# FedEx is Now B&H Photo's New Primary Customer Delivery Partner



## Canon Rumors Guy (Feb 13, 2018)

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<strong>From <a href="https://bhpho.to/2mrnL4l">B&H Photo</a>:</strong></p>
<p>Effective Immediately:</p>
<p>FedEx is now B&H’s new primary customer delivery partner.</p>
<p>After many years with UPS, we decided that FedEx is the best-positioned carrier to provide the highest level of service possible for our customers. As everyone knows, customer experience is paramount at B&H.  Delivery service has been a major challenge, and we believe we can do better in shipping.  We will continue to ship via UPS, USPS, and others, but FedEx is now our primary carrier.</p>
<span id="pty_trigger"></span>
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## YuengLinger (Feb 13, 2018)

Not happy-- especially about the lack of return choices.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Feb 13, 2018)

I had a return issued over the weekend via Fedex, that surprised me, but it makes no difference, Fedex and UPS are across the street from each other.

As far as items that could be sent by mail, the post office is much faster than the Fedex or UPS hybrid ground / mail solutions that take 2 weeks more or less to arrive.


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## snappy604 (Feb 13, 2018)

UPS is a complete rip off for international, so not unhappy to see them go. But I've had bad recent experiences with both UPS and Fedex. Wish regular post (even if it takes a bit longer) was an option.


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## JRPhotos (Feb 13, 2018)

That's too bad, I have a UPS center right down the road from my office... I'll just have to have them deliver right to my office now.


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## YuengLinger (Feb 13, 2018)

I've gotten more torn packages, and black, grimy packages from FedEx. But more crushed packages from UPS.

Amazon seems to be off UPS too.

Maybe UPS too burdened by union?


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## markphoto (Feb 13, 2018)

AWESOME!


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## KeithBreazeal (Feb 13, 2018)

I'll need to get my favorite UPS delivery person a going away present.


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## IglooEater (Feb 13, 2018)

snappy604 said:


> UPS is a complete rip off for international, so not unhappy to see them go.



I agree. UPS charges like 50$ brokerage for even a few dollars duty. Asides from BH, (bh has a1$ brokerage fee, the lowest I’ve found.) if the seller doesn’t have an alternative to ups, I buy somewhere else, period.

Otoh dealing with B&H shipping has been a pleasure in spite of ups.


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## Click (Feb 13, 2018)

snappy604 said:


> UPS is a complete rip off for international, so not unhappy to see them go.



+1


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## FramerMCB (Feb 13, 2018)

YuengLinger said:


> I've gotten more torn packages, and black, grimy packages from FedEx. But more crushed packages from UPS.
> 
> Amazon seems to be off UPS too.
> 
> Maybe UPS too burdened by union?



Heard by me on the radio this morning on my way to work: Amazon is getting into the shipping business now too. Their first test market is going to be in California, the LA area I believe.


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## RGF (Feb 13, 2018)

Click said:


> snappy604 said:
> 
> 
> > UPS is a complete rip off for international, so not unhappy to see them go.
> ...


+10000

UPS has been terrible service, not always but when things go wrong they go really badly.

I have had many fewer problems with fedex and am willing to pay extra for Fedex. That is how much i dislike dealing with the problems at UPS. When I go to the UPS pickup, that act as if they are doing me a favor.

UPS (and FedEx) drivers are great. It is the UPS organization that I find difficult.


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## CVP (Feb 13, 2018)

Amazon has indeed been using 'in house' logistics, but I didn't know it was just here. I, amongst many others, have been vocal about the shortcomings of OnTrac and Dynamex as 3rd-Party carriers, so I hope Amazon realizes lower costs and higher customer satisfaction. So far, the experiment has been a success for me.
[/quote]

Heard by me on the radio this morning on my way to work: Amazon is getting into the shipping business now too. Their first test market is going to be in California, the LA area I believe.
[/quote]


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## goldenhusky (Feb 14, 2018)

Depends on experience different people will have different opinion on this. To me I hate to see FedEX becoming the primary carrier because of my experience with a dumbass driver. When I was dealing with the issues I had with this driver, I figured out FedEx Home and FedEx ground are not FedEx employees but contractors and sometimes drivers are sub contractors to another company. Sure they have trucks painted with FedEx logo but that's what FedEx demands contractors to do. FedEx Express drivers are FedEx' own employees. There is a huge difference in terms of customer service when it comes to a company' own employees Vs another sub contractor doing the job. Obviously this depends heavily on that particular individual. I personally like the UPS' model on this simply because I believe a company will have more control over one of their employees Vs the control they have over a contractor and sub-contractor.


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## mpphoto (Feb 14, 2018)

I'm slightly annoyed by this change. For me, UPS has been reliable. One driver, same time every day. I cringe when I see a retailer using FedEx because I don't know if they're using FedEx Ground or FedEx Home until the item ships. FedEx Ground and FedEx Express won't try to deliver to my office building on a Saturday. On the other hand, FedEx Home will try to deliver on a Saturday, find the office closed, and they have done two things. Once, they left the box in an unsecured lobby. The other times, they took the box back to their depot and reattempted delivery on _Tuesday_. Not Monday, the next business day. Besides the unpredictability of FedEx Home, I haven't had issues with FedEx.

One potentially good thing about B&H's change to FedEx could be the availability of FedEx's Hold at Location option in checkout. NewEgg has it built into their checkout system, where you can choose to have the package delivered to a FedEx Office store. I hope B&H will offer this, but I don't know if they will.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Feb 14, 2018)

FramerMCB said:


> YuengLinger said:
> 
> 
> > I've gotten more torn packages, and black, grimy packages from FedEx. But more crushed packages from UPS.
> ...



Amazon has a fleet of aircraft flying their products around, and they have been making deliveries by Drone. They have been delivering for at least a couple of years using contract drivers. The drivers are less than happy. You may have read that they are trying 1 hour delivery from Whole Foods in select markets, thats new, it was 2 hours or 1 day.

Amazon uses about 80% USPS, 10% UPS and 10% Fedex for delivery to my rural home North of Spokane, WA. They have a very sophisticated system that looks at the fastest way to get your order to you for the lowest cost. 

I wonder if your radio station has a time machine?


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Feb 14, 2018)

I'm struggling to just get in touch with Fedex regarding the destruction of a $3500 shipment from China. I call every day, go thru their 5 minutes of inputting data, and get told that a claims adjuster will call back, but it never happens.


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## privatebydesign (Feb 14, 2018)

Amazon have around 26 cargo planes, FedEx has over 600 and is the largest 'airline' in the world.


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## vrteam (Feb 14, 2018)

Well, I am new to this group but have been visiting CanonRumors.com for a few years. Glad to join you all! My experience with B&H for the last 8 years has been wonderful both in store (NYC) and for ordering online (DSLRs, lenses, computers, batteries, tripods, etc). I only had one experience when the order took a couple of days more than I had hoped for. EVERY package showed up with no damage and the product was authentic. Also, I sold some used camera equipment to them using their online service - very satisfied.

That being said, if FedEx is the primary delivery partner now for B&H, I would hope that they have negotiated a solid service level and handling agreement. It will be interesting to see if FedEx increases their service levels now for 3rd-party retailers to combat Amazon, who is coming out with its own competitor service vs UPS/FedEx.


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## stevelee (Feb 14, 2018)

It must have been 2005. I had built my house here where I eventually retired, but I was living about 30 miles away. I had come over here for a couple of nights before heading back home on Saturday. 

When I got back, I discovered that FedEx had delivered my iBook, the cheaper Mac laptop in those days. It had sat on my front porch over the two nights. On Friday they tried to deliver the cardboard box with my AppleCare info, but since I wasn't there to sign, they left a note on the front door saying they would bring it on a future business day.

That's my strangest FedEx experience.

With UPS and maybe FedEx, too, I've had the experience of ordering things that the company will say can't be shipped to a PO Box, particularly with free shipping. So I would use my street address. Then the carrier would deliver it to the post office, who would then put the package in my PO box (or a key to a bigger box in the lobby if it won't fit my box).


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Feb 14, 2018)

privatebydesign said:


> Amazon have around 26 cargo planes, FedEx has over 600 and is the largest 'airline' in the world.



Amazon is not about to stop using Fedex, UPS, and USPS. But, they have a growing fleet which is making runs between major Amazon warehouses which costs them a lot less than Fedex or UPS. They mostly distribute products between warehouses. Then deliveries to customers are made by the carriers. I sell on Amazon Prime in a small way. I ship case lots to a warehouse where less than case quantities are then shipped to other Amazon warehouses around the country. These products can be mixed and loaded into containers without expensive packaging that UPS / Fedex might and sent to the other warehouses for far less.


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## Chaitanya (Feb 14, 2018)

For some reason I always trust post office( Indian and US) more than these private courier companies. Atleast PO doesnt handout package without verifying ID which fedex and bludart(dhl) have done in past. Plus they seem to deliver packages to wrong address leaving behind a bad taste regarding their overpriced service.


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## mclaren777 (Feb 14, 2018)

I'm exceedingly pleased about this news!


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## IglooEater (Feb 14, 2018)

The CR guy has had to do a lot of shipping with his past business- I wonder what his opinion is...


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## bsbeamer (Feb 14, 2018)

Since B&H opened their NJ warehouse, shipping from them has been completely hit/miss. Orders shipped from Brooklyn were fine - picked up the evening the order was placed and generally arrived next day (1 day to arrive). Orders shipped from NJ were picked up 1-3 days later then would arrive 1-2 days later (2-5 days to arrive). 

Worst part - I am within a 20 minute drive from their new NJ warehouse and they won't let you pickup orders in person, so it just sits in a loading dock waiting for UPS to pickup. After placing orders on several consecutive days that all shipped from NJ, really think they just add to the pile and the UPS drivers would always take from the top, which added to many of the delays. Unless they change the way the NJ warehouse operates and preps shipments, FedEx will not immediately "fix" the situation.

Local UPS was overwhelmed by their NJ warehouse and never ramped up to meet the demand properly at the local level. There's also an Amazon warehouse across the street and several other warehouses in that vicinity. UPS lost the business for themselves with those pickup delays by not sending additional trucks daily. 

All of that being said, I'm really looking to expand my retailers for gear beyond B&H and Amazon. Had a terrible experience recently with Newegg and will never order from them again. Adorama's order process is never consistent, but does look like they've improved over the past year. Shockingly, Best Buy online has really gotten better recently (if they stock what you're looking for).


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## RiceCanon (Feb 14, 2018)

Great news! UPS delivery service can be dismal in my city. Much happier with FedEx service.


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## YuengLinger (Feb 14, 2018)

Just received an order of AC filters and paperback books from Amazon, delivered by UPS. Their drivers, in our area, have always been friendly and personable, while FedEx drivers, while reliable too, have been strictly business and apparently a bit more stressed.

Fingers crossed! But I do wish customers had choices...

I wonder if FedEx gives better rates for "exclusive" deals?


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## RunAndGun (Feb 14, 2018)

Not that big of a deal for me. I have different equipment vendors and some use FedEX as their primary and some use UPS. I know both of my "usual" drivers and actually used to go to school with my current FedEx guy. Both of them have hubs with pick-up/drop-off centers within about 5-7 mins of my house, plus a UPS store about five minutes away and the ability to drop-off FedEx at Office Depot in the same area. 

I will say that historically, though, I have had more problems with FedEx over the years. The two biggest snafu's were leaving one of my Betacam's that had been sent for repair on my front porch while I was out of town(partially the vendors fault too, because they did not ship it back to the address I wanted so it would be safe) and "losing" another brand new Betacam being shipped to me from a dealer. That one took the cake, because there were three boxes in the shipment and only one made it. I call them and they try the ole "are you sure it was shipped with us?", after I had already given them the tracking numbers. After about a day or two of them not being able to find it, I told them the value. It was found in less than two hours. In the corner of one of their warehouses. My gut said someone was planning on stealing it.

And as others have said, when B&H moved their whatehouse to NJ, shipping went to crap. I have never had shipping issues with B&H until they moved this past summer. They missed their delivery deadline for a piece of gear I needed for a shoot(I had paid for overnight). Needless to say, they heard about that and I refused the shipment when it finally arrived, so they had to eat the overnight shipping charge to me(which actually took me calling and telling them that I would not pay it since they missed the shipping deadline) and the return back to them. They missed another delivery deadline a few weeks after that one, as well(although it was not a time critical delivery, it was free ground shipping), but nevertheless it was late, then a duplicate item shows up a day after the original. And it was actually an ordeal trying to explain it to them and return it. The CSR eventually thanked me for doing the honest/right thing, but it took 20+ minutes to do it. Things have gotten a little better, but many times this past year, their order and ship times have gone beyond their normal, where you usually place an order before the afternoon cut-off and it ships that day, it went into an additional 1-2 days before they said in-stock items would ship.

As far as Amazon, some of the stuff I ordered around Christmas was delivered by "their" guys. I live within a "prime now" area, but I still haven't tried it out, yet. I also talked to a FedEx driver a few months ago about Amazon's impending internal delivery and logistics system and he said, "Bring it on". Lol.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Feb 14, 2018)

YuengLinger said:


> Just received an order of AC filters and paperback books from Amazon, delivered by UPS. Their drivers, in our area, have always been friendly and personable, while FedEx drivers, while reliable too, have been strictly business and apparently a bit more stressed.
> 
> Fingers crossed! But I do wish customers had choices...
> 
> I wonder if FedEx gives better rates for "exclusive" deals?



UPS drivers make a lot more money than Fedex drivers, theyy are UPS employees, get paid for overtime, etc. On the other hand, 

Fedex drivers are contractors or work for a contractor, and must purchase trucks to Fedex Specs, and pay for everything out of what Fedex gives them. They often end up bankrupt or working for next to nothing once the bills are paid. No overtime pay either. So, yes, they are stressed, be nice to them!


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## cpreston (Feb 14, 2018)

That's a bit annoying. FedEx is a bigger hassle for me and adds about a day to any shipment I'm getting from NY.

I'm always surprised at how vehement some people are about one shipper or another. All opinions seem to be based on anecdotal evidence. I did not realize that Fed Ex drivers were paid much less than UPS, though.


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## NancyP (Feb 14, 2018)

I really wish that B and H had a "hold at delivery terminal" option, because I work 1 mile from FedEx and UPS terminals and live 1 mile from my local post office. As it stands, without the "hold at delivery terminal" option, I have to get things delivered at work (a large university), so I limit the number of times a year I order from B and H to one or two at most. I have been very happy with the post office.


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## Batman6794 (Feb 14, 2018)

This is awful news for me personally. It sounds like I've jad far worse luvk than the average person when its cones to FedEx, but they screw up on some level around 30% of the time for me. (Usually either not holding package for pickup they said they would or not making the delivery within the timeframe that was paid for) I've had so many frustrating issues I actively shop elsewhere if the price is similiar and I can get UPS instead.


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## Random Orbits (Feb 14, 2018)

NancyP said:


> I really wish that B and H had a "hold at delivery terminal" option, because I work 1 mile from FedEx and UPS terminals and live 1 mile from my local post office. As it stands, without the "hold at delivery terminal" option, I have to get things delivered at work (a large university), so I limit the number of times a year I order from B and H to one or two at most. I have been very happy with the post office.



Is a delivery terminal different than holding at a distribution center or other retail location? Years ago, I could only direct a hold at a UPS distribution center but that changed and I am now able to send it to a UPS store while the package is en route. I do this fairly routinely for FedEx and UPS.


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## Helen Oster (Feb 14, 2018)

bsbeamer said:


> Adorama's order process is never consistent, but does look like they've improved over the past year.



I'm sorry to read that you've found our order process to be inconsistent; we are constantly working to improve our customers' experiences and I'd appreciate it very much if there are any specifics you are willing to share ([email protected])


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## RGF (Feb 14, 2018)

NancyP said:


> I really wish that B and H had a "hold at delivery terminal" option, because I work 1 mile from FedEx and UPS terminals and live 1 mile from my local post office. As it stands, without the "hold at delivery terminal" option, I have to get things delivered at work (a large university), so I limit the number of times a year I order from B and H to one or two at most. I have been very happy with the post office.




I would like to have that option for anything that requires a signature. I generally call FedEx (or go online) arrange this.


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## RGF (Feb 14, 2018)

Mt Spokane Photography said:


> I'm struggling to just get in touch with Fedex regarding the destruction of a $3500 shipment from China. I call every day, go thru their 5 minutes of inputting data, and get told that a claims adjuster will call back, but it never happens.



I have found FedEx to be much easier to deal with then UPS. They have packages (1 day delivery) and simply said they don't know where it is and would not help get it the package at my next location


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## wtlloyd (Feb 26, 2018)

So, FedEx stands behind the NRA, refusing to join other corporate leaders in advocating for safe and sane gun ownership rights. 
How do ya'all feel about B&H now? Will this affect your buying choices in the future?


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## privatebydesign (Feb 26, 2018)

wtlloyd said:


> So, FedEx stands behind the NRA, refusing to join other corporate leaders in advocating for safe and sane gun ownership rights.
> How do ya'all feel about B&H now? Will this affect your buying choices in the future?



I don’t feel enough about that relationship to impact my purchasing decisions. I’ve got four packages from B&H via FedEx due tomorrow.


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## ecqns (Feb 27, 2018)

wtlloyd said:


> So, FedEx stands behind the NRA, refusing to join other corporate leaders in advocating for safe and sane gun ownership rights.
> How do ya'all feel about B&H now? Will this affect your buying choices in the future?



Yes it matters to me, I plan on communicating this to FedEx and B&H. I can go locally to B&H or have gear shipped from nearby stores in NJ instead.


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## hbr (Feb 27, 2018)

What does Fedex and the NRA have to do with photography or Canon?

Brian


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## deletemyaccount (Feb 27, 2018)

Two things may have changed matters with FedEx now becoming a primary. There was a major uproar around Christmas 2017 by consumers regarding late deliveries or packages that never made it to their doorstep. I was required to further research to see if others were having similar difficulties as myself. I was caught with B&H claiming my package was the responsibility of the UPS while UPS claimed the same with B&H. 

I finally sorted the difficulties out finding that 2017 was a particularly bad year around Christmas. Seems a massive increase of online sales had paralyzed the courier companies but UPS was overloaded beyond belief. 

Otherwise it's possible that a change may have taken place with rate increases and if I'm not mistaken, in general FedEx is slightly less expensive to ship.

I'll have to investigate whether you can sign up as a FedEx customer and route to terminal close by option. As a UPS (free) customer with login, I had that option in the past.

So far with a couple of orders from B&H it's been a win for myself. They come earlier in the day whereas the routing with UPS always put me much later in the afternoon/evening.


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## RGF (Feb 27, 2018)

ecqns said:


> wtlloyd said:
> 
> 
> > So, FedEx stands behind the NRA, refusing to join other corporate leaders in advocating for safe and sane gun ownership rights.
> ...



Will you cancel all your credit cards also. They are accepted at nearly all gun shops.


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## RunAndGun (Mar 15, 2018)

wtlloyd said:


> So, FedEx stands behind the NRA, refusing to join other corporate leaders in advocating for safe and sane gun ownership rights.
> How do ya'all feel about B&H now? *Will this affect your buying choices in the future?*



Not one tiny bit. Seriously? 

It's your right to do business with whomever you choose, or not for whatever reason you choose. 

So, because a couple of corporations decided to pull a big PR stunt, and let's all be honest here because that's all it is, and "distance" themselves from the NRA and FedEx didn't, you want to not do business with another company that has nothing to do with it, just because they happen to do business with the company that didn't participate in it, too? Why don't you ask Delta how turning their back on the NRA worked out for them?

I'm surprised you were able to type some of those words only using the left side of your keyboard. I suppose you could have dictated to Siri...


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