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B&H Photo (1 Viewer)

Clive Watson

Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit ampheta
This is a follow-up to the thread on problems with the Canon Mark III camera, after someone (can't remember who now) said they had purchased a Mark II from B&H Photo instead until the problems were ironed out.

I've never actually bought anything from B&H Photo because when I looked into it, they wanted me to fax a copy of both sides of my credit card to them as part of their security checks. I've never heard of this, and when I asked my bank, they hadn't either and advised me to be wary.

Is this a common occurrence? And what do other people feel about doing this??? I presume plenty of people do buy from B&H Photo and so are OK about it, but it makes me feel uneasy.
 
Many U.S. companies are trying to cope with a huge problem is stolen credit cards used to buy high end electronics and cameras. I haven't heard of this practice but it is surely their attempt to deal with it ( and after all they already have the details of the card)

I have ordered a lot from them from here in Canada and never had a single problem. I wouldn't have any qualms about doing this if it was my order.
 
I buy most of my camera / optics from B&H and order either on line or by phone. I've given them credit card info, but never been requested to nor faxed them any copies of the card.
 
Okay, I'm going to play devil's advocate here Clive.

I've never been asked to fax front and back of a credit card to B&H in all the years I have used them. That said, every retailer has the possibility/probability of having a dishonest employee. My thoughts here would be to call the store and ask to speak with a manager and ask them if this request is now protocol. It may all well be on the up and up but this is something I would question.
 
That said, every retailer has the possibility/probability of having a dishonest employee. My thoughts here would be to call the store and ask to speak with a manager and ask them if this request is now protocol. It may all well be on the up and up but this is something I would question.

But doesn't a dishonest employee already have all the info he would need?
 
I think that they request this for all transactions (above a certain amount) from overseas. A friend recently purchased a Canon 100-400 IS from them and had no problems at all (I think she faxed them the card details). B&H will send items the correct way so you will end up paying import duty and VAT on stuff bought from them, I'm not quite sure but I think this is ~20-25%.
 
Thanks for this info, it looks like it only affects overseas customers. I don't dispute that B+H are attempting to solve what is obviously a serious problem, I'm just concerned about my details going astray somewhere between my fax machine and theirs.
 
I see now that B&H accepts PayPal payments. This would solve your problem, Clive, if they will accept PayPal for large overseas purchases, which, as you say, appears to be the reason for the extrra security precautions. PayPal is about the most secure way to make a purchase, since no one sees your credit card info anywhere.
 
This is a follow-up to the thread on problems with the Canon Mark III camera, after someone (can't remember who now) said they had purchased a Mark II from B&H Photo instead until the problems were ironed out.

I've never actually bought anything from B&H Photo because when I looked into it, they wanted me to fax a copy of both sides of my credit card to them as part of their security checks. I've never heard of this, and when I asked my bank, they hadn't either and advised me to be wary.

Is this a common occurrence? And what do other people feel about doing this??? I presume plenty of people do buy from B&H Photo and so are OK about it, but it makes me feel uneasy.

Hello Clive

Beware...they wanted me to photostat my visa card and passport so I soon gave that idea away. But I wanted them to post a lens to a friend in California for me to collect but I changed my mind. At the end of the day I bought my 10D with 100-400 from uk.digitalcameras they had contacts in the States at the time. I have just recently bought a Canon 300f4 but they could not supply that so I went to Kerso...good deal.

Roy.
 
Clive Watson said:
I've never actually bought anything from B&H Photo because when I looked into it, they wanted me to fax a copy of both sides of my credit card to them as part of their security checks. I've never heard of this, and when I asked my bank, they hadn't either and advised me to be wary.

We require that billing and/or shipping data be verified for some orders and for all orders using non-USA credit cards when it's the first time a particular card is being used. We do this per our user agreements with our merchant banks and to deter credit card fraud and identity theft. This is for your protection.

We live in an era of rampant credit card fraud and identity theft and responsible retailers are bound both ethically and by agreements signed with our merchant banks to do what's possible to deter this type of piracy. This is particularly true for so-called card-absent transactions like phone/mail orders and web orders.

This verification process protects you from the pirate who thinks he can shop with us freely at your unsuspecting expense. It also helps ensure that merchandise you ordered and paid for ends up in your hands and not in those of some clever opportunist.

As banks make more and more outlandish promises of security to current and prospective card holders they make more and more demands on retailers to ensure this security. Until some clever person figures out a way to abolish card fraud and identity theft, you'll see more and more of this. Stores which don't exercise safe, prudent, & effective security measures are simply gambling they won't become the unwitting vehicle by which some clever pirate abuses YOUR accounts.

While I understand that it's our job to make your shopping experience as painless and efficient as possible, part of that process is ensuring we don't unwittingly allow you to become victimized through our carelessness or nonfeasance.

We've asked for card images for international customers for more than a decade. It's a remarkably effective part of verification and since I've been here (also more than a decade) I don't know of a single customer who's had cause to regret compliance. We have a secure image upload site so faxing is optional and we urge everyone -- never send info like this, or even your card number, via unencrypted email.
 
Which seems to be a very complete answer to my question! In the end, though, the main reason I didn't use B+H Photo is because despite the fact that camera stuff is cheaper in the States, here in the UK we get hammered for the extra duty upon its arrival. I've bought a couple of items from Arthur Morris in the past and one from Digital Rev in Hong Kong and this has happened every time. So I tend to think that I may as well shop in the UK, where at least I can see the product 'in the flesh'. My prime lens was actually purchased second-hand from someone through an advert in Amateur Photographer and he raved about B+H Photo, so maybe one day I'll get the chance to pop in if I'm ever in New York!

Thanks Henry

Clive
 
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