I ordered a refurb Olympus VF1 for my E-P1 and I was appalled by the inadequacy of the packaging; it came in a flat envelope with no packing material and the item's box was crushed. Fortunately, the viewfinder survived. I couldn't find an obvious link to customer service in the B&H website. Could you please provide me a contact e-mail address? Really shook my confidence in B&H.

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Chuck

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ination=status

I'm concerned about this. My email is in my sig, below. Please include your B&H order number and, if possible, photos of the package.

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Henry Posner
B&H Photo-Video

Thanks, Henry. Will provide photos later. To balance out my comments here, the other package I received from B&H this week - an extension lens for the Fuji X100 - was very securely packed.

The issue with the viewfinder is likely a one-off due to the size and weight of the item's original packing; it's very light and could be mistaken for an unbreakable accessory of some sort.

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Chuck

My new lens arrived broken due to this very issue and I was so disappointed that I took photos. The lens is a Panasonic 45-175mm zoom and has a broken internal element that I believe was directly caused by the shipping carton being too small. There was no packing materials between the lens box and the top or bottom of the shipping box.

I put the lens box back inside the carton with my invoice visible. This photo was taken 15 minutes after I opened the lens.


And here is a shot of the damaged lens. Note there is no external damage and the cracked lens is an internal element.


I am very disappointed that this was most likely caused by inadequate packaging and I did not have a lens above 42mm available for my outing last weekend with my granddaughter.

The order was placed on 3 Aug and I still don't have a replacement even though I requested a RMA immediately after discovering the damage. I just sold a few lenses and used PayPal to pay for the lens, but the customer service rep would not accept a credit card to accelerate a replacement unless I authorized a refund and repurchased the lens at the normal price ($100 above the sale price I originally paid).

I am in no hurry for the lens now, but this entire experience really has ticked me off and will influence future decisions. I just got off the phone with another customer service rep who explained in detail that it takes several days to receive, inspect, and process a returned item before a replacement can be sent. He didn't seem to understand why I felt that no effort was being made to look out for my interests.

I am unsure if this is really the proper venue to air this ongoing failure, but the existing topic is so relevant that I decided to vent.

Lee

With respect to the above, I find it extremely unlikely an internal element was damaged in shipping with no obvious damage to the outside of the packaging. The lens boxes themselves are designed to keep the lens safe during shipping, and the shock required to damage an internal element without crushing the box would be so severe that I doubt it could be done even dropping the box off a 5 story building.

You likely have a manufacturer's defect with a flaw in the glass that cracked during a temperature change.

I think you would be hard pressed to find ANY instances of an internal element cracking due to dropping without any external damage on the lens.

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Jordan Steele - http://www.jordansteele.com
Admiring Light - http://www.admiringlight.com

@jman
The lens box contained very little packaging material. The contents included: the manual and warranty cards in a plastic sleeve, the lens in a thin foam envelope and plastic bag, and the lens hood in a plastic bag. The contents of the box did not appear to have been repackaged; I am curious if the replacement will be packaged the same way. There was no padding between the lens carton and the outer shipping carton.

A heavy package placed on top of this box would have applied direct pressure to the sides of the lens without damaging the inner or outer boxes because there was no extra space or internal padding. I am baffled at how you are able to discard my theory at this point.

Meaning no disrespect to Lee, my experience over 20+ years as a full-time photog & 15 years here lead me to agree that damage to a lens element with no damage to the manufacturer's box at all is unlikely. The lens is packaged with padding inside the manufacturer's box sufficient so the manufacturer's box could be wrapped in Kraft paper, labeled, and shipped as is with no risk whatever.

But unlikely is not impossible and making sure Lee is satisfied is certainly far more important than quibbling about this. The lens would be replaced promptly if it had been delivered in a huge box with all the air bags and bubble wrap in the world and shown the same defect.

I am very sorry about this situation, the inconvenience it's caused and your dissatisfaction. When a package is delivered to us by UPS it is one of hundreds if not thousands. Each has to be cataloged and sorted, then routed to whichever department should receive it where it is again cataloged and sorted. Then each is addressed in turn in the order received. Yours will be also and we will ship your replacement as soon as we're able to do so. A notation to ship the 2nd lens via rush service has already been added to your order by the customer service rep to whom you spoke earlier, who was (and is) concerned for your interests and ultimate satisfaction.

I am sorry you posted this here before emailing me so your comments could have included that we're addressing this and that I've escalated this to the top of the proverbial food chain here.

PS - We did expedite the exchange. The new lens was shipped via UPS overnight on 8/14 and UPS says it was delivered earlier this morning.

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Henry Posner
B&H Photo-Video