B&H or Adorama

[Hillsilly]

B&H send me their catalogues, which I like looking through. So all things being equal, I favour B&H and its been a while since I've ordered from Adorama. But I've never had any problems with either. (Although, I have noticed an increasing incidence of them not wanting to post some items outside of the USA, including some Canon items. Hopefully not a long term trend.).

 

[Jamesy]

I am in Toronto Canada and have used B+H for about five years. Their 'price is price' shipping option using Puralator is brilliant. I have bought several thousand dollars of stuff over the years from them and it has always arrived super fast and packed really well.

I have heard that Adorama has recently introduced a ' the price is the price' service but I have no experience with it.

 

[sanj]

BH has far wider selection of items to choose from - computers, hard disks etc etc.
BH sales people seem to be better trained.
However I always pick Adorama as in my experience it is a 'friendlier' store.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I buy from both, but prefer to buy locally. I'd suggest you consider establishing a relationship with a local dealer. In the long run, a few dollars more will be offset by having someone who gives you personal service.

 

[sagittariansrock]

I buy from both, but prefer to buy locally. I'd suggest you consider establishing a relationship with a local dealer. In the long run, a few dollars more will be offset by having someone who gives you personal service.

Unfortunately, very few places have well-stocked and knowledgeable dealers nowadays. And I know it is a vicious cycle. But still, when you walk into a camera store in Portland looking for some Arca Swiss accessories and the nice lady at the counter has no idea what Arca Swiss means and looks disinterested as soon as she realizes you are not in to buy a camera, that is very discouraging. If you are a professional in a big city with big camera stores, yes, a rapport with the local dealer is feasible and highly advisable.

 

[Helen Oster]

I've ordered many times from both companies and would recommend B&H over Adorama primarily because they ship the fastest (i.e. get your order out of their warehouse to the shipper).

I don't think that's true, actually; Adorama orders for new, in-stock items that are placed right up until 8:00 pm ET are generally shipped the same day. As items are packed they go straight onto one of the UPS trailers in our shipping department. As soon as a trailer if filled we call for a driver to come and collect the trailer and take it to one of the UPS hubs, immediately.

 

[Helen Oster]

Chances are, things will be fine with both companies...IF things go well.


I know somebody who is currently in limbo due to Adorama's suboptimal packaging and expensive Zeiss lens arriving damaged, involving multiple returns to get the same lens in one piece. The lens is now stuck in UPS-claims-denied world with no end in site and no help from Adorama.

We actually pack above and beyond the industry standard. Most packaging companies that come in and see our operation are taken back by the amount of pillows we use in one carton. They actually drool to try and get our business, because it is not the norm.
The industry standard is to put the item in the box to one corner and then fill the void with dunnage whether it be peanuts, pillows, foam, or paper. Our standard is to blanket the bottom and the sides of the box and then place the item in the middle - and then fold over the pillows and add more to fill the box where needed.
The only thing we don’t add any pillows to are items that ship in the vendor box, and soft goods (t-shirts, backpacks, hats, etc).

As soon as we are notified that an item is MIA we open a trace with UPS. UPS requires up 'til 10 business days to complete their investigations. There isn't actually anything that we can do during this period.

However, as it sounds from your description that your friend's issue has somehow slipped 'through the cracks', can you please have him email me directly: [email protected] with his order number and I will see what I may be able to do, to help.

On a personal level, remember the time Canon EOS-M/lens package was on $300 sale, and after taking a bunch of orders, Adorama unilaterally cancelled their customers' orders without any replacement or offers when the exact body/lens combo was no longer in stock.

I don't personally remember this, but if we were out of stock, and were not able to obtain any more units at the lower price, then I guess we will have had little option but to cancel the outstanding orders.
We sell across multiple platforms, eg Amazon, Buy.com and many others, plus of course we are receiving orders via telephone, the website and in-store. If we are already low on stock and we receive an upsurge in orders it isn't going to be immediately obvious which customer(s) may be disappointed. This is exacerbated because we don't actually charge until an order is shipped.

 

[Helen Oster]

I've had 2 really bad experiences with Adorama:

1. Purchased a Canon 5D Mark II. Came out of the box with a bad battery. The only way Adorama would ship me a replacement was to return the bad battery, wait 5-7 business days for the return to process through their system, then they send me a replacement by the slowest ground shipping available.

That doesn't sound right; most refunds/replacements are completed within 2 business days.

2. My wife bought me several items for Christmas from Adorama. Adorama shipped it via a method that left their warehouse via UPS but then got handed off the the U.S. Postal Service somewhere enroute. Once the USPS handoff was made, all tracking info was lost. The shipment went missing. Adorama required it to be "non-delivered" for 30 days before they would send a replacement shipment out. So I got my Christmas gift somewhere near the end of January.

It sounds as though your wife selected 'free' shipping; as per our website, this is 7-10 Business-Day delivery. In order for us to be able to provide 'free' shipping (which of course isn't actually, 'free', as we pay for it), we use a wide variety of carriers, FedEx, UPS, USPS, MessengerForYou, Manna, Mail Innovations and more.
When an order is placed online, the carrier is selected by the shipping department at the time when the order ships out.
There are a variety of determining factors; item weight, item size, item value, delivery location, and most important, delivery speed selected by the customer.

When the order is picked up by the carrier, we provide them with the time frame.

If you would like a specific carrier to be selected you need to place your order over the phone with a salesman by emailing [email protected] or by calling 800-223-2500. You can request the carrier of your choice and the salesman will manually select it for you. (USPS can only be selected if the order has a value of $195 or less).

If an item is lost by UPS, they require 10 business days to investigate and either find the missing item or instruct Adorama to refund or replace.
Last Christmas, the volume of orders greatly exceeded the number planned for by UPS, and while this led to numerous problems of late or failed delivery, I’m not sure that Adorama can be blamed for this....

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303345104579282432991595484

 

[Helen Oster]

i think we clearly have a winner here, B&H it is! thank guys, i truly appreciate everyone's immediate response..although on Adorama's deal "New Leaf 3 Year (Drops & Spills) Warranty" included, is this a deal breaker or not?

The New Leaf “Drops and Spills” service plan covers the repair or replacement of your product should it suffer an unlikely mechanical or electrical breakdown, or in the event of an unintended, accidental drop or spill.

There is a clear difference between neglect, misuse and accidental damage, and the New Leaf "Drops and Spills” plan is designed to provide coverage in the event that your product is involved in a “single event”, unintended, accidental situation. What does this mean?
If you are using your product and you accidentally drop it, is it covered? Yes. If your toddler grabs the lens because it was left in an unsafe location, is it covered? No – toddler should not have access to the product!

If you set your lens on the table and a glass of coffee tips over, is it covered? Yes. If you are skiing with your product in tow and you fall, is it covered? No – unsafe location……

There are so many different scenarios, I could never list them all! However, if you have any specific questions, Laura, a New Leaf representative, is always more than happy to address them directly. She can be reached at 972.573.1267.

 

[Helen Oster]

.....I needed filter wrenches ....The item was listed as in stock, I ordered three sets ....My confirmation email showed them as backordered. So, I called to inquire, and was told they only had two of them (I would have thought that should show up when I added three to my cart....)

The problem is that if we may have had, for example, 20 in stock when you added them to your cart, but if several other customers were also ordering 18 pieces at the same time, but got to checkout and paid for their items before you, we wouldn't by then have 3 available to ship!

....I ordered a $65 item from them, which they had in stock ....I got a second email stating, "Uh oh! The credit card used to pay for order #xxxxxx has been declined...It......I called them, and it turned out that was the problem - the new card had a new date, but also a new CVV security code, and I was not given an opportunity to update that on the website. Apparently it was a known issue, probably fixed some time back.

This is actually a security precaution, and as far as I know is still in place. Customers are required to delete completely all pre-existing credit card information and then enter it all again from scratch. It is supposedly the most secure way for your information to be stored.

....I had to call multiple times, wait on hold, etc......Adorama's CSRs have been consistently friendly and helpful in getting the issues resolved, and Helen's participation here and elsewhere is certainly appreciated......

Thank you for your kind words - and if you do order from Adorama in the future and have an issue you really don't need to call in at all! As a CR member, just a single email to me: [email protected] with an outline of the problem, plus your order number, is all that is needed.

 

[winglet]

Hmm. I really don't have anything bad to say about either store. If you know exactly what you want already, I would go on price alone from a reputable seller like either one of these or Amazon. If you want excellent customer service, both stores are legendary.

My only tip would be to try and have your order sent to a tax-free state if possible. It has saved me literally thousands and thousands of dollars over the years, having a sister living in Oregon. It makes every family visit like Christmas!

 

[Helen Oster]

[/quote]

.....Adorama does a fine job but they sent me a cheap lens and the box was damaged.... and probably not by the post. So... small problem that was quickly fixed... but still.

I hope you notified us?

....With Adorama is seems that you never really know if something is in-stock or not...

I don't know whether you have visited the website recently, but this is being introduced, gradually. However, as I noted above, the most common reason for this happening is when an item is unexpectedly popular and the orders we receive outpace our website’s inventory update system. Adorama Camera is built on customer satisfaction and we do try very hard to avoid situations that cause disappointment.

I am in Toronto Canada....I have heard that Adorama has recently introduced a ' the price is the price' service but I have no experience with it.

Yes; in partnership with http://www.bilsi.com/

 

[expatinasia]

I have used B&H and will use them again. Have been very happy with their speedy and efficient service in the past and hope it continues.

I am actually in the process of buying a new 1066X CF card and decided to check Adorama out as I rarely go to their site, and they do not even have the one I want, so the order stays with B&H.

 

[Helen Oster]

I am actually in the process of buying a new 1066X CF card and decided to check Adorama out as I rarely go to their site, and they do not even have the one I want....

I'd be interested to know which one it is, so I can alert our Purchasing Manager. Thank you: [email protected]

 

[expatinasia]

I am actually in the process of buying a new 1066X CF card and decided to check Adorama out as I rarely go to their site, and they do not even have the one I want....

I'd be interested to know which one it is, so I can alert our Purchasing Manager. Thank you: [email protected]

The Lexar 32GB 1066X CF Card and 64GB 1066X CF Card. Adorama only seems to sell them in packs of two and I only want the one 64GB 1066X card. Thanks.

 

[Helen Oster]

I am actually in the process of buying a new 1066X CF card and decided to check Adorama out as I rarely go to their site, and they do not even have the one I want....

I'd be interested to know which one it is, so I can alert our Purchasing Manager. Thank you: [email protected]

The Lexar 32GB 1066X CF Card and 64GB 1066X CF Card. Adorama only seems to sell them in packs of two and I only want the one 64GB 1066X card. Thanks.

http://www.adorama.com/ILXPCF10632.html : 32GB x 1
http://www.adorama.com/ILXPCF10664.html : 64GB x 1

 

[expatinasia]

I am actually in the process of buying a new 1066X CF card and decided to check Adorama out as I rarely go to their site, and they do not even have the one I want....

I'd be interested to know which one it is, so I can alert our Purchasing Manager. Thank you: [email protected]

The Lexar 32GB 1066X CF Card and 64GB 1066X CF Card. Adorama only seems to sell them in packs of two and I only want the one 64GB 1066X card. Thanks.

http://www.adorama.com/ILXPCF10632.html : 32GB x 1
http://www.adorama.com/ILXPCF10664.html : 64GB x 1

Thanks. I was going to ask how you found them as I had followed the path from the home page, but then I notice that neither of these two products have an image next to them for some reason which is why I may have overlooked them earlier. You may want to get someone to put the image up, as when it is greyed out like that with "image coming soon" it looks like you do not have them - at least it did to me.

 

[Helen Oster]

I am actually in the process of buying a new 1066X CF card and decided to check Adorama out as I rarely go to their site, and they do not even have the one I want....

I'd be interested to know which one it is, so I can alert our Purchasing Manager. Thank you: [email protected]

The Lexar 32GB 1066X CF Card and 64GB 1066X CF Card. Adorama only seems to sell them in packs of two and I only want the one 64GB 1066X card. Thanks.

http://www.adorama.com/ILXPCF10632.html : 32GB x 1
http://www.adorama.com/ILXPCF10664.html : 64GB x 1

Thanks. I was going to ask how you found them as I had followed the path from the home page, but then I notice that neither of these two products have an image next to them for some reason which is why I may have overlooked them earlier. You may want to get someone to put the image up, as when it is greyed out like that with "image coming soon" it looks like you do not have them - at least it did to me.


You are 100% correct - major fail by our admin!! I've already alerted our purchasing department to get onto this asap. Thank you - BTW Can I get your email address before you place / pay for your order?

 

[mackguyver]

I've ordered many times from both companies and would recommend B&H over Adorama primarily because they ship the fastest (i.e. get your order out of their warehouse to the shipper).

I don't think that's true, actually; Adorama orders for new, in-stock items that are placed right up until 8:00 pm ET are generally shipped the same day. As items are packed they go straight onto one of the UPS trailers in our shipping department. As soon as a trailer if filled we call for a driver to come and collect the trailer and take it to one of the UPS hubs, immediately.

Helen, thank you for your reply and I suppose you're right, but it seems like the orders from B&H have gotten to me sooner. After looking at my orders, I see why - I have paid for upgraded shipping with B&H several times, and used your free shipping most of the time. I will say that we consumers are very fortunate to have to excellent companies to purchase from and I'll amend my statement to say that you can't go wrong with either merchant and I would recommend Adorama over B&H simply because Helen takes the time to visit CR and respond to out posts

 

[jhpeterson]

My first experience with B&H was almost 20 years ago. I was changing trains in Penn Station, had a couple hours to kill and wandered into their location. Talk about a kid in a candy store!
Since then I've made several visits back and probably ordered from them close to a hundred times. There was only one occasion I ever had an issue, and they resolved it quickly, easily - and cheerfully. So, I have no hesitation on doing business with them and have recommended the place to probably a couple dozen acquaintances and friends.
I've had far fewer experiences with Adorama. Perhaps it's because I've never been in their store. But, on the times I have bought from them, I've never been disappointed, either. Now, after reading Helen's posts and learning about the lengths she goes to for customer satisfaction, I realize this company has an extraordinary asset. I'm sure they will be seeing a good bit more of my business.