B&H settles EEOC bias lawsuit for $4.3 million.

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endustry said:
As I understand it, B&H has a lot Hasidic Jews working there because the Hasidim either can't or won't work anywhere that requires them to compromise their appearance. By this I mean their Peyos (the long locks of hair they grow on the sides), their Yarmulkes, etc. Obviously they all wear green B&H vests and I've never seen an employee in a long, wool coat so there must be "compromises." Also, as with any religion, I assume there are degrees of orthodoxy and would not be surprised if some Hasidim are fine with altering their appearance in order to fit into a conservative work environ.

Anyway, a Jewish friend once explained all this to me but I could be way off with some of my facts. He described it as a sort of sanctuary for Ultra-Orthodox and/or Hasidic Jewish people to work without needing to tone down their identity and thus many such people want to work there and the management is obviously keen on providing this opportunity to them.

This raises an interesting question about diversity for me. If there is a place where certain people, Ultra-Orthodox and/or Hasidic Jews in this case, can go to "best be themselves" (or however you want to put it) and few such places exist for these people, is diversifying such a work place better or worse considering the Orthodox or Hasidic Jews who would be unable to take advantage of the unique opportunity because a non-Jew was hired in his place. By non-Jew I would include White Protestants or Catholics as well as ethnic minorities.

Anyway, just thinking out loud.
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In that line of thought I would add that if you are intent on observing the Jewish Holidays then it would be much easier to work at a company like B&H since the store follows the Jewish calendar quite literally.
 
Wow...this is a bizarre conversation. I would have thought the issue is about law-what we are trying to export to the rest of the world right?

B&H chose not to contest a decision that basically said that they were underpaying people (you may read minorities into this if you want, but people). Now they pay one price. The second price may be their loyal following.

I, for one, will look at alternatives ...
 
In the end, discrimination is wrong and I'm glad they got nailed. Every time I've dealt w/ them (or Adorama) on the phone it has been unpleasant. Just because you're in N.Y doesn't mean you have to be rude. I'm glad that I discovered Freestyle Photographic Supplies, and will buy from them if possible from now on. Both Adorama and B&H will never see another nickel of my money. Thanks for posting this. Sometimes it takes a jolt to change my lazy habits.

It's pretty hard to swallow that someone Jewish can't find work in N.Y., Hasidic or otherwise.
 
Wow. Hard to believe this high horse so many of you are on. Many discrimination lawsuits have zero basis in fact (but not feeling), and are settled rather than turn into a much bigger thing with associated lawyers fees and publicity. That said, I didn't read the agreement, nor do I really care.

Guess I'm a loyal B&H customer, end of story.
 
Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibits employers from permanently locking in workers of a different race, religious belief, sex or national origin into a lower pay, going nowhere niche. I've had to show that my office was in compliance in the past when a complaint was filed.

Fortunately, at the time my highest paid employee was Vietnamese and female. When ask why she was the highest paid employee, my answer was that this lady worked harder than everyone else, worked smarter than everyone else, and had a grasp of our total operation, not just her particular niche.

I'm not even remotely aware of the working conditions at B&H, but it sounds like a middle manager and their Human Resources Dept dropped the ball somewhere along the line. You really do need to comply with EEOC, OHSHA, EPA and ADA regs regarding the work place, if you want to avoid legal problems. Been there, done that.
 
Adorama Camera Customer Service

Adorama Camera Customer Service

aperture64 said:
I have been to Adorama a handful of times .EVERY time they act like I'm not worth the trouble. I have to wait for ever for help and then when I get it, I feel rushed into buying.
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I was concerned to read your posting regarding service in the store at Adorama.

At Adorama we take customer service extremely seriously, and I would hope that anyone who received less than ideal service would speak to a customer service manager on the sales floor of the store at the time of any such incident.
If this is not possible, then please don't forget that I am only an email away.

If you contact me directly with the name of any member of staff who you feel wasn't excelling at customer service, it will be investigated and appropriate action taken.

I hope this helps.

Sincerely

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

helen.oster@adoramacamera.com
www.adorama.com
 
Adorama Camera Customer Service

Adorama Camera Customer Service

momus1 said:
Every time I've dealt w/ them (or Adorama) on the phone it has been unpleasant./quote]
We are aware that there have been problems within certain areas, but during the past 18 months there has been extensive re-structuring within all departments at Adorama. Increased staff supervision, targeted training and in some cases, some staff chose to move on.

momus1 said:
Just because you're in N.Y doesn't mean you have to be rude. /quote]
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momus1 said:
I absolutely agree with you

Both Adorama and B&H will never see another nickel of my money.
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I am truly sorry to hear that. Unfortunately, in spite of clear management policies regarding customer care, it only takes one or two employees who are not suited to the work to give a bad impression of the whole company.
We appreciate that we can't turn the clock back and undo past mistakes, but going forward, any customer with a complaint concerning Adorama's service or practice, has the opportunity to contact me directly.

Sincerely

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

Helen.oster@adoramacamera.com
www.adorama.com
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HelenOster said:
I was concerned to read your posting regarding service in the store at Adorama.

At Adorama we take customer service extremely seriously, and I would hope that anyone who received less than ideal service would speak to a customer service manager on the sales floor of the store at the time of any such incident.
If this is not possible, then please don't forget that I am only an email away.

If you contact me directly with the name of any member of staff who you feel wasn't excelling at customer service, it will be investigated and appropriate action taken.

I hope this helps.

Sincerely

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador

helen.oster@adoramacamera.com
www.adorama.com
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I gave it plenty of chances too. It happened everytime I was there. Very few people on line, but I seemed to stand at the counter for 3-5 minutes without anyone asking if I needed help. All while the the other salesmen seemed to have conversations with customers that had little to do with an item they were interested in purchasing. When I finally got help, there was a sense of impatience. After the fourth or fifth time of this happening, I vowed not to go back. I'm 6'2 and educated about photography, so I doubt that it was that I'm easy to miss or I had a stupid question. But, it felt this way.
 
endustry said:
This raises an interesting question about diversity for me. If there is a place where certain people, Ultra-Orthodox and/or Hasidic Jews in this case, can go to "best be themselves" (or however you want to put it) and few such places exist for these people, is diversifying such a work place better or worse considering the Orthodox or Hasidic Jews who would be unable to take advantage of the unique opportunity because a non-Jew was hired in his place. By non-Jew I would include White Protestants or Catholics as well as ethnic minorities.

Anyway, just thinking out loud.
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It seems to me that you just built an excellent rationale in support of discrimination. Discrimination supported by a "higher source"? (Isn't that the phrase used by Hebrew National Hotdogs many moons ago?) :eek:

But as others have said, settlements don't necessarily result from guilt.. they are generally "go away, and stay away" legal maneuvers.
 
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Yeah Right! I talked to him once, over the phone, about a used Nikon I had just purchased five minutes ago at B&H (turned out to have a ripped curtain:bang:) He wouldn’t fix it! - also forgot to mention that he was 6ft away:mad:.
I´ll save my opinion on him ...


Chriscrawfordphoto said:
You're probably thinking of Henry Posner. He's a member of a lot of photo forums, where he helps people who have had problems with B&H and answers questions. I think he's a manager, not an owner, but I might be wrong. He seems like a nice guy who goes out of his way to help his company's customers.
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This thread is veering off course fast - it was about EEOC / discrimination / B&H but now it's about crappy service (or good service) at B&H and/or Adorama.

Perhaps a new thread is in order then?

Dave
 
aperture64 said:
I gave it plenty of chances too. It happened everytime I was there. Very few people on line, but I seemed to stand at the counter for 3-5 minutes without anyone asking if I needed help. All while the the other salesmen seemed to have conversations with customers that had little to do with an item they were interested in purchasing. When I finally got help, there was a sense of impatience. After the fourth or fifth time of this happening, I vowed not to go back. I'm 6'2 and educated about photography, so I doubt that it was that I'm easy to miss or I had a stupid question. But, it felt this way.
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Aperture64, maybe you haven't visited Adorama recently. They have done a complete renovation of the space. Instead of a counter, there are now pods where a few service/sales people deal with customers. There is an electronic take-a-number system. I have found it easier to deal with. I shop there occasionally and have been pleased with the service. I especially like the print service.

I am in no way associated with Adorama other than as a customer.
 
mich8261 said:
Aperture64, maybe you haven't visited Adorama recently. They have done a complete renovation of the space. Instead of a counter, there are now pods where a few service/sales people deal with customers. There is an electronic take-a-number system. I have found it easier to deal with. I shop there occasionally and have been pleased with the service. I especially like the print service.

I am in no way associated with Adorama other than as a customer.
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You are probably right, but I moved out of NY and now just deal with mail order. It's a good thing, for them, that they have overhauled it.
 
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