bhphotovideo.com, 17photo.com, and UPS

[ReF]

i would just like to tell you guys out there a few things about my experiences with the companies listed in the title.

first off, i have no less than 45 internet transactions so i have quite a few experiences with shipping companies. whenever you can, ship with FedEx. UPS is slow, unreliable, shows up at random times, and will often dump your expensive stuff on the doorstep without a signature. one time they left a giant, 80lbs, brightly colored box on my doorstep that just screams "steal me!" luckily no one did, but there are quite a few lowlifes in my neighborhood so i was just lucky. that's not the only time it happened, that was just the biggest package i've ever had shipped. UPS has dumped about as many unsigned packages as those that i have actually recieved. they have done the same to four different addresses so it's not just a problem with the delivery guy in my neighborhood. they also show up at random, unpredictable times during the delivery day, from early morning to as late a 5:30pm, so i can't always be there to sign off. by random times, i mean sometimes they show up to the same place at 10am, sometimes 12 noon, 1pm, 3pm, or 5:30pm.

now about bhphotovideo.com they are a reputable business but they are slow as h#ll when it comes to processing orders. on average they take about 2 business days to actually get a package shipped out. yes, on one occasion i paid for 2 day air via UPS from bhphotovideo.com and at the same time ordered from 17photo.com using FedEx standard shipping - the UPS 2 day air package arrived one day AFTER :mad: the FedEx/17photo.com package. now who wouldn't be upset about that?

about 17photo.com, i have order three times from them now, and the first two times they were really quick. they shipped out my packages ASAP and they arrived quickly as well because they used FedEx. 17photo.com also charges a lot more for shipping than other companies, but FedEx usually costs more anyways so it's understandable. now this time, my third order from them, they shipped out the package right away but apparently they've decided to go with UPS now. and guess what, they still charge the same high rates as they did with FedEx! and the best part is, you won't even know they're using UPS until AFTER you place your order. so today, i had a person available and waiting from morning til 4pm to recieve a scheduled delivery from UPS, and guess what, they show up at fricken5:30pm :eek: when nobody is there. now they want to retry the delivery on monday and they expect me or anyone for that matter to wait for them from morning to 5:30pm?! who's got the time?! obviously i'm pretty unhappy about the whole situation. with FedEx, those guys always show up at the same time to one address and on the scheduled delivery day, sometimes even a day early :eek: on one occassion UPS didn't even show up on the delivery day that they had scheduled themselves. now that's pathetic.

my advise:
call ahead to the site you are ordering from, even if you plan to order online and not by phone, and inquire about the company they ship with. if the shipping cost is high and they use UPS, you're getting ripped off.

i'm also not going to order from 17photo.com again unless they go back to FedEx, because i'm not willing to pay $26.00 for regular ground shipping with UPS (actual cost of shipping for my recent transaction) when it really costs $6.75 (trust me, i know the rates. i send quite a few things out). i was willing to pay the extra cost for delivery speed, but now it looks like i paid for nothing. you guys will probably be better off ordering from another site that charges less for standard shipping or using the money to pay for 2nd day air, which is usually $25-$28 anyways.

[cdifoto]

i would just like to tell you guys out there a few things about my experiences with the companies listed in the title.

first off, i have no less than 45 internet transactions so i have quite a few experiences with shipping companies. whenever you can, ship with FedEx. UPS is slow, unreliable, shows up at random times, and will often dump your expensive stuff on the doorstep without a signature. one time they left a giant, 80lbs, brightly colored box on my doorstep that just screams "steal me!" luckily no one did, but there are quite a few lowlifes in my neighborhood so i was just lucky. that's not the only time it happened, that was just the biggest package i've ever had shipped. UPS has dumped about as many unsigned packages as those that i have actually recieved. they have done the same to four different addresses so it's not just a problem with the delivery guy in my neighborhood. they also show up at random, unpredictable times during the delivery day, from early morning to as late a 5:30pm, so i can't always be there to sign off. by random times, i mean sometimes they show up to the same place at 10am, sometimes 12 noon, 1pm, 3pm, or 5:30pm.

now about bhphotovideo.com they are a reputable business but they are slow as h#ll when it comes to processing orders. on average they take about 2 business days to actually get a package shipped out. yes, on one occasion i paid for 2 day air via UPS from bhphotovideo.com and at the same time ordered from 17photo.com using FedEx standard shipping - the UPS 2 day air package arrived one day AFTER :mad: the FedEx/17photo.com package. now who wouldn't be upset about that?

about 17photo.com, i have order three times from them now, and the first two times they were really quick. they shipped out my packages ASAP and they arrived quickly as well because they used FedEx. 17photo.com also charges a lot more for shipping than other companies, but FedEx usually costs more anyways so it's understandable. now this time, my third order from them, they shipped out the package right away but apparently they've decided to go with UPS now. and guess what, they still charge the same high rates as they did with FedEx! and the best part is, you won't even know they're using UPS until AFTER you place your order. so today, i had a person available and waiting from morning til 4pm to recieve a scheduled delivery from UPS, and guess what, they show up at fricken5:30pm :eek: when nobody is there. now they want to retry the delivery on monday and they expect me or anyone for that matter to wait for them from morning to 5:30pm?! who's got the time?! obviously i'm pretty unhappy about the whole situation. with FedEx, those guys always show up at the same time to one address and on the scheduled delivery day, sometimes even a day early :eek: on one occassion UPS didn't even show up on the delivery day that they had scheduled themselves. now that's pathetic.

my advise:
call ahead to the site you are ordering from, even if you plan to order online and not by phone, and inquire about the company they ship with.

i'm also not going to order from 17photo.com again unless they go back to FedEx, because i'm not willing to pay $26.00 for regular ground shipping with UPS (actual cost of shipping for my recent transaction) when it really costs $6.75 (trust me, i know the rates. i send quite a few things out). i was willing to pay the extra cost for delivery speed, but now it looks like i paid for nothing. you guys will probably be better off ordering from another site that charges less for standard shipping or using the money to pay for 2nd day air, which is usually $25-$28 anyways.


I have my own little online sales operation and I ship FedEx and USPS only. No DHL or UPS. FedEx is faster and cheaper than UPS anyways.

I also ship within 24 hours...guaranteed. Usually I am able to ship immediately (quite literally...order comes in and 5-10 minutes after you order you get a tracking number).

[Rex914]

UPS tends to be used for those free shipping options, and they do indeed leave packages without any indication (like ringing the doorbell). For small items (< $250) from places like Amazon, it's quite good and has always arrived several days early, but as you say, I wouldn't appreciate it too much for a bigger ticket item.

[cdifoto]

I also like FedEx's new signature options. Since most credit card merchant accounts require signatures on anything valued over $250, FedEx is the way to go (from a seller's standpoint).
-------------------
From FedEx.com:

FedEx is introducing three new signature options to improve delivery commitments and provide a consistent experience for customers across the FedEx network. The three new signature options include Indirect Signature Required, Direct Signature Required and Adult Signature Required. These new options are designed to meet the varying needs of customers who seek greater flexibility and peace of mind for their shipping transactions.
-------------------
Indirect Signature - means anyone at the location can sign.
Direct Signature - means the person named on the label is the only one that can sign and must show Photo ID.
Adult Signature - means only someone over 21 yrs of age can sign and must show Photo ID.

Personally I love these options so I can specify, for my own business' protection, that ONLY the person that the package is addressed to is authorized to sign for that package, and they cannot claim they never received it and someone else must have signed for it and/or stole it.

By the way...they have implemented it already...I have it integrated with the backend operations of my website so the "is introducing" is a little bit dated.

[ReF]

yeah, a couple of times UPS just handed me the package because i was in the vacinity of the address on the box. seriously, i'd like to drive a point home with some ridiculous but true stories, but i wouldn't want to give any ideas to any scumbag thieves that may be reading this. i'd be pretty steamed if i was the shipper/seller of those items. i'd also have been pretty steamed if i had to file a claim and wait for another delivery. i've never even gotten a reciept from UPS when i ship with them. what happens if my package never arrives at it's destination and i get accused of never sending the item at all? of course i stopped using them to ship stuff out about 2 years ago so i don't know if that has changed. at least with the plain ol' USPS, i can pay for insurance against lost or damage, AND get a receipt that acts as my proof of sending and postmark date. i've also been pretty satified with packages sent to my via USPS btw. many times they arrive sooner than the UPS packages.

[henryp]

now about bhphotovideo.com they are a reputable business but they are slow as h#ll when it comes to processing orders. on average they take about 2 business days to actually get a package shipped out. yes, on one occasion i paid for 2 day air via UPS from bhphotovideo.com and at the same time ordered from 17photo.com using FedEx standard shipping - the UPS 2 day air package arrived one day AFTER :mad: the FedEx/17photo.com package. now who wouldn't be upset about that?

There are a lot of reasons why an order might be delayed, although we do endeavor to ship all orders within one business day. There might be a delay if B&H is closed for a Jewish holiday. There might be a delay if the order requires Verification, designed to deter credit card fraud and identity theft. There might be a delay if the bill-to data you provided doesn't match exactly the data on file with the bank which issued your credit card.

Nevertheless, we are always sorry when a customer is less than perfectly satisfied.

[ReF]

There are a lot of reasons why an order might be delayed, although we do endeavor to ship all orders within one business day. There might be a delay if B&H is closed for a Jewish holiday. There might be a delay if the order requires Verification, designed to deter credit card fraud and identity theft. There might be a delay if the bill-to data you provided doesn't match exactly the data on file with the bank which issued your credit card.

Nevertheless, we are always sorry when a customer is less than perfectly satisfied.

ha, don't worry about it. my thoughts were just that BHphotovideo.com does a lot of business so they can't always get to orders that quickly. though i've yet to have a package shipped out quickly from BH. this will most likely be the next place i purchase from anyways, since 17photo.com charges way too much for UPS.

[Kenyada]

There are a lot of reasons why an order might be delayed, although we do endeavor to ship all orders within one business day. There might be a delay if B&H is closed for a Jewish holiday. There might be a delay if the order requires Verification, designed to deter credit card fraud and identity theft. There might be a delay if the bill-to data you provided doesn't match exactly the data on file with the bank which issued your credit card.

Nevertheless, we are always sorry when a customer is less than perfectly satisfied.

For me, these comments are the basis for why I continue to deal almost exclusively with B&H. Sure the products and customer service are great. But I don't know many reps of major retailers who'd be gracious enough to come online to take heat.

On Friday I ordered a Nikon remote cable and had it shipped to my office, which is a different address than what's on file for billing. The order was shipped the same day (UPS Ground), and is due to arrive on Tuesday. And when it arrives on time, in perfect condition, I probably won't write any thank you notes to B&H - although in this day and time, considering the retail nightmares out there, I should. No, they'll get their thanks when they receive my next order, next week, a Domke F-2 bag. Somehow it balances out.

[kwanito]

My experience with USPS and UPS have been up to my expectations. I live about 4 blocks away from the local post office, so USPS is usually my top choice in shipping. UPS is a close second as I have never missed a package when I expect it. With FedEx, my experiences have been on a decline since the first shipment I ever received from NewEgg.com years ago.

Apparently, the FedEx delivery person opts not to walk up to the 3rd floor of my building EVER! Door tags are meant to be left on the front door of your apartment, as a sign of attempted delivery. The door tags are often stuck onto my mailbox or worse yet, on the front door to the building. I've had to travel to the FedEx location for pick up at least 4 times in the past year. I've almost stopped ordering from NewEgg because of this. The FedEx pickup location in Manhattan is ridiculously out of the way for 90-something percent of residents. I've had lengthy conversations with FedEx CSRs via phone and the manager in person at this particular location. I was also told the location is 'franchised' meaning they operate independently, but I find that questionable.

So while many of you hesitate to go with UPS, I'm happy with what brown can do for me- that is until they fail to deliver my packages. I will then stick with USPS, as it will never fail me. Or limit my online shopping by frequenting stores in the city.

[cdifoto]

So while many of you hesitate to go with UPS, I'm happy with what brown can do for me- that is until they fail to deliver my packages. I will then stick with USPS, as it will never fail me. Or limit my online shopping by frequenting stores in the city.

This isn't meant to be offensive at all, but with you being in NYC I'm surprised you don't do that (the bolded part) already. I certainly would.

[JTL]

Well, here's my recent horror story...

Even though I don't buy my cameras online, I do buy my frames online. I have had a lot of luck lately selling stuff and needed a bunch of frames. So I placed an order for a large shipment. Well, I wait and wait. I finally called the frame company and they say the package was delivered by UPS almost a week ago and was signed for! Well, whoever signed for it and took it wasn't me...and the signature record UPS has is unreadable. Basically, the delivery was stolen...with help by UPS. So, now I had to reorder the frames (another two week wait) while I have 3 people asking me for their framed prints that I owe them. Interestingly enough, this time, the frame company is shipping DHL. We'll see what happens this time...

Also, I had to ship an 18x24" framed print to Seattle last week. A UPS store is down the block, and I had no time to pack it myself and take it to the post office. Well, what do you think it cost? How about $127.00!!! That's without insurance! And it took over a week to get there. So, they got me coming and going...but that's the last time I ever use them!

[kwanito]

This isn't meant to be offensive at all, but with you being in NYC I'm surprised you don't do that (the bolded part) already. I certainly would.

None taken. I guess I prefer to spend online because as a student, every penny saved on a purchase will likely go toward another expense. I have shopped online just to avoid sales tax.