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Archive 2022 · B&H Canadian orders

andyptak
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · B&H Canadian orders

B&H used to use Fedex to Canada and it was flawless. Now they use UPS and even though I always tick the box to have B&H arrange shipping, customs and taxes and include them in my final bill, UPS always ding me with (bogus) additional charges. B&H Customer Service claim they don't know what I'm talking about and for some reason think they use DHL. I can't get it through to them that it doesn't work that way. I sent an item back for warranty repair last week - not B&H related - and it was returned to me clearly marked "customer's item being returned after warranty repair". There was a value of $250 on the package for shipping insurance purposes. UPS charged me $71 to clear the item through customs even when that wasn't required. They've been working this BS for years and it's really gotten to me to the point where I don't buy from B&H anymore - and I want to. Anyone else have this experience?

Aug 02, 2022 at 03:31 PM

ftllens
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · B&H Canadian orders

Not sure if this is applicable at all: https://clearit.ca/canadian-customs-broker-blog/canada-customs-duty-refund/

You can actually contest UPS/DHL/FEDEX if you provide the right exemption codes with all other documents. Unless it's France, which hit me with a 50% duty fee lol

Worth a shot

Aug 02, 2022 at 03:55 PM

bjhurley
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · B&H Canadian orders

I think the UPS charges the OP is referring to are their brokerage fees, though, not actually duty or taxes. UPS to my knowledge charges by far the highest brokerage fees of any carrier in Canada and I avoid them when possible for that reason. CBSA will not refund brokerage or other fees.

I haven't ordered anything from B&H in a year or so, but my past experiences were all great: no additional fees levied. Sounds like it's different now, which is too bad.

Aug 02, 2022 at 04:46 PM

Dave Sanders
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · B&H Canadian orders

I've always used their "Pre-Pay" option where you pay all customs, duties and taxes in advance and I've never been dinged after-the-fact. With B&H, it's not that I don't pay them, it's that I know what they are and pay them advance.

That said, Brokerage fees will be charged by most of the couriers, and some are worse than others. The fees vary by type of service you've paid for as well. Some of the higher level, high speed services include brokerage in their price. Others don't.

It's a pain in the butt, and there's not really a way around it if you're honest about the contents of your package and its value.

Aug 02, 2022 at 04:52 PM

andyptak
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · B&H Canadian orders

It is the so called "brokerage fees" which are a rip off for doing nothing when I have already prepaid B&H. Fedex don't do this. They just deliver my goods with a smile.

Aug 02, 2022 at 06:16 PM

Lotuselite
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · B&H Canadian orders

Maybe not completely on topic but the number of items these days that are,
"No shipping to Canada" is making the point moot for my dealings with B&H.

I agree with the OP's observation about UPS.
I have also encountered the UPS demands about "Brokerage", (when I have had B&H handle applicable
Canadian taxes, Federal GST and Provincial Sales ), and after arguing with them they will agree that they should not be due. It can take more than one argument though as the reminders seem to be computer generated.
All in all the combo of No shipping to Canada and UPS has me looking elsewhere more than I like,disappointing.

Edited on Aug 02, 2022 at 06:59 PM · View previous versions

Aug 02, 2022 at 06:34 PM

andyptak
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · B&H Canadian orders

I agree. I like(d) buying from B&H but not under these circumstances. I called their Customer Service twice, thinking I'd get a different person and hopefully a different story, but they were clueless about this and didn't care. I wish there was a way of going higher up the ladder there because I am sure they have no idea this is going on. So far this year I've spent $12K elsewhere because of this and I'm sure others must have similar stories. I think B&H managment would care that they're missing out on these sales.

Aug 02, 2022 at 06:42 PM

Lotuselite
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · B&H Canadian orders

Aug 02, 2022 at 07:11 PM

araudan
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · B&H Canadian orders

Aug 02, 2022 at 09:32 PM

Lotuselite
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · B&H Canadian orders

I just purchased a used lens from B&H within the last month. I didn't experience any additional fees. I did use the pre-pay option as mentioned elsewhere in this thread. Double checking the most recent order and it shows as UPS Canada Direct. The order shipped and was delivered quickly and without incident.

Good to hear. Surprise UPS brokerage fees in this house have not been confined to B&H. My wife had an ongoing dialog with them with for brokerage for a shipment that was supposed to be prepaid with collected taxes by the vendor.
After a fair number of dunning contacts from UPS she was inclined to ignore them.
I convinced her to resolve it to avoid potential collection and credit rating difficulties and she was finally able to convince a human being at UPS who cleared the "Outstanding" fees.
I will only use UPS if I have no other options and it is important enough.

Aug 02, 2022 at 11:18 PM

andyptak
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · B&H Canadian orders

araudin - I wonder how that happened? I have always used the pre-pay option for less hassle and since the B&H switch to UPS it has been nothing but hassle - and bogus expenses. I really wish there was a way of letting B&H managment know about this. If I was them I'd be really pissed.

Aug 03, 2022 at 07:10 AM

molson
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · B&H Canadian orders

ftllens wrote:
Not sure if this is applicable at all: https://clearit.ca/canadian-customs-broker-blog/canada-customs-duty-refund/

You can actually contest UPS/DHL/FEDEX if you provide the right exemption codes with all other documents. Unless it's France, which hit me with a 50% duty fee lol

Worth a shot

B&H no longer provides the paperwork necessary to claim back the phoney charges.

Aug 03, 2022 at 08:55 AM

molson
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · B&H Canadian orders

andyptak wrote:
araudin - I wonder how that happened? I have always used the pre-pay option for less hassle and since the B&H switch to UPS it has been nothing but hassle - and bogus expenses. I really wish there was a way of letting B&H managment know about this. If I was them I'd be really pissed.

I have contacted B&H about this numerous times, and they don't really care.

No matter how diligent a customer is about specifying that the customs clearance charges are to be pre-paid, B&H often still ships items with duty and brokerage owing. Most often this happens if one or more of your items is not in stock (or even if B&H mistakenly thinks it's not in stock) - this automatically switches your chosen shipping method to the default method with the customs charges COD. You have to watch after your order is placed, and if you see anything changed to "not in stock" you have to immediately cancel your order and try again later. B&H has known about this issue for over a year but still has done nothing to fix it.

If you're buying multiple items, it's best to purchase them one at a time on individual orders to avoid the surprise extra charges.

Edited on Aug 03, 2022 at 09:03 AM · View previous versions

Aug 03, 2022 at 08:55 AM

rdeloe
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · B&H Canadian orders

You can act as your own broker, even if a courier is the shipper. I can't be bothered, but it's an option that makes sense for people who receive a lot of international parcels in Canada.

Shipping from B&H can be miserable in general, and it's worse since the switch to UPS. I can't stand UPS.

I ordered a lot of large sized paper from B&H recently and it arrived with damage because they crammed it all in one box that was so heavy I could barely lift it off the front porch into my house. Needless to say there wasn't enough packing material and the box was crushed and crumpled in the hands of UPS. The paper itself was OK so I didn't pursue it further beyond complaining to B&H, who blamed UPS even though it was B&H that overloaded the box.

Aug 03, 2022 at 09:02 AM

Steve Spencer
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · B&H Canadian orders

andyptak wrote:
B&H used to use Fedex to Canada and it was flawless. Now they use UPS and even though I always tick the box to have B&H arrange shipping, customs and taxes and include them in my final bill, UPS always ding me with (bogus) additional charges. B&H Customer Service claim they don't know what I'm talking about and for some reason think they use DHL. I can't get it through to them that it doesn't work that way. I sent an item back for warranty repair last week - not B&H related - and it was returned to me...Show more →

I never know if it is UPS or Canadian Customs that are causing the extra charges. Canadian customs is very inconsistent in when they add additional charges and when they do not, but in my experience UPS is the worst service to Canada. That said my last purchase from B & H sent to Canada two months ago led to no extra charges, but I have often been given extra charges for customs clearance. It is always a crap shoot in my experience. Oddly, I have always found USPS (the good old US Postal service) to be the least likely to result in extra charges. In fact, I don't believe I have ever had extra charges when I ship with USPS.

Aug 03, 2022 at 09:57 AM

pizdets17
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · B&H Canadian orders

i have a 4 lens order on the way, should be here by Friday. I hope I won't get dinged, it is UPS. Will report

Aug 03, 2022 at 11:41 AM

bjhurley
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · B&H Canadian orders

Steve Spencer wrote:
Oddly, I have always found USPS (the good old US Postal service) to be the least likely to result in extra charges. In fact, I don't believe I have ever had extra charges when I ship with USPS.

It seems totally random. When I order things that are shipped via postal service, sometimes I'll get a notice from Canada Post that money is due on a parcel and I have to go pick it up and pay. Other times, and even with more expensive purchases, the parcel is dropped off at my door, no charges. Just today I received an ND filter from Formatt-Hitech in the UK that was shipped by mail; it cost me about $180 but Canada Post didn't charge any taxes or duties. It's unpredictable.

Aug 03, 2022 at 11:55 AM

arbitrage
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · B&H Canadian orders

FWIW, just received a package from B&H via UPS. Had opted for the B&H prepay option. There were no additional charges on delivery.

Aug 04, 2022 at 08:32 AM

andyptak
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · B&H Canadian orders

arbitrage wrote:
FWIW, just received a package from B&H via UPS. Had opted for the B&H prepay option. There were no additional charges on delivery.

What the

? Has this happened before?

Aug 04, 2022 at 08:39 AM

arbitrage
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · B&H Canadian orders

andyptak wrote:
What the

? Has this happened before?

Until last week, I haven't ordered from B&H since 2014 or so...so I don't know.

I know a friend ordered a few months ago so I could ask him if he got charged anything extra. Back when the 200-600 hit the market another friend ordered him and myself a 200-600 lens foot and I don't recall him asking me for any additional money due to extra charges...but I don't know for sure what shipping method was used or the details.

Aug 04, 2022 at 08:44 AM

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