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B&H photo-video RE: new macbooks and applecare

K

kingoftherolex

macrumors member
Original poster
May 26, 2012
52
0
So I was looking at purchasing the new 13" i7 macbook pro. I have the education discount but I was looking at the B&H website and I noticed that due to savings on Applecare and Taxes and getting Parallels for free it comes out cheaper than getting it through apple with my student discount.

tl;dr why is B&H able to offer the MBP cheaper than apple and with the Applecare at half off? and is it legit? has anybody ever had problems?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=cart_accessories&A=details&Q=&sku=871866&is=REG
 
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kingoftherolex said:
So I was looking at purchasing the new 13" i7 macbook pro. I have the education discount but I was looking at the B&H website and I noticed that due to savings on Applecare and Taxes and getting Parallels for free it comes out cheaper than getting it through apple with my student discount.

tl;dr why is B&H able to offer the MBP cheaper than apple and with the Applecare at half off? and is it legit? has anybody ever had problems?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=cart_accessories&A=details&Q=&sku=871866&is=REG
Click to expand...

It is legit - there profit margin is much narrower than apple. They also hope there lower prices will bring you back to purchase other items. B&H is a very good place to purchase MacBook Pro's because of the huge savings on AppleCare.
 
kingoftherolex said:
So I was looking at purchasing the new 13" i7 macbook pro. I have the education discount but I was looking at the B&H website and I noticed that due to savings on Applecare and Taxes and getting Parallels for free it comes out cheaper than getting it through apple with my student discount.

tl;dr why is B&H able to offer the MBP cheaper than apple and with the Applecare at half off? and is it legit? has anybody ever had problems?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=cart_accessories&A=details&Q=&sku=871866&is=REG
Click to expand...


I've purchased many products from B&H and they are a "class act". Their prices are always highly competitive, the return policies are fast and hassle free, and overall customer service is excellent.
 
kingoftherolex said:
So I was looking at purchasing the new 13" i7 macbook pro. I have the education discount but I was looking at the B&H website and I noticed that due to savings on Applecare and Taxes and getting Parallels for free it comes out cheaper than getting it through apple with my student discount.

tl;dr why is B&H able to offer the MBP cheaper than apple and with the Applecare at half off? and is it legit? has anybody ever had problems?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=cart_accessories&A=details&Q=&sku=871866&is=REG
Click to expand...

You don't pay tax on AppleCare even when purchasing it from Apple.
 
B+H is pretty much an enigma. They've got an enormous B+M store in New York, and they've been doing online orders since it became practical. Prior to that they had a mail order aspect to their business. The third party retailers can be quite competitive as they need some way of persuading you to purchase from them rather than Apple. I had a minor irritation with them a few years ago where they were having trouble verifying my address at the time for some reason (even though my shipping address was the same as my billing address). Other than that, they've been great. Hold times are never very long if you call them. They don't screw up billing. They're cheap. If anything is grey market, it's clearly marked as such (it'll say imported, like with some camera lenses that are a few dollars cheaper). They are also an authorized Apple reseller. They issue shipping labels on returns. I can't remember if it's free or if you pay their shipping rate. The good thing about shipping labels is that even if you do pay for them, it's usually at a much lower rate than if you walked into a UPS or Fedex outlet.
 
The 15 & 17" Apple Care is the same price as the academic discount. They do have to the best price on Apple Care.
 
While B&H may be quick to respond, they have so many techs responding that none are on the same page with regards to a problem you may have inquired about - poor tracking. Also - they accept NO returns on laptops of any brand, for any reason, no exception, not even with a restocking fee.

Good prices, fast shipping, average support, worst return policy I've ever experienced with over 3,000 online orders over the past 15 years.
 
B&H Photo is one of the most respected stores for photographers to get their lenses and cameras, so I have no doubt that they are more than trust worthy when it comes to the other stuff they sell.
 
i bought my rMBP from B&H and would be receiving it today. If I find any issue, do I need to ship it back to B&H for a replacement or can I just take it to any nearby Apple retail store and get it replaced?
 
Spink10 said:
B&H is a very good place to purchase MacBook Pro's because of the huge savings on AppleCare.
Click to expand...

user418 said:
I've purchased many products from B&H and they are a "class act". Their prices are always highly competitive, the return policies are fast and hassle free, and overall customer service is excellent.
Click to expand...
Thank you.

thekev said:
B+H is pretty much an enigma.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure that's the word I'd have chosen. :)
They issue shipping labels on returns. I can't remember if it's free or if you pay their shipping rate.
Click to expand...
It depends on the reason for the return. If we erred or the item is defective out of the box, we pay; if you changed your mind, you do.

cygy2k said:
While B&H may be quick to respond, they have so many techs responding that none are on the same page with regards to a problem you may have inquired about - poor tracking. Also - they accept NO returns on laptops of any brand, for any reason, no exception, not even with a restocking fee.
Click to expand...
That may have been an issue once but with our newly robust intranet and the expansion of our sales manager and sales training teams our people are very much on the same page. That said, we don't provide scripts for them so your conversation with any individual sales asociate will include his or her personal experience.

We will accept an initially defective laptop for exchange. Our return policy is here: http://bhpho.to/fqpwhA

Dragoro said:
B&H Photo is one of the most respected stores for photographers to get their lenses and cameras, so I have no doubt that they are more than trust worthy when it comes to the other stuff they sell.
Click to expand...
Thank you.
 
henryp said:
We will accept an initially defective laptop for exchange. Our return policy is here: http://bhpho.to/fqpwhA
Click to expand...

I love B&H, but the return policy for laptops would make me uneasy purchasing from them.

From their policy page (emphasis mine):

"Defective items may be repaired or exchanged at our discretion for the same model or manufacturer's equivalent model."

"No Return/Exchange On:...Computers, Software and Hardware once any of the manufacturer's packaging has been opened."

In my case, my rMBP had a nick in the aluminum out of the box that likely occurred at the factory because the packaging was in good shape. The above quoted statements don't instill confidence that I would be able to exchange the laptop with B&H (it seems to give them a lot of room to say "no"), and if the replacement was defective, it sounds like I'd be out of luck. Apple set me up with an immediate replacement, and I could also have opted for a complete refund.
 
cygy2k said:
While B&H may be quick to respond, they have so many techs responding that none are on the same page with regards to a problem you may have inquired about - poor tracking. Also - they accept NO returns on laptops of any brand, for any reason, no exception, not even with a restocking fee.

Good prices, fast shipping, average support, worst return policy I've ever experienced with over 3,000 online orders over the past 15 years.
Click to expand...

+1

B&H is great until there's a problem with your order and you have to deal with their inept customer service team.
 
I first looked into ordering my new from them but I didn't like their return policy.
 
I bought from them. It should be said I had no problems with which I would test their return policy, but prices were fantastic and discounted options were unreal ($170 for a 256g Crucial M4 SSD).
 
Happy until you have issues

Don't count on B&H to help you get a refund if the product is not up to par.

I just purchased a laptop, with the specifications specifically saying that it has great performance.

Computer hiccups when running basic operations.

That is not a normal sale and I don't understand how they can get away with it.

You are basically stuck with a expensive paper weight.
 
Rule of thumb: If a company does not offer a full refund then do not buy from them. A company such as B&H can't establish itself in Europe with such abusive "no refund policy". They would kick their ass. Know your rights and boycott them until they remove such sick policy...
 
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@sofianito

You are correct sofianito, and it is sad that they will let a customer like me go.

For my company I spend thousands of dollars every year on photography equipment and to be honest, I doubt I will buy again from them.

It is just so maddening that big companies can take advantages of these types of situations.
Its not like we are talking about someone that decided he doesn't like the color of his laptop after all.
We are dealing here with a piece of equipment that does not function as stated.
This makes anyone mad :mad:

I hope other people wont' make the same mistake I made and purchase from B&H
 
I always have purchased my AppleCare from B&H (at least 10 times over the years). Excellent pricing, fast shipping and definitely a legit Apple product. I would be hesitant to purchase a computer or other expensive product from them however, with that horrendous return policy. I simply don't understand why they have it. It is THE WORST in my rather long online buying experience. Compared to a company like Amazon, B&H is not even in the same league. Shameful really and ruins an otherwise excellent company. I tell all of my clients to read and beware of the B&H return policy. Ridiculous really in this day and age.
 
user418 said:
I've purchased many products from B&H and they are a "class act". Their prices are always highly competitive, the return policies are fast and hassle free, and overall customer service is excellent.
Click to expand...

do they have the same return policy as apple? satisfaction guaranteed within 14 days
 
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