I know this post will likely trigger the B&H faithful into attack mode, but I wish to tell my brief story.

Earlier this week, I noticed that one of the rubber feet from my Sirui W-2204 Tripod had somehow shaken loose and had been lost...yes...bad on me.

Precisely because numerous UHH members sing the praises of B&H, and I had purchased the tripod from B&H, and after searching their website without success for Sirui replacement rubber feet, I called-in. I spoke to 'Jacob'. I explained my problem and asked if he might know of a compatible replacement rubber foot.

Before I could even take my next breath, he gruffly responded "You'll have to call Sirui." So what was missing here? Well, no inquiry as to whether I had purchased the item from B&H, no mention of "I'm sorry we can't help you with this matter but...."

Just a gruff "You'll have to call Sirui," after which I politely replied "Thank You" and ended the call.

BTW, I called Sirui USA and was told that I must submit a service request on their website complete with serial number and bill of sale/receipt. I located the information, submitted a request and I haven't heard back from them yet.

Despite my displeasure with B&H, I did order another manufacturer's replacement product from B&H and it is now installed.

So I ask, where's the customer service? Where's the courtesy?

TY

doclrb

I know this post will likely trigger the B&H faithful into attack mode, but I wish to tell my brief story.

Earlier this week, I noticed that one of the rubber feet from my Sirui W-2204 Tripod had somehow shaken loose and had been lost...yes...bad on me.

Precisely because numerous UHH members sing the praises of B&H, and I had purchased the tripod from B&H, and after searching their website without success for Sirui replacement rubber feet, I called-in. I spoke to 'Jacob'. I explained my problem and asked if he might know of a compatible replacement rubber foot.

Before I could even take my next breath, he gruffly responded "You'll have to call Sirui." So what was missing here? Well, no inquiry as to whether I had purchased the item from B&H, no mention of "I'm sorry we can't help you with this matter but...."

Just a gruff "You'll have to call Sirui," after which I politely replied "Thank You" and ended the call.

BTW, I called Sirui USA and was told that I must submit a service request on their website complete with serial number and bill of sale/receipt. I located the information, submitted a request and I haven't heard back from them yet.

Despite my displeasure with B&H, I did order another manufacturer's replacement product from B&H and it is now installed.

So I ask, where's the customer service? Where's the courtesy?

TY

doclrb

The "Voice on the Phone" is the company. A rude or indifferent person gives the whole company a bad name. Unfortunately, no company can control how all their employees behave all the time. As long as these unpleasant experiences are the exception, you can maintain a good relationship with a company. You have to consider the company as a whole: products, prices, return policy, etc.

A related peeve for me is people dealing with the public without a smile. I've worked at several jobs in which I dealt with the public all day. A smile is easy to form, and it goes a long way toward making transactions more pleasant.

Wow! This has been a brutal post. I can't believe how MANY of you have just blindly stood up for this customer service rep. Look, I don't care what time of day it is, how trivial the question may seem, that maybe he's just having a bad day, or, especially that he's from New York and that's just the way they are which just happens to be the lamest, most ridiculous EXCUSE ever! I believe doclrb. Why? Go back and read his post. It is clear, to the point, and dares to report a problem with a company that enjoys a "satisfactory" reputation among UHH'ers without getting nasty about it himself. This incident should be reported to management with the name of the rep exposed because it just simply is NOT good service, and a tone of voice is just as revealing about a company's experience and reputation as is knowledge and information. Period.

Apparantly you don't understand the concept of "customer service". While I have no experience with B & H, I do have experience in customer service at a large photo retailer in Los Angeles many years ago. There was NEVER any excuse to reply gruffly or curtly to someone, either in person or on the phone. It was up to us to take the 'high road' in any conversation, no matter what was going on in our lives at the moment. And yes, what happened in this case IS worthy of complaint and discussion. If we don't speak up when we feel there's a problem, we eliminate any possibility of improvement in the situation.