[pure-silver] Re: Freestyle

I used to shop in B&H and 47th St Photo when I lived in Manhattan and when I
have visited NYC since moving to Barbados.  They are both populated with
business people, not photography people the way Freestyle is.  B&H and 47th
St believe that they can offer better prices by moving larger volumes.  They
simply are not interested in providing information; they want to make a high
volume of sales per day.
When price is an issue, B&H usually wins.  When service is an issue,
Freestyle and Calumet win.  Calumet is generally more expensive but, living
overseas, I have found some customer service people who understand the
vicissitudes of international shipping, customs, etc. I am often willing to
pay the few extra percent to avoid the confusion from the bureaucracy on my
end that comes from shipping by less experienced people who don't know how
to prepare the docs.
                CHEERS!
                        BOB

-----Original Message-----
From: pure-silver-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:pure-silver-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Aaron Reece
Sent: Tuesday, October 28, 2008 4:10 PM
To: pure-silver@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [pure-silver] Re: Freestyle

On Oct 28, 2008, at 2:06 PM, Mark Blackwell wrote:

> Yet ask a question there, the answer you will get is to refer to the  
> companies website.  Now if I had wanted to read the web, I already  
> would have.  If they don't know the answer, fine I'll hold where  
> they can pass me to someone that does.  It's always burned me a bit  
> that if I am interested enough in one of their products to call and  
> ask a question, they should be interested enough to answer it, even  
> if it means a hold time or a call on another line that isn't toll  
> free.  It been my only gripe with B&H over the years, and as long as  
> I knew exactly what I wanted and could just read the order and give  
> them a card, I've never been disappointed.

        I never call B&H for this precise reason. I was always left with the

feeling that the employees felt I was wasting their precious time. I  
do order items from their website from time to time, but find myself  
migrating toward Freestyle although it is on the opposite coast. The  
prices are generally comparable, and I am kitted out now to the point  
that consumables such as film and chemistry are my main purchases, so  
the relatively smaller selection of gear offered by Freestyle compared  
to B&H is not a consideration. Also, they just seem to be more  
interested in photography, especially film photography.
        I used to get very good service from J and C Photographic, but I  
believe they have been out of business for a year or so now. Perhaps  
another list member has more recent information.

Best regards,
Aaron
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