Quote:
Originally Posted by columbus
This is not intended to be a B&H bashing post, but to highlight how their business practices can financially disadvantage non US customers.
After several good reports on this forum, (although many commenting they were a strange company). As they ship worldwide, I pre ordered a PRS-650 from them using my Visa card and giving them the correct registered card billing address for delivery.
Sadly, it turned out to be a big and expensive mistake.
Instead of first verifying my Visa card they immediately charged the full sum to the card and it was approved by Visa. They subsequently decided that as the card was British they were not prepared to ship to the registered card billing address in Spain, I’ve no idea why.
They cancelled my order and refunded the charge.
No problem then? . . . . . . . Only if you have a $Dollar Visa card.
If like me your card is another currency, this is what happens;
First the $ sum is converted by your card provider to your currency at their rate and a charge for this service added.
The refund is treated the same way except at a ten point less advantageous exchange rate and again plus charges. The charges in both cases being the major item.
The result of this - a cost to me of c.$25.00 for nothing!
Some 10% of the goods value, just for B&H to decide they did not want to supply me after all.
Quite why they did not do that before actually charging the card and confirming the order I do not understand. Every other company I have bought from in the US has placed a provisional charge to verify funds and card details before finally billing. As is the norm here in Europe, resulting in no unnecessary charges to either party..
I did contact them expressing my disappointment of their actions, their reply;-. . . .
. . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .Tough!! it’s your problem not ours.
Good customer service ?
I think not.
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I can only off you contact Henry Posner, he goes by HenryP on most forums. He handles the customer service for photo gear so he might be able to help resolve or explain any issues you might have. His public email is:
henryp@bhphoto.com
This is a public email so no problems posting it here. Like mentioned above B&H has their religious closure happening or happening soon so best to email soon as possible.
Henry is a FANTASTIC guy and very sincere in making sure things get fixed when confusion happens. I have spent $1000s with B&H and friends have spend 10x-20x that with them and, sure things go wrong but B&H is one of the most ethical companies I have ever dealt with and I am as fussy as can be in retailers and mfg's standing behind their products and services.
But it all happens with communication and maybe this is a case where the buyer expectations were nor realistic and the sales folks did not ensure the understanding was there should issues happen later. But remember it's not the seller's responsibility to make sure the buyer knows how the process works when buying online/mail order...
Fact, CC companies charge a fee for currency exchanges...unless the seller accepts payment in the buyer's currency AND there is still usually a "cross boarder" fee as well...having had merchant accounts for a few decades I see buyers with this lack of understanding every now and then...it is their problem not mine but still a seller will suck it up and try to help in the understanding but it's not the seller's fault...
But your situation is a different one...and remember you asked the seller to ship to an address not associated with your card, in fact in a different country. This is a HUGE red flag for fraud and the seller loses 100% in such cases so, especially for new customers, they won't ship to an address which differs from the card's address. Nothing is unusual there and I would do the same thing.
International transactions are tricky when things go right...and a nightmare when things go even slightly wrong...good luck and give Henry a email, he will answer back...be sure and include a phone number because if need be he will call.
You do not become one of the top sellers of electronic gear online and in their B&M shops by screwing your customers...I would trust them with $10k cash for a lense, of course I would have to actually have $10k in cash, hell, I would have to have $10 cash...hehehe...
But Henry will do what he can to either fix it or put you in touch with whoever handles that area of sales so you can work it out if you want to find a solution, if you would rather bitch, which always feels good!! hehehe, then do that...