among other things I do, I monitor customer feedback via forums, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Once upon a time I was also active in rec.photo Usenet newgroups. When possible I try to defuse dissatisfaction and cut red tape. I started participating here during 2003. My background as a professional photographer and the connections I have through B&H often give me the ability to assist others here in one way or another.
I've had 3 similar experiences with B&H. They advertise expedited two day shipping on the Rotolight Titan X1. Order by Weds at 3:00pm and receive by Sat. So I did. 7 days later, the light still hadn't shipped. Then when it finally arrived they didn't ship the cables. Try to use Chat function for Customer Service, no response. Send an email and I just get "we are very sorry to hear this". I ask to have a supervisor call me. I'm told I have to call them and ask for a Supervisor. I have been doing business with them for over a decade, I have never seen them perform this poorly.
mikek61 wrote:
I've had 3 similar experiences with B&H. They advertise expedited two day shipping on the Rotolight Titan X1. Order by Weds at 3:00pm and receive by Sat. So I did. 7 days later, the light still hadn't shipped. Then when it finally arrived they didn't ship the cables. Try to use Chat function for Customer Service, no response. Send an email and I just get "we are very sorry to hear this". I ask to have a supervisor call me. I'm told I have to call them and ask for a Supervisor. I have been doing business with them for over a decade, I have never seen them perform this poorly. ...Show more →
The order we received after 7:30pm on 02/24/21 was also shipped brand new and unopened on 03/01/21 and delivered on 03/03/21. We were closed 02/26 & 02/27. 03/01 was the third business day. We regret and apologize for the delay, caused in part by ongoing pandemic issues and in part by extensive weather related service interruptions which were nationwide.
Please let me know which cables are missing so we can address this issue. Reference order 885265149.
henryp wrote:
I've been with B&H since April of 1994. Among other things I do, I monitor customer feedback via forums, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Once upon a time I was also active in rec.photo Usenet newgroups. When possible I try to defuse dissatisfaction and cut red tape. I started participating here during 2003. My background as a professional photographer and the connections I have through B&H often give me the ability to assist others here in one way or another.
henryp wrote:
The order we received after 7:30pm on 02/24/21 was also shipped brand new and unopened on 03/01/21 and delivered on 03/03/21. We were closed 02/26 & 02/27. 03/01 was the third business day. We regret and apologize for the delay, caused in part by ongoing pandemic issues and in part by extensive weather related service interruptions which were nationwide.
Please let me know which cables are missing so we can address this issue. Reference order 885265149.
Henry, thank you for posting this. I won't beat a dead horse. But the order was not shipped when your website said it would be. As a side note, I did contact B&H about the cables and I received no response from CS. I ended up contacting Rotolight and they already shipped the cables that are missing. As a side note, I have an open request for an RMA since last Thurs at 9:47am and I haven't received approval yet. I know I am spoiled by what B&H used to do, but I never waited more than 24 hours for a return approval. Most approvals happened in a few hours.
mikek61 wrote:
As a side note, I have an open request for an RMA since last Thurs at 9:47am and I haven't received approval yet. I know I am spoiled by what B&H used to do, but I never waited more than 24 hours for a return approval. Most approvals happened in a few hours.
I'd need the relevant B&H order number to check your RMA request.
Henry, I really do appreciate your willingness to help. After a second request, the RMA came through this morning. I just need to reset my expectations until things get back to normal. I know the pandemic is causing some of this, but I also know that its not the only cause. So I hope B&H can do whatever is required in order to return to prior service levels. Thanks again for your responsiveness.
