bad experience with B&H Photo

Well said Helen. The OP is totally wrong. Go buy an extra battery if you want one.

None of the new forum emoticons successfully conveys the extent to which I am rolling my eyes at this "bad experience."

Childish Rant...sad

We're very sorry for your dissatisfaction. We try to say, "Yes," to price match inquiries as often as possible, but there are times we cannot do so. We regret when we cannot and regret it so stirred your ire.

I am also sorry that, having chosen to publish private emails in a public forum, you omitted my documentation that on the three previous instances you asked for special consideration over and above what other customer had received (and outside our usual policies and procedures) and we did say, "Yes," to two. The third was your asking us to price match a retailer whom we have decided never to price match, based on their overall online reputation.

This is my PERSONAL opinion: You cannot buy customer loyalty with low prices, freebies or price-match deals. You EARN customer loyalty with service.

I am humbled and gratified by all the comments other forum members posted here. It is very kind of each of you to have taken the time to share opinions and experiences. Thank you all!

I should start a thread, "Good experience with B&H Photo (and Adorama)," but I wouldn't know where to start. Nothing but good service from both for many years, and I'm tickled to have reps from both on this forum. I'm certainly not going to get my banana hammock in a twist because one offers a battery with a certain package, and the other one doesn't.

Charles Brown wrote in post #17302643
$10K in 4 YEARS? I just spent $25K at Adorama and $1K at B&H in the last 4 days. And I asked Adorama for batteries to be "thrown in", and my request was denied. I had to pay for them. On a $25,000 order. In one day. If that offers you any perspective.

Holy Horse Hockey $25k in one day? What am I doing wrong?

You know, it's funny. OP's apparent intention was to make B&H look bad and punish them for his experience. But having read through this thread, I am very impressed with the satisfaction from the great majority of their costumers. Will definitely consider them for any future purchases!

I must say, it's both impressive and encouraging to have both Adorama and B&H comment in this thread. I've never had an issue with either, although I've only been greedy enough to request a price match twice in more than a decade. All of my experiences have been pleasant, and leave me with a level of confidence that has not been reached with any other online vendor, ever.

Maybe I'm old school, but the world was much more friendly when breast feeding was popular.

This is one of those situations you could have treated as "Doesn't hurt to ask" scenarios. If the answer is they cant then fine. BH does bend over backwards. I spent almost 1.5 hours with them trying to align my A7r deal back in July. The guy had two computers going to get all of the promos on to one order so it can line up the deals. They always go to extremes as long as its within the parameters they have. In this post there was nothing to show they did wrong by you. They just couldnt do the battery for their own reasons.

vipergts831 wrote in post #17308471
This is one of those situations you could have treated as "Doesn't hurt to ask" scenarios. If the answer is they cant then fine. BH does bend over backwards. I spent almost 1.5 hours with them trying to align my A7r deal back in July. The guy had two computers going to get all of the promos on to one order so it can line up the deals. They always go to extremes as long as its within the parameters they have. In this post there was nothing to show they did wrong by you. They just couldnt do the battery for their own reasons.

Recently, I had one of those "doesn't hurt to ask scenarios". Asked something from Adorama CSR with Helen on the cc:. Helen said no. To me, that was it. Nothing to post here. Later, CSR emailed and said yes and worked it out. So, Yay for me. Not Helen's fault... to her knowledge, my request was not doable. Lucky for me CSR team was able to do something.

From past experiences (both good and bad), I believe that both Adorama and B&H work hard to satisfy customers and be fair. I try to temper this with the idea that not everything I want can be satisfied. Also, I keep in mind that they are running a business and they deserve their profit after all.

One thing I've resisted doing: Getting Helen or Henry involved right away in any negotiations for "deals" or special pricing considerations.

Stop and think about it for ONE second.

There is just ONE Henry for B&H.

There is just ONE Helen for Adorama.

Compare and contrast these two fantastic ones to the literally 100's of significant photography forums, the thousands of insignificant photography sites, the hundreds of thousands of photography blogs, the millions of actual customers of the two stores, and the billions of potential customers worldwide. I've even read Henry address customer concerns on an airline website, for crying outloud.

Henry and Helen... ones in a million.

And to these ones, you wish to intricately involve them in the petty details of a freebie? After the fact of a transaction you already agreed to? And then try to demonize them in a public forum? That's probably not going to play very well for you around here.

I can completely understand the ongoing war between consumer and retailer, where every transaction is a replay of the Battle of the Bulge... bulging profit margin, versus bulging credit card bill. And in that battle, as a consumer, you have every right to ask for, or even DEMAND, the best deal possible for yourself, not matter how small. It is your battleground. Key word: YOUR.

But do you really think it is reasonable to call in for reinforcements on this little skirmish? Don't you think you oughta save your Henry and Helen cards for a more significant defense? In fact, didn't you consider that you might be blowing up your radio, degrading your ability to call in for help when you really might need it later on?

Remember, there is only ONE Henry, and ONE Helen. They are real people, with intellect, experience, perspective, and... a memory. Think about it next time you call them in on your attacks.

Personally, while I've corresponded with both, I've never brought them in on the specific negotiations for my purchases. That is what B&H and Adorama pay SALES REPRESENTATIVES for. And once the deal is negotiated and paid for, if there is a problem, that is what B&H and Adorama have a CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT for.

Only after exhausting all avenues of these purpose built, optimized and streamlined mechanisms for customer satisfaction, should one consider directly involving Henry or Helen. They should be the last resort, not the first step. There is only one of them a piece. Use them wisely.

Charles Brown wrote in post #17308788
Henry and Helen... ones in a million.

Stop sucking up - it's not going to get you a deal.

WhyFi wrote in post #17308842
Stop sucking up - it's not going to get you a deal.

Precisely! It won't.

Charles, for as much as I agree with you about dragging Helen and Henry into a petty wrangle, your analogy to D-Day is hardly befitting.

henryp wrote in post #17308125
We're very sorry for your dissatisfaction. We try to say, "Yes," to price match inquiries as often as possible, but there are times we cannot do so. We regret when we cannot and regret it so stirred your ire.

I am also sorry that, having chosen to publish private emails in a public forum, you omitted my documentation that on the three previous instances you asked for special consideration over and above what other customer had received (and outside our usual policies and procedures) and we did say, "Yes," to two. The third was your asking us to price match a retailer whom we have decided never to price match, based on their overall online reputation.

This is my PERSONAL opinion: You cannot buy customer loyalty with low prices, freebies or price-match deals. You EARN customer loyalty with service.

I am humbled and gratified by all the comments other forum members posted here. It is very kind of each of you to have taken the time to share opinions and experiences. Thank you all!

I believe the technical term for that is BURN!

Good post Henry. But, I think you at least owe Helen a sympathy card, as she's going to have to deal w/ this guy now!