Future Electronics - Bad Service? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: onemilimeter
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2011, 05:11:35 pm
content: How's the "web customer service" of Future Electronics (http://uk.futureelectronics.com/en/company-information/contact-us/Pages/ContactUsForm.aspx)? I sent the forms several times (in the last few days) and so far none of them is replied yet. Please share your experience dealing with Future Electronics.Cheers.

author: Time
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2011, 07:05:41 pm
content: They tend to be more for large customers and not really the hobbyist, from my experience.

author: onemilimeter
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2011, 08:04:36 pm
content: Quote from: Time on September 21, 2011, 07:05:41 pmI've the same feeling too... My order is only £50... This may explain why FE does not entertain me...

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2011, 11:34:01 pm
content: Many of the big disties seem to routinely ignore emailed requests, even for significant orders - well screw you guys (ARROW ELECTRONICS for example), I'm buying from somewhere that actually wants my business.

author: gregariz
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 21, 2011, 11:46:07 pm
content: I find the old fashioned telephone works best to correct order problems with the big guys. Even some of the small guys routinely ignore my emails about a product spec or similiar.

author: shadowless
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2011, 02:49:02 am
content: Hi,They do follow through with my previous purchase and exchange. Service seem alright.They recently created individual sales contact to improve the customer service.

author: Lawsen
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2011, 03:09:55 am
content: I sent my water proof Sony stereo to Sony for repair. Sony refused to repair it and sent it back to me un repaired. The old Sony 20 years ago did repaired my beach stereo or even cassette recorder. I repaired it myself by desoldering the power amplifier IC chip and found an equivalent through Philips ECG brand and soldered it in and use jumper wires for the damaged traces. The Sony stereo now works and I use it.Fluke refused to the repair my Fluke 8060A hand held multimeter with the side buttons. I was sent a Fluke 187 with the rotary knob instead. They kept my chip broken Fluke 8060A. I miss it once in awhile.I wonder how is Agilent repair service and its costs to repair an DSOX oscilloscope? Specialty electronics like office equipment and commercial business and speciality electronics might still get traditional service. Consumer electronics is disposable and no service usually.

author: Time
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2011, 02:22:16 pm
content: If I don't include my title and employer I never get responses from Arrow or Future. If I include my job title and employer name than I usually get a few calls with follow up calls. Its quite amazing.This reminds me of a story I have about gradschool:I remember when I was in gradschool I worked for a fairly reputable university based research laboratory. I was looking for a particular 2 part potting compound with high viscosity for a project I was working on. I found what I needed from a small company out of Colorado and gave the engineers a call. We discussed my application and decided it would work for what I wanted so I got the information I needed to make the order. I go to our purchasing person for the lab and gave her the info to make the order and than left. She tries to make the order and a question comes up that she was not able to answer so she said "hold on, let me go get the student". Since she referred to me as the student the seller automatically assumed this was a school project for a class laboratory or something of the likes. He started asking me all these questions about how much I needed and what type I needed...than said their products were pretty expensive etc etc. I said OK, fine I will type some stuff in an e-mail to answer your questions. When I wrote the e-mail I made sure to include who I was working for and that it was a large contract with lots of funding behind it and money was not really an issue. I sent the e-mail and probably 10 minutes after sending it he calls me back with a completely changed attitude. He was suddenly overly enthusiastic and basically told me my money was no good to him. He gave me all the products I was interested in for free and even some extra stuff he wanted me to try out. Its ironic, he thought I was a poor student doing a school project and he wanted to charge me the going rate but as soon as he found out it was a rich research contract he gave his stuff up for free.

author: david77
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2011, 02:53:41 pm
content: Many companies show little interest in private persons, they really only want the big fish.I had an experience like that ten years ago at a trade show for tools. I was 20 and wanted to buy a proper Makita cordless drillbecause I was fed up with the consumer crap you get in hardware stores. So I went to the stall of one of the biggest power tool wholesalers in Germany and tried to get the attention of one of the sales persons there. I had no luck, they just ignored me, looking like the poor scruffy 20 year old I was. Only after I pulled out the wad of 50ies I had in my wallet and put it down in front of one of them did he realise I really meant some business, the guys attitude changed immediately from "Ugh, go away poor person." to "Yes Sir, how may I be of assistance?". Spooky. I still have that drill.

author: Bored@Work
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2011, 04:08:07 pm
content: Quote from: david77 on September 22, 2011, 02:53:41 pmAnd some don't get that the big fish is extinct in their fishing grounds and they either start to play nice with the small fish or become extinct, too. I am looking at you, Farnell and RS.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 22, 2011, 04:14:34 pm
content: Quote from: BoredAtWork on September 22, 2011, 04:08:07 pmAnd some don't get that it is the small fish that are the final customers in big fish companies, and the ones that choose the product, hence the supplier. It's all very fishy.

author: ejeffrey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2011, 04:32:36 pm
content: Quote from: BoredAtWork on September 22, 2011, 04:08:07 pmHonestly I don't really have a problem with companies that only want to deal with volume orders and corporate customers. It is a different set of requirements and a different business model, and either they make it work or they don't. If you want to sell thousands of units to companies that require inane documentation requirements instead of selling 10 units to a hobbyist with a credit card, go for it. What baffles me is companies like Farnell that are completely schizophrenic -- they can't make up their mind on what their business model is.

author: Bored@Work
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2011, 04:39:33 pm
content: Quote from: Time on September 22, 2011, 02:22:16 pmI have a similar story. The local branch of Brüel & Kjær was doing a road show during the semester break, probably to avoid having to deal with pesky students, and targeting the decision-makers only. So on the announce day a big truck pulls up on the parking lot, with a fancy showroom on wheels.I had a student job at an institute, and the professor decided we should both visit the truck. Now, while very capable, that professor looked like anything but a professor. And I was looking like a poor student. So we went in, looked at all the instruments, just to be suspiciously eyeballed all the time but never addressed by the sales guy. My professor became annoyed and dragged me out.Back at the institute he rummaged around and picked up two while lab coats, and a name badge with his title and name. Now properly dressed and carrying his badge he rushed into the show room again, me on his tail.It was hilarious. He rushed in, shouted "I am Professor X", immediately turned his attention to a randomly selected instrument, placed his hand on it and continued shouting "So this is the bullshit 2000? I have yet to hear anything good about it.". I have never seen a sales guy coming up to speed so fast. For the next 15 minutes he preached about all the things that were wrong with that instrument, cutting the sales guy off whenever he tried to intervene. My job was just to stand there, keeping a straight face and nodding.After he was done the rushed out again, of course me on his tail. On the parking lot I asked him how he knew so much about that instrument. His response? "I don't even know what it was. But neither did the sales guy.".And buying B&K equipment for the institute was a no-no from that day on.

author: Bored@Work
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2011, 04:49:39 pm
content: Quote from: ejeffrey on September 22, 2011, 04:32:36 pmSure, it is their decision. But I am all for upfront honesty. If you don't want to deal with small fish just say so right on your home page.QuoteFarnell, oh yes. A complete bunch of ... They have a big marketing operation going on (Element14), where they claim they want to address the big and small fish alike. Yet, as far as I know Farnell does refuse to directly sell to individuals in at least Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Austria, Portugal and India.

author: Bored@Work
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2011, 04:53:04 pm
content: Quote from: Alex on September 22, 2011, 04:14:34 pmDo you want some chips with that?

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 22, 2011, 05:03:28 pm
content: Quote from: BoredAtWork on September 22, 2011, 04:53:04 pmDespite colossal efforts from friends and colleagues I made in the UK, they never managed to convert me to that oily fish religion that, together with chips and mashed green peas, form the triad of evil.Granted, I have had good fish with chips made at home, but that is fish with chips, not fish & chips. Get it?It could have been worse, like chips with vinegar.