Yo,
on Tue, 17 Feb 1998 11:54:43 -0800, Gary Schloss wrote:
>Volkhart Baumgaertner wrote:
>
>[snip]
>>I really can't complain about [PvT] as a dealer - even more so
>>when I think of all the trouble I'm just going through with B&H.....
>
>What kind of trouble with B&H? I believe many people on the OLY list
>occasionally conduct business with them. B&H reputation is much better
>than average for a NYC mail-order. So, if you have a horror story, pls
>share it with us if you can.
Well, it has become a kind of longish story in the meantime, but you asked,
so here goes:
It really all started out last year with - you won't believe it - PvT. :-)
No, no, he does not play a direct part in this, but last August - I was
preparing for a trip to the U.S. then - I ordered, along with a few other
things, a 19 mm Vivitar wide angle from him which I tried out right away
during the trip after having him ship it to the address of the friends whose
place I was staying at. As it turned out my dad liked the lens and said he'd
love to have one like it for his T-70. So when in January I found out that I
would get to spend 1 1/2 days at my friends' place in SC in the course of a
business trip I told my dad that this was a chance to order one and pick it
up there, as I had done with mine. Then my sister kicked in and said she
wanted one too, in OM-mount, to give away as a birthday present.
So I surfed to B&H's web page and ordered two of the Vivitars, one in
OM-mount, one in FD-mount (the latter being the reason why I did not order
from Paul). This was on 15 January. Their computer sent me an order
confirmation, which I fortunately printed out, and everything seemed fine.
On 08 February, a day before my trip, my friends informed me that all my
orders (I had also ordered things from Warehouse Photo in Texas, and, again,
from Paul, both much later than the order to B&H) had come in, except the
one from B&H. I sent B&H an email inquiring about this, and they claimed
they had never received my order. I called them (trans-atlantic, I'm already
scared of my next phone bill; telecommunications cost a multiple of what
y'all are paying in the U.S. in this country), and after I had faxed them
their computer's order confirmation they agreed to ship my order FedEx
overnight air with no extra charge. So far, so good.
When I got to my friends' place, guess what? Right - the package had not
arrived, and it didn't during my 1 1/2 day's stay. Being there on a business
trip and short on time I did not have a chance to do much inquiring into
this. After getting back home from my trip, I emailed them again and they
now claim that FedEx say the road my friends live in does not exist. Now,
this is a regular urban address that U.S. Mail delivers mail to on a daily
basis, regularly found by UPS, and easily found on DeLorme's maps (their
Street Atlas USA 4.0 will locate it for you in a matter of seconds).
I told them that this last screw-up may not have been their fault, but that
it would never have come so far if they hadn't screwed up loosing my order
in the first place, and that I expected them to get this order to me now.
They replied that for the $12.75 shipping charge they could re-route the
package to anywhere in the colonial U.S. (great, if I'm lucky I'll get back
there in October), but not to Germany - that would cost me $33.75 via Air
Parcel Post or $57.50 via Federal Express - exactly what I had wanted to
avoid by ordering early and picking the package up in the U.S. Obviously
they are not willing to make up for their mistake.
So today I wrote them an email telling them in rather clear language that I
consider this a major screw-up not only by FedEx but also by them, and that
I intend to make the story known in the various photography forums on the
internet that I am a member of once this unfortunate affair is over (but as
you asked I thought I might as well start doing it now, which I hereby did).
I also emailed a complaint to FedEx, advising them to use DeLorme maps or
ask U.S. Mail for directions next time they can't find an address, and
asking them what they are planning to do to make up for their mistake.
I have not received a reply to either of these two latest emails so far.
Anyway, the way things look right now this first time I have dealt with B&H
is very likely to also be the last, unless they come up with a satisfactory
solution real soon now (the birthday is in the first week of March). I don't
have much hope, though - so far, I feel I've been screwed royally by both
B&H and FedEx.
MtFbwy,
Volkhart
--
Volkhart Baumgaertner email: kyu@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
MausNet: @BA
http://www.intcom.de/homepages/kyu/home.htm
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