How much is required to get a discount at B&H?

Every single thing I have bought outside of Norway, which is more or less everything, I have bought at B&H. And that includes A LOT. 5DI, II and III, 1DX, 6D (for my sister) 24 TS-E 3.5L II, 16-35mm f2.8L II, 17-40 f4L, 2x24-105 4L, 24-70 2.8L II, 70-200 f2.8L no-IS, IS and IS II, 2x50 1.2L, 85mm 1.2L, 2x85mm 1.2L II, 100 2.8L Macro, 100 2.8L Macro IS, 400 2.8L IS II, 600 f4 IS II, extenders: 2xII, 2xIII, 1.4xII, 1.4xIII, Sigma 35 1.4, Sigma 150 2.8 Macro. On top of this I have numerous bags, backpacks, flashes, Gitzo tripods, ball heads, gimbals etc. etc. and I have never been given a single dollar worth of discount. Have they made tons of profit on me? YES they have! Would it be reasonable for me to get some credit? Yes it would!

At Adorama, as a contrast, where I have bought very little (don´t ask me why, because I don´t know), I was given a fair discount on my first purchase, by referring to this community. Guess where I´ll be going next time ...

So the question is, has anyone ever received any B&H discount EVER (Canon or other cash return etc. not included)? And if you have, what is the secret password ...

Eldar

I purchased a new Canon 70-200 2.8 ISII about six months ago. The day after I received the new lens, the price dropped by $100 so I sent B&H an email. Within 24 hours they gave me the discount. With this lens I got a percentage back that I plan on using very soon.

I am pretty sure this website is funded from the links to B&H, Adorama and others. The free information I get from members on this site is hard to put a price on.

That is actually not a discount. I believe you could have used their return service and get the new price by reordering. But I agree that it is a good thing that they sponsor sites like this. But that is marketing which brings them more business. As you point out, Adorama, who gave me a discount just by referring to this site, is doing the same.

A lot of other commercial businesses have loyalty programs. Airlines, hotels, record shops, web stores etc.etc. If you bring substantial business and you are a returning customer, they give you special treats. It could be services, special offers or pure discounts. But since there seems to be no appreciation of loyalty, there is no reason to be loyal.

In my business we always take good care of existing customers. A rule of thumb is that it cost 10x more to bring in new customers, compared to keeping the existing ones. I would expect this to be valid in this business too.

/Eldar

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Originally Posted by Always Looking

I purchased a new Canon 70-200 2.8 ISII about six months ago. The day after I received the new lens, the price dropped by $100 so I sent B&H an email. Within 24 hours they gave me the discount. With this lens I got a percentage back that I plan on using very soon.

I am pretty sure this website is funded from the links to B&H, Adorama and others. The free information I get from members on this site is hard to put a price on.

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Did you call them? That happened to me and poof $100 was taken off the credit card bill - customer for life.

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Originally Posted by eldarhau

etc. etc. and I have never been given a single dollar worth of discount. Have they made tons of profit on me? YES they have! Would it be reasonable for me to get some credit? Yes it would!

At Adorama, as a contrast, where I have bought very little (don´t ask me why, because I don´t know), I was given a fair discount on my first purchase, by referring to this community. Guess where I´ll be going next time ...

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What if someone told you that you got good prices all throughout all of your B&H purchases, good enough that they couldn't afford to give you a discount? What if the prices you paid have sustained a business that continues to stock what people purchase, so they can order it and have it ship within a day? Why would you assume you'd get a special discount down the line if one was never offered or promised to you?

Look, it's your money, so go spend it where you want. I buy from my local brick & mortar store when I want something RIGHT NOW or if they have the same price as Amazon/B&H/Adorama. Otherwise, I buy from Amazon (living in Seattle means tons of great shipping options, including same-day or in a locker so it's not sitting on my doorstep to get stolen by a passerby) if they have it for a good price, or I go with B&H/Adorama. I've always liked B&H, and respect how they do business, so I tend to go with them, though I've seen Adorama make much better packaging decisions for a few sheets of Rosco gels so I have been known to pick them.

There seems to be a few points lost here. To start, I have nothing in particular against B&H. That is why I have purchased as much as I have there. And I fully agree that Yes, B&H provide a good service and the people are nice and in general fairly competent. And so are the crews at Adorama and a few of the other alternatives.

Whether you go in the first time to buy a Rebel or you return for the 20th time to buy a 1DX and a 600 f4L IS II, you get more or less same service. The price you pay at visit no.1 is the same as on visit no.20. Which is very positive for the first time buyer. My points is that when you are a loyal returning customer and you give them that much business, you should get some treats in return at some stage. And I find it a bit amazing that the response I have so far is more defending the supplier for not doing anything, rather than suggesting positive things they could do to show that they appreciate the continued business we give them.

If I was working in the business development team of any of these companies, I would seriously think through how I could make sure that the customer who potentially returns +20 times actually returned. And what would be nice for a returning customer to get. Discounts is one thing. Extended warranty an other. Free overnight shipping, special offers, priority in line for new stuff, invitation to classes or trips, faster better repair services ... Options are many.

/Eldar

If I had spent as much as you Eldar, I think I would be looking for some sort of preferred customer status or treatment.
In business clients expect that from me and I am provided that sort of service in return for my loyalty.

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Originally Posted by eldarhau

So the question is, has anyone ever received any B&H discount EVER (Canon or other cash return etc. not included)? And if you have, what is the secret password ...Eldar

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The "secret password" is to ask. Email me (henryp[at]bhphoto.com) the next time you plan to place an order with the list of items you want. We consider each inquiry like this on an individual case-by-case basis. We do what we can when we can, although the recent popularity of 'unilateral price' policies imposed on retailers by US distributors ties our hands too often for my liking these days.

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Originally Posted by peety3

What if someone told you that you got good prices all throughout all of your B&H purchases, good enough that they couldn't afford to give you a discount? What if the prices you paid have sustained a business that continues to stock what people purchase, so they can order it and have it ship within a day? Why would you assume you'd get a special discount down the line if one was never offered or promised to you?

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Thank you.

Henry Posner