They sure like their holidays at B&H. They are open for business only 4 full days in October.  
 
I ordered a body and lens on 10-12-05. They requested telephone number verification the day after, which I sent the same day. But because they were on holiday, they replied by email that they could not "receive email at this time" and to re-submit once they re-open, a full week away. And why should one have to re-submit an email? Don't they know how an IN box works?  
 
I have ordered from B&H before and had orders shipped to the same address -- why are we going through another telephone number verification process?? I'm sure they keep records.  
 
B&H charged my card $1570 on the day of my order, but as it appears, my gear will not likely ship until they re-open on 10-27 or 10-31, nearly 18 days after the order!!!!  
 
How convenient that they charged my card and have my money -- as now I am not quite able to cancel this order and buy elsewhere in the meanwhile, but rather, I have to sit and wait 10-12 more days until I receive the body and lens I paid for a week ago. Is it legal to charge someone's card before you know the purchase is complete? Most online merchants explicitly state they will not charge your card until the order ships. Not B&H. They get your money up front, making it more cumbersome to cancel an order. This is a poor way to treat customers and one which you won't notice until you're in a bad situation with them.  
 
B&H's policies and painfully delayed responses made shopping with them a miserable experience.  
 
Let's get Henry started, shall we: "We regret Hantek's dissatisfaction and apologize for the inconvenience. [insert standard policy bs here]..."  
 
Hope you guys had a great holiday.

This review was modified by its author, hantek, on 10/19/05 10:37 PM.

Absolutely disgusting. Absolutely dumb and retarded. Absolute slackers and worst service rendered.  
 
There is no total dedicated customer service at all. As the store decided to go on their holiday from 17th to 27th October, it stated that the following as I quote from their website:  
 
"The B&H superstore will close on Monday October 17, 1:00pm EDT and will remain closed through Wednesday, October 26. We will reopen on Thursday, October 27, 9:00am.  
All orders submitted after Sunday, October 16, 11:00pm will be shipped when we reopen."  
 
So I made my purchase of a Canon 20D at 10.30 pm last night on the 16th October and I got a subsequent email from the company about my credit card this morning at about 10.20 am stating that my international credit card needed to be verified. So the email stated that the company needed pictures of the front and back of my credit card, which to me was a total unnecessity and ludicrous. Also it needed a scanned picture of my utility bill to prove that I stayed at the address that I had entered upon purchasing the camera.  
 
I was in college at the time when I got my email and knowing that they would close at 1 pm, I called the company to verify the situation and was told that they would close soon in a couple of hours. (Bear in mind, it was then 11 am) As I needed the camera urgently, I rushed back and proceeded to take the 3 pictures required and sent the email at 12.45 pm. Upon then, I called the company again to verify the urgency and the email, I was told that they had since then closed their email and shipping departments. WHAT THE HELL? Is 12.45 pm even 1 pm now? He said he couldn't do anything at all and that I would only receive my camera after the store opens on the 27th of October.  
 
Incensed, I cancelled my transaction and lo and behold, I got an email from the company confirming my cancellation. Isn't the email department closed now?  
 
Seriously, what kind of service is it? As far as I am concerned, it's pathetic. Everybody needs to know about this and please do stay clear of them. A company with no customer dedication is one that's not to be trusted.  
 
UPDATE: No matter what Henry Posner stated about the way B&H deals with credit card verification, it is still wrong to request for pictures of the creit card. Still Mr Posner failed to address the email and customer dedication issues that I've mentioned. As I have noticed, all the company does is to express apologies. Sometimes words mean nothing at all, action does.

This review was modified by its author, lyonlionel, on 10/19/05 2:06 PM.

I came to B&H for the great price of their Sanyo PLV-Z1 multimedia projector. What should have been a simple purchase has turned into a month-long tangle of phone calls and waiting.  
 
The first order I placed was late in September. Since B&H was on a holiday, it took a week for them to respond to my order: an email was sent to me telling me that my order could not be verified and that they had contacted me via telephone with instructions on how to proceed. Normally this would have been resolved problem-free but the phone number they listed as my contact number (the number to which they apparently sent the verification instructions) was one owned by my father, and it had not been in use for over 2 years. This confused me because I hadn’t listed such a number in my registration info with B&H.  
 
Hoping to resolve the issue, I called the verification dept: I gave the gentleman my order number and he informed me that my order had been cancelled. I asked why and he told me that he called the said phone number and talked to a "Bill" (fake name to protect my privacy) who had informed him that no such order with B&H had ever been placed.  
 
This is impossible because:  
a.) the line had been out of commission for 2 years  
b.) I am the only “Bill” in the household, and I never spoke to B&H prior to my call to them.  
 
Anyways… Since my order had apparently been cancelled by a ghost figure on a ghost line, I asked if I could go online and place another order with B&H. The gentleman then informed me that I could not. He told me that they needed a phone call from the ghost line to fully cancel the number. I said OK, goodbye and hung up.  
 
I called again and talked to a different gentleman explaining that B&H apparently “Cancelled my order” which really meant “we looked up a phone number registered to your father and lied about talking to you, and now we require you to call us from a line that doesn’t exist to tell us that the order is really cancelled.” Oddly, however this new gentleman told me no, your order has simply been cancelled and you can go online and re-order the product.  
 
Easy enough? Well apparently even though B&H had never verified my order, they saw fit to charge my debit card the $624.00. So I waited another full week and a half for them to refund me for my order (during this time they had taken another week holiday).  
 
With the money back in my account, I placed my latest order on October the 13th. On October 14th, I received an e-mail notifying me that my newest order had been cancelled. This was outrageous because there wasn’t even a verification email… it was just cancelled. I waited for another one of their holidays to pass and I called them this morning October 16 to ask why they had cancelled my order once again. After supplying Customer Service with both order numbers, my registration number, my address, and my phone number (all of which I had registered correctly and identically to that registered with my debit card), the gentleman told me that my order had been cancelled because my debit card was permanently banned from B&H. I asked why and he told me he didn’t know why but it had something to do with “problems with the bank.” This left me extremely angry & baffled because a couple weeks prior, they had no problem whatsoever charging me for a product they wouldn’t ship me.  
 
This experience has left me angered and unwelcome as a customer. Their constant inconsistencies on the telephone and their holiday breaks have made buying from them nothing short of an epic struggle.  
 
 
------  
Added October 9th 2005:  
THEY HAVE BILLED MY ACCOUNT $624.00 AGAIN, LEADING ME TO BELIVE THAT "WE COULD NOT VERIFY YOUR ORDER" AND "WE HAVE BANNED YOUR DEBIT CARD" ACTUALLY MEANS "WE ARE GOING TO TAKE YOUR MONEY AND NOT GIVE YOU A PRODUCT."  
 
B&H is truly the worst online company I have ever dealt with in my life. I purchased a different Projector from Mwave, they verified my card/information seamlessly and I recieved the product in 2 days.

This review was modified by its author, eneimy, on 10/19/05 5:20 PM.

I am very unsatisfied with BH! I bought almost 1000 dollar in the beggining of the february and I dont receive my products until now ( end of Setember). I called every week to know any news about my products and I receive each time one different answer! It is impossible!! 8 month waiting is too much.!!

I've bought thousands of dollars worth of stuff from B&H and it seems that nearly every time I place an order that is expensive (like a camera body or lens), the order doesn't even ship for several days.  
 
My last order was placed on September 28, 2005 and was in stock. It's now September 30th and I have not seen shipment for it yet! On September 29th, I phoned Customer Service and was told that I needed to speak with the Verification department. Why did B&H not contact me to verify my order if I needed to speak with them? I was not emailed or phoned.  
 
I spoke with the Verification department (btw, everything is current on my credit card and I'm shipping to the billing address) and they PROMISED me that my order would ship out on the 29th. They lied because it's now the 30th and my order still has not shipped out.  
 
Again, this is not an isolated case. I've had this exact problem in the past with more than one order.  
 
B&H failed to deliver on their promise, a fact which I am very dissatisfied with. They should not make a promise to customers and then not live up to it.  
 
 
UPDATE 12/18/08:  
 
I placed an order on their website for an item that showed 'in stock'. B&H took my money and even gave me a delivery date for my order. I later received an email stating basically 'Whoops, the item is not actually in stock but thanks for paying us anyway". Isn't it 'false advertising' or something to list an item as 'in stock' just to lure people into placing an order and taking their money when you can't actually fill the order?

This review was modified by its author, mediahound, on 12/18/08 5:31 PM.

I ordered a Tiffen 67mm UV Haze-2A filter. What I got is a 62mm filter in a 67mm case. I wanted to exchange but the service department drags on and hasn't sent a replacement after a week!

B&H Photo-Video-Pro Audio, is a good store overall, BUT I just wanted to warn people that are considering buying large home theatre systems or any other product that has a large shipping charge. I bought an Onkyo S870 Home theatre system and the shipping was over $100 dollars. The system arrived in working order, but ALL of the silver speaker covers were very dirty and stained. For a $700 dollar system this is unacceptable. I called B&H, and they told me that they would replace the system but they would have to charge me shipping! So, even though it was their fault, they were charging me another $100+ dollars. This was frustrating considering the high price of the order. I finally just took it upon myself to professionally clean the speaker grills .  
So if you order somthing that costs a lot to ship, just be prepared to pay that amount again just to have it repaired or replaced.  
 
------------------------------------->  
 
IN RESPONSE TO B&H's COMMENT: (Aug.24.2005)  
 
This is exactly what I expected you guys to do and say. If you keep such good records on customer service why don't you have a record of my call? Of course you don't do anything about the problem when I call and try and resolve the matter, but just deny everything when I expose your appalling and inexcusable customer service on resellerratings. I fully understood beforehand that shipping was expensive but that is not why I am offended. YOU NEVER OFFERED TO PAY FOR SHIPPING and were extremely disrespectful towards me for even asking. Or are you going to lie and deny that too? The packaging was not sealed with OEM Onkyo sealant tape, it was sealed with B&H packing tape. Seeing the horrendous condition that my order arrived in I was sure that I was sent a refurbished model by mistake. It only makes the matter worse when you reply with malicious and untruthful comments just because I exposed your inability to be courteous and help your customers. All I wanted was a simple replacement. I have never ever been treated this badly by a company. You absolutely deserve my "dissatisfied" rating of your store. I, nor anyone I know, will ever order anything from B&H again.  
Maybe this will serve as a warning to your customer service (if you decide that you want to improve your business) so that you may avoid huge mistakes like this in the future.  
I also stand firmly behind my WARNING TO ALL CUSTOMERS THAT ARE CONSIDERING A LARGE ORDER, SIMPLY DON'T PURCHASE AT B&H, you will be very disappointed!

This review was modified by its author, sorenmd, on 8/24/05 3:31 PM.

I usually have no problems when I have a transaction at B&H, my last order was an exception.  
I purchased two items, one of the items was a photo jacket, I relied on the website specs and either the jacket is mislabeled or the specs are not accurate since I was not a good fit, and I am unable to wear it.  
In the case of the second item, I did not receive what I had ordered (Kata E-702) but was sent a Kata E-704)  
I requested that they both be returned but only received return number for both items...  
Needless to say, I will buy both of these items locally to make sure I get the proper item and size.

This review was modified by its author, zenel, on 8/28/05 11:10 PM.

Purchased - Century Precision Optics 3x Ultra Fisheye for Sony VX2100.  
 
I had heard rumors that Sony had changed the bayonet mount on some of it's newer VX2100 camcorders, and that as a result this lens might not fit properly. So before even thinking about ordering the lens, I contacted Century to get some answers. Sure enough, they said that there had been a problem with the bayo mount, but that it had been corrected on the newer batches. With this in mind, I EMAILED AND PHONED BH Photo Video to see if this would be a problem. The email I received back said that it wouldn't. To confirm, I spoke with a person from the Consumer Video department and related to him the details of my email from Century, the problem that might occur, and the month in which I bought my VX2100 from them. In a flat monotone he said, 'no, it should work fine.' And that was it. Although I felt he was trying to make me feel like an idiot for asking such a question, I felt somewhat assured that he knew what he was talking about. Fast forward to two weeks later, and I receive my lens here in Australia. Guess what? It has the exact problem that Century described to me, and that I asked the BH rep about before making the purchase. I feel completely cheated and will never shop at BH Photo Video again. From all the contact I've had with them they seem rude, complacent, incompetent, and totally unconcerned with satisfying their customers.  
 
I will call them tonight (morning in New York) but from past experience I don't expect them to be very helpful. If by some miracle they are, I will remove this review.  
 
UPDATE: With Century's help I was able to get the lens to fit. Their customer service was absolutely outstanding. BH should take note.  
Contrary to what HenryP says, Century told me that Sony had infact made the ears on their bayonet mounts thicker, and that's what was causing the problem.  
 
UPDATE:  
 
Dear Mr G.......  
 
All .3x ultra fisheye lens adapters, stock # 0DS-FEWA-SB, fit the Sony  
VX2100/2000 and the PD-170/150 cameras.  
The problem had to do with thicker bayonet ears on the later version  
cameras. It should not be a problem now, as we have allowed for more  
range in our bayonet mount. Even if you have an older manufactured  
fisheye, we can change the mount adjustment in a few minutes to accept  
all the cameras.  
 
I hope this information has been helpful.  
 
Best Regards  
 
John S.  
 
> Schneider/Century Optics  
> 7701 Haskell avenue  
> Van Nuys, CA 91406  
>  
> Phone :800-228-1254 Ext 126.  
 
So he's lying?

This review was modified by its author, Daniel G, on 8/23/05 9:25 AM.

After getting "B&H Error" a few dozen times, it finally went through. It just kept going in circles--everytime I would tell it to check out, I would get the error page!  
I've spent over $7,500 with B&H and my last 2 times ordering through them have been awful. The last time I ordered overnight shipping & didn't receive the package for 3 days! And neither UPS nor B&H will refund the difference in shipping price (since I should have paid for standard shipping rather than overnight since they can't seem to deliver overnight!)  
Overall, I'm not very happy with them at all right now.  
I guess spending $7,500 plus an addiitional $1300 doesn't really matter to them--Even though it clearly states on their customer service page"we are committed to nothing short of excellence regarding the support we provide to all our customers before, during and after your sale" and it continues on to say " you will find our B&H Customer Service Support Staff to be concerned, knowledgeable and helpful. Remember, we are not satisfied until you are." Laughable.

Not the best pricing or website, but deffinetly fast service. I personally prefer more pictures and other visuals on a website.  
 
I ordered at 3 PM Tuesday, UPS droped the package off at 4:30 on Wednesday. Given I am in the 1 day area, its still fast for an order placed that late in the day.  
 
Shipping rates are great comparing to some of the other online retailers for 3 day shipping.  
 
 
I ended up getting a defetive part. Even though I placed the order 5 days in advance knowing that I would have it for the weekend. In the end, they were unwilling to ship if overnight so that I could have it for the weekend. I then went to a local store and found the item, although it was a bit more expensive, it worked.

This review was modified by its author, poldim, on 8/24/05 11:01 AM.

I paid for their UPS 3-Day shipping; they shipped it on Tuesday, it was due at my door on Friday. When it didn't come on Friday, I called UPS. Turns out that UPS had misdirected the package, and that I would get it Monday or Tuesday the next week. UPS also told me that I (which means B&H) would get refunded the shipping charge. When I called B&H customer services, someone calling himself Moishe basically told me to pound salt. IOW, they would take the refund and I would get nothing. My only recourse is to 1) tell the story here; and 2) dispute the charge when I get the AMEX bill. At least that way, it'll cost B&H more going back and forth with AMEX than it would have to simply done the right thing and passed on to me the UPS refund for the missed shipping date.  
 
__Ricardo Birmele

I ordered a lens, camera case and Compact Flash card for a 20D. The camera case was not as big as advertised and I received a SD card and not a compact flash card. I did not realize I had received the SD card until I opened it and tried to put it in. They would not take it in return.

NY BAIT & SWITCH OPERATION  
Purchased a DELVCAM Monitor which was advertised to include several accessories. When item arrived, it was discovered that 5 of the items were missing. Over the course of the following week B&H said they were "investigating." On 6-1-05 I contacted them for the third time, they claimed to have left a voice-mail (not true), stating that the items were not supposed to be included. After speaking with a manager, he stated that it was THEIR mistake on the advertisement and I could PURCHASE the accessories. Obviously this is in violation of consumer protection laws. I attempted to speak with his supervisor, who he did not know the last name of, and attempted to speak to the owner, who everybody claims they do not have a telephone number for.  
 
DO YOU HAVE A SIMILAR COMPLAINT? File a complaint with:  
New York State Attorney General:  
http://www.oag.state.ny.us/complaints/html/comp_consumer.html  
A complaint also filed with: Massachusetts Attorney General for Interstate Internet Violation - File complaint through NY AG office AND your State's AG Office, also:  
Better Business Bureau, Metropolitan NY Office -  
As well as dispute with Credit Card Company.  
 
UPDATE TO RESPONSE:  
 
I did wish to purchase the item with the accessories - and I did purchase the item they ADVERTISED with the accessories. Only after it was shipped, and a week of calling and getting no response from their "crack" Customer Service did they tell me THEY made the mistake and REFUSED to HONOR their Advertisement. Again, I would HIGHLY recommend avoiding this seller.

This review was modified by its author, Trooper2705, on 6/4/05 12:57 AM.

I bought a camera at B&H Photo Video in 02/16/05. At that point, the maximum delivery time was 40 days.  
After the deadline without receiving the equipment, I called B&H and I was informed that in two weeks the equipment would be delivered.  
After two weeks, I called them again asking for a final position over this subject and I got a terrible customer service where I was told that the equipment would be delivered until the end of the next week.  
After this, a few other promises for delivery were given with out the actual equipment being rendered and after each new attempt to contact them new fake promises were repeated.  
At the beginning of May, every time I called asking about information, the customer representatives would mention that the order was about to be released and others would say that they did not have neither information nor any expected date for delivery.  
After the expiration of the last given date (05/18), I called them again to try to talk to the manager to ask for a money reimbursement, with the purchase cancellation. After a few attempts, I managed to be assisted by a person called Stewart, which informed me that due to problems with the delivery, this order would be delayed for at least 40 days. I told him that it would be impossible to wait for all this time and that I would request the purchase cancellation. He informed me that he would be requesting the cancellation of the purchase and that in 7 business days the amount paid would be reimbursed on my credit card.  
After the date informed by Mr.Stewart…, I called again B&H on 05/31 to try to get a position over my money reimbursement. I tried to reach the management but could not through, since the customer representatives would be transferring from one side to the other. When I managed to talk to somebody, I was informed that my case was going to be analyzed.  
I would like to know o the reasons for such a ridiculous procedures since I have done my part that was to purchase an equipment and pay it accordingly and B&H after not even delivering it continued to impose a lot of obstacles in to the case.  
Today 104 days have gone by and I am in a situation that I don’t have the equipment and I don’t even know if I will get my money back.  
The evaluation that I have from B&H is that it is not a serious company and that it treats its customers with no respect and has a horrible customer service after the sale is done.  
I do not recommend this company to anybody and if it would depend on me: “B&H never again!”  

This review was modified by its author, Taka_Andre, on 6/1/05 1:34 PM.