Inventory Questions for B&H

[Jeremy Z]

fmw, If you go back and read the original post, I was asking whether this was foul play. I misused the term bait & switch; I apologize. I tried to change the title of the post after you pointed this out originally, but I can't, sorry.

I have gotten several posts from people I trust (TPF members) that say B&H has always done them right. I knew ahead of time that B&H is generally well-respected. I'm glad to hear that they have earned the confidence of TPFers.

It struck me as odd that the computer-based stock system showed it as in-stock (and this was after midnight, EST) then it was magically out of stock the next day. Thinking about it, they probably sold one first thing in the morning in their brick & mortar store before the order was packed.

If I was trying to hurt B&H, I would have cancelled the order and come here raving about it, rather than asking if anyone else has had this problem. Since this is not commonplace at B&H by our members' experience, I will let the order stand and see how it goes.

What I have done here is perfectly fair to B&H. I encountered something that made me suspicious because of a previous encounter with another big New York camera shop. Since B&H generally seems to have a good reputation, I asked about it here to either alleviate or confirm suspicion.

Thanks for the feedback fellas.

 

[darich]

Jeremy

I've bought equipment from them in person at their store - an impressive place indeed.
I've ordered stuff online with no problems
i ordered stuff which exceeded the credit limit they can accept without the customer being present - it was $1500 limit - i was ordering around $4500 of gear.
i phoned them after my bank wired the money and they were so helpful and courteous. The money arrived and they duly sent the gear to a friend's workplace in San Francisco where i picked it up a few days later.

An awesome shop and I'd recommend them every time.

I'm pretty sure it was an honest mistake - did they bill your card when they realised it was out of stock?
I'm sure everything will be cool.

incidentally, no 50mm yet so that's why i haven't left feedback but i will once it arrives.

 

[BAB]

I too have made numerous purchases from B&H and never a problem and only great service. Sounds to me like nothing more than a simple mistake and that can happen to anyone.

 

[Pyrex]

you'll never know, and you'll never be able to prove it since you rely on them as the sole verification that it was/wasn't in stock.

 

[Jeremy Z]

I got a reply email from B&H today, I'm pretty happy about it:

"We apologize that the item you ordered was not in stock. Our computer stock information is 99% accurate. Unfortunately in your case the computer indicated that it was in stock, when in fact our stock of this item was depleted.

Our purchasing agent will forward your backorder inquiry to our Supplier/Manufacturer for an update on its status. As soon as we receive a response from them, we will forward this information to you. We apologize for this delay and for any inconvenience this has caused you.

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Thank you, [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Your B&H Team"[/FONT]


They passed the test with regards to replying to customer emails within 48 hours. It is my personal policy to reply to emails within one business day; I'm glad to see B&H can manage this too!

Sounds like an honest mistake. Unless it takes more than a month for them to get it to me or it is packed poorly, I'll be pretty happy with them.

 

[rmh159]

Good to hear.

As you can imagine that type of store has stuff coming and going constantly and to be 100% accurate is tough. I think Wal-Mart is one of the only retailers that electronically deducts a product from inventory the instant it's scanned as a sold item (and that was pretty revolutionary) so it's not a surprise to hear about companies having inventory control issues.

 

[LWW]

I've been buying from B&H for 20 years without issue, and in prices ranging from film to items that cost as much as a used car. I've bought new, used, and collectible from them.

I wasn't a party to the transaction, but if I was I would have to give them the benefit of a doubt based on my experience.

It's always frustrating when a mistake happens to you, but shiite happens...just a fact of life.

LWW

 

[montresor]

Have had good luck with B&H, never tried Adorama. Also good experience with KEH, which has a very good selection of older stuff, if that's what you're looking for.

 

[theusher]

B&H is one of the only decent retailers for cameras in NY. I just recently received my D80 Body only which was out of stock there for the longest time. I got an email it was in stock, ordered it, 1 day later received it. They didn't try to run warranty scams, bait and switch me, or anything else. Stand up company IMO. I might even go into the store today and get me a crumpler. :-D

Sometimes stock systems aren't exactly real time, you just have to deal with it.

 

[henryp]

B&H has been in business for more than 1/2 century and is one of the most respected and reliable mail order/on-line sellers in the industry.

Thanks for your kind words. To keep the record accurate, we opened in the early 1970s, so "more than 1/2 century" may be a bit of a stretch, but it has been more than 30 years.

Replying briefly to Jeremy -- your worries are understandable, although your use of "Bait & Switch" was unfortunate and unncessary. Your order is in our system and we expect to hand your package over to UPS this afternoon or Monday.

No retailer's inventory system is perfect but we certainly strive to be error-free. While we may have erred from time to time, I don't believe ascribing pejoratives like "Bait & Switch" are deserved.

 

[Jeremy Z]

Hi Henry,

Thanks for taking the time to reply here. It kind of makes me feel like an ass for typing it in a moment of doubt/anger. I'll ask a moderator to change it.

On the other hand, it may have done your business some good, in a convoluted sort of way. (i.e. people raised their eyebrows at the title, came in to investigate, and confirmed that B&H is a stand-up place.) So I don't feel too bad. Just a little rash.

I hope you stick around, as you are a great amabassador for your business and for the hobby. In other fora I frequent, retailers do stick around. They help out and most often do not even mention or lend any bias to their employer. To be fair, they put indication of this link in their avatar & signature, as you have done. People see that the company cares and helps out without directly trying to sell their products. (which is annoying and doesn't usually have the intended effect anyhow)

Out of curiosity, was it my post that lured you in here? If so, that is another plus side to the unfortunate post title!

Also, thanks for the update regarding my order. If the package gets here as soon as indicated above, I will be a loyal B&H customer.

 

[fmw]

Thanks for your kind words. To keep the record accurate, we opened in the early 1970s, so "more than 1/2 century" may be a bit of a stretch, but it has been more than 30 years.

Only 30 years? I seem to remember ordering a Nikon F2 from your company in either 1972 or 73. I assumed at that time your company was a mature business. Apparently not. At any rate, I've given most of my business over the years to B&H in New York and Calumet in the Chicago area. Both have been excellent resources over the years. For many years some of the New York camera shops were about as shady as the law would allow. Some still are. B&H has always been above that sort of thing and, for that reason, has continued to grow and succeed. Nice to have you aboard, Henry.

 

[Chase]

Henry,

Welcome to the forum, we're happy to see you join us.

I'm going to go ahead and change the title of this thread to "Inventory Questions for B&H". I'd hate to see this thread with the old title pop up on any search engine results.

 

[henryp]

Henry,
Welcome to the forum, we're happy to see you join us.

Happy to be here.

I'm going to go ahead and change the title of this thread to "Inventory Questions for B&H". I'd hate to see this thread with the old title pop up on any search engine results.

Thank YOU. We really really appreciate this gesture.

 

[Jeremy Z]

I just received an email from B&H Customer Service.

"Jeremy,


The Kodak Easy Share P712 Digital Camera, is not
in
stock, so we put it on backorder.



B&H Photo Customer Service"


I've asked how long this is expected to be backordered. Awaiting response.