Chuck Hatcher Posted July 17, 2007 Share #1 Â Posted July 17, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) A few months ago I bought some Voigtlander lenses from B&H Photo, including a Heliar 15mm. All were delivered quickly and the lenses are great values. On the M8 I do not use the 15mm finder, so I did not immediately discover that it is horribly out of focus. Recently I decided to buy a 12mm lens, so I pulled out the 15mm finder and discovered the problem. Â I contacted B&H customer support and was told: Â "Since it is past our return/exchange period 7 days for video, digital and audio and 14 days for photography equipment we cannot accept back this item. Â Though, We are sorry to hear that your product has become defective. Our records show that there is an active warranty with the manufacturer. All you would need to do is provide the details of the invoice that we had provided you with. If you no longer have this invoice, please let us know as we can email you a copy. Thank you for your choosing B&H. We appreciate your business." Â So I start looking for contact information for Voigtlander. Their website says "Please note that we do not deliver anything to end-costumer and abroad. The distribution partners in other countries are published on this website." so I look up their distributors. They have two in the US, CameraQuest and PhotoVillage. Since PhotoVillage is closer (to me and to B&H) I try contacting them. I got a quick reply from Rich Pinto telling me that B&H only sells "grey market" Voigtlander lenses. In other words, they are a direct importer and do not buy from a US distributor. Â I sent B&H a reply, asking "Who do I contact for warranty? Voigtlander lists two US distributors: CameraQuest and Photovillage. Which one supplied the lens I bought?" To which they replied: Â "We will file out for you." Â Because of the typo, I didn't understand, so I wrote back asking for clarification. Two weeks go by with no response. Today I asked again, and got this reply: Â "Sorry, we meant to write " We will find out the mfr.'s phone number for you." Â Now I know some of you will be saying I should have bought from Stephen Gandy or Rich Pinto, and I guess if I had, this little problem would be solved by now. But I thought B&H had a good reputation, and I thought I was safe. I certainly didn't save any money buying from B&H. I really wouldn't even have a problem with the lenses being grey market if they would stand behind them. Â Anyway, those are the facts. You can make your own judgment about who you want to deal with. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted July 17, 2007 Posted July 17, 2007 Hi Chuck Hatcher, Take a look here Think twice before buying C-V lenses from B&H Photo!. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
sean_reid Posted July 17, 2007 Share #2 Â Posted July 17, 2007 I'm sorry to hear that. I would indeed recommend that people deal with CameraQuest for CV lenses. Stephen Gandy looks after his customers pretty well. I've dealt with B&H since 1986 or so and have had many good experiences with them along with a few that were not so great. Â Cheers, Â Sean Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted July 17, 2007 Share #3 Â Posted July 17, 2007 Insist and insist, and I think You'll get service: you have the right to have it... but let me tell you that this is a typical problem when a consumer has not paid attention to where to buy his gear: the rule, albeit for items that can have critical issues (or critical time-to-service) is always to go through the direct official manufacturer's channel; gray market has at all reasons to exist and hasn't to be seen as a "malware", but it really can bring problems like yours. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Hatcher Posted July 17, 2007 Author Share #4  Posted July 17, 2007 I just found an interesting page on B&H's website: About USA and GREY MARKET (DIRECT IMPORT) Products  Among other things, it says:  What kind of warranty is available? Any "grey market" item B&H Photo-Video sells includes a B&H warranty, which covers the same particulars the USA warranty would cover for a period of one year. The only difference is that you would ship the item to B&H for service. Your original B&H Photo-Video product invoice is all that is required."  I was already annoyed. Now I'm starting to get mad. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted July 17, 2007 Share #5 Â Posted July 17, 2007 Politely say that they have made a mistake and point out the paragraph you've shown above. End of story - or so it should be. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
popum Posted July 17, 2007 Share #6 Â Posted July 17, 2007 I've purchased from PhotoVillage, CameraQuest and B&H and had uneventful transactions with each. All have given me prompt delivery of just what I ordered. Â Recently the bright lines in my CV 21mm finder shifted position. I walked into PhotoVillage, handed them the finder and they handed me a replacement. No muss, no fuss... just like it should be. Â Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sisoje Posted July 17, 2007 Share #7  Posted July 17, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) I'm sorry to hear that. I would indeed recommend that people deal with CameraQuest for CV lenses. Stephen Gandy looks after his customers pretty well. ... Cheers,  Sean  I second this. Only thing is I get :D every time I get the package from Stephen , seeing my VC toys wrapped in old news paper. Funny... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Hatcher Posted July 17, 2007 Author Share #8 Â Posted July 17, 2007 Update: B&H emailed me the name and number of a person to to call (presumably at Voigtlander, although they didn't actually say so - it was a 604 area code). I called, and the person had no clue what I wanted or how to help me. So much for that. Â I contacted B&H again with the bad news and they asked me to call them. I did, and the customer service rep explained to me that there was no B&H warranty because the lens is not grey market, and that they don't sell grey market Voigtlander lenses. I said OK, then tell me which US distributor it came from, because if it isn't from a US distributor with a USA warranty, then as far as I'm concerned it IS grey market. Â Hold for a few minutes... Â OK now he thinks they can help me, but unfortunately they have no 15mm Heliars in stock and don't know when they will get more. Sometimes I think fast on my feet, so I said, well, you sell the same viewfinder separately and have those in stock... Â Hold for a few minutes... Â The friendly customer service rep now has a plan to help me. I should buy a new finder from B&H. Then put the bad finder in the new finder box and send it back for a refund. I can't say this idea did not already cross my mind much earlier in the process, but for some reason I felt it would be less than honest to pass a defective three-month-old item off as a defective new item. But since it was now their idea, I agreed to it. Hopefully the new finder will not have the same problem. Â I'll update this thread with the final outcome. I will say that B&H phone support is much better than their online support, even though I generally hate using the phone and much prefer email or web. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ho_co Posted July 17, 2007 Share #9  Posted July 17, 2007 Chuck-- As you quoted above, B&H says ship the item to them and they'll take care of it. So the matter is done.  If for some reason that doesn't work, the finder is still in warranty from Cosina-Voigtländer, so all you need do is ship it to them. (Register it with US Customs before sending and keep the registration to avoid hassle on its return.)  You're covered either way.  And thanks for the heads-up, both on the gray market and on B&H's commitment.  Let us know how this works out!  --HC Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotografr Posted July 17, 2007 Share #10 Â Posted July 17, 2007 I second this. Only thing is I get :D every time I get the package from Stephen , seeing my VC toys wrapped in old news paper. Funny... Â It's called recycling. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Hatcher Posted July 20, 2007 Author Share #11 Â Posted July 20, 2007 ...Hopefully the new finder will not have the same problem... Â The new 15mm finder I bought DOES have the same problem as the original (out of focus) , so I'll have to get it replaced before returning the other. Â I can't blame B&H for this (assuming I didn't buy someone else's return) but it does add to my frustration. I know Cosina can make a good finder because my 21mm is one, and it has pretty much the same angle of view as the 15mm but with added frame lines. But apparently they have produced more than a few lemons. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdi Posted July 21, 2007 Share #12  Posted July 21, 2007 I've purchased from PhotoVillage, CameraQuest and B&H and had uneventful transactions with each. All have given me prompt delivery of just what I ordered. Recently the bright lines in my CV 21mm finder shifted position. I walked into PhotoVillage, handed them the finder and they handed me a replacement. No muss, no fuss... just like it should be.  Mike  That is not the type of experience I had with Photo Village with a Voigtlander lens.  My 28 Ultron hood screw stripped making it useless. I called Photovillage, where I bought it less than a year ago and was told that I could A) buy another for forty something dollars or Wrap tape around the screw to try to get it to hold.  I'm really not sure where you would go with a CV lens with real problems - it looks like service is going to be a real PITA.  If anyone has had any luck then please provide info.  Thanks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean_reid Posted July 21, 2007 Share #13  Posted July 21, 2007 That is not the type of experience I had with Photo Village with a Voigtlander lens. My 28 Ultron hood screw stripped making it useless. I called Photovillage, where I bought it less than a year ago and was told that I could A) buy another for forty something dollars or Wrap tape around the screw to try to get it to hold.  I'm really not sure where you would go with a CV lens with real problems - it looks like service is going to be a real PITA.  If anyone has had any luck then please provide info.  Thanks  At the risk of sounding like an investor in the company...Cameraquest.  Cheers,  Sean Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
papimuzo Posted July 21, 2007 Share #14  Posted July 21, 2007 At the risk of sounding like an investor in the company...Cameraquest. Sean  If it was necessary (certainly not ) I can second absolutely that. Stephen takes care of his customers with the best possible attention, even if they live on the other side of the Transatlantic water (Europ for me) All the best. Marcel Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted July 21, 2007 Share #15 Â Posted July 21, 2007 The new 15mm finder I bought DOES have the same problem as the original (out of focus)... What do you mean by 'out of focus' if i may ask? You mean what you see through the finder is blurred at all or some distances? Just curious. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dante Posted July 21, 2007 Share #16 Â Posted July 21, 2007 Not to play the common sense angle, but when you get a package from B&W (usually with the item resting against one side of the shipping carton and air bags taking up the rest), don't you check everything for damage? And you didn't have even the slightest curiosity about the viewfinder in the first weeks of ownership?! We're taking away your Leicaphile membership card! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Hatcher Posted July 21, 2007 Author Share #17 Â Posted July 21, 2007 What do you mean by 'out of focus' if i may ask?You mean what you see through the finder is blurred at all or some distances? Just curious. Â Yes, blurred at all distances. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Hatcher Posted July 21, 2007 Author Share #18 Â Posted July 21, 2007 Not to play the common sense angle, but when you get a package from B&W (usually with the item resting against one side of the shipping carton and air bags taking up the rest), don't you check everything for damage? And you didn't have even the slightest curiosity about the viewfinder in the first weeks of ownership?! We're taking away your Leicaphile membership card! Â Hopefully I can be forgiven just this once, since for the M8 the 15mm finder is not used with the 15mm lens it came with. Only when I decided I need a 12mm lens did the 15mm finder become important. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdi Posted July 21, 2007 Share #19  Posted July 21, 2007 At the risk of sounding like an investor in the company...Cameraquest.  Cheers,  Sean  Well I have read that he loans you a lot of gear for testing so I understand!  I guess my concern is that CV seems to have no warranty support in the US. Having to buy from a particular dealer in order to get service seems unreasonable. Also, I could be wrong, but it appears Cameraquest services CV themselves. Would they be the service center for CV, or just doing it for the sake of their own customers? Either way, it doesn't seem like a solid setup.  But hey, for 1/5 or less the cost of Leica lenses, have much can I complain??! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron Flatline Posted July 22, 2007 Share #20 Â Posted July 22, 2007 Bah, here's hoping for the best I just ordered a 35mm Nokton from B&H, but have yet to receive it. Â I didn't know Photo Village was a distributor, I wish they had a better, clearer website. I went to their site first actually, as it's my preference to give them the business. They sold me a lovely 35mm Summilux in February. But the website was unclear, and made it sound like they were still selling older 35mm Noktons, the ones that didn't fit on the M8, and I was worried I'd have to send it to CamereaQuest to get it milled down. I just assumed B&H had newer stock, it said it would fit on an M8. Â Photo Village, I assume you read this forum occasionally - please, get your website tightened up, no offense but it looks like it was coded in 1997. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.