Got Exactly What I Ordered When I Expected It
Written: Jul 01 '06 (Updated Jul 01 '06)
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| Full Review |
Since developing film was becoming time-consuming and expensive, I decided to finally start looking for a digital SLR. The lenses I already owned were for Pentax cameras, so I decided on the Pentax *ist DL. The only option locally was to buy the kit that includes a lens, and the price was $599.99. I only wanted the camera body, so I did some research on the internet.
My first instinct was to go with the lowest price I found, which was $387 at a company I won't mention. I had almost completed the order page when I decided to read some reviews of the company - most of them were bad. I kept going up the price ladder and reading reviews until I came to B & H. The camera body was about $50 more than the lowest price on the internet, but I wanted a reputable dealer. I found very few negative reviews of B & H, and there were thousands of reviews of them in different places. I then remembered that I had used them last year to order an M42/K mount adapter; I placed that order on the phone, and the rep answered the questions that I had, specifically if my lens would focus to infinity using the adapter. Since that phone order, I have regularly received their catalog, even though the item I ordered was only $15 (I received that order in a timely manner).
Before I actually placed my order (on their web site), I read their shipping policies. UPS 2-Day was $24, which I thought was pretty reasonable (I wanted my camera by Friday). Since 2-Day is a "rush" order, it would be shipped the same business day. I placed the order around 10 p.m., which, of course, was after business hours, but I wanted to make sure it was near the "top of the pile" the next morning. I'm not fond of other companies who don't ship the same business day, especially when they indicate something such as "1-3 business days."
The next day I called to check the status of my order, since I hadn't received an e-mail by noon my time. The person I spoke with said the item had already been shipped. Not long after I spoke with the rep, I received two e-mails - one with a UPS tracking number and one with a PDF of my receipt.
I received the package yesterday as expected. The box looked like a distended milk jug with soured milk in it. After opening the box, I quickly realized why - it was overstuffed with "Fill-Air" packaging, so there was no way my camera would have been damaged in shipment with normal treatment. After unpacking the box, I confirmed that everything was there and undamaged. The camera worked perfectly.
I have read horror stories about other companies who have called customers hounding them to buy added accessories and warranties. I got no such treatment from B & H. I specified exactly what I ordered on their web site, and that is exactly what I received, in the expected time frame.
My advice? Stick with the "big boys" such as B & H. There is a good reason they do so much business and have so many repeat customers - reliability, not to mention that they probably have any item a photographer needs in stock.
Recommended:
Yes
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Pentax *ist DL camera body
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Epinions.com ID:
montybass
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Reviews written: 8
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B&H Photo-Video-Pro Audio
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