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1k9

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 24, 2014
111
9
Considering purchasing a new MacBook Pro from Adorama or B&H, anybody have any experience purchasing computers from them?
Would you purchase from them with there no return policy for computers?
Thanks in Advance
 

kildraik

macrumors 6502a
May 7, 2006
931
1,319
B&H is alright. I buy audio gear from them if my local audio pro shop doesn’t carry something I want. I’ve had a few occasions where they’d send me opened boxes, but have always fixed my problems.

I’ve purchased a Windows burner laptop from them before.

Would I buy from them again? Maybe.

Purchase high-priced computers from them? Likely not.

Would I purchase ANY item that makes me need to get opinions on buying without a return policy? Only if the deal was right, it’s exactly what I want, and am prepared for the worst... like not having a 14 day buffer to realise you need more or less from the product you chose.
 
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AmazingRobie

macrumors 6502
Jun 10, 2009
293
155
Almost every electronic we have is from B&H and it has been our experience that B&H gives excellent customer service and after sale support. Our most recent Apple purchase was a 21" 2017 imac for a business computer with Apple Care. Virtually no difference between purchasing from them vs. Apple except no tax, no shipping charges. Pretty, pretty good.
 

MSastre

macrumors 6502a
Aug 18, 2014
614
278
I've not bought any computers from B&H, but have bought professional video equipment (cameras, tripods, sound) from them over the years, and have been very satisfied prices, quality, and service.
 

jaduff46

macrumors 6502
Mar 3, 2010
328
187
Second star on the right....
I've only bought camera gear from B&H but their service and return policies are excellent.

Apple purchases have always been from the store or online and have had great success with that. Not sure it's worth the savings to risk potential problems if it's not exactly what you want or need, IMO
 
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kurticus

macrumors newbie
Jan 8, 2016
21
4
Chicago
A few months ago I purchased a 2017 21.5" iMac from B&H photo. Shipped quickly and arrive in perfect shape. 2 weeks later, B&H had a bigger sale/discount on the price of the iMac ($100 cheaper than I paid). I emailed B&H customer service and no hassle, they gave me a refund of the difference in just a few days.

I've order a number of items over the years from B&H (Nikon DSLR, two series 2 Apple watches, refurbished 27" iMac back in 2009) and have good experiences all along the way. And not having to pay sales tax has saved me, on top of their competitive prices, many hundreds of dollars to boot.
 

960design

macrumors 68040
Apr 17, 2012
3,700
1,569
Destin, FL
Considering purchasing a new MacBook Pro from Adorama or B&H, anybody have any experience purchasing computers from them?
Would you purchase from them with there no return policy for computers?
Thanks in Advance
Several purchases from B&H, they are good people.
 

Chung123

macrumors regular
Dec 5, 2013
240
113
NYC
The B&H Superstore has an Apple section that is a like store within a store. (Their mobile shopping app even supports Apple Pay.) I've had very good experiences from B&H in the many years I've shopped from them. They beat Amazon a lot of times for photography gear in terms of price. Since I'm in NYC, I don't get to "save" on sales tax though.
 

Diane B

macrumors regular
Jun 20, 2010
140
40
Western NC foothills
I have bought photographic gear from B & H for many years. I bought my Ipad Pro 12.9” series 1 from them and bought my husband’s Apple watch series 1 from them—same good service. I tend to buy Apple devices from Apple store but bought my Macbook Pro 15” from Best Buy—but my alternative to Apple would generally be B & H.
 

1k9

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 24, 2014
111
9
My biggest concern is the no return policy once opened at BH and Adorama.

Can some one chime in on this example - say I purchased a MacBook Pro from Best Buy, they offer a 15 day return. After the 15 day return period, if I had a problem with the device would I go to the Apple Store to get it resolved, or do you deal with the original seller (in this example “BestBuy”)
And in the case of making the purchase through BH or Adorama the same would apply?
 

ZapNZs

macrumors 68020
Jan 23, 2017
2,310
1,158
I buy from both on a regular basis and am very satisfied with their service, including when having to return a product. That said, I've not purchased Macs from them, and I understand their return policy is different from Apple.

In regards to service, regardless of whether you buy from BH, Adorama, or Best Buy, you would take the MacBook Pro to either Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider for service (Best Buy is an AASP, and it is possible that one or both of the others may be as well). The only situation where you would ONLY be able to take it to one of those locations is if you purchased a 3rd party in-network repair plan offered by one of those companies and needed service outside of the standard 1 year warranty. You are eligible to purchase AppleCare+ on any Macs purchased from any of the retailers.
 

kschendel

macrumors 65816
Dec 9, 2014
1,280
556
I've used both (B&H more often), and had no problems with either. I've never bought anything from them that I was the least bit unsure about, so the return policy wasn't an issue.
 

alphaod

macrumors Core
Feb 9, 2008
22,183
1,245
NYC
Yeah all my camera equipment is from B&H. Also got three Mac Pros from B&H also. They have a lot of custom configurations you can't get at the Apple Store without having to order BTO.

I've shopped at the physical Adorama store, but not their online store.

Both stores are solid.
 

Abs_p

macrumors 6502a
Jul 15, 2011
897
422
I have bought from B&H. I usually buy MacBooks from them because it saves me a LOT of money on taxes. They are Apple authorized reseller.
 

Boyd01

Moderator
Staff member
Feb 21, 2012
7,689
4,572
New Jersey Pine Barrens
Have spent considerable money at B&H going back 15 years on both Macs and pro video gear. Never had any problems, they are great to deal with. Their New York store is amazing, really isn't anything else like it. And I agree, they have all the custom configuration Macs in stock and ready to ship where you need to place a special order from Apple. They were the only store that stocked the maxxed out MacBook Air I wanted a few years ago.

Unfortunately they got a lot less attractive for me when they opened a New Jersey location, that was like a global 7% price increase. I still use them for specialized video gear and other hard to find items. But have been getting more things at my local Best Buy now... if I the price is the same then I'd rather get it locally. The other day I got a couple replacement remotes for my AppleTV's. B&H's price was a dollar cheaper than buying from Apple and they both charge sales tax. But Apple had free shipping so I bought from them instead and saved a few bucks.

I bought a used Sony pro DVCAM deck from Adorama last year, it was the only place where I could find it. Arrived quickly and was exactly as advertised. Still works great after a year. That's the only time I've used them though.
 
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willmtaylor

macrumors G4
Oct 31, 2009
10,314
8,198
Here(-ish)
My biggest concern is the no return policy once opened at BH and Adorama.

Can some one chime in on this example - say I purchased a MacBook Pro from Best Buy, they offer a 15 day return. After the 15 day return period, if I had a problem with the device would I go to the Apple Store to get it resolved, or do you deal with the original seller (in this example “BestBuy”)
And in the case of making the purchase through BH or Adorama the same would apply?
I purchased my I
Ac and my iPad Pro from B&H, and both experiences were very positive.

However, I can’t speak to their return policies. Why not just look it up on their website or call them?
 

K4LK

macrumors 6502
Jun 18, 2009
424
88
I purchased my I
Ac and my iPad Pro from B&H, and both experiences were very positive.

However, I can’t speak to their return policies. Why not just look it up on their website or call them?

I bought a Sigma lens for my Nikon camera from Adorama. No problems.
 

jfw222

macrumors newbie
Dec 27, 2017
1
0
Over the last 25 years, I've bought 3 high end Nikon cameras and 6 imacs and several external hard drives. Always good prices and great service.
 

ssvegeta96

macrumors newbie
Dec 29, 2017
7
1
Im about to try and buy a New 2015 15 i7 mbp from BH or Adorama . I dont want a new keyboard one so i figured id get this one.
Any thoughts

Link

link2
 
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Nbd1790

macrumors 6502
Jan 2, 2017
348
273
New York
B&H is a great retailer. The fact that you can save on tax if you live outside of NYC is great perk (and they even tend to have better prices than most other big box stores including Apple)

If you're looking to purchase a laptop from B&H, you better be sure that it's the configuration you want and that you're comfortable with the new design. Once that plastic wrap comes off the box of that Macbook, they're not taking it back unless there's some sort of obvious issue / defect.

Any Apple product purchased from ANY retailer outside of the return policy you will be dealing with Apple from that point (being a former Best Buy employee, even if a store protection plan was purchased, you would have to go to Apple within that first year for manufacturer defects and such)

In my opinion, Apple or Best Buy is going to give you the best return policy with buyers remorse (meaning you can return with no restocking fee for another configuration after opening and using the computer) Apple won't price match typically, but Best Buy certainly will.

I recently had to return an item to B&H for an exchange and witnessed a person returning a 2017 MBP that apparently had a defect and the Customer Service Rep was giving him a really hard time about it (even though he had a work form from Apple confirming the issue)

Bottom line - go to Best Buy if they have the model you want, price match from B&H - and give yourself the peace of mind that you can return it after using it simply because you don't like it (or want something else)
 

ssvegeta96

macrumors newbie
Dec 29, 2017
7
1
Sounds good but I doubt any brick and mortar stores will have NEW 2015 models in stock.




B&H is a great retailer. The fact that you can save on tax if you live outside of NYC is great perk (and they even tend to have better prices than most other big box stores including Apple)

If you're looking to purchase a laptop from B&H, you better be sure that it's the configuration you want and that you're comfortable with the new design. Once that plastic wrap comes off the box of that Macbook, they're not taking it back unless there's some sort of obvious issue / defect.

Any Apple product purchased from ANY retailer outside of the return policy you will be dealing with Apple from that point (being a former Best Buy employee, even if a store protection plan was purchased, you would have to go to Apple within that first year for manufacturer defects and such)

In my opinion, Apple or Best Buy is going to give you the best return policy with buyers remorse (meaning you can return with no restocking fee for another configuration after opening and using the computer) Apple won't price match typically, but Best Buy certainly will.

I recently had to return an item to B&H for an exchange and witnessed a person returning a 2017 MBP that apparently had a defect and the Customer Service Rep was giving him a really hard time about it (even though he had a work form from Apple confirming the issue)

Bottom line - go to Best Buy if they have the model you want, price match from B&H - and give yourself the peace of mind that you can return it after using it simply because you don't like it (or want something else)
 

Nbd1790

macrumors 6502
Jan 2, 2017
348
273
New York
Sounds good but I doubt any brick and mortar stores will have NEW 2015 models in stock.

Agreed - if you're looking for a 2015 Model, B&H is basically you're only option (aside from Adorama)

The 2015 model is more of the same and is a reliable machine (so you'll be fine) I wanted to exchange my 2016 from them a while back for a 2015 model - from my last post, I'm sure you can tell that didn't happen. They offered me an opportunity to exchange it if I was willing to pay a 15% restocking fee on the 2016 model (about $500 from my $3500 machine)
 
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