New Security Measures at B&H

[David R Munson]

If you have your order shipped via UPS, you can also sign up for a free account on the UPS site and automatically waive signature requirements for incoming shipments.

Also, Thomas, is this based on observation or is there a press release floating around somewhere? I ordered film and a few other things on Sunday and immediately got confirmation, as others have noted.

[richardman]

Probably got trapped in the spam box@!

[tgtaylor]

I meant to call them today and ask but didn't get around to it. But, I placed another order online while at work and will check my email (and spam box) when I get home tonight. The one think the concerns me is UPS telling me that B&H has tagged the shipment preventing it from same day pick-up. I'm going to call B&H tomorrow and ask them if that is true. I work during the day when UPS delivers (before 10am!) and picking it up after work is my only option. Maybe UPS is trying to limit the long lines at night by forcing everyone to pick-up their packages between noon and 7pm.

Thomas

[Daniel Stone]

can you have your deliveries made to a different address(say, if you're at an office, building, then while you're at work?)

just thinking out loud here, that way you wouldn't have to make a special trip to p/u

-Dan

[Keith Pitman]

Samples of one are pretty useless and should not be reported. I placed orders on 12/30 and got immediate acknowledgements and shipping notice.

[tgtaylor]

Checked my email when I got home from work and the order confirmation and shipping notice (they shipped it right away) were in my spam folder. In the past such notices went to my inbox and not to the spam folder and I never thought to check there - especially when the weekly spam from B&H goes directly into my inbox. I'm ging to cal them tomorrow about the no same pick-up restriction and will report back on that.

...can you have your deliveries made to a different address(say, if you're at an office, building, then while you're at work?)

Normally I have orders sent to me at work which is more convenient if its a weekday delivery. Once its shipped (and an InfoNotice is left?), UPS will change delivery addresses for a $6 fee. Frankly though calling them and having it put on next day will call is a whole lot better than driving out (in my case) to the Oakland airport at 8 or 9PM and standing in line for an hour or more. It took about 5 minutes this afternoon.

Thomas

[tgtaylor]

Confirmed with B&H that the same day pick-up restriction is now their policy. They said if you want same day pick-up, you'll have to call them and they will call UPS to allow you to pick up the package. Alternatively, you can have the package placed in will-call for next day pick-up without calling B&H.

Thomas

[Leonard Evens]

I've had a problem with B&H requiring a signature for lenses they ship. I live in a condo and the delivery person is supposed to use our intercom system to let me know he is here, but he doesn't always do that. He gets into the building somehow and may go to my door and knock. I may not here the knock, so he leaves a note on my mailbox. If that happens it does not seem possible to go out to the deliverer's local site to get the package. It can take two or three tried for me to get the package.

[gleaf]

Rural area here. I have not checked to see which items hit the driveway with signature required. It is an occasional. May be a declared value happening. Most times for USPS UPS and Fed ex I get a horn honk when they start backing down the drive toward the house. Prior to retirement I had the interesting FedEx trap of note on door and no option on their magic software of 800 number to solve the problem. I just drove the 20 miles to town to their local distribution and handed them the note back saying "Your driver was 2 houses off" they had no answer as to how their system could solve the problem. It can't it's software, dumb programmers and a company so arrogant no problem solution can be based on their mistake. B and H no problems yet and usually a steady 2 day delivery.

[tgtaylor]

According to what B&H told me yesterday, it's a new B&H policy. UPS/FedEx never leaves my packages at the door as a signature is always required and in the past I've always been able to pick up B&H shipments on the same day if not at home when it was delivered. Frankly I don't understand why B&H is now restricting same day pick-up since whether you pick it up same day or on the next day you have to produce a government issued ID. They said that if you needed to pick it up that day you can call them and they will call UPS. But in my case there's a 3 hour time differential between the east and west coast. I usually don't get home until around 5pm and B&H cutoff time is 6PM Eastern (3PM Pacific) which means that I don't have that option.

Thomas