Mouser / Digi-key rant; also, where else do you buy?

[madsci1016]

Having been a loyal digi-key customer for years, I had to try Mouser out for digi-key didn't have stock in what i needed. I won't be doing that again.

I recently have had two similar situations with both, and Digi-key had much better service.

Minutes after placing an order, i realized I had to add / change something on my order. I emailed the company to let them know of the change. Both times I was paying big bucks for overnight shipping, and didn't want to have to pay twice for another order.

Digi-key responded back right away and got it done.

Mouser responded a day later and told me it was 'too late' and they were 'unable to stop to make any changes'. Now I have to pay for a second overnight shipping fee for a handful of SMD resistors. 

That made me mad.

/rant

Now for the question, where do you all shop beside Digi-key and Mouser?

[futmacl]

You just need to call them to make urgent changes to expedited orders, this is really not that uncommon. They do offer better pricing than DigiKey on almost everything, and ship very quickly, so I'd think it's not a big deal?

But just stick to whatever works for you, really. Newark is another popular destination (their pricing is a bit unpredictable), so is Jameco (a bit on the pricey end). If you're into bargain hunting, you can also try All Electronics, Electronic Goldmine, Surplus Shed, BG Micro, HSC Supply, etc.

Some people also shop at robotics-oriented places such as Sparkfun, Solarbotics, Robotics Connection, Pololu, Acroname, etc, but you can all too often end up paying 1000% markup on basic components.

[madsci1016]

You just need to call them to make urgent changes to expedited orders, this is really not that uncommon. They do offer better pricing than DigiKey on almost everything, and ship very quickly, so I'd think it's not a big deal?

Saying an online company should be expected to respond better to calls over emails to their service department IMHO is a very poor excuse. And yes, charging me $25 twice for shipping is a big deal. They emailed me at 8am that they couldn't add to the shipment, but didn't get notification it shipped till 1pm and FedEx shows it didn't pick it up till 12 pm. So why couldn't they open up the box again at 8 and add the resistors? Not to mention my email went out 24 hours before all of this.

All Electronics

Hehe, I've been ordering from them for at least a decade if not more. Good company, just very limited selection.

I'm looking for more digi like places. Has anyone tried Allied?

[futmacl]

Saying an online company should be expected to respond better to calls over emails to their service department IMHO is a very poor excuse.

If you mess up and need to make last-minute changes to an expedited order, and yet can't be bothered to make a phone call, you probably shouldn't be too harsh on the company. Or rather, you can - it's your choice - but I don't think it's very rational :-)

Many other companies that do highly automated, large-scale shipping have the same problem: Amazon won't be able to halt your shipment from a warehouse when it's already packaged, labeled, and bundled with several hundred other shipments on a pallet, so yeah - you're taking a gamble with e-mail, and it won't always work well.

And yes, charging me $25 twice for shipping is a big deal.

You weren't required to place a second order, right?

[madsci1016]

If you mess up and need to make last-minute changes to an expedited order, and yet can't be bothered to make a phone call, you probably shouldn't be too harsh on the company. Or rather, you can - it's your choice - but I don't think it's very rational :-)

Many other companies that do highly automated, large-scale shipping have the same problem: Amazon won't be able to halt your shipment from a warehouse when it's already packaged, labeled, and bundled with several hundred other shipments on a pallet, so yeah - you're taking a gamble with e-mail, and it won't always work well.

No, why should we expect a business with an ONLINE storefront to have the online customer service to match?

And even if you continue to fight me on this; Digi-key did do it. So my main point Digi-key >> Mouser holds true regardless, because they found a way to break into my shipment. What isn't rational is to give Mouser excuses for something Digi-key proved could be done.

You weren't required to place a second order, right?

Yes I was.

I'm not really interested in debating excuses for Mouser anymore. The fact is Digi-key stepped up and Mouser didn't. I'd like to know what other people use.

[futmacl]

And even if you continue to fight me on this; Digi-key did do it. So my main point Digi-key >> Mouser holds true regardless, because they found a way to break into my shipment.

I ordered from both places quite a few times, and I'm also pretty forgetful. At times, Mouser did manage to squeeze in additions or changes to my orders when I contacted them by e-mail. At other times, they didn't. The same held true for DigiKey.

It's probably pointless to argue over this, but my point is that stuff happens, and you mostly have yourself to blame. If you prefer not to deal with Mouser anymore because of this, it's your call; but if you discourage others from doing so, it'd be a shame - because they are a pretty good place to shop, and they sure tend to charge less for the same level of service.

You weren't required to place a second order, right?

Yes I was.

Through the use of brute force or blackmail?

[TrickyNekro]

With mouser I was a little bit disappointed too....

I'm using a pre-paid card to make my online orders and I can't charge any extra sum...

I made an order close to the billing threshold and they told me, they had a problem with my credit card, not knowing what the problem may be I choose to pay with an invoice.... By that time I also have canceled my order....

Not only I found that they would charge me an extra 20 Euros as an extra bank fee... But I also realized that they really didn't told me that I had also to pay VAT!!!

Making a 180 Euros order is different from making a 210 Euros one... Not that the money is the real problem... But, wouldn't you want to know the VAT you're paying by card???

They are a serious company, but that's only for making their prices look lower... Hands down to that....

I also e-mailed them at the correct department, that my card actually was ok with the money they asked for but never got answer on what may be the problem....

Truth be told their pricing is very good... So I will try to find out what I'm really paying and then try to place an order again... But they should be more specific....

For your question I know that EBV is actually a good supplier, but I think that you'll need to make big bucks orders and it's also a Europe based company, so these two may actually rule EBV out...

[madsci1016]

Point is that stuff happens, and you mostly have yourself to blame. If you prefer not to deal with Mouser anymore because of this, it's your call; but if you discourage others from doing so, it'd be a shame - because they are a pretty good place to shop, and they sure tend to charge less for the same level of service.

I'll be the first to admit It was my mistake. What I presented here was my almost identical situation (same day of the week, time of day, etc) with both companies and the result. Readers can form their own opinions from that. Personally, the fact that the situations were so identical with different outcomes reflects poorly on Mouser.

[Joker94]

Well for me for electronics orders i go with Futurlec Australia. if you pay standard post from my experience it is about 2 weeks(10 working days) for the order to come. for me most of the time this is fine and dont want to pay 4 times as much to save 7-8 days. but i have used express shipping (i didnt have to pay ) and it took 1-2 days.

what i really like about futurlec Australia is their packaging. everything i have ever got has been extremely well and carefully packages, and because of this i have never had a problem with damage.

For my robotics related gear i go with Little Bird Electronics. they are a distributer for sparkfun. similar to the same prices but they have a really good price for shipping.

the reason why i use these places is because they are Australian and have really good shipping prices.

And for my Atmega 328's i go to Seeed studio, they have good shipping, good prices and  they are the only place that i can get 328's from without paying an arm and a leg for shipping.

[dunk]

Digi-key is only ever my last resort.
i find their shipping charges unrealistic on small orders and their customer service arrogant.

add to this the fact they insist on making you fill out a survey before they will ship parts.
i have had orders delayed by days because digi-key did not understand terms i had used in their stupid survey.

but they do have a fantastic range...
sometimes i have to swallow my pride, pay their shipping ransom, and order from them because they are the only supplier of some obscure part.


dunk.

[madsci1016]

i have had orders delayed by days because digi-key did not understand terms i had used in their stupid survey.

Survey? I have never seen that before.

[dunk]

i have had orders delayed by days because digi-key did not understand terms i had used in their stupid survey.

Survey? I have never seen that before.

i think it depends what country you live in.

dunk.

[TrickyNekro]

Well to tell the truth dunk I have some doubts over Digikey's range....

I was looking for gyroscopes and Mouser seemed to have way more stuff....

Some capacitors were a little bit touchy... but after all the price for quality was ok....

And I will be a large A+ to Mouser today... I had some troubles to calculating the fees and VAT...

They have on line chat... Oh yes... They got who I am from e-mail since I'm a registered member...
And got all answers in 10 mins...

Truth be told... I never got replies from e-mails... that was a bit disturbing... But having my troubles solved... is another thing.... So I'd say that they have weird service... but once get used to it... it's ok...

Living in Greece, phone IS NOT an option... Solving the problem over the phone, would probably cost me an additional order....  


So, I go for Mouser.... what are you looking for that you can't find nowhere...

[chelmi]

Digi-key is only ever my last resort.
i find their shipping charges unrealistic on small orders [...]

Again, it depends on your country. In Canada they are cheaper than Mouser.

[Asellith]

I wish there was a more brick and mortar minded distributor out there. for instance I use fastenal for hardware stuff. a lot cheaper then mcmaster but then again even lowes is cheaper then mcmaster most of the time. I also get 20% discount because my employer does a ton of business with fastenal but I walk in there and ask for something and if they don't have it I can get it in a week. If they don't carry it they will work with me to contact manufacturers to get it here. I'd love to be able to walk into a store like that for electronics. Some say Fry's is good company but I live on the other side of the country and have never actually seen a store front.

[Admin]

If it was that important, I wouldn't have chanced it with an email. I would have just called them. Mouser is very responsive to phone calls - I even have them on speed dial on my cell phone

I think their service is amazing, and above what I'd expect from a big company like that.

As for Digikey, they won't even tell you the cost of shipping until they've already shipped the item. And if its some small value shipment, they'll hit you with a ~$25 shipping fee without informing you. Not to mention their really crappy search engine . . . the prices aren't better than what Mouser offers, either. I only order from Digikey a few times a year when Mouser doesn't have what I'm looking for.

they couldn't add to the shipment, but didn't get notification it shipped till 1pm and FedEx shows it didn't pick it up till 12 pm. So why couldn't they open up the box again at 8 and add the resistors?

Companies don't always enter the 'we have shipped' information the same minute they ship, or even the same day. It was quite possible your stuff was already out on the shipping dock buried among many other shipments for that morning.

[madsci1016]

There's a thousand excuses for why Mouser couldn't do it, my point is Digi-key could, under the same situation.

And I didn't call because both orders, and subsequent 'o crap' moments where on a saturday. Do either have call centers open Saturdays? 

I've never had issues with outrageous shipping chargers. Most orders, if i'm not rushing next day, come in under $15 for shipping. And I actually find Mouser harder to search through then Digi, but that may be because I learned digi first.

[Gertlex]

Just cause I'm curious... are you doing hobby stuff or business stuff?

I think most of us don't expect email to be equivalent to an actual phone call...