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B&H Photo - Be warned...

muziq

muziq

macrumors member
Original poster
May 31, 2008
44
29
NYC Baby
Great prices, no tax outside of NY...

BUT...

No returns accepted on Macs.. (laptops, desktops)
None..

So, you better be 100% sure of your purchase, they will not take it back.. for any reason.

only if it's defective, and even then, they may charge you a 15% restocking fee.

Serious Buyer's remorse...

Be warned.

Next time, I'll read the fine print...
 
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muziq said:
Great prices, no tax outside of NY...

BUT...

No returns accepted on Macs.. (laptops, desktops)
None..

So, you better be 100% sure of your purchase, they will not take it back.. for any reason.

only if it's defective, and even then, they may charge you a 15% restocking fee.

Serious Buyer's remorse...

Be warned.

Next time, I'll read the fine print...
Click to expand...

Just price match with Best Buy, they accept B&H (as well as a few others). That way you get extended returns (assuming you're elite plus member), get points, etc etc.
 
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Too late, already purchased... Never ever purchased an item that you could NOT return. These are final purchases...
 
They don't exactly hide it, if you do due diligence and research their return policy before purchase. Sure, it isn't laid out on the product page, but it's clearly stated in the return policy.
 
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True.

I was aware of the " no return" when I purchased a 13 touchbar pro earlier this week. No tax and overnight shipping. Ordered it at 4:55 est and hadn't by 8:30 am the next day. Saved ~160 in tax.

I did my diligence and tested the Mac before buying. I even considered price matching at Best Buy. But I couldn't justify the extra taxes and wait.

Always consider the return policy prior to buying.
 
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muziq said:
Next time, I'll read the fine print...
Click to expand...
I think its important to always be sure of the return policy. Its not like BH Video is hiding that info, though I will say they probably could do a better job and presenting the return policy.
 
I spoke to B&H about my Macbook Pro and they told me I could return till Feb 1 as long as it's unopened. Can anyone confirm this? Wish I saved the live chat...
 
johnnyindia said:
I spoke to B&H about my Macbook Pro and they told me I could return till Feb 1 as long as it's unopened. Can anyone confirm this? Wish I saved the live chat...
Click to expand...

One could just read their return policy instead of fretting.

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4c307d7cb39c126368ce840ac4b37ad8.png
 
bjmoose said:
Check out Powermax http://legacy.powermax.com/page/returns-errors is their returns policy. They too have no sales tax (they're in Oregon) and prices are usually about the same as B&H. They have been awesome to deal with in my experience.
Click to expand...

They also charge a 15% restocking fee and you (the buyer) pays for shipping back to them. The best return policy is still from Apple. You might pay more because of local sales tax but to me it's worth it for the service and convenience. And, you can use your Apple gift cards there. ;)
 
chscag said:
They also charge a 15% restocking fee and you (the buyer) pays for shipping back to them. The best return policy is still from Apple. You might pay more because of local sales tax but to me it's worth it for the service and convenience. And, you can use your Apple gift cards there. ;)
Click to expand...

No way - Best Buy has the better policy. I think it's 45 days for elite members, no questions asked, and they offer price matching during the whole period. They also price match locally, as well as have a list of online stores they price match from (Newegg, BHP, Amazon (not third party vendors),..). Plus reward zone points add up..

Apple is what, 2 weeks? They don't have sales, no price matching, the best they will do is student discount..which BB does as well.
 
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B&H while they have been in existence for a while are NOT consumer friendly in their policies.
At first they were doing equipment rentals but now they took on a full retail stand without realizing the customer means a lot.
Why am I going to B&H when Best Buy or Amazon can do just as good.
Use B&H for a showroom and order elsewhere.
 
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bushman4 said:
B&H while they have been in existence for a while are NOT consumer friendly in their policies.
At first they were doing equipment rentals but now they took on a full retail stand without realizing the customer means a lot.
Why am I going to B&H when Best Buy or Amazon can do just as good.
Use B&H for a showroom and order elsewhere.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you must live in NYC, so you have to pay tax at B&H but have access to their physical store. The main attraction of B&H to many on here is that they are an official Apple reseller but they don't charge sales tax on out of state shipments. That's a big advantage for many, but as warned here, you need to be sure of what you want if you order from them.
 
They don't do anything that most companies don't do. People have just gotten used to Amazon but B&H are not that big and can't afford to be an Amazon.
 
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daflake said:
They don't do anything that most companies don't do. People have just gotten used to Amazon but B&H are not that big and can't afford to be an Amazon.
Click to expand...
Most small mom and pop shops cannot really afford that sort of return policy. BH Video isn't a mom and pop shop, they've grown to a be a large retailing force in the photography segment and you can buy MBPs for a large discount.

I guess you can't have it both ways, getting great deals and having an incredibly flexible return policy. I'm not knocking them, because I've had great customer service from them in the past (mostly camera equipment)
 
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muziq said:
Great prices, no tax outside of NY...

BUT...

No returns accepted on Macs.. (laptops, desktops)
None..

So, you better be 100% sure of your purchase, they will not take it back.. for any reason.

only if it's defective, and even then, they may charge you a 15% restocking fee.

Serious Buyer's remorse...

Be warned.

Next time, I'll read the fine print...
Click to expand...
Yea...wish I had read that more :/ Mine was defective unfortunately but they will only give me an exchange no refund. I’m afraid the next one will have an issue too :/ I was hoping they would hold the amount of money as store credit so I could purchase a different laptop in the future but nope...Ugh...
 
From B&H:

Important Message Regarding Sales Tax
As you may know, based on a June 2018 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Your State is now requiring out of state sellers to collect sales tax. As a result, B&H will begin to collect sales tax on shipments to Your State On October 12th. All reputable retailers are complying with the new laws and collecting sales tax.

All of us at B&H thank you for the opportunity to serve you and look forward to continuing to provide you the very best in creative technology – photo, video, audio, computers, and more. We encourage you to take advantage of all we offer at www.bandh.com, including our team of experts available by phone, chat, or email to help with your technology questions; the most extensive product information available in the industry; and of course, always the best value. We pride ourselves on having what you want, when you want it – we stock the broadest assortment of technology in the industry.
 
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muziq said:
Great prices, no tax outside of NY...

BUT...

No returns accepted on Macs.. (laptops, desktops)
None..

So, you better be 100% sure of your purchase, they will not take it back.. for any reason.

only if it's defective, and even then, they may charge you a 15% restocking fee.

Serious Buyer's remorse...

Be warned.

Next time, I'll read the fine print...
Click to expand...
Yup reading the fine print everywhere, good life lesson.
 
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