[RedLeader]

I want to share a bit of a warning with anyone wanting to order things from parts connexion, as I will surely not be doing so anymore.

I want to preface my story with a note that I did not exhaustively read their Order Info & Policies page. I assumed that they worked like any other online ordering site and would be very clear with charges, and that you would not have to hunt for them. I was wrong.

I needed a couple of tube sockets for a millet hybrid build, and I though I would try out a local Canadian distributor of stuff, best to support local businesses, right? So I find a couple of cheap sockets, and see if they have in store stock. Well, you can't actually go pick stuff up there. They're maybe 10 minutes from my house, but I decided that the shipping will be next to nothing, so who cares? I add them to my cart and hit checkout, like I would do at any other store. It shows me the items, my subtotal and the tax calculated on the $3. Nice and cheap for a couple very simple parts. I fill in my info and click the accept box. Beneath there is note that shipping charges will be calculated after the order. Again, I figure no big deal.

A couple hours later I receive a confirmation email, saying "This is a Sales Order Confirmation Only." I get those all the time, so I just skim it. No mention of the shipping cost, so I figure I'm going to get another email. Little did I realize that there was a pdf attachment, with an invoice. The invoice did not have the shipping cost on it, and it included a $5 handling fee, which was not outlined when I made my order, and only mentioned on the "Order Info & Policies" page. Of course, tax was also added to their handling fee.

So today I get my shipment, without any more communication from them. I open the box to a bill of $16.77, after remarking to myself how large the box was. They could have easily fit another 10-15 orders my size into it, I had 2 tiny sockets.

I got charged $3 for the sockets, $5 for the handling, $5.67 for shipping (for shipping from a place 10 minutes from my house, in a box 10+ times larger than needed) then tax on all of those. They also used a 1.09 conversion, instead of the actual rate of 1.06, but I'm used to getting hosed on exchange rate, so if they skim, they skim.

So yes, I clearly should have read through their entire policies page and learned all I could have. I should have read their little confirmation email much more closely. (Wouldn't have saved me from already having made the order and having to pay, but I should have.) But it's a mistake I think anyone ordering a couple dollars in parts could make. Don't be stupid like me, beware of the endless extra charges!

 

[momomo6789]

it says it all over there site the handling fee.

 

[RedLeader]

Quote:

Originally Posted by momomo6789 /img/forum/go_quote.gif it says it all over there site the handling fee.

Load up their site. Pick a part. Add it to your cart. Check-out. Is there ever a mention of the fee? Not unless you hunt it out on a separate page. My fault for not going through their policies page, but an easy mistake to make.

 

[cobaltmute]

If you bought on credit card, you always get hosed on US conversion. Visa does conversion at their preferred rate + 3.9% for doing the conversion. Amex is the same.

As for box size, I used to work in logistics. You have standard boxes and ship in the smallest.

Hate to tell you, but $11 for S&H is not all that bad.

 

[Magsy]

I understand but their reputation is second to none in their current form. They are one of the only places I've ordered hundreds of dollars worth of stuff from for international delivery knowing I wont need to panic or worry.

A lot of these audio places have quirky (pita) systems!

 

[momomo6789]

i remember browsing for something and finding the fee not even checking out.

 

[pabbi1]

Worth an email to Chris Johnson to tell him that is not right... and that Head-fi is taking note.

More is the pity that I have about 10 of those 7pin mini sockets that i was going to throw away because I had no need.

 

[momomo6789]

anyways that sucks either way GL getting anything back from them =/ on second look i cant find it now

but i sure do remember it

 

[nikongod]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedLeader /img/forum/go_quote.gif I want to share a bit of a warning with anyone wanting to order things from parts connexion, as I will surely not be doing so anymore. I want to preface my story with a note that I did not exhaustively read their Order Info & Policies page. I assumed that they worked like any other online ordering site and would be very clear with charges, and that you would not have to hunt for them. I was wrong. I needed a couple of tube sockets for a millet hybrid build, and I though I would try out a local Canadian distributor of stuff, best to support local businesses, right? So I find a couple of cheap sockets, and see if they have in store stock. Well, you can't actually go pick stuff up there. They're maybe 10 minutes from my house, but I decided that the shipping will be next to nothing, so who cares? I add them to my cart and hit checkout, like I would do at any other store. It shows me the items, my subtotal and the tax calculated on the $3. Nice and cheap for a couple very simple parts. I fill in my info and click the accept box. Beneath there is note that shipping charges will be calculated after the order. Again, I figure no big deal. A couple hours later I receive a confirmation email, saying "This is a Sales Order Confirmation Only." I get those all the time, so I just skim it. No mention of the shipping cost, so I figure I'm going to get another email. Little did I realize that there was a pdf attachment, with an invoice. The invoice did not have the shipping cost on it, and it included a $5 handling fee, which was not outlined when I made my order, and only mentioned on the "Order Info & Policies" page. Of course, tax was also added to their handling fee. So today I get my shipment, without any more communication from them. I open the box to a bill of $16.77, after remarking to myself how large the box was. They could have easily fit another 10-15 orders my size into it, I had 2 tiny sockets. I got charged $3 for the sockets, $5 for the handling, $5.67 for shipping (for shipping from a place 10 minutes from my house, in a box 10+ times larger than needed) then tax on all of those. They also used a 1.09 conversion, instead of the actual rate of 1.06, but I'm used to getting hosed on exchange rate, so if they skim, they skim. So yes, I clearly should have read through their entire policies page and learned all I could have. I should have read their little confirmation email much more closely. (Wouldn't have saved me from already having made the order and having to pay, but I should have.) But it's a mistake I think anyone ordering a couple dollars in parts could make. Don't be stupid like me, beware of the endless extra charges!

Sorry, but I don't feel sympathy for your troubles here and think you have been treated fairly. It is a lot of work for a smaller parts supplier to stay in buisness, and unfortunately it costs about the same amount to pick and pack a $3 order as one for $30 (unless you order 1 of every resistor, which is kind of dumb). Sorry, but my expereince with PCX has always been that their "chipping charge" accurately reflects what it costs to put a stamp on the box. A handling fee on an order the merchant was making maybe $1 on before considering time spent picking & packing (that guys got to get payed too!) is quite reasonable IMO. Sucks you got stuck with it, but its not at all unreasonable.

I guess the flip point is that you didnt know about it, but eeeh, it is there and not at all unique to this merchant: quite a few merchants do this. It would have been nice if they pointed it out to you on reviewing your order but so many web based orders go directly from the web to the warehouse that its quite possible that nobody but the packer in the warehouse ever actually saw it.

I would say its a $5 learning experience, and would certainly say to buy from them again, they stock great parts and have awesome sales.
Quote:

Originally Posted by momomo6789 /img/forum/go_quote.gif anyways that sucks either way GL getting anything back from them =/ on second look i cant find it now but i sure do remember it

If you go to the PCX home page and click the button titled "order info & policies" on the top bar slightly right of center. Minimum order handling fee is the first "point" after their order form (their order form has never run properly on my linux box. They have always been superhelpful entering orders I email in for me though)

$25 of parts to get the handling fee dropped. Not too bad really.

 

[RedLeader]

I'm not looking to get reimbursed, I didn't research the company, I clearly made a mistake. I would have liked to been told that I was being charged a handling fee (imagine if amazon added $5 to every order under $25 without telling people and the stink that would raise) and I would have also liked to have the option to actually see how much I was going to get charged, before it was too late. If I had known the shipping charge was going to be twice the item cost, I would not have ordered. The simple fact was, I was never told what the shipping cost was going to be, and the item arrived while I was waiting to be told how much I was going to be charged!

 

[momomo6789]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedLeader /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm not looking to get reimbursed, I didn't research the company, I clearly made a mistake. I would have liked to been told that I was being charged a handling fee (imagine if amazon added $5 to every order under $25 without telling people and the stink that would raise) and I would have also liked to have the option to actually see how much I was going to get charged, before it was too late. If I had known the shipping charge was going to be twice the item cost, I would not have ordered. The simple fact was, I was never told what the shipping cost was going to be, and the item arrived while I was waiting to be told how much I was going to be charged!

at least they have fast shipping

 

[n_maher]

So basically, you were lazy and now you're upset with someone else?

 

[swt61]

Well I think you guys might be being just a bit harsh. Firstly Micah is a good guy, I've had dealings with him, and he's more than reasonable. Secondly, it seems to me from reading his OP that his main intention was to warn others that may be looking to order a few small parts. Yes I agree that this is pretty standard practice, and I'm not picking on PC, but I do think the large package and shipping cost is a bit lazy of them. They could have implemented better customer service as far as the packaging is concerned.

 

[nikongod]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedLeader /img/forum/go_quote.gif (imagine if amazon added $5 to every order under $25 without telling people and the stink that would raise)

Amazon is a large enough company that they have strategically absorbed this fee to avoid this situation you have found yourself in as an effort to improve their market share & image in general. This statement in its-self proves the success of that strategy. Despite not being mentioned elsewhere you expect everyone to treat you like amazon does. They have become *the* standard, but really they have done it by accepting losses they can afford with full knowledge that others cant and are dominating them through this regardless of selection. Kudos to them for their success in their social engineering experiment & finding an insurmountable way to dominate the competition. When all the mom and pop shops are gone where will you get something amazon dosnt sell? like 7 pin tube sockets?
Quote:

Originally Posted by RedLeader /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would have also liked to have the option to actually see how much I was going to get charged, before it was too late.

like on the PDF emailed? Plus a reasonable guess for shipping
Quote:

If I had known the shipping charge was going to be twice the item cost, I would not have ordered.

As a person living in canada have you never shipped a package of roughly the same size and weight as you expected to receive?

It sucks learning what it costs to actually ship something, eeh?
Quote:

The simple fact was, I was never told what the shipping cost was going to be, and the item arrived while I was waiting to be told how much I was going to be charged!

Again, they clearly state this on their webpage. MANY smaller supply houses operate this way. If you want unusual parts, you unfortunately have to deal with the people selling them. Sorry, amazon dosnt sell anything particularly uncommon, like 7 pin sockets.

 

[tintin47]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedLeader /img/forum/go_quote.gif (imagine if amazon added $5 to every order under $25 without telling people and the stink that would raise)

That argument isn't really valid, because amazon has the advantage of economy of scale and absurd resources. You just can't compare a multi billion dollar international corporation to a small business.

Also, even though that comparison isn't valid, amazon does charge for handling on every order. Flat rate shipping for CDs is $2.97, when a CD costs max $1 to send in the mail.