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B&H Photo

monokakata said:
If I go to buy a D810 at B&H today, it's listed as having "free expedited shipping," but when I put in my Hawai'i ZIP code, suddenly the least expensive shipping (UPS ground, which means ground to the west coast and then air across the Pacific) is $29, UPS 2 day is $43, USPS Priority Mail is a whopping $67 and FedEx 2 day is $99.

This is nuts -- and so for Costa Rica you're probably going to be looking at something that's even nuttier.

It's a pity because in absolutely every other way, B&H is first-rate.
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We appreciate this feedback. We are constantly trying to find reliable but less expensive shipping options, both for our US and our international customers. Our adoption of Purloator for Canada and DHL for Australia are evidence if this as is our more recent push to make shipping free to Canada for thousands of items. I wish we could do more for customers from Alaska and Hawaii but, as our shipping dept manager says, as far as shippers go, Canada is closer to being part of the USA than Alaska and Hawaii and there simply isn't a reliable shipper we can use whose rates would make free shipping a viable option.

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MacHumors said:
Nowadays their mail order business looks efficient. However I would never buy from them because of bad experiences with them in the past: exploitative shipping charges, aggressive in-store staff, a refund that never materialized. Sorry to be so humorless. The way they piled on the overseas shipping charges was just disgraceful—and the attitude was very sullen when questioned on it.
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I am very concerned about this uncharacteristic situation and would like to repair it if possible. Please email details to me at henryp[at]bhphoto.com TIA
 
tibas92013 said:
No experience in buying a Mac from B&H Photo, however, I am seriously thinking of purchasing a new Macbook Pro (2014 model) plus Applecare from this company.

Reason: No State Sales Tax and cheaper Applecare price($179vs$249)

Your experiences in dealing with this company would be greatly appreciated.
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I did exactly this for my second MacBook. Came without issue, AppleCare worked great. Quite a deal. I'd say go for it.
 
Another happy customer here. Ive bought several high end lenses from them in the past, but I - for the first time - just bought a new mac from them. It literally just came this afternoon; 15in retina MBP. They were cheaper than even my student discount at Apple plus no sales tax. It arrived extremely well packaged (three layers of boxes, egg crates, and air bubbles) and i'd do business with them again.
 
I've purchased electronics from B & H with no problems whatsoever. The only time I've been disappointed was a couple of days ago when they wouldn't price match a sale on Macs going on at Micro Center (mentioned in a different forum).

The sales rep told me the price was less than they paid for them, which I find a little hard to believe. I doubt Micro Center (or Best Buy for that matter, which another commenter said did price match) is selling them at a loss, or that MC or BB paid less for them than B & H.

More likely B & H wasn't going to make enough to make it worth their while, which of course is their prerogative. They have no obligation to price match.

And the reason I didn't just buy from one of the other stores? I won't patronize Best Buy on principle (bad experiences), and Micro Center is more than an hour drive one way and I haven't had the time. Micro Center is also a good store, by the way. I've purchased Macs from them in the past when I lived closer to them.
 
L7qPayF19I6 said:
And the reason I didn't just buy from one of the other stores? I won't patronize Best Buy on principle (bad experiences), and Micro Center is more than an hour drive one way and I haven't had the time. Micro Center is also a good store, by the way. I've purchased Macs from them in the past when I lived closer to them.
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Last "Black Friday" I bought a Ipad Mini2 from BEST BUY at a great price and very happy with my purchase. I would have no hesitation in doing business with them again.
 
dyt1983 said:
That is true. But in Apple's case, you can purchase from an authorized retailer, and return it to Apple. Obviously not engraved items.
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I called both Apple and a nearby Apple store and was told this is not true. B&H is great but I would never purchase a computer from them because of their return policy unless I'm 100% sure I know what I want. I'm currently stuck deciding between a 13" and 15" rMBP and the savings isn't worth the gamble of not being able to exchange.
 
dyt1983 said:
Well, I was responding to the OP who was going to be in the USA. If you're not in the USA, the terms & conditions may be different. I knew I should have written that soon after I posted that because someone would bring that up.

Obviously people in the USA can just look up the legal terms & conditions on the US web site and read that it is true, no need for calling. And the steps required are laid out there. To be clear, I wrote "You can return it to Apple but not the Apple Store." Anyone asking the Apple Store will obviously be told "You can't return it to the Apple Store."
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Can you link the page? Everything I've read references either the online or physical store and not resellers. As I mentioned, I did call Apple also. If you're right it would change how I buy.
 
B&H is tops. I started buying photo equipment from them and always had one of their catalogs way back. They have since become THE place for apple equipment since they got into that. They have always been tops and the most recommended place on photography sites for many years.
 
FroggyFresh said:
I called both Apple and a nearby Apple store and was told this is not true. B&H is great but I would never purchase a computer from them because of their return policy unless I'm 100% sure I know what I want. I'm currently stuck deciding between a 13" and 15" rMBP and the savings isn't worth the gamble of not being able to exchange.
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So you want to try items for a time and then take them back if you decide you don't like it? Why not decide BEFORE you buy? Why should B&H pay for you not being able to decide what you want? You know that once it is opened and used they can't sell it at new again right? I never understood this mentality to be honest, I just decide on what I want before I go and make a purchase.

Not trying to be a butt here, just trying to understand when this became an acceptable practice. That is a pretty expensive chunk of loss that the company has to write off.
 
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daflake said:
So you want to try items for a time and then take them back if you decide you don't like it? Why not decide BEFORE you buy? Why should B&H pay for you not being able to decide what you want? You know that once it is opened and used they can't sell it at new again right? I never understood this mentality to be honest, I just decide on what I want before I go and make a purchase.

Not trying to be a butt here, just trying to understand when this became an acceptable practice. That is a pretty expensive chunk of loss that the company has to write off.
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Sometimes it's hard to tell if a product will be a fit especially when purchased online, no matter how many reviews or forum posts read. I rarely return things but it's nice to know that I can for such a large purchase without penalty. I had assumed incorrectly that Apple's 14-day return policy applied to its resellers, mainly because Best Buy also has the same policy. From a retailers perspective I would think it's factored into the cost of doing business.

Again, I think B&H is excellent especially if you know exactly what you want. I've had only positive experiences. In my case, I think I know what I want but I'm just not 100% sure. B&H has an excellent price but I won't be going with them because I place value on a return policy.
 
FroggyFresh said:
Sometimes it's hard to tell if a product will be a fit especially when purchased online, no matter how many reviews or forum posts read. I rarely return things but it's nice to know that I can for such a large purchase without penalty. I had assumed incorrectly that Apple's 14-day return policy applied to its resellers, mainly because Best Buy also has the same policy. From a retailers perspective I would think it's factored into the cost of doing business.

Again, I think B&H is excellent especially if you know exactly what you want. I've had only positive experiences. In my case, I think I know what I want but I'm just not 100% sure. B&H has an excellent price but I won't be going with them because I place value on a return policy.
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That is fair enough, but I still generally try to put my eyes on a product first before I pull the trigger. Even Apple has to eat the cost of the new unit and eventually that is passed right back on to the consumer. Sure, they will move it as a refurb and probably still pull a profit, but it will still not be what they could have made on this. What is important to remember, is that a store may not have that ability and will eventually lose revenue over it. So, places like B&H place restrictions on returns to help prevent this or they would be losing money.

I guess I am trying to figure out when it became okay to use a return policy as a try before you buy policy. Frankly I think they should charge a restocking fee at minimum but I guess Apple is feeling generous. I don't know of many other places that really do this.
 
I've heard good things about B&H as well, but haven't used them. A couple of years ago I did order an iPad mini from Tekserve http://www.tekserve.com/ and would also recommend them. I saved the sales tax and they were easy to deal with. Not sure of their pricing on AppleCare, but I would definitely check them out as well.
 
I gather from all the many positive comments regarding B&H Photo that many Mac Minis arrived at their final destination with excellent PACKAGING!
 
My new machine is the early 2015 13.3" retina MacBook Pro and I can attest that she arrived safely at her destination -- my home -- yesterday, having been carefully packaged by B&H so that even though there was an ugly dent/hole kind of thing on the external box, many thanks to the great care with which the item inside had been protected (lots of Bubble Wrap, box within box as well as positioners to keep the machine from bouncing around), there was absolutely no harm done to my new machine. B&H required a signature, too, for this expensive item, and also the labeling on the box is fairly innocuous so that the casual onlooker (unless he or she were familiar with B&H) would not necessarily realize that the contents of the package were quite valuable. It could have been a shipment of books or potholders or LP albums from Amazon.....

Through the years I have ordered camera gear (bodies, lenses, etc.) from B&H but this was my first time at going with them to purchase an Apple computer, and I am very happy that I did this. I also ordered Apple Care and the machine is now protected by that, too, in a process not dissimilar to Apple's own "auto" registration, and that is reassuring to me as a customer, too. I received by email all the relevant details regarding the Apple Care and I know the machine is covered. A win-win situation all the way around.

I'm impressed and in case anyone hasn't already figured this out, yes, I'm very happy with B&H and the service provided! They also called me on the day that I made the purchase online to confirm/verify that the purchase was legit, that it was indeed me making this purchase.....and that was reassuring, too. The package arrived on the day expected and everything was included.

B&H rocks! (Oh, and -- Hi, Henryp, long time no see, but your name is familiar to me from years on Nikon camera forums and excellent B&H service over that time, too! :) )
 
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Clix Pix said:
My new machine is the early 2015 13.3" retina MacBook Pro and I can attest that she arrived safely at her destination -- my home -- yesterday,

...
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Out of curiosity, how long between your order and when it shipped? I also ordered that model (although a BTO one) on March 21 and haven't heard anything. I knew it wasn't in stock and that there would be a wait, I'm just trying to gauge the queue.
 
I had requested notification from B&H when that model would be available for ordering, and got the email notification one night. The next morning I placed the order for the machine and also paid for next-day delivery because I wanted the package to arrive before I was going out of town for a couple of days. I imagine that had I ordered it and used B&H's regular shipping, I would've gotten the computer in about three days.
 
Just to close this subthread, I just got an email saying my machine has shipped. I'm guessing it took about a week for B&H to get my BTO 13" rMBP from Apple, and now 4-5 days on a truck across the country.
 
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