A Heads up re B&H Photo Video for non U.S. buyers

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by Angst

I think I may have missed something. Which part of ""Tough!! it’s your problem not ours." was exemplary customer service?

That was never said by anyone from B&H. That was said by the original poster. And only by the original poster.

B&H Customer Service immediately came into the situation and tried, within its powers, to satisfy the customer. In this case, it wasn't able to satisfy. That doesn't mean it didn't do all that it was able to do. It means it was unable to satisfy. Customer Service tried to help.

To me, a company that make a solid effort to rectify a problem, as B&H has, shows good customer service. I think we've all had experiences with companies that simply turn their backs on us when we have a problem. We know the difference between good and bad customer service. That doesn't always hinge upon the final results. It's customer 'service,' not customer always make me happy.

Stitchawl

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by columbus

The transaction fees were a direct result of B&H's error - clearly identified in earlier posts, and substantiated by B&H's posts.

Why do B&H expect someone else to pay for their error?

I am not denying B&H made errors but as it's your credit card company that added the fees they are better able to remove them. Can you dispute the transaction?

What specifically would you like B&H to do that will satisfy you?

[columbus]

Originally Posted by Angst

If the merchant had voided the original charge, (must happen same day), no charges would have been made to the customer's credit card. It looks like the merchant refunded the charge which results in the unnecessary charges to to the customers card. That's the merchant's fault, not the banks fault.

Exactly the point!

[Wetdogeared]

Originally Posted by Angst

If the merchant had voided the original charge, (must happen same day), no charges would have been made to the customer's credit card. It looks like the merchant refunded the charge which results in the unnecessary charges to to the customers card. That's the merchant's fault, not the banks fault.

Originally Posted by columbus

Exactly the point!

I totally agree, yet I've seen no explanation as to why this didn't happen.

Originally Posted by Fbone

I am not denying B&H made errors but as it's your credit card company that added the fees they are better able to remove them. Can you dispute the transaction?

What specifically would you like B&H to do that will satisfy you?

Originally Posted by bandhphoto

...
In order to deter credit card fraud and identity theft we have verification processes in place. For non-US customers we will ship to the customer's home or to a business address only if it's in the same country as the home or to a USA residence address. In addition, the credit card must have been issued in the same country as the residence. That was not the case here. Wire Transfer would have been an option...

At a minimum, I would want an assurance from B&H that this won't happen again, and that they are in the process of changing their system to verify where and why they won't ship to certain locations at checkout time, not after the fact.

[columbus]

Originally Posted by Angst

I think I may have missed something. Which part of

was exemplary customer service?

Originally Posted by vaughnmr

"Tough!! it’s your problem not ours."

That was spoken by the OP, not the vendor.

Again, he should have been dealt better with by his bank, but I'm not familiar with the goings on on the other side of the pond, so to speak. In the US it probably would have been taken care of.

Banks love to take our money, IMHO... Over here they just love the "fees" they can apply to your account!

But then as the email correspondence was between me and B&H you should admit to us all quite how you know this.

I'm assuming you are yet another B&H employee posting here without declaring their interest. I've counted at least five so far.

Yes vaughnmr is quite right in his comment! "Tough!! it’s your problem not ours." was my interpretation of this part below of their reply to my email asking for reimbursement of the fees and charges resulting from their error :-

B&H issued a FULL refund the very next day. It is unfortunate that due to the exchange rate you lost some funds, but clearly this is not something that B&H can be held responsible for.

As Iv'e said so many times it was not an issue of exchange rate fluctuations but fees and charges

[columbus]

Just noticed these two posts also quoting what only B&H & I could have known!

Originally Posted by vaughnmr

I tend to agree, the fees were imposed by his credit card bank, not by the vendor. The vendor's actions were in place to reduce fraud, and they made absolutely no money from this transaction, in fact they lost money, and unlike many other companies, they responded and tried to work with the customer. If the bank is charging fees for changing the money, he should go after them, B&H can do nothing about that.


And I'm going to stand up for B&H Photo once again, in my opinion, they are the best in the business.

No!! - I lost money not them!!

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

That was never said by anyone from B&H. That was said by the original poster. And only by the original poster.

B&H Customer Service immediately came into the situation and tried, within its powers, to satisfy the customer. In this case, it wasn't able to satisfy. That doesn't mean it didn't do all that it was able to do. It means it was unable to satisfy. Customer Service tried to help.

To me, a company that make a solid effort to rectify a problem, as B&H has, shows good customer service. I think we've all had experiences with companies that simply turn their backs on us when we have a problem. We know the difference between good and bad customer service. That doesn't always hinge upon the final results. It's customer 'service,' not customer always make me happy.

Stitchawl

My earlier reply answers this

[columbus]

Originally Posted by Fbone

I am not denying B&H made errors but as it's your credit card company that added the fees they are better able to remove them. Can you dispute the transaction?

Just how many times in this thread do I have to repeat this?:-

B&H accepted my order & charged the full sum to my card. They subsequently decided to apply a new T&C not in force at the time of order and withdrew the acceptance, refunding the charge instead of correctly cancelling it.
Maybe because they had left it too late to do so – again down to them


The result of this is that Visa quite rightly and within their ToC’s charged fees for supplying the Dollars in the first place then again for converting them back to Sterling – not mine or my card providers fault – B&H’s fault!

Why is it you think that either I or my card provider should pay for B&H’s errors?

Originally Posted by Fbone

What specifically would you like B&H to do that will satisfy you?

Have you taken a job as a negotiator for B&H?

Again I have stated repeatedly from the outset, including in my email to them before starting this thread, that I expected them to correct their error by accepting the fees and charges at source with their card service provider. (I have never asked for a Gift card or any payment direct to me).

Is all that that clear and concise enough for you? - I’m sure it is for impartial viewers of this thread. (Views running at c.2000 as I post this)

I guess for some reason you and several others think they can hide the fact that it is clearly B&H’s responsibility for this error, by creating a smoke screen implying it was my fault somehow

Read - a nonny mouse’s post - #43 - for the most concise interpretation of this thread I have read.

– my only error was one of poor judgement in choosing to try to buy goods from B&H Photo Video.

[columbus]

Long post tying up a few loose ends.

Originally Posted by Wetdogeared

Quote:

Quote:

I totally agree, yet I've seen no explanation as to why this didn't happen.
Quote:

At a minimum, I would want an assurance from B&H that this won't happen again, and that they are in the process of changing their system to verify where and why they won't ship to certain locations at checkout time, not after the fact.

That was not in the terms and conditions at the time of order as detailed by Fbone & B&H -

Wire Transfer would have been an option...

I'm as likely to send them money by wire transfer as they are to send goods to somebody with an invoice to be paid on receipt.

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by columbus

The result of this is that Visa quite rightly and within their ToC’s charged fees for supplying the Dollars in the first place then again for converting them back to Sterling – not mine or my card providers fault – B&H’s fault!

Why is it you think that either I or my card provider should pay for B&H’s errors?


Have you taken a job as a negotiator for B&H?

Again I have stated repeatedly from the outset, including in my email to them before starting this thread, that I expected them to correct their error by accepting the fees and charges at source with their card service provider. (I have never asked for a Gift card or any payment direct to me).

Is all that that clear and concise enough for you? - I’m sure it is for impartial viewers of this thread. (Views running at c.2000 as I post this)

I guess for some reason you and several others think they can hide the fact that it is clearly B&H’s responsibility for this error, by creating a smoke screen implying it was my fault somehow

I am not a B&H negotiator and have never purchased anything from B&H.

I will repeat myself and say that I, from the beginning, said B&H erred and possibly violated Federal postal regulations by charging your card in full on an non-shippable preorder item. And I agree you did nothing wrong. I was one of your earliest supporters.

In order to receive restitution it seems you have 2 choices. Either initiate a dispute or chargeback with your card issuer in an attempt to remove their fees. This is the purpose of chargeback; to correct errors not of the purchaser's or bank's doing. Or, escalate your complaint up B&H's company ladder and ask for additional monies.
I've found that complaints are settled more satisfactorily if you specifically state what you want. (ex: "please refund my account an additional $27.85 or send a bank check in the amount of $27.85 or send a $50 gift card to this address or change T&Cs to reflect new policy or retrain your employee "John") Otherwise, you leave them to choose and in your case they offered something you dont or cant accept. Simply telling them to remove the fees may not be possible as they didnt put them there in the first place.

[brainycat]

Seriously, if this is the worst thing that happens to you this month, consider yourself lucky. I don't doubt B&H could've done things differently that would make you happier, but they didn't, and you're only out a few bucks. I don't know how much you make, but I'm pretty sure you've spent more time telling us all about how upset about it you are than it took you to earn the money in the first place.

In the meantime, I'm going to continue to go to them first when I'm looking for A/V and COTS computer gear. Personally, I was impressed at the grace and aplomb the B&H rep showed in the face of unwarranted vitriol, and it's congruent with all of my experiences with them.

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by columbus

Yes vaughnmr is quite right in his comment! "Tough!! it’s your problem not ours." was my interpretation of this part below of their reply

Yes. It was.

As Iv'e said so many times it was not an issue of exchange rate fluctuations but fees and charges
But then as the email correspondence was between me and B&H you should admit to us all quite how you know this.

Could it be that he knew this because it was stated by you also? Back on the first page? It was a telling clue.

I'm assuming you are yet another B&H employee posting here without declaring their interest. I've counted at least five so far.

"I am not now, nor have I ever been, a member of any organization advocating violent overthrow of.... Oops! Wrong declaration. My bad.
I'm quite sure Henry Posner is the ONLY B&H employee posting here. The rest of us are just satisfied customers. There are enough of us to have kept B&H in business for many years, and make it the number one retailer in its field.

Of course, I will grant that it's possible that one requirement for working at B&H is to sign up and be active for years in many different forums JUST IN CASE it's necessary to support Henry Posner once every few years if a problem arises.

I've been a satisfied customer for 20+ years, having made many, many purchases from B&H with no difficulties that couldn't be worked out with customer service. Many purchases. I'll assume that the others in this thread who agree that B&H's customer service is very good have also made several purchases over the years. Yet the OP comes along, makes ONE PURCHASE, has problems that were caused by his bank yet declares that he knows that B&H customer service is bad. This, based upon one single transaction. Sounds more like the story of the 'Five Blind Men and the Elephant.'

There is an old saying in business; "Make someone happy and they tell a friend. Make someone unhappy and they tell ALL their friends." The OP was unhappy and told all his friends. Perhaps his next transaction would make him happy. But we'll never know about it.


Stitchawl

[columbus]

Originally Posted by Fbone

I am not a B&H negotiator and have never purchased anything from B&H.

I will repeat myself and say that I, from the beginning, said B&H erred and possibly violated Federal postal regulations by charging your card in full on an non-shippable preorder item. And I agree you did nothing wrong. I was one of your earliest supporters.

In order to receive restitution it seems you have 2 choices. Either initiate a dispute or chargeback with your card issuer in an attempt to remove their fees. This is the purpose of chargeback; to correct errors not of the purchaser's or bank's doing. Or, escalate your complaint up B&H's company ladder and ask for additional monies.
I've found that complaints are settled more satisfactorily if you specifically state what you want. (ex: "please refund my account an additional $27.85 or send a bank check in the amount of $27.85 or send a $50 gift card to this address or change T&Cs to reflect new policy or retrain your employee "John") Otherwise, you leave them to choose and in your case they offered something you dont or cant accept. Simply telling them to remove the fees may not be possible as they didnt put them there in the first place.

The missing at the end of my comment

Have you taken a job as a negotiator for B&H?

put a sting there that was obviously not justified.

[columbus]

My cut & paste error inadvertantly changed the context of my point as to how vaughnmr new that the comment "Tough . ." was my interpretation only of B&H's private email to me.

That email was not posted here until my post you are replying to containing it, (then in part ony). So he could not have known what was or not said in it unless he had already seen it.
I have rectified my post to clarify that point.

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

Yes. It was.

Yes I said it was my interpretation in my post & then quoted the email to show why.

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

Could it be that he knew this because it was stated by you also? Back on the first page? It was a telling clue.

No! that is not correct! re read the first page and you will see that is not the case.

We can all cut & edit quotes to suit our cause - it's pretty pointless really as people can read the original for themselves.

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

I've been a satisfied customer for 20+ years, having made many, many purchases from B&H with no difficulties.

It matters not how many times you or others choose post here how good they have found B&H's customer service in the past. That's an as maybe. I am sure that where there has been little or no difficulties that was probably perceived as the case.

It is clear, confirmed by their own admissions however, that B&H made an error in this case costing their potential customer a not inconsequential sum of money - 10% of the value of goods ordered - for no mistake other than seeking to buy from them.

They could, and should have! rectified this at source. Instead of the flag waving gift voucher exercise costing them just $0.98c, when they new all along that it was worthless. As I had told them so right from the start and several times more well before it was mailed. Why when they admitted it was so did they not then do what they should have in the first place. Instead of saying that was all they could do and suggesting I go cap in hand to Visa asking that they pay the fees when it was no one other that B&H's fault.

Explain to me why you think it is good customer service for them continuing to expect others to pay for their mistake.

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

There is an old saying in business; "Make someone happy and they tell a friend. Make someone unhappy and they tell ALL their friends.

No they will tell everybody until the cause is rectified.


Good customer service? - those viewing this unnecessarily long thread will decide for themselves.

[Stitchawl]

Originally Posted by columbus

No they will tell everybody until the cause is rectified.

I have a feeling that it's reached the point where very few are even listening. It's over and done with. I'm sorry that you had problems with them. You and a few others won't do business with them any longer. I, and a many others will continue to do business with them. Life goes on.


Stitchawl

[lene1949]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

I have a feeling that it's reached the point where very few are even listening. It's over and done with. I'm sorry that you had problems with them. You and a few others won't do business with them any longer. I, and a many others will continue to do business with them. Life goes on.


Stitchawl

True - obviously many people have a terrific rapport with this company... I wouldn't hesitate to use them.