B&H photo in New York

[brian leisring]

Abel has always taken care of me when I go into their NY store. Charlie and Isaac are two salesman there that have been able to give me solutions to any issues I'm having. and Jeff in the Lens department just did a great declicking service on a Leica R set with a one day turnaround. Don't get me wrong I go to B&H as well for some things, and the people in their "studio" section actually know what their talking about as opposed to the normal floor people.

[HelenOster]

Ours is a different model from those other businesses. If you're looking for a box store with no personality and no interaction then we can try to do that for you as well. If you would like to deal with real people and consult on a purchase that will best suit your needs, then we strive to be helpful.

Don't want this to turn into an online battle of the retailers.... but I think I need to clarify; Adorama isn't a 'box store with no personality'. We are a family-owned and managed business - our founder still usually makes it into the office over the store. And I hope that my Internet presence on behalf of Adorama for almost 5 years - across over 600 photographic forums, Flickr groups and shopping sites + Twitter and Facebook - shows quite a LOT of interaction, actually!

And Henry from B&H (also a family business) has been doing something similar for far longer than I have!

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador
Helen@adorama.com

[N_Villers]

I have had good experience with B&H, Adorama and Abel. Bad experience with Amazon and Ebay.

[Peter Moretti]

Helen,

I'm sure that you and Henry are great. But when I'm put on hold for so long that the battery in my phone dies, and when I finally get thorough, I'm essentially told to go blow myself by a "customer service" rep AND their manager... well that's not a family I choose to deal with if I can avoid it.

I have no doubt that Henry has worked at B&H for a long time. Well I was a loyal customer since the 1970's when the store was 47th Street Photo. I would walk there with my sister from East 49th Street. From buying film when I was in middle school to top of the line cameras and lenses when I became an adult, 47th Street / B&H was the ONLY store for me. And I turned countless people on to it.

But even after explaining all this, I was told it was fine if I were lost as a customer. (Oh, and by the way, this was the THIRD time B&H had done something utterly outrageous. What's outrageous you ask? Well how about selling a piece software that was that was two versions old and from two years ago as the latest and greatest release? And I was told I could not return it b/c I had opened it. BTW, the maker of the software was so outraged that they immediately give me access to their FTP site so I could download the version that I should have bought. And they made it sound like this was not their first problem with B&H. But even after that experience I decided to give B&H another chance.)

So sorry Helen, but that is NOT the way a family run store treats its customers. I was talking to people who were part of huge machinery that could give a shit about me and all that I had purchased over the course of thirty years. As much as I believe that Henry does an exceptional job, IMHO, a real family owned businesses doesn't treat their customers as I was treated.


P.S. Anyway, I'm done commenting on this thread. I'm not looking for anything.

[henryp]

I have no doubt that Henry has worked at B&H for a long time.

I've been with B&H since April, 1994. Before that I was a full time photographer for 20+ years.

Well I was a loyal customer since the 1970's when the store was 47th Street Photo. I would walk there with my sister from East 49th Street. From buying film when I was in middle school to top of the line cameras and lenses when I became an adult, 47th Street / B&H was the ONLY store for me. And I turned countless people on to it.

B&H was NEVER 47th Street Photo. B&H Photo started as B&H Photo in 1973. There's never been anything called "47th Street / B&H," nor anything that could accurately be referred to as that.

[Wil Wong]

I like B&H and had many things shipped to me in Canada. I can't say what they're like if I receive something broken but everything I bought comes on time and is very efficient.

I do know that sometimes their web info on products is wrong but they take very good care at trying to keep it updated including a method to tell them directly as oppose to some general email for sorting everything.

I also had to return an item (cause it wasn't what I wanted) and no problems.

Lastly, I love their store in New York. Been there and they are very good and knowledgeable. They are business oriented and very efficient which I like. This isn't like going to a consumer electronics store, this is a pro shop for pro people (mostly).

Anyhow, guess we all have different experiences. Maybe it was the specific staff and not a company wide motto.

[Mitch Gross]

I have had very good luck with many purchases from B&H over the years so no complaints here. However, I would like to pose a question to Mitch from Abel.

I have purchased several lenses from B&H and have always had good luck. I say that because I have never felt the need to return a lens to get a "better copy," as others have discussed here. Then again, I am not sure I have had the awareness and capability to be very discerning about what constitutes a "good" or "bad" lens. I have learned much more about lenses here at REDuser in the last couple years and, as a result, am more discriminating about my lens purchase. So, my question - (you thought I'd never get there!) - Is AbelCine the kind of place where I can expect a "modestly priced" lens ($500-2000) to be "selected" by the staff before it is sent out? In other words, are lenses inspected in any way when they arrive into inventory and before they are sent out to customers?

I guess I could address the same question to Henry from B&H but, as far as I am aware, they do not do this sort of QC prior to fulfiulling an order.

And, BTW, thanks to both of you guys for being here to answer questions!!

In general we do not inspect lenses at that price level. Optics on a higher price point at always checked, and certainly if you have a problem with the product you receive we will address it promptly. Please understand that a $500 lens is not $500 for AbelCine (or B&H for that matter). Most of that goes back to the manufacturer and for us to inspect requires man hours which would quickly surpass our profit margin. So we must rely on the manufacturer's inspection process. This is one of the many benefits of higher-priced optics. Multiple layers of inspection plus the factory-trained optical technicians who can correct any issues before the lens ever leaves our doors.

[BRANDON JAMESON]

In general we do not inspect lenses at that price level. Optics on a higher price point at always checked, and certainly if you have a problem with the product you receive we will address it promptly. Please understand that a $500 lens is not $500 for AbelCine (or B&H for that matter). Most of that goes back to the manufacturer and for us to inspect requires man hours which would quickly surpass our profit margin. So we must rely on the manufacturer's inspection process. This is one of the many benefits of higher-priced optics. Multiple layers of inspection plus the factory-trained optical technicians who can correct any issues before the lens ever leaves our doors.

This is exactly the kind of attitude I would expect from Abel. Its the "at this price point" attitude of their sales staff.......so IMPO you can add...."I will ignore you" and "I can't come to the phone for you" or "Your business is not worth the time for me" to "at this price point" and you get the heart and soul of Abel's "different model".

[Mitch Gross]

I'm sorry you took it that way. If we are only making a few dollars on a product we simply cannot afford to inspect the items when the manufacturer has already done so. No reseller on the planet could.

It is clear that you have suffered a poor experience with us in the past which has unfortunately soured your attitude towards us. I can understand that you do not wish to work with us again, but should you decide to give us another chance, please feel free to reach out to me directly so that I can do my best to make sure that you get the attention you deserve. I wish you the best.

For you and all others reading these posts, please know that this is not me paying lip service to your comments. AbelCine takes client support and customer satisfaction very seriously. These comments do not fall on deaf ears.

[BRANDON JAMESON]

Can anyone address the commission structure of the salary of the sales force at B&H Adorama and Abel?

I think this might be the source (both good and bad) of the experiences we've been writing about on this thread.