Consumer Endorsements
Given that I’m highly critical of businesses that screw over the customer and I have a list of my criticisms here, I figured that I should balance things out by calling out businesses that I find acceptable, and I’d like to especially call out any businesses that have gone above and beyond.
Best Experiences
B&H Photo Video
I accidentally bought a bunch of individual items for a high price, then realized a few days later that I should’ve bought an item bundle. The bundle is 2/3 the price of the price I paid for the individual items, and comes with extra stuff that I really should’ve bought as well. I expected that I’d ring up and they’d just say they can’t do anything about it, and fair enough, this was my error. When I actually rang up B&H, within 10 minutes of calling, I was given a refund of the price difference (which quickly showed up in my PayPal notifications), AND they arranged the extra items to be shipped to me.
The customer service here is especially notable, given that they are a US-based retailer and I am based in Australia. With no Australian presence, they incur greater cost to service my request, all with probably lower pressure to conform to consumer laws when dealing across borders.
I don’t usually shop with overseas retailers if perfectly good local options in Australia exist (such as George’s Cameras). I purchased from B&H because an item I wanted is not available in Australia. But given my experience with them, and given their prices actually seem quite competitive (though you’d need to factor in the customs charges), I will be considering B&H for photography or video-related purchases from now on.
Others Worth Mentioning
Amazon
This is a weird one because I’m soft-boycotting Amazon, while at the same time I’ve only ever had good experiences with them. They are ridiculously fast at delivering my packages, it’s been great for little emergencies where I need something ASAP, their prices are often the lowest, and their customer service staff would probably sacrifice a newborn if it means a misfortune such as a dead-on-arrival or missing item is sorted out such that you’re actually made better than if you didn’t encounter the misfortune.
I just wish it didn’t come at the cost of the workers’ wellbeing (most notably the warehouse staff), the smaller businesses that are exploited by Amazon, and the fact that this is all making some top executives such as Jeff Bezos too comically rich. I suspect that Amazon’s continued existence is a net negative to the greater economy (though I don’t have evidence of that).
I will continue soft-boycotting Amazon even if they’ve never done me wrong as a consumer.
George’s Cameras
Although I’ve experienced one weird one-off problem with them which I’ve outlined here, George’s Cameras has otherwise consistently delivered quality, and often at the best price.