B & H Photo-Video, Pro Audio
reviews and complaints

B&H Photo Video is a haven for photography enthusiasts, offering a vast inventory of top-notch products and exceptional customer service. With a 4-star rating from thousands of satisfied customers, B&H stands out for its competitive prices, extensive selection, and knowledgeable staff. Whether you're a seasoned professional or a budding hobbyist, B&H provides a seamless shopping experience, making it easy to find the perfect gear for your needs. Their commitment to quality and customer satisfaction shines through in every interaction, setting them apart as a trusted destination for all your photography needs.

My employer tasked me in locating a professional camera for his child who was attending a media arts college. I was told by the child and boss that it needed to be a Canon, model TBD. After a week or so of researching Canon camera's and accessories, retailers, e-tailers and such I opted for B&H for the best pricing, service as they are a long standing brick and mortar store.

Upon my first telephone call to answer some questions I felt confident that the individual (Mr. Meyer) I spoke with knew what they were talking about, the bosses child confirmed as they listened in. We placed the order with B&H at that time. The representative did not try to upsell any products, did make recommendations on additional batteries, also included some nice freebie's and such of about $400 retail value. The purchase price was above $6,400 from B&H, arrived in 2 days. I reviewed the invoice, comparing apples to apples B&H saved my boss almost $2k. Needless to say the child is a very happy media student.

I'm a total amateur, so I'm not going to act like I know what I'm doing with this camera yet. All I know is that it is solid and looks like a toaster before you assemble the lens and battery pack to it. I got the shoulder mount along with it, but not the viewfinder - seems kind of useless to have the shoulder mount without the viewfinder unless you have a remote monitor or something similar.
So as an amateur, the one striking thing about this camera is the focus assist feature. My biggest fear with getting this camera was the lack of auto-focus, but now I'm confident putting on my big boy pants and actually moving the focus wheel by hand. Still playing around with the exposures and ISO settings, but it's nice to have a physical control to use when making those adjustments, versus having to scroll through a menu.
I was originally going to get a standard URSA Mini 4k. After researching it, for someone at my level, it only made sense to me to go with the URSA Mini Pro 4.6k.
As another reviewer said, "Go Pro, Bro!"

My name is Jaime (@jaimechanphoto). I'm writing a review to share a wonderful experience. As many of you might know - their staff observes Jewish holidays (to which I respect willingly). I am a Photographer and computer savvy person who goes to B&H for almost anything I can get there for the needs I have with photo, computer, and even audio too (basically anything tech)!

I saw an item on my Wishlist that entered their "Deal Zone", which is a flash-sale basically for select items. I couldn't check out because they were observing a Holiday/Sabbath (I forgot what it was), but I didn't give up. I entered a chat with one of the online agent (John J, I believe) literally 2 days AFTER the sale ended to mention that - and he granted me a one-time price match as a second chance! Saved $20... on a $30 item, that is. 66% discount - ***% unexpectedly pleased. T_T

This isn't the first time I've unexpectedly had a request fulfilled like this from B&H. I really appreciate them and hope you have the same experiences as I do with them. =]

I typically order from Amazon, but due to promised, but non-existent 2-day delivery and two very expensive Amazon items that somehow disappeared after being received at a UPS waypoint, I decided to try B&H. Two monitors later, wow! Free two-day shipping that actually is two-day shipping (from FedEx, no less)! One monitor was DOA. Called their customer service and experienced a seamless return. Agent asked about the monitor specs I was looking for in a replacement, and helped me identify a Samsung Odyssey Neo G7, a much better choice than my original one, which I'm definitely enjoying now. Just now ordered a Laptop Cooler, which are typically USB-powered. I had looked for an hour or more for a cooler that was AC-powered (I'm out of USB ports on my laptop), and couldn't find one. I then went to B&H to buy a USB-powered cooler and a USB Hub. Low and behold, B&H offered a third-party USB wall charger and cable as an accessory for the cooling pad I wanted! That shows how close to the customer they are! Bottom line? Best E-store on the planet

B&H had camera equipment at prices that appear to be what Amazon sets its prices to in order to be competitive. However, they have (at least in my New England location) faster free shipping than Amazon, possibly even Prime.

Their lens line-up is easier to browse than any other site I've used, and they seem to attract a more professional crowd, so the product reviews on their site are more helpful as well. The related product recommendations are unobtrusive, relevant, and possibly even hand-picked. I didn't spend much time on the site because every step of the process was streamlined and not desperate to squeeze more money out of you with add-ons.

I produce online video so camera equipment is a vital part of the business. The lens I bought today is a fixed 50mm Sony lens that I will likely be using exclusively in my studio for green screen work. This is my first purchase from B&H, but I will most likely be selecting them for future purchases. Budgets are tight, so if I can get equipment much cheaper elsewhere I will, but if I have to pay 2% more to get things from here, I'm willing to for the better experience and fast shipping. I have never been affiliated with this or any competing company, and since I make automotive content, odds are that won't change in the future, either.

I love visiting and shopping at B&H for most of my photography and videography needs. Their prices are kind of the gauge one can make in the market these days, almost a standard for purchasing something brand new. Some items may be able to be purchased elsewhere for cheaper, but I have a sense of confidence when purchasing through B&H that I am getting a quality product, and if it's not up to par they will do what they can to fix it (although I have only ever returned one product because I purchased the wrong item, I have read comments that have talked about their exchange policy for damaged items and it seems to be a fair process). I would recommend using B&H if you're looking to purchase brand new gear because you know you will be getting it from a company that works directly with the manufacturers. Having visited the store in NY in person as well, it just seems like B&H truly knows what they're doing in this ever developing modern world. They offer a very easy to use and browse website, items usually have ample descriptions and offer all details and are very specific so it is easy to find the exact item you are looking for, prices are fair for purchasing something brand new and they offer deals very often on brand new items that are very tempting, and they offer very fast and prompt shipping. I've never had an issue with any of my orders that I have made through them. I have to say, I truly love B&H.

I graduated from point and shoot camera to a Canon Rebel XSi last fall (2008). I was blown away by the huge number of untrustworthy camera/photography websites that offer fabulous prices but have very poor reviews and reputations when one checks on them. Since I spent almost $1300. 00 on the initial purchase, I spent a couple of weeks carefully researching the best place to get a good price that would deliver the product and give great customer service. B & H was my choice and I have never regretted it. Since then I have purchased 2 tripods (one was a gift), a new video camera, camera bags, a camera and accessories for my mother, and accessories. I have referred many people to them. If you have a question, their customer service representatives help you until you are satisfied (I am speaking from personal experience). I have only had to return one item, and it went like clockwork. For all the items I have purchased, I have not found a cheaper price from among the sites I felt safe in considering.

The best part is when you chose an item, B & H's site shows you ALL accessories that are available for that item. For those of us who are new to photography and lacking in patience, it makes shopping a breeze. For instance, when I purchased my camera, the SD cards I needed where right there, as well as filters, etc. When I purchased my video camera, I didn't even know there was a converter that would increase zoom available (and I had carefully researched it), but B & H had it listed right there and I was able to get all I needed in one purchase and pay shipping only once!

Pros:

As a newbie photographer, I had always heard great things about B&H. After hours of research, I finally purchased my first mirrorless camera here (Canon EOS M50). I was thrilled when it arrived OVERNIGHT for free (as the warehouse is only one state away). Incredible!

Next, during the shopping process, I had several questions to ask, which all received great answers quickly from the awesome community here. I also had to work with their support, and the experience was quick and painless.

Finally, I have their Payboo card, and the savings is HUGE! Even if they don't have the best price on an item, saving on the sales is a benefit that absolutely can't be beat ANYWHERE for me (NYS resident). As such, this makes their prices the best ANYWHERE on virtually everything I need (computers, PC components, and now camera gear).

Cons:

TO BE FAIR, my ONE complaint with B&H is stocking. I do feel like they are constantly dealing with "Backordered" items, and in several cases now I have had to shop at other retailers as a result. I know we live in turbulent times, and I'm sure this plays a role, as I only started shopping here in 2020. My camera purchase was indeed backordered, but it did ship within their estimated time frame (7-10) days, and the lightning fast delivery helped make up for the delay. I don't think this warranted docking a full star, but definitely a half of a star. If I could make my review a "4.5" I would have *hint hint nudge nudge*.

Summary:
As someone with Amazon-fatigue, I'm tired of buying from the faceless giant, where support is non-existent and everything is a Chinese knock-off. I'm so happy to have found B&H, and even more excited about the speed of shipping, the quality customer support, and the great store interface. B&H is now my GO-TO site, where I will always check here first for all of my online shopping needs.

Purchased a Lenovo Legion 5i Pro and 3 year accident protection plan (order #***178 withTotal $1888.02) from them which was shipped 3/8/23...got it friday 3/10. Booted it up, everything was fine. Next day it auto updated and the screen wouldn't turn back on. It just stayed black. I called B&H to get it fixed, they didn't even try to troubleshoot with me. They just told me that i have to send it back to them for an exchange. They also told me that I could call Lenovo's tech support directly. So I tried that first...Lenovo also didn't try to talk me through troubleshooting, but told me to send the computer to them to look at. I called B&H again... I was told not to send to Lenovo, I have to send it back to them. The agent checked their inventory... told me they HAVE the computer in stock and would send me a new one once I returned the old one. It would take about a week, frustrating, but id still get the same computer. I sent the computer on Monday, I got a 'received' email the following Friday (RMA#***251). I also got an email from one of their techs saying that the computer was locked and they needed the PIN. I emailed ALL 4 Techs in the email the pin code and waited...no reply that day or all weekend. On monday 3/20 I called B&H to see the status of my exchange. The first rep I spoke to told me they were issuing a refund. WHAT!? I specifically told them I did not want, or agree to a refund. I was told that the computer wasn't in stock and it was discontinued! I was transferred to a sales associate to see if they could do anything for me. His name was 'Alfred'... He was extremely rude and the only thing he did was basically look online at what they currently had. I suggested perhaps giving me the newer replacement model at the same price that I purchased the original laptop to which Alfred just scoffed at me. When asking to speak to a manager, he told me "he's not available, he must have left early, I don't see him anywhere." I asked to be returned to customer service as clearly this agent couldn't do anything for me that I couldn't do myself. This time I got 'Ben'. Again, I told Ben I did NOT WANT a refund, I wanted my computer back (I can still send directly to Lenovo because its very much within warranty), a direct replacement, or the model replacing the one they promised me for the same sale price (same initial starting price). He looked up my case and told me they were still missing the PIN. So I re-emailed all 4 techs AND included the main customer service email. I got an automated reply that the email was received. Later that day I got another email from 'Melody N' which said that the refund was issued. My response via email was again that I DID NOT want the refund, I preferred to have the computer so that i could send directly to Lenovo. And finally, this morning 3/21 I received an email saying the 3 year accident protection I purchased together with the computer was refunded. One other email from one of the Techs originally asking for my PIN saying my order was received and a refund was given. This is the first time I'm speaking/emailing the same person. Ive replied to 'Chastity' (Tech) that I specifically asked for my computer to be returned if they couldn't send a replacement. And her reply is that there was no message stating what I just mentioned, and if I want she can send me a replacement. Two min later I got an email from a DIFFERENT customer service rep (Samuel B) saying my computer is processed and cannot be sent back. To sum up my experience with B&H... Sent a defective computer. Promised a 1 for 1 replacement if I sent it back to them and not directly to Lenovo. Spoke to 3 agents on the phone (unknown, alfred, Ben). Received emails from 3 customer service reps (Melody N, Stefan K, Samuel B) Sent pin emails to 4 Techs (Chastidy R, Luis O, Heath H, Jazmyne C) and only received a reply from Chastidy after speaking/emailing 6 other agents. They don't care enough about the consumer to have one rep assigned to a case, and/or they have terrible interdepartmental communication. Samuel B has "requested" a $25 gift card be sent to me, which I won't be using as I will never purchase from B&H again.

This company is ridiculous. Instead of doing the right thing, they continue to try an argue a moot point about what they did to me. They have probably spent over $1,000 arguing against my complaint at this point instead of doing the right thing when you consider Yaakov's, Angelica, Hershey, Henry, and now Brian's time.

Here is there latest attempt to explain why they should not refund my money. Now they are saying that Yaakov never mentioned I should go to Canon. So I just came up with that idea on my own. Unbelievable.

Hi Jeffrey,

You recently completed a B&H Customer Satisfaction Survey and gave us valuable feedback concerning your shopping experience. I apologize that you felt you were given bad information from our customer service agent which you feel will result in a loss of $2,500 to you. What you describe is contrary to B&H's standards of excellence. We expect our employees and our business partners like Canon to keep to the same high standards that we have. We want every customer to be happy and have the best solution possible.

B&H has been in business for 50 years, and we believe our commitment to honesty with our customers resonates in everything we do. We would never intentionally mislead a customer, blame, or make a customer feel they were at fault. My role is to advocate for our customers and not to try and spin things to protect our company. At any point if you would like to discuss this on the telephone I would be glad to speak with you. When there is a situation such as the one you brought to our attention I do all of my due diligence to find out exactly what happened. There is no winner in these situations and as the customer you have the ability to spend your money where you think you should. If I find what our customer is telling us is correct I will do what is right and not worry about any possible financial loss to our company.

I reviewed your comments and Henry Posner's responses in SiteJabber. I also reviewed this at length with Hershie R who is the customer service supervisor you are dealing with and have had telephone conversations. We record our calls for quality assurance and training purposes. I reviewed the call you had on the morning of August 7th when you initially contacted us about the defect in the printer. The following is a summary of what was said on the call.

You explained that the scanner was defective, you had already contacted Canon spent an hour with them as they tried to troubleshoot the issue who stated there was a problem with the scanner and it would need to be replaced. The agent said we can set up a simple exchange as we have more in stock. You then said you do not have the packaging material and the agent responded that you could send it back in another box and we will keep the other box and send the replacement scanner to you. You asked how long it would take and he said you should have it by the end of the week. You said I cannot do that as I am a week behind. He then said to make this go faster, make a fresh order now, we will have to charge you for it and then refund it when the defective scanner comes back to us. You said I cannot do that buddy, I am a small business and that again you are a week behind and said you would have to go through Canon. You also said they cannot do anything for you until Wednesday. Our agent still said he would set up the exchange paperwork as he had a hunch setting up the exchange through us would be faster than going through Canon. He tried to discourage you from going through Canon. He offered and provided the two phone numbers for Canon.

It is very unfortunate for what happened here although as Hershie and others explained we cannot take back the scanner that Canon provided to you as the serial number does not match. Most likely it is refurbished and we do not have any agreement with Canon to take back stock that was not originally sold to us. I know you may not recall the conversation verbatim although this is what actually occurred. The agent never said that you should contact Canon as they would get the scanner to you faster. Again, he tried to discourage you from going that route.

I would like to thank you for considering us for your purchases. I would appreciate if you could reply to this email or I can be reached at the telephone number below.

Best Regards,
Brian

Brian Markman
Senior Manager Marketing Customer Advocacy
B&H

The fact that B&H ships via FedEx makes the entire experience awful. FedEx lied about attempting my delivery (I watched the truck drive right past our front door), then when I called and complained, my B&H package has magically been delayed FOUR MORE DAYS. There must be no fear of recourse or management at FedEx. My business has spent nearly $8000 in the last 12 months (between 2 accts) at B&H and FedEx is makes each experience awful. Amazon sells everything B&H sells, and it never comes via FedEx, so moving fwd, I'll be parting ways with B&H. It's unfortunate, but the DELIVERY is the MAIN PART of a transaction.

Purchased MSI 17.3" Crosshair 17 Gaming Laptop (Titanium Gray) with Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office Advanced Edition (1 Windows or Mac License, 1-Year Subscription, Download)and Intel Call of Duty Plus Bundle

on September 17, 2022. Everything seems to work fine except the Intel Call of Duty Plus Bundle. I can not get an answer from Intel with many emails they just keep asking for the Master key which I don't have because the download link B&H gave me does not work. I had a virtual chat with B&H on November 3rd case [protected] and they said to continue to communicate with the manufacturer and they [B&H photo] can not help me with a proper download code and INTEL needs to assist me. Intel's response was the same repeated email multiple times saying the same thing without a response to the receipt I sent.

When I tried to pay off my credit card balance of $7,135.55 in full, B&H Payboo / Comenity Bank acknowledged receipt and then rejected the payment (see attached photo showing payment of -7,135.55 and "adjustment" of 7,135.55.)

B&H Payboo / Comenity Bank clearly want to continue collecting interest at 29.999% APR so they are rejecting payment in full. Is there any mechanism to compel B&H Payboo to accept payment?

I placed an order (Dec 09 Order #1078370860 item BH# 2356754) for a used edelkrone JibONE and in B&H website, they list it as condition 9 (Shows signs of use, but very clean). When I received it, I found that it cannot be turned on. If an item B&H sell is fault, they cannot list as condition 9 and also need to describe there exist some defects. When I contacted with B&H customer service, they suggested me to return my purchases and they will repaired it. I followed their instruction and return the jib. But, when they received my returned jib, they mentioned that they cannot repair a used item and mislead me to exchange another used JibONE. But, when I received UPS notice, on it, another $186 is charged for second time taxes and duty (Order #890884589). I asked B&H to help me contact UPS to waive the double charged taxes and duty. But, B&H replied me "Our shipping support has emailed the carrier but it is up to the local government how they will handle this." B&H made a fake listing to sell a jib with fault and then make a lot of mislead to make thing worse. Finally, they don't want to take any responsibly and just let their customers to handle all problems B&H introduced by themselves. B&H is not honest and trusted business owner.

Bad bad very bad
I order a computer (mac book pro 16") for $2800. B&h sends the product in a very flimsy box that was easily stolen at some point in the fedex delivery cycle. What does b&h do? Nothing? Head in the sand. Denial. No communication. I finally had to go to visa to reverse the $2800 charge. I then went and got the same computer from costco ($200 cheaper and no bs b&h customer service). Instead of owning up, b&h convinces visa that they shipped the package. B&h then leaves me to get reimbursement from fedex (but I am not the fedex client - b&h is the fedex client - so I cannot even file for the amount of the computer) my advice? Run from this company - do not buy their products. I am telling this to every new yorker that I know. I am now stuck with a double charge for a single computer - all due to b&h's bad business practices, inability to address their stolen computer and disgusting consumer (total lack of) courtesy. Do not buy from these incompetent willies! They run and hide when they screw up. Incompetent! This is a bad business!

I placed an order on Jan 14, 2021, the delivery time was 3-5 days. By Jan 19th, after checking the status of my order #[protected] I noticed it still had not been shipped. I contacted customer service asking what's going on, to which Evan C responded with a shipping confirmation. Just then, if like they forgot about it. Way too late to be delivered on time, so I asked to cancel telling them that there wont be anyone to get the package.

Alex P responded saying "I am sorry but once the order shipped we can't have it sent back, if no one is there to receive it then it will come back and we will refund you'

On Jan 28th, I learned the package was left on the porch on Jan 23th!

I'm out of the country, I can't ask anyone to take the package back anywhere, but different agents (Alex P, Richi B, Debra D, Evan C, Nathan Z) from B&H Photo-Video, Pro Audio keep asking me to go to FeDex to drop off the package and then they would issue a refund. I cant return to the US just to return a package. I haven't place hands on that package. As far I'm concerned, it's missing, maybe stolen by this time. They don't seem to get that I'm out of the country! They sent a prepaid return label at my request, between the representatives keep saying different things about how to return it. One says to take it to Fedex, the other says a driver will pick it up, then another says again to take it to Fedex.

I already contacted my Credit card and I was refunded from my CC, but I also wish to do the right thing, since I do not have the product. B&H Photo-Video, Pro Audio should have it back so they can do whatever they think is right with it.

This is what I wish:

B&H Photo-Video, Pro Audio needs to take responsibility for late shipping and asking unreasonable actions from my part.
B&H Photo-Video, Pro Audio need to drop charges to my credit card for this product.
B&H Photo-Video, Pro Audio need to figure a way to get their product back as I do not have it or call it a lost.

I placed 1 order but got 2 transaction in my credit card. When I asked for help. The attitude of the customer service is really bad. The manager "Mauss" refused to solve any problem and had very negative words. I dont get why when you spend five or six thousand bucks but still got this poor service. The problem is quite simple and should be solvable. Very disappointing experience.

Be very cautious about any kind of return with this company. I returned an unopened iPad pro and apple pencil. It was confirmed via email that their warehouse received these items on 12/31. In the same email it stated that it would be all processed within 3 business days. It is now 1/13 and I still have no signs of a refund or credit. I have contacted the company many times via email and I only got one response which basically said they will contact the returns department. I also tried though chat and that representative was basically clueless. Very poor customer support. From my perspective, this company is one of the worst companies for customer service. Stick with Amazon. They often times refund once the item is in transit. I am actually very concerned if I am ever going to receive my refund

No longer a friendly place. Long-time customer here, many orders, but lately buying here has been less than enjoyable.in a recent exchange of emails with Henry Posner, their Director of Communications about customer service, he did not say hello or hi or address me by name or even thank me for my business. B&H does not care about people. They do not do relationship. They've paid millions out in discrimination cases against Asians, Hispanics, women, etc. They've gotten too large and focused on units and dollars and scale. When you order, you're just meat through their system. Choose another vendor that still honors old-fashioned values and earns your business and gives you a smile. Or shop LOCAL where they need you and want you. Life is too short and we're all ground through too many systems. Avoid B&H. Not recommended. No stars for service.