BH vs. Adorama
 

I'm looking at this http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/644741-USA/Nikon_2185_AF_S_Nikkor_70_200mm_f_2_8G.html
And both BH and Adorama have it for the same prices. Soooooooo, am I supposed to flip a coin? Why have the same price? It reminds me of gas stations.

Not only is B&H a trusted sponsor here, but they have better feedback at resellerratings. So for me it's no contest.

B&H for me every time, I have a running wish list that never seems to empty

BH vs. Adorama
 

Adam & Paul:
Thank you. Much appreciated.

I thought Adorama was a sponsor as well. My question still remains; I've talked to BH sales people before about price 'beating' heck, even by 10 bucks, I always get a flat response.

Adorama does not support DV Info Net. B&H does. That should be enough to sway your decision.

Thanks Chris. I was really just asking a question about how camera stores market. But thanks again. My memory failed me, I thought Adorama was.

No big mystery: product makers have a wholesale price and dealers have a markup. Companies of a similar size will likely have the same wholesale cost and need for profit. Best Buy counts on the convenience (and the 'knowledgable' sales staff) to justify the increased markup.

There is something of a disagreement between makers and dealers over the 'lowest advertisable price' which leads to 'add item to cart to see the discount price' thingy.

Minimum Advertised Price = MAP. This is a different thing from MSRP (manufacturer's suggested retail price). MSRP is the high end of the price range while MAP is the lowest price that a dealer can advertise, per agreement with the vendor or manufacturer. Andy's right, when you see "add item to cart to see price," that is the dealer's way of showing a price lower than MAP without actually breaking that agreement.

B&H considers each price match inquiry individually and even has a sales exec dedicated to this task. We say yes as often as possible and regret when we cannot. We consider a variety of issues including our price and theirs, who the other retailer is (and we check ressellerrsatings.com, which you should also), the total out-the-door pice including required but not included accessories, s&h and so on.

B&H hands down. their website is better and they seem to carry everything under the sun.

Plus the B&H superstore on West 34th is one of those places you have to visit at least once in a lifetime :-).

I've been a happy B&H customer for years and years.

Been buying from BH Photo for 6 years. Good prices, fast shipping, good with returns/exchanges. Only complaint I have and it's not really legit is that they take too many holidays. Wish us Christians had that many Holidays. ;)

Placed another order today at B&H ...

B&H is hands down better. I've ordered a few times from Adorama. One time I returned some items. They only counted one item in the box for my return credit. I had to call them numerous times to get credit for some of the other items. Some items I never did get credit for. I probably lost about $100 on the deal. A second time I ordered something from them off of eBay. The item description was wrong. They didn't refund my money after the product was returned until I called them. Will never buy from them again.

Brett

I was concerned to read your posting and at this point can only apologize for our past failings.; I am more than happy to track down the orders you referred to and ensure that any refund due to you is paid.

If you would like to email me directly with a bit more detail, including any order numbers if possible, I will give it my immediate attention.

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador
Everything you wanted to know about Adorama Camera........but didn't know who to ask!


helen.oster@adoramacamera.com
Digital cameras, all other cameras and everything photographic from Adorama Camera

We purchase from B&H 95% of the time, and only from Adorama if B&H is out of stock or if the price is quite a bit cheaper (rare). We've had zero problem issues with Adorama but also the same for B&H. We prefer B&H.

Brett

I apologize for missing your posting until now - and of course for your disatisfaction with the service from Adorama in the past.
From your description of your experience, in your position I have little doubt that I would feel the same way. While I absolutely respect your decision to shop elsewhere, I am particularly concerned that you may have lost money through our negligence, and would like the opportunity to put this right.

If you could spare a moment to email me with the order number(s) and a little more information I will give this my immediate attention.

I do look forward to hearing from you.

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

helen.oster@adoramacamera.com

We are, now, Steven!

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

I just ordered another $3.5K video camera for a friend. No flexibility on their prices (not even on larger orders) but their service is stellar.

Re: BH vs. Adorama
 

I've ordered from both, with more orders towards B&H, but have to say I think they're about the same if you know what you're looking for.

Dan

Re: BH vs. Adorama
 

I'm with Steven Davis on this one...When asking about price matching I have never been given an answer other than a flat NO. I'll remember to point out this posting the next time I go to order again...which is soon. Thanks for this information, Henry!

Re: BH vs. Adorama
 

From my experience, both Adorama and B+H are about equal in price, speed of delivery, and customer service. Adorama didn't use to be as good as they are now, but have improved. I also go to B+H first, then Adorama if B+H is out of stock.

Re: BH vs. Adorama
 

I'm pleased to read that you've noticed the improvements, Jim. We've been been working hard!

Clearly we still have a way to go, and I would love to hear from you with any ideas you may have for us to get better still: HelenO@adorama.com

Re: BH vs. Adorama
 

The number one aspect, for me, of ordering production equipment online is whether I can trust the website indication of stock. When I place an order Sunday night or Monday morning, it'll arrive on Friday and I'll have it for the weekend. Or, if it's a day later, I can trust the vendor order process to accurately predict when it will arrive with 2 or 3 day shipping. If the website says it's in stock and it's wrong, that vendor becomes unreliable and a source of irritation for me. I'll wait a year before trying them again.

Years ago I had some bad experiences in this regard with Adorama but it's much better now. When I want to order from them now, I still call to check stock and then order on the phone. I hope some day that I can trust the website stock indication, enter the order online, fire and forget. I do like the Adorama filters on their website for shopping.

Returns is an area I'd like to see both vendors upgrade to the system used by Amazon where the shipping label is printed as part of the RMA process and the shipping cost is deducted from the return reimbursement. This saves me a substantial amount of time and influences where I place my order.

Re: BH vs. Adorama
 

When you're in NY visit both they're within walking distance of each other, even on Sunday morning you have to get in line to get in.

I counted 30 at BnH and about 20 at Adorama, great service at both. Have what you want written down or you'll miss your plane.

Cheers.

Re: BH vs. Adorama
 

Our two greatest barriers to having live inventory are firstly that we sell across a number of portals eg Amazon, buy.com etc. The second, and the most challenging in many respects, is that we don't charge until an order actually ships.
When orders are cancelled by a customer, this occurs typically within the first 45 minutes. I don't have access to any data which would clarify exactly how many orders are placed on the Adorama website each day, or how many of those are cancelled. However, as retailers we are trying to walk a fine line between providing website inventory that is as reliable as possible, without discouraging customers who may believe we don't have an item available to ship, when in fact we do.

An improved system is in the planning stages right now:

http://theframptonfiles.blogspot.com...ail-order.html

Alexander Interactive Building One of the Largest Magento Platform Websites for Leading Online Photo Supply Retailer, Adorama

As you noted above, the most reliable indication is to call an order in.

In relation to your comment about return shipping costs, Adorama offers an extremely generous 30-day returns period. In addition, if an item is faulty or not as advertised, then we will always email you a pre-paid returns label which you can print off.

Your suggestion that we should also offer pre-printed labels for the return of non-faulty items and then deduct the cost from the refund is an interesting one, which I have forwarded to the Operations Manager for consideration. Thank you!

Re: BH vs. Adorama
 

Now that I know who to ask... Why won't Adorama's Ebay store ship to Canada while the regular store will?

Re: BH vs. Adorama
 

Both are excellent in every regard, IMHO. B&H definitely has a far more extensive physical store and it is much more fun to browse. While Adorama is moving more into the ranges of pro video, the B&H Studio not only sells but also has on display high end products with knowledgeable staff. But here is a customer service story about Adorama that I have never experienced at B&H. Last year I wanted a Canon T2i just as they were being introduced. B&H said to keep checking for stock or just click Notify When In Stock on the web site. I then walked over to Adorama where the sales rep said that more were coming shortly. Two days later he phoned me to tell me that he had already put one aside for me. I consider that superb service for a large retailer to be that attentive to a small sale.

Re: BH vs. Adorama
 

I have ordered from Adorama a few times when they had items on sale or with free shipping that B&H didn't and I had no problems. Having said that though I have been doing business with B&H for years and have never had a single issue with any order. B&H is my go to source for Video production needs. Their selection is unbeatable and I have 100% confidence when I order that the products are legit (not gray market) and B&H will be there to stand behind the order.

One really cool thing about B&H is that you can go online and look at your order history going back years. It helps if you are trying to remember the brand or model of some piece of equipment you purchases.

Re: BH vs. Adorama
 

We'd like to, but because Ebay's feedback system enables a customer to kill a retailer's ratings if they are unhappy about shipping costs, (which are higher to Canada) we've chosen for the time being not to ship outside the US.

This is under review, but in the meantime you should be able to find the same items via the Adorama store.

I hope this helps but please don't hesitate to email me directly if I can help with anything particular.

Re: BH vs. Adorama
 

I'd love to know who that was, so I could share it with his manager - if you can remember.....

Re: BH vs. Adorama
 

I'll dig up the file and let you know...

Re: BH vs. Adorama
 

Both my experiences with B&H and Adorama were good. Loved going into the B&H store. With regard to Adorama, I bought my Glidecam online and they shipped to an address that shipped it to me in Trinidad and Tobago. I've had no problems at all, and now am glad to see that they're on an upward trend!!

Re: BH vs. Adorama
 

Delighted to hear it!

Us too; looking back at our feedback from resellerratings, in June 2005 we limped home with a miserable 3.79/10.
Today, we're right up to 9.54 / 10. Still a little way to go to a 'perfect 10', but as you say, headed in the right direction!

Re: BH vs. Adorama
 

I have to admit, I've had great luck with both retailers.
However most of the time I find myself ordering from B&H, as they rarely are out of stock on something. And most importantly to me I generally get my shipments (regular UPS Ground shipping, just so you know) in 1-2 days.

Lately I have been getting my orders in 1 days time, which I find simply amazing. I know that B&H is in NY and I'm in DC and they're close and all. But how in the world is B&H able to process the order and get it sent out so quickly.

Re: BH vs. Adorama
 

Thanks. Our shipping department manager got his Masters degree from Hogwarts. :-)

Re: BH vs. Adorama
 

Ahh, that explains it.

So I gather UPS are no longer using trucks, but flying brooms? =)

Re: BH vs. Adorama
 

I get really tired of site banners saying essentially 'we can't do business right now.'

I always compare the prices and I've saved money buying from Adorama many times over the last several years.

Re: BH vs. Adorama
 

I once complained about this on another site, my post was labeled as anti-semitic and removed despite writing my criticism as politely as possible. I don't comment on it anymore but I'd feel the same about any large business that closely aligned with any sect of religion.

That said B&H provides unmatched selection, service and price. I only buy from Adorama when I can't get it at B&H.