B&H not shipping chemicals anymore?

[mgb74]

Looks like those B&H could easily be changed. Adorama sells its Ilford Warmtone 250 sheet 8x10 for about $30 less than B&H.

So share the links to the item on each.

 

[faberryman]

I double-checked. It appears B&H has now price matched Adorama on Ilford Warmtone FB 8x10 250 sheets. When I price checked it several weeks ago, B&H was $30 higher. Competition is good.

 

[nolanr66]

I ordered some Arista 100 and a squeegee from Freestyle on the 8th and today when I got home it was on the door step. I paid for snail shipping. The order is correct and my business is fully transferred from BHPhoto. Very quick response to my order and they have my business from now until who knows when. Good luck to BHPhoto and I hope they get their shipping problems, PR stuff and whatever else that is going on ironed out.

I am anxious to shoot some Arista 100 now.

 

[pentaxuser]

. Good luck to BHPhoto and I hope they get their shipping problems, PR stuff and whatever else that is going on ironed out.

If our APUG responses,with only a few minor exceptions, represent the response of the general U.S. analogue buying public then I think it likely that B&H will iron things out if it wants to stay in the analogue business.

pentaxuser

 

[DWThomas]

If our APUG responses,with only a few minor exceptions, represent the response of the general U.S. analogue buying public then I think it likely that B&H will iron things out if it wants to stay in the analogue business.

pentaxuser

But we have to remember that B&H, in addition to analog stuff, sells professional video and audio equipment, lighting gear, computers, tablets, smart phones -- and even camping gear! So one might wonder how badly they would miss analog photo supplies. I really hope they get their act together, as (the imaginary) ground transit is almost next day for me and I've had decent prices, good service, and virtually zero errors in about ten years of dealing with them. Just as with other current situations in this country, I reckon in two or three years we'll know which way things are going.

 

[Born2Late]

Just placed an order with Freestyle. Stuff I could have purchase from B&H for less and received quicker, but it is the principal that is important to me.

 

[Leigh B]

What really bothers me is that B&H (per Henry) does not understand that there's a problem.

Any reputable company I've dealt with would take special note of a negative comment by ONE customer.
They would make a serious effort to address the issue and correct the problem.

Here, we have almost 400 posts, and more on LFPF, describing a very simple problem, and they ignore all.

- Leigh

 

[faberryman]

More dismissing than ignoring.

 

[timmct]

I had expressed my own belief (and a hope) that Henry Posner (HenryP from B&H Photo) would choose to provide some perspective from B&H, on this thread, subsequent to my most recent post. He seems to have provided some "crumbs" within a 4 minute period on Thursday, December 8, 2016. I believe that the posts from HenryP occurred from 13:08 and 13:12 on that date. I believe there were three posts from HenryP within that period and that his posts, in this regard, can be seen as #306, #307 and #308 if one reviews the content of this thread.

I was really impressed by his brief attempt at schooling me about incompatibilities regarding certain chemicals with other chemicals when they are bundled in a "packaged" shipment. I believe he was attempting to instruct me in case I was foggy or uninformed in relation to such arrangements and the possible reactions that might occur when certain chemistry is in close proximity with other chemistry: separated by only plastic; bladders encased in corrugated cardboard cartons or, whatever.

I can assure HenryP, and his superiors, that I have some acquaintance with these issues.

What Henry seems to leave in the dust is that there are valued customers (and their money) that are becoming increasingly disenchanted with B&H. The fact that B&H acts as an obscurant, rather than simply making an explanatory statement, plots a path for the future.

I used to mix every batch of all the chemistry at Sprint Systems of Photography for the better part of 5 years (and this was at the same time that the hazards were being appraised and the effluent stream needed to be figured out). I helped fill every bottle, or cubitainer, shrink-wrapped every shipment and helped to horse every pallet onto every truck that came to the loading dock at 100 Dexter Street.

Henry, you need to get straight...or NOT!

 

[Ozxplorer]

I repeat... "The issue here is not that B&H need to take care of business it is about their arrogant & uncaring attitude toward their customers and their failure to communicate properly and so bring their customers along with them while they set about resolving the problem. That they may need or not need to satisfy handling, storage and transport regulation is not at issue - they failed their customers by not progressively working toward satisfaction of consumer demand for, in this instance, photo related chemistry." Fred - it has been 10 years...

 

[Ozxplorer]

@henryp
I don't know if you are watching? This thread now records 10000+ views and you still try to "tough it out"! Just bring us into the fold, keep us properly informed... I'm sure your legal team can come up with something (media release) believable for us to know and understand and which does not incriminate the company? Share with us what is at issue here, what is being done about it and when is it anticipated shipments of favourite brand basic film related chemistry will commence; is all that is asked. Fred

 

[Ozxplorer]

I believe there were three posts from HenryP within that period and that his posts, in this regard, can be seen as #306, #307 and #308 if one reviews the content of this thread.

I regard all three posts to be provocative - certainly not conciliatory in nature... My interest is what is happening at B&H not, for instance, what trouble Amazon is experiencing. Fred

 

[DREW WILEY]

Really.... From Australia you are actually in a position to referee these opinions? I've been dealing with B&H for decades. In the very few instances
there was an issue or misunderstanding, it was quickly and politely resolved. They're a big complex company selling a huge variety of things, and things can hypothetically go wrong at a certain point. But overall, they've been one of the most consistent companies I've ever dealt with. Would you prefer to deal with a company no longer around? You'd probably give your eyeteeth just to have a distributor like B&H down under.

 

[paul ron]

if you really want to know n understand whats going on, go into the store n take a look at the darkroom section?

its one lousey half empty shelf! that speaks for itself.

nuf said.

im now shopping at Unique photo in new jersey. they deliver n have anthing i need.

https://www.uniquephoto.com/film-cameras-and-supplies


.

 

[Born2Late]

if you really want to know n understand whats going on, go into the store n take a look at the darkroom section?

its one lousey half empty shelf! that speaks for itself.

nuf said.

im now shopping at Unique photo in new jersey. they deliver n have anthing i need.

https://www.uniquephoto.com/film-cameras-and-supplies


.

I wonder if they are doing the same to film inventory?

 

[faberryman]

Really.... From Australia you are actually in a position to referee these opinions? I've been dealing with B&H for decades. In the very few instances there was an issue or misunderstanding, it was quickly and politely resolved. They're a big complex company selling a huge variety of things, and things can hypothetically go wrong at a certain point. But overall, they've been one of the most consistent companies I've ever dealt with. Would you prefer to deal with a company no longer around? You'd probably give your eyeteeth just to have a distributor like B&H down under.

If you just buy analog photographic supplies from them, it is of little relevance to the discussion that they have and continue to deliver other products efficiently. My recollection from your previous posts is that you source your analog photographic supplies either locally or from other suppliers, so the changes at B&H don't affect you. For the rest of us, for analog photographic supplies, B&H has, in large measure, become "a company no longer around."

 

[DREW WILEY]

If you want to punish yourself, go ahead. Shipping chemicals per se has always had a few complications. But there is also the subject of film and paper, which apparently comprise "analog" products too, though I just call it photography. Just got in some boxes of film from them, clear across
the country faster than I could have gotten it in the same state. Should I apologize? I buy lens filters from them that are hard to find elsewhere,
also for "analog" use. I buy drymount tissue for "analog" darkroom paper. I even bought a huge drymount press from them at one time. Yes, I also
use Freestyle, Formulary, and buy locally. I also used Calumet for things they were best at, before they tanked. I'd like all these sources to remain
healthy. We need them. So, in brief, I never use the word "analog" because what you call "analog" is all I do. I don't even own a digital camera!

 

[Born2Late]

If you just buy analog photographic supplies from them, it is of little relevance to the discussion that they have and continue to deliver other products efficiently. My recollection from your previous posts is that you source your analog photographic supplies either locally or from other suppliers, so the changes at B&H don't affect you. For the rest of us, for analog photographic supplies, B&H has, in large measure, become "a company no longer around."

Who are you replying to?

 

[faberryman]

Who are you replying to?

Drew Wiley.

 

[faberryman]

If you want to punish yourself, go ahead.

I can't possibly see how I am punishing myself. I have to go elsewhere now for many of the chemicals I previously purchased from them. I can buy film, paper, dry mount tissue, mat board, filters, etc. at competitive prices elsewhere. I see no reason to reward B&H's behavior with my continued business.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I used to go to the Calumet stores, under several names, and bought film, paper and chemicals. I did not like that Calumet went bankrupt, so I will not use them any longer.

 

[paul ron]

I wonder if they are doing the same to film inventory?

film isn't a problem...... yet. but who knows. to me it seems as if they are phasing out darkroom in favor of more popular money makers. that space by the bathrooms will soon be filled with something digital im sure.

 

[DREW WILEY]

Darkroom equipment per se is abundant and nearly free, so I don't know why anyone would want to retail something like that today. There are a few
used lab gear outfits still in business, mainly working on consignment. I could have had a couple million dollars worth of pro lab gear for free if I had someplace to put it, or the legitimate need. So I settled on just one more classic Durst 8x10 enlarger, which was hell enough to move, given where
it was being stored. The remaining big labs tend to buy their paper and chemistry directly from Fuji anyway, or sometimes Kodak, however that might
be presently distributed. There is still a strong niche for that in big cities. Even our three or four local digital labs down the street also offer the option of conventional film and wet print services or scanning film for hybrid printing inkjet. Most of the local public still thinks of true darkroom as offering superior quality, which even techies working in the digital imaging field seem to subscribe to. Lots of software engineers and PS pros have encountered me on local trails and struck up conversations about how to get into large format photography and set up a darkroom. Alas, given the
extreme prices of real estate in this area these days, even they have trouble finding the space.

 

[DREW WILEY]

Per Paul, etc.... I don't know if the shelf allocation in the retail store is going to tell you much. Nor would it at Freestyle. In fact, right here where I
work for only three more days before retiring, the fastest selling and highest volume items aren't even visible in the store. The pros who use that
stuff know what they want, or are coached into it, and some of them spend hundreds of thousands of dollars a year here. That lets us be picky about our customers. Give me a headache and you're welcome to go somewhere else and get the wrong product, wrong advice, whatever. Or you can try a
dot com source and speak to a pixel forest with nobody there.

 

[Ozxplorer]

Really.... From Australia you are actually in a position to referee these opinions? I've been dealing with B&H for decades.

Simply, the answer is yes! You are not the only decades long customer of B&H - are you?

Now, for someone who takes pleasure throwing customers out of your business and gloating about it

I've outright booted three customers out of here this year. It's rare, but at the time, I had a whole line of people waiting and applauding me for doing it...... Give me a headache and you're welcome to go somewhere else and get the wrong product, wrong advice, whatever.

certainly does does very little to elevate your status in this conversation about customer mindedness and service! From another perspective it can be said that in the instances you cite (twice in this thread) you failed to deliver... to meet and fulfill your customer service expectation! So, from where I sit on this issue you certainly do not hold the high ground in this discussion?

That you may know about the complexity of moving hazardous materials is not disputed but please carefully read my posts. You will find I am critical of the lack of pertinent, relevant and timely communication from B&H (not that they may have work still to do) which in my opinion is unforgivable for a company normally attributed as providing an excellent customer experience!

However, in view of the aforegoing, this appears not to be anything you would really know about! Fred