Anyone ever had a problem with Jameco?

[GoingFastTurningLeft]

I put in my first order to them 2 weeks ago, and one of the things I saw in the catalog was item #229921, RCA plug, Black, Package of 5. So I ordered one, and when I received my package, there was 1 plug in there, even though on the packing slip it said "P5" while the other single items said "EA". It's clearly listed on this catalog page as a 5 pack for $1.15. http://www.jameco.com/Jameco/catalogs/c271/P114.pdf

I shot customer service an email, and a person with a foreign name replied in not exactly the best english they'd send me free parts.

Low and behold, I get a package in the mail today, and again it's 1 plug, hand sealed in a little bag, instead of 1 package of 5 plugs!

I'll have to give them a phone call tomorrow to see what's up, hopefully someone who speaks english as a first language will answer. Its bad enough it takes ups ground a full week, but to screw up my order twice is the worst!

Anyone ever have any bad experiences with them?[/url]

[SETEC_Astronomy]

I haven't because I don't like their prices but I can tell you I will never use Sparkfun again.

[MrAl]

Hello there,

I have used Jameco for years now (20 maybe?) and i can tell
you i never had a problem, except for one thing, and i can
see problems like this coming up with them now and then...

The problem i had was i bought an oscillator and on the web site
(Jameco) the thing was marked as running at 5 volts, but when
i get the part in the mail i go to get the data sheet also from
their site and the data sheet says 3.3 volts! So i dont know if it
works at 5v or at 3.3 volts. Big difference there.

That's about the only problem i had with them in years and years.

They also sent me a free sample for an 100uH inductor one time
when i said i didnt want to have to pay UPS just for one piece,
which was for a prototype and the value might change.

Their prices are very good on some things but not as good on
other things. In general though i still like them and would use them
again. I would like to see their web site get better though with better
data for the parts.

[Robert Reed]

I recently had a $40 order go in and the postage was almost $8 on this. Not good but close to what anyone else charges, so what the hay. Well one order comes in a week later at which time I am informed that some parts were being shipped separately from a different warehouse. And they did come in several days later, but to my surprise I was charged almost $7 dollars postage on that package in addition to the $8 dollars I had already paid! $7 dollars postage for a package with $1.32 worth of parts in it. I don't usually do business with these people because I think Mouser has better prices, faster delivery and a greater quantity of stock-and you know it is FRESH stock.

[GoingFastTurningLeft]

Yeah.... I noticed that their catalog is either 'generic' components that ship inhouse, or name brand that ship from other locations.

Going to have to try mouser next time around, hopefully their warehouse isn't a week away by UPS ground!

[Janitor Tzap]

I recently had a $40 order go in and the postage was almost $8 on this. Not good but close to what anyone else charges, so what the hay. Well one order comes in a week later at which time I am informed that some parts were being shipped separately from a different warehouse. And they did come in several days later, but to my surprise I was charged almost $7 dollars postage on that package in addition to the $8 dollars I had already paid! $7 dollars postage for a package with $1.32 worth of parts in it. I don't usually do business with these people because I think Mouser has better prices, faster delivery and a greater quantity of stock-and you know it is FRESH stock.

Oh......
You found out about that dirty little trick too huh?

MCM, Jameco, Etc.....
They will ship you what parts they currently have too you.
And when the rest of your order is filled, then ship them.
Thus,
they can charge you twice for Shipping and Handing.

Well.....
When I put in ANY ORDER to any parts supplier.
I state quite clearly: "SHIP WHEN ORDER IS COMPLETE!"

I include this statement with my mail in orders.
This way I have proof that this is how I want receive my order.

So far this has worked.
But it does mean waiting longer to receive the parts I wanted.


Signed: Janitor Tzap

[stevech]

Isn't it fun, with any vendor, to see $8 or $12 S&H in the invoice and note that the item came USPS for $1.50?

[Robert Reed]

Quote
"Well.....
When I put in ANY ORDER to any parts supplier.
I state quite clearly: "SHIP WHEN ORDER IS COMPLETE!"
Jtrap, the only trouble with this is some parts could be on backorder for a month. Of course you could always delete these parts from the original order. My experience with backorders is they(such as Mouser) charge you a partial postage when that is shipped. I will usually rewrite my order for a similar part so as to get it all in one shipment.

[Janitor Tzap]

Quote
"Well.....
When I put in ANY ORDER to any parts supplier.
I state quite clearly: "SHIP WHEN ORDER IS COMPLETE!"
Jtrap, the only trouble with this is some parts could be on backorder for a month. Of course you could always delete these parts from the original order. My experience with backorders is they(such as Mouser) charge you a partial postage when that is shipped. I will usually rewrite my order for a similar part so as to get it all in one shipment.

Yes, I know that about backordered parts.

Thus, before I put the order through.
I try to check and make sure that the parts are available.
Before I submit the order.

Thou, with say a television that needs several parts that aren't readily available.
I will try to work it, so that all the parts for it will be shipped together.

I have noticed that some places will use extra packing material.
Just to get the package to the 1-2 LB Minimum Shipping Charge.

I ordered a bunch of resistors 20 different types, 10 pieces of each.
These were 1/4Watt 1% rating.
I received them in a box that was 10' x 10' x 4'.


Signed: Janitor Tzap

[MrAl]

Hi again,

I noticed that some places have USPS and that's nice. Too bad
Jameco doesnt have that. Mouser does. I dont know about Digikey,
who i know lots of people use.

Anyone mention BG Micro? I've used them too many times over
the years and only had one problem. I ordered on the web site
and somehow they got the idea i wanted it shipped overnight (!)
which cost about 25 bucks or something and the order was only
for 25 bucks, and to top it off, the order was put in on a day when
there was no delivery the next day !! I pointed this out to them and
got a refund on the shipping but they grudgingly stopped sending
me catalogs. I dont hold it against them though, as i think the problem
was due to a web page problem on their site where the shipping
type (UPS, Overnight, etc) could change without you realizing it when
you scroll down the page with the mouse...They ack'd the problem and
fixed the web page right after that (the next day), but i caution anyone
who orders over the web to watch out for those drop down lists with
the shipping cost as it can change even after you have selected your
desired shipping type. The only way to make sure is to make sure you
see your shipping type selected before you have the page processed
(ie double check after you have entered everything else to make sure
it didnt change, and change it back if it did). If this is the last thing you
do on the page also this problem wont happen.

[GoingFastTurningLeft]

Reminds me of the time I had to return some rejected warranty parts to a customer at work here. You have to be explicit with the mail lady to ship it ground or she'll next day it.

She next dayed this package of broken parts...the day before Thanksgiving! The business wasn't even open to receive the parts until monday!

I'll have to try Mouser... I mean, what's so hard about putting parts in a yellow padded envelope and paying $2 postage?

When I used to ebay things, I'd always use those and charge $5, that covered the envelope, postage, and my ebay fees.

MrAl, I'm inclined to follow your advice on who ships quick, since you're located within 4 hours of me at the max.

[Robert Reed]

As long as we are on the subject of postage nightmares, heres one for you. Last year I had ordered a high powered tweeter from PARTS EXPRESS (a large audio supplier), I had previously talked with their technical department about a continuous input level at a specific frequency and they assured me I would have no problem. When I received the item, I decided to run the unit at only half the power of what was discussed in my phone conversation. In less than an hour it quit working, Upon opening the cabinet, I discovered that the unit had gone in to "Melt Down". I immediatly called them and explained in detail what happened and they said return the unit for inspection and they would credit my account . A week later they called me and said they wouldn't honor that guarantee because I "abused" the product.
Now not only am I out the money for the item, but also the $7 dollar shipping fee to send it back to them at their request! Needless to say in the conversation that followed on that phone call, they undoubtedly learned a few new swear words. Moral of story- most of these so called "technical" departments are no better than talking to some guy in India. (no offense intended to Indians here).

[GoingFastTurningLeft]

Maybe their technical department doesn't know the difference between watts peak and rms.

I figure warranty techs for electronics companies must be total hard asses because of how easy it is to fry something, and i'm sure they figure the customer is lying to cover his own mistake.... for the time being I'm responsible for a company's marine access hardware... and I am a notorious hard-ass.

[philba]

welcome to the classroom of Reality 101.

Lessons I've learn in this school:
- always check part availability when placing order. I almost always substitute in-stock parts if there is a decent replacement.
- don't expect organizational perfection but do expect competence.
- pay careful attention to shipping. not just cost but packaging and delivery options. the good outfits usually have an easy way to specify how you want backordered parts to be shipped.
- good organizations have a USPS option which in the case of small, light parts is almost always cheaper than UPS or FedEx.
- even great organizations screw up so don't hold one instance against them unless it's really big or really stupid.

That said, one of the reasons I like Mouser is they are very good at what they do. Clear indication of stock status, cheap(ish) USPS option and they complete orders quickly. I usually get USPS shipped packages in 2-3.

On the original issue - catalog vs stock mismatch. That's going to happen from time to time. The real test of an outfit is what they do about it when you point out the problem - the real probolem, not the "missing product". I suspect that when you talked to the CSR, you didn't understand that their catalog description was out of sync with the actual item package. It's suprising to me that we don't see more of this kind of problem..

[philba]

I haven't because I don't like their prices but I can tell you I will never use Sparkfun again.

what is your complaint against SF? I've ordered from them several times and had no problems though their shipping prices are high. You can bitch at them in their forum and they usually listen. I know there is a recent thread about the shipping cost issue. These guys are doing some cool stuff - I want to see them succeed.