B&H Holiday Shipping...One R5's Odyssey

YuengLinger

YuengLinger

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Canon Rumors Premium
Dec 20, 2012
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2,490
USA
#1
I received an R5 in a damaged package this past Sunday when B&H had already closed for a week long holiday. Unfortunately the package was damaged badly enough for me to refuse. The package was delivered again the next day, Monday, of course in even worse condition, completely ripped open on top this time! And of course I refused.

Ok. Here is the bizarre part. FedEx has been putting the package back on the truck for delivery each day this week, including today, Thursday. I did manage to get through to a representative. At first he thought it was a problem with FedEx, but then as he dug deeper, he saw the problem.

B&H, during a week long closing, has a "security hold" on this package, meaning that, until they are open and alerted to the refusal and associated issues, FedEx cannot return the package to B&H. Yes, you read this right, FedEx is not allowed to return the package to B&H until B&H authorizes the return.

Perhaps B&H is concerned that a package won't be secure when returned to their dock while closed? I can't think of any other reason they would prefer a refused package to be caught in a crazy FedEx delivery loop. Or this was an entry error when B&H filled out the shipping form?

Of course this delays a replacement for me, and my money is tied up too. I would normally avoid an expensive order during a holiday, but I ordered the R5 over a month ago, and it shipped the day before B&H closed.

Anybody else run into this with B&H or other merchants?

Thanks!
 
#2
Good luck with your return/replacement/refund. Dealing with B&H used to be one of the easiest things in the world, but the last ~6 months have been unreliable at best and downright painful at other times. Other companies have more or less returned to normal for shipping merchandise, but B&H seems to, as of yet, be unable to return to normal operating procedures. It still takes ~a week to get in-stock items from them, that until ‘now’ have taken two days.

Initiating the process is still easy, as usual, but after that, it’s like standing in line at the DMV. It took just short of a MONTH to exchange a monitor that I received in a defective state. It took them seven or eight days after they had physically received the return(On a Mon.), just to officially acknowledge that they had received it, even though I had the tracking info and saw exactly when it was delivered and contacted them to tell them they had it.

In the end, it would have been a MUCH quicker process to either send the defective monitor to the manufacturer for repair(they’re only ~2.5 hours from me) or simply have initiated a plain refund and re-ordered the item from scratch.
 
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#3
What still doesn't make sense, and what I did not ask the FedEx rep, is why they keep showing it as still being put out for delivery, rather than just sitting at a FedEx warehouse. Anyway, the bottom line is nothing can be done until B&H contacts FedEx. In the meanwhile, their package just keeps getting bounced around and around. THEIR R5--not mine!
 
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#4
UPDATE: FedEx shipping package has been changed to "Damaged in transit--cannot deliver--returning to sender." Maybe my call this morning prompted the rep to try a different way of getting around what he called the "security hold," or somebody working locally realized the package was going in circles.

OR, FedEx had entered something wrong along the way which resulted in the back and forth.

IN ANY EVENT, the package should soon be heading back to New Jersey. For all I know, this was not due to anything that B&H did. We are still living through 2020, which means anything can happen. Heavens protect us all! :oops::eek::rolleyes:o_O:unsure::sneaky::confused:;):p
 
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#5
I don't know if you have had a opportunity to see inside the shipping vehicles recently. I'm home all the time and get to see them. They are packed clear to the roof, stuff is wedged in. Even our local rural mail carrier on Monday had her SUV jam packed to the roof. The number of packages being delivered is astounding, so if a box is not packaged in such a way that it can handle it, its going to be squashed in many cases. My R5 arrived from from FedEx last week, but, it was not well packed by B&H. The box was reasonably strong, but it had 3 air bags inside which would not offer protection against crushing of the box. I also got a lens from Canon, it was in a large box and was packed with the super heavy duty bubble wrap so there was no air space. It would have prevented crushing. B&H used to use that heavy bubble wrap along with a large box, now its a small box with air bags partially filling it.
 
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#6
Mt Spokane Photography said:
I don't know if you have had a opportunity to see inside the shipping vehicles recently. I'm home all the time and get to see them. They are packed clear to the roof, stuff is wedged in. Even our local rural mail carrier on Monday had her SUV jam packed to the roof. The number of packages being delivered is astounding, so if a box is not packaged in such a way that it can handle it, its going to be squashed in many cases. My R5 arrived from from FedEx last week, but, it was not well packed by B&H. The box was reasonably strong, but it had 3 air bags inside which would not offer protection against crushing of the box. I also got a lens from Canon, it was in a large box and was packed with the super heavy duty bubble wrap so there was no air space. It would have prevented crushing. B&H used to use that heavy bubble wrap along with a large box, now its a small box with air bags partially filling it.
Click to expand...
In hindsight, a more optimistic attitude towards the condition of the camera itself might have been a better way to go this past Sunday. But the delivery guys are in such a hurry, and the idea of inspecting it after accepting during a one week closure of B&H added to my impulse to return. You make good points here about the current state of buying online. Thanks!
 
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#7
Mt Spokane Photography said:
My R5 arrived from from FedEx last week, but, it was not well packed by B&H. The box was reasonably strong, but it had 3 air bags inside which would not offer protection against crushing of the box. I also got a lens from Canon, it was in a large box and was packed with the super heavy duty bubble wrap so there was no air space. It would have prevented crushing. B&H used to use that heavy bubble wrap along with a large box, now its a small box with air bags partially filling it.
Click to expand...
I've noticed that move from the item box being well packaged inside a larger box, to a smaller delivery box with padding used to stop the item moving but offering no additional protection over the actual original item packaging.

I keep my original boxes as I find it easier to sell items later and get annoyed when my item box has crushed corners, which is practically inevitable the way they use outer, postage, boxes nowadays.
 
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#15
AlanF said:
Careful, you might us sympathetic with your ex.
Click to expand...
Two years after divorce, I finally start dating. She followed us to a restaurant and slashed my date's tires. That was just one of too many exciting episodes. I had to leave the States for six years to get away from her. Fortunately she had a little trouble getting a visa to track me down overseas...What a woman!
 
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#17
In my neighborhood, FEDx leaves all residential delivery packages on your porch. Signature required doesn’t matter as they will sign for you. You do get the courtesy of a doorbell ring if signature is required, but they don’t wait to see if you open the door. COVID SOP.
B&H is probably still understaffed. I too am noticing some slowness in filling orders but try to be patient due to extraordinary times we live in.
 
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#19
Got a message that DHL had delivered my EOS EF-R adapter from Canon this lunch time and I had signed for it. Tracked it down to a neighbouring road of similar name and got the opened parcel from them.
 
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