Easy to use, good selection, fast and cheap shipping at B&H Photo!
Written: Feb 27 '06
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As an amateur photographer, I’ve had some experience with B&H Photo and Video in the past, but strictly through either their massive mail order catalog, or their incredibly huge retail store in Manhattan. Every experience I’ve had with them in the past has been impressive, and my first time ordering online from them solidifies their reputation for quality, service and professionalism. While there were some things that could have been done better, I was very pleased with B&H Photo and Video, and would highly recommend them to anyone interested in many of the products they carry, ranging from digital and film photography, video, audio, lighting, consumer electronics, and computing.
Website Design / Ease of Use:
B&H Photo and Video has a clean professional website design – the home page offers a choice between their main product categories: Digital Cameras, Pro Video, Lighting, Pro Audio, Video Editing, Lenses, Camcorders, Televisions, MP3 Players, DVD Players, Computers, Projectors, Printers & Scanners, Binoculars & Scopes, and Home Entertainment. Yes, they do have wide selection of products from which to choose. Along the top of each page of the site you will find their toll free telephone number prominently displayed (always a good thing), and links to important information, such as Contact, Returns, Shipping, FAQ’s, etc. You can also log in to you account, and track your orders. The left column of the page has the typical store categories we are all accustomed to seeing online, as well as a product search box. Nothing unusual, which is how I like it. Everything is very clean, neat, and orderly, which makes online shopping a breeze. You can either browse by category, or search for a specific product. They also have a neat feature which allows you to select from among the “top searches” that other visitors have used on the site.
Product Selection:
I was looking for replacement ink tanks for my Canon photo printer – these are widely available both online and in stores, however the price can vary a little from store to store. Finding the correct ink tanks for my printer wasn’t as easy as it was at other online stores, such as Staples or Office Depot. There, I could select my printer model number and I would be presented with the correct ink tanks for my printer. At B&H Photo and Video, once I narrowed it down to the fact that I owned a Canon brand printer, I was on my own to locate the correct ink tanks. Luckily I already found the correct ink tank model numbers from other sites, so I knew exactly which items I needed. The product selection was very good, as they seemed to have every ink tank imaginable. Their product selection in other categories is as good, if not better. You would have a hard time NOT finding what you’re looking for here.
Checkout Process:
Once you add your item(s) to you shopping cart, it is very easy to checkout. Your account saves all relevant addresses, and they take all major credit cards. You can also choose to checkout without creating an account, if you are a one-time shopper, or simply do not wish to sign up with yet another online retailer. Once I completed my order, I received an order confirmation email with all of my order details.
Shipping:
I really liked the fact that you could easily see how much shipping would cost once items had been added to your shopping cart. They have a form at the bottom of the shopping cart where you can enter your shipping zipcode, and all of your shipping options, charges and estimated delivery times are available right there. They offer a multitude of shipping options, ranging from USPS First Class or Priority, to UPS and FedEx Ground or Expedited shipping methods. I chose Priority Mail as it was the cheapest option, and at just $3.70, it’s hard to beat! I found their shipping charges to be very reasonable. They also shipped my order the next business day, and it only took 2 days to get to me. I ordered on a Tuesday and had the order that Friday!
Order Tracking:
One issue I encountered was when I tried to track the status of my order. Upon receiving their order update email indicating that my order had shipped, I attempted to track the shipment. Unfortunately, although the email indicated the method of shipment (USPS Priority Mail), it had no delivery confirmation or tracking number with which to check on the status of my shipment. At the bottom of the email were two tracking options: Send an email to their tracking department, or call their toll free order tracking line. Well, either option was not very appealing to me, as I felt that they should have simply included the tracking number with their email in the first place – that’s what the email is for! I ended up having to go to their website, where I tracked the order and found the tracking number. To me this was an unnecessary additional step which I would have preferred not to take.
Overall Impression:
Since my order arrived promptly, was very carefully packed and protected during transit, and was shipped correctly, I had no need to contact B&H Photo and Video’s customer service for assistance. But to me, customer service includes the entire shopping experience, starting with the clear communication I received in the form of email updates, and ending with the products I ordered arriving in good condition right on schedule. I plan on continuing to order products from B&H Photo and Video, and other than what could possibly be either a glitch or an unfortunate oversight in their shipment tracking email, I couldn’t have been happier with my experience.
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Replacement inkjet printer cartridges
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Epinions.com ID:
patricksnyc
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Member: Patrick See
Location: New York, NY
Reviews written: 7
Trusted by: 1 member
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B&H Photo-Video-Pro Audio
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