I placed an order for a couple of small Canon EOS 3 parts on August 13 (total $82). My credit card was charged immediately (I have statement already). On August 16 I received notifcation that the order was shipped via AIR POST.  
 
It is now September 22 and I have not received anything, and my two emails to B&H over the past two weeks are still unanswered. I know their holiday calendar and I know that they have had many store open days in the intervening timeframe.  
 
Absolutely no reply or acknowledgement makes me extremely suspicious. Either they are swamped with customer complaints or they are deliberately ignoring my simple questions.  
 
I have received many parcels via air mail (NOT from BH though - this is my first and last from them) and I know that this is about a month overdue already.  
 
The most annoying thing is that they will not even confirm if they really did ship - and by what method. I NEED the parts so I'm going to have to order elsewhere.  
 
I have spoken to AMEX already and will hand the matter to them at the end of this week.  
 
B&H: A complete waste of time. Unprofessional.  
 
UPDATE: I won't rebut Mr Posner's reply since that will be my word against his. Instead I urge potential buyers to scan these reviews where a purchaser who is told "Package tracking numbers are only available for UPS or FedEx shipments. They are not available for USPS".  
 
Got that? OK, now go to the USPS web site and look for "Tracking" and/or "Global Express Mail"  
 
It seems I would have fared no better had I opted for the trackable shipping method.

This review was modified by its author, metajam, on 9/24/04 5:32 PM.

I would not recommend this company. I purchased the Olympus E1 w/ flash & lens kit for $1299 from them and they initially accepted my order and even charged my credit card. Over the next couple days, they sent me several emails.  
The first one stating to contact them because there was a "pricing error" on my order. I tried contacting them but could not get through on the phone. I tried their online chat service but they stated they could not lookup any order information. The emails I received were not very informative either (nor could I respond to the emails - I would get auto-response emails since they are apparently on a holiday schedule now).  
The next morning, I received another email stating the inventory system was wrong and item was "out of stock." I don't see how this can be true since I checked their website and found the item listed as "in stock" but with a higher price (was $1599, and they just raised it again to $1649). Soon after, I received an email saying my order was cancelled because I requested the cancellation. I never requested a cancellation.  
They had apparently raised the price to "fix" their mistake and were trying to cover it up by telling me they were "out of stock" on that item and then quickly cancelling my order before I could do anything. Instead of being honest and telling me it was a price mistake, they avoided my correspondance.  
This is not ethical selling method, especially when the company charges your credit card almost immediately after ordering. In addition to my order confirmation, I received a full quote of the order showing the components and the price I had purchased them at.

CALLED AND WAS TOLD THE RETURN POLICY ON A PROJECTOR WAS 7 DAYS W/ RECEIPT. WENT TO STORE SAME DAY AND SALESMAN SAID THE SAME. NO ONE SAID THERE IS A TWO HOUR USE LIMIT ON THE ITEM. BOUGHT THE UNIT WATCHED 3 MOVIES DECIDED I DIDN'T LIKE THE PICTURE WENT TO RETURN IT. CUSTOMER REP SAYS, IT'S BEEN USED 8HRS AND CAN'T BE RETURNED WITHOUT 15% RESTOCKING FEE (OVER $150). HE THEN PROCEEDS TO TELL ME TO TURN OVER THE RECEIPT. IN FAINTPRINT ON THE BACK OF THE RECEIPT, SURE ENOUGH, 2 HRS. SALESMAN AGREED THAT HE MAY HAVE FORGOTTEN TO MENTION THIS BUT MANAGER SAYS, TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT. I'M OUT $150. BE VERY CAREFUL SHOPPING HERE AND DON'T TAKE ANY SALES PITCHES AT FACE VALUE. VERY UNHAPPY WITH CUSTOMER SERVICE. I STARETED SHOPPING HERE IN 1996 (SALES GUY PULLED MY ACCOUNT. I GUESS I DIDN'T SPEND ENOUGH). SALESMAN SAID THIS HAPPENS ALOT. IT IS THIS REVIEWERS OPINION THAT THIS IS A SUSPICIOUSLY DECEITFUL POLICY/ BUSINESS PRACTICE.

This review was modified by its author, LORDC007, on 9/2/04 9:16 AM.

This message is for Mr. Henry Posner- My wife and I ordered the Olympus C-750 very early this morning, and were told that it could and WOULD be shipped on the following Saturday (tomorrow May 29th); FedEx has told me that this is not the case, and the camera will not be delivered until Tuesday June 1. The camera purchased by my wife and myself is a graduation present for our son who is traveling to the UK on May 31 (Memorial Day) and is spending 10 days there. One of the main reasons we ordered from B&H was the fact that the camera could be ordered, and delivered with the turn-around we needed. I have been told by FedEx that B&H did NOT select Saturday shipping, as was discussed in live customer support. Please call tonight or early tomorrow morning to Authorize FedEx to deliver the camera on Saturday. Thanks!

I would have to give them a "completely unsatisfactory" i.e. lowest rating - though I used to have a better opinion of them before.  
 
I ordered an item on 3/22. Rcvd e-mail the next day saying order had been shipped. However, no tracking #. Checked B&H site few times - nothing. Called back in a couple of days - told item has NOT shipped, and takes "7-10 days" for the manufacturer to ship. And I HAD PAID FOR 3 DAY SHIPPING! CSR agreed to call mfr & get more specific shipping date & get back to me. Again nothing. Saga continues. Another previously OK retailer goes downhill.

It only took them only 3 days for the transaction to appear on my credit card statement on 04Mar04. I complied with their requests to email the front and back of my credit card and even did this several times for good measure in case they didn't receive it the first time. They did not appear to read any incoming emails and did not respond to my numerous emails requesting for clarification as I kept getting requests to send copies of my credit card which I immediately complied with. After exactly 1 month they emailed to say that my order was cancelled and that the credit to my credit card would be refunded within 7 to 10 days.

For Bhphoto that does not answer to my email...  
 
You have shipped my unique order in two shipping, With tracking n° 1ZE6W3116606176713 and Tracking No: 1Z1317116605798522 - although all the article was in stock at the moment of the order.  
Why?  
 
I don’t know why you made two shiping, but UPS ask me for this second ship 13 € in plus on the total amount of the shipping, so my price increase to 51,56 USD Dollar inplace of 36 USD Dollar agreed!  
 
I hope you understand that is not convenient for me and above all , wasn’t my choice.  
 
I choice BH because of your good reputation you have on Internet (http://www.resellerratings.com/seller1914.html ) and in Italy too.

I'd like to start by saying I've been a bhphotovideo customer for a 5+ years. Their prices are competitive and their online site is great.  
My recent purchase gave me a dejavu experience as I was told my order was being checked for verification. I provided all correct credit card info/ billing too. My "shipping address" is on file with the credit card company which I proceeded to tell the customer service rep to verify with. He informs me that my phone # is not listed and that he cannot ship it. After he calls my parents home (billing address) he tells me they're not home and to see where they are. At this point I couldn't tell if he was kidding or not. This was about 30 minutes into their "verification" and I was frustrated. So frustated that I told him to cancel my order and that I can order elsewhere *adorama.com* They made me feel like I was a criminal and I had to prove my innocence to them. I explained that if I was to commit any fraud, why am I asking them to contact my cc company to verify?  
 
Again, customer service is lacking more and more. I was definetly disappointed with their service. I'm still the same customer/patron that's been going there for years. This used to be one of my favorite places to shop at...not anymore.  
 
-- Here is my old review on bhphotovideo --  
Jan '04  
Purchased a Canon EOS Rebel 300D and lenses and extra goodies. Total came out to $1700.  
Prices were comparable to adorama as well as goodguys. Have purchased a few items in the past (in store) whenever I visited NY.  
 
Received everything as promised  
Shipping was FAST and efficient. Packing was nicely done. (I had to use my own FedEx account due to their Fedex prices. There's a $4 charge to use your own account)  
 
The only problem I have with BHphotovideo is their customer service. I am sad to say that I have experienced a 'not so friendly' service rep who ultimately just wanted me to ask my question, and get off the phone. I know the price of BHphotovideo is not the bottom dollar but I wanted a reputable vendor where I didn't have to worry if/when I would get the product. Can I be blunt and say that the customer service was NOT accomodating at all? Sure service is service but I didn't expect to get this from bhphotovideo.  
All this was due to the 'verification' that BH set. I was told that my order was on 'hold' because they have not received a verification message. I called them and they informed me that they left a message on my home answering machine. I asked what was left and they told me 'Check it and call the number we left on it'. I asked if there was any other way where I can get this 'verified'. I even asked them to check with my CC and they informed me that this is their policy. HAHA! I called my mom's home (where my CC billing is under) and she was not home. I called back BHphotovideo and they informed me that if I give my work number, they will do a call back and verify that. Why didn't they just tell me that in the beginning?  
 
I have always referred my friends, family, and colleagues to BHphotovideo but now I may reconsider. I respect businesses who protect and care about who they are selling their products to. I notice 'henryp' ensuring that their resellerratings ratings do not go lower and try to help w/ their overall service. At least they're doing that. I'm just wondering about those who haven't posted and are not happy.  
 
 
Bottom line:  
I can say that I will reconsider purchasing from BHphotovideo and look into other vendors. Pricing is one thing but customer service will always win the customer over

This review was modified by its author, bOyA, on 1/17/06 2:54 AM.

Purchased a "demo" model Contax Aria which was supposed to be fully functioning and checked before sale. The DX coding was not functional, which even a cursory check would have revealed.  
I didn't expect a "new" camera, only an accurate description of the camera I purchased.

This review was modified by its author, bordeauxfan, on 3/5/04 7:03 AM.

2-5-04  
I have never in my life had worse customer  
service than what I received from B&H Photo.  
I had the opportunity to receive a rebate  
from Panasonic had I been able to obtain  
the rebate form from them in a certain  
amount of time. I was never able to reach  
anyone in customer service by phone because  
each time I called I was unable to stay on  
the line any longer than 20 minutes. I sent  
three emails to the company in which none  
were returned by their customer service  
dept. Three weeks later I posted about  
my terrible customer service experience on  
usenet and to my surprise a poster who said  
he represented B&H Photo by the name  
of Henry did not initially respond to me,  
but he responded to a person  
who said I lied about the situation.  
His response to them was a smiley face.  
 
Even to this day after Henry finally acknowledged  
the problem I still haven't received a phone call nor an apology, or any other attempt to make  
good on what I lost out on because of the  
inability to reach their customer service dept.  
 
This was without a doubt the worst customer  
service I have EVER experienced in my life.  
2-5-04  

This review was modified by its author, bozak, on 2/6/04 1:22 AM.