You didn't buy from one of our trusted sponsors and went for the awesome prices from a NY based online store? Low and behold you never saw your gear, got something different to what you ordered and now you can't get your money back or what you actually ordered.

Here's your chance to do something about it. You may not get you money back but you may be able to stop these "people" ripping off anybody else, and maybe get some resemblence of satisfaction.

Check this form (http://www.oag.state.ny.us/complaints/html/comp_consumer.html) out and do a little to help get these operators out of business.

nice job Adrian!

Just to keep the ship level, not every <NY based online store> with awesome prices is a rip-off waiting to ensare the unsuspecting. One's even a sponsor of this site and (we hope) is NOT considered a rip-off joint by any.

Thanks, Henry!

We've got a sharp group of members here, and I don't think anybody at DV Info Net would ever confuse the mighty B&H with one of those lesser undesirables. Much appreciated,

If anybody has any hesitation with shopping from B & H have them contact me. I have 100% satifaction dealing with them. Each and every time I make a New York trip, I always, **and I mean always,** do a B & H "walk through" and almost never leave empty handed.

I would not advise anyone to buy lightbulbs from B&H, I have had to return most that I have bought from there. Once they sold me a used bulb as new and it was a expensive one. I complained and sent it back for a refund and they refunded it and offered no explanation even though I requested one, which is why I am posting here. I would like to know why I have had to return so many bulbs?
I had several broken lowel 250w but that was understandable since it was factory packed by Lowel. They returned them no problems but I had to pay my own postage because I was ignorant of the free postage label they were supposed to supply. It would have been nice for the salesperson to have let me know that they could have given me a label for free. Then another time I got a Photoflex 1000w bulb that was defective, no problem on the return and I got the free postage. This last time was somewhat offensive to me, I had another 1000w photoflex that was supoosed to be NIB BUT it had marks all over it like it had been run through a bottling plant. I pulled out another bulb I had to compare and just could not believe it. I got a full refund but without the original postage refunded. No more bulbs from B&H for me.

This board is filled with so much love of the sponsors I thought I should sober it up with some real world experience. I still plan on buying my gear from B&H because they do an excellent overall job on service but it has its flaws. like everything else. Yes it must be a challenge to sell fragile bulbs without problems but nothing I can come up with explains why I would get a used bulb when I paid for a new one?

Hi Jerry,

I'm sorry about your experience. I'm not apologizing for B&H, but let's put things in perspective... they move a mountain every day. We tend to express love for our sponsors because 99.9% of the time, they do it right. It's a shame that you were caught in that other .1%, but my point is, we partner with these outfits because they're the good guys. There are so many unscrupulous, shady "dealers" out there that are only interested in taking your money and running. Sadly, many folks fall victim to those predators. Our sponsors represent the other end of the scale; they're the dealers with whom you want to foster a relationship and give them repeat business because they're reliable, reputable, and usually get it right nearly all the time. While it's not a good thing that a lightbulb slips through the cracks, keep in mind that every day B&H ships thousands and thousands of dollars worth of gear to satisfied customers every day. And that's why we like them (and our other highly valued sponsors) so much here at DV Info Net. Hope this helps,

I give them full credit and I hope my tone was not destructive. I respect the owners for the way they defend themselves on resellerratings.com and sites like this one. I would not want to do anything like leave them a bad review at a site that rates them. I think I picked the right forum and they will appreciate the information. I doubt that any future bulb orders will be cancelled for what I have written but B&H is more aware of their weakness. Any of us ordering bulbs here will be vigilant, know that you can get a free return label and that the return process will be a satisfying one. I think that it is actually a positive from my post, their returns department is seamless. I remember when I first had all those 250W bulds at $20+ each, I was freaking out. I was so happy that they were willing to take them back that I forgot to ask for an address label.
I am sure after spending thousands of dollars at B&H that any issue I brought them would be solved in a favorable manor, as long as I was honest and responsible for the item while I had it in my hands.
I have a wish list with over $10 grand on it, I know I will spend most of what I have on that list at B&H, even though I have vendors that can beat their prices. Why, because I know their return process is one of the best in the business.

I have ordered from B&H as well and often request NextDay delivery. B&H has earned a reputation for superior service and though we sometimes take it for granted, its still a refreshing feel-good experience each time you call.

Not at all like these stores:
http://donwiss.com/pictures/BrooklynStores/

I bought my Sony FX1 from them, and just ordered some more stuff this last weekend. I have never had a problem and really don't even think about shopping anywhere else.

I love walking around that store, even though it is quite dangerous - to my pocketbook. I would love to just be able to walk in, spend a week checking it all out, and buy everything I decide I can actually use.

The best part is that the employees are so well trained.

I posted some comments and a link to their site at the top of my Products and Services page a long time ago. I can't see a reason to take it down. The comments still apply.

I think I've spent more money at B and H than at my local grocery store!

Buy with peace of mind there. I also agree that very few people on this board would ever confuse them with (ahem) other NY online merchants!

I've done a lot of business with B&H over the past few years and never had a problem. I finaly went up there in February of this year to purchase my XL2 because my debit card will only allow $1000.00 max POS transactions a day. MAN, WHAT A CANDY STORE! Had I been born rich instead of good looking*, I'd have to have an army to help carry out everything I would have bought. Instead, I placed my order, and had it shipped to my home to by-pass the taxes. ( I saved over $400.00) I went on a Sunday and the XL2 was at my door on Tuesday, and I shipped ground! (I'm in Delaware and it's really only a hop, skip, and a jump from NY.

If you ever get close to NY, be sure to stop in. Just be sure to carry a handkerchief to wipe the drool from your chin :-)

Dan

*BIG joke, I missed out on both counts!

Anybody ever bought from these guys? They have a great price on the Sony Z1 but are they for real?
Thanx,
Juan Moco

Juan, I was considering these kinds of companies along with a host of other internet resellers before stumbling onto this site and Zotz Digital. Many of these internet sites look very professional, and look very solid. But, looks can be deceiving. Fortunately, I also stumbled onto a site called "resellerratings.com", and realized that I was not comfortable at all with what people said about that whole genre of resellers.

I don't need to go into the specific scores and comments from the customer base out there, but will state this. I checked both Zotz and B+H...both of them get a 10 (out of 10) from this site. The ratings from the company you mention are less than 1.0!!!!

I have attached the link if you want to review it.

http://www.resellerratings.com/reseller_list.pl?keyword_search=Digital+Liquidators+&submit.x=80&submit.y=7

Juan, be very careful out there. I decided to spend what appeared to be a thousand bucks more thru Zotz. If I had to do it over again I'd do it without hesitation.

I think I've spent more money at B and H than at my local grocery store!

ROFL. I certainly spend more TIME here than at the local grocer's. :-)

I doubt I'll have a chance to check out their retail store anytime soon but I have to say that buying from B&H over the web is almost as quick as doing so anywhere else in person.

They have better hours than any of our local shops as well :)

I could probably drive down to Chicago and find some nice shops but I'd pay as much in gas and tolls as I do for shipping from B&H. You guys are awesome!

I only have three shortcut links showing on my browser bar: Google, my bank, and B&H. I find something with Google, figure out if I have money to buy it at the bank, and then order it from B&H.

(DV Info is the home page, so don't fret)

Hey Jason are there video shops in downtown ChiTown?

I've been in Chitown a few times and needed some extra video gear and everyone was steering me out of town towards the large malls and the Fryes stores.

I only have three shortcut links showing on my browser bar: Google, my bank, and B&H. I find something with Google, figure out if I have money to buy it at the bank, and then order it from B&H.

(DV Info is the home page, so don't fret)


If ever they should say, "Mike, you just won the lottery, what are you going to do now?" The hell with Disneyworld, I'm going to B&H.

Mike

Hey Jason are there video shops in downtown ChiTown?
I haven't been to any per se but I see lots of ads for them on the regional film-related sites (film offices, etc.). Here's an example:

http://www.zacuto.com/

We have a place called Full Compass (http://www.fullcompass.com/) here in Madison which is excellent but I've never been able to visit their retail store because of the hours...

Is there an appropriate way or place to openly comment on the poor customer service and overall shadiness that specific online "merchants" selling items pertinent to videographers demonstrate? I'm not one to blast someone or an organization openly and publicly, but I would like to at least have confirmation from others that certain online "merchants" have a reputation and a proven track record for being downright rude. I feel this could also prevent a lot of people from having a negative experience when looking for equipment. It's so tempting to go for the lowest price because a lof of us are on such limited budgets, however if you're new and or a risk taker then these "Rude Dog" companies are likely to get your money. This obviously leads to A) The company feeling like it's ok to be rude, they will still make money, B) The company makes money, the customer loses money, or C) All of the above.
Poor customer service is a huge pet peave(sp?) of mine, and I like to make it known to others about those individuals/organizations who demonstrate poor customer service.
I've been to resellerratings.com but in order to post a review it seems you had to have made a purchase from the merchant. I'd like to be more preventative. I almost bought from several companies that were rude to me over the phone, but since I'm not a risk taker I didn't. That was before finding out about resellerratings.com, and maybe a lot of other people aren't aware of that site, but rely on this site for most of their knowledge/information. In short, I'd like to openly blast a few online "merchants" for their poor customer service.
NOTE: None of the online "merchants" I would like to warn about are Sponsors of this site.

I've bought merchandise on an almost weekly basis from B&H for more than three years and can definitely attest to the integrity and efficiency of that store. Having said that, yeah, I've gotten more than a few bad Tota lamps from them as well. You have to remember that this is a very delicate product. They could easily have been damaged before they even arrived at the B&H warehouse, or used by UPS workers to play badminton or something. Still, you can be assured that if there is a problem with anything B&H ships they will make it right. Henry, you might want to look into how exactly that product is being processed. It is a bit odd.