Mouser sent me €138.60 worth of inductors I didn't order - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Zipdox
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2022, 02:08:49 pm
content: So I ordered some parts from Mouser for a project of mine, and the package included bag with a roll of 45 Wurth inductors (P/N: 7443551280) worth €138.60. The label on the bag doesn't list an article number, so I assume it wasn't meant to be shipped to a customer. It does however list a line item number, whatever that means. All the other parts I ordered are present, nothing is missing.I have no user for these inductors (at least not right now anyway), so what is the right thing to do?

author: Mortymore
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2022, 02:23:34 pm
content: Contact Mouser about that.Years ago I found myself in a similar situation. I received a very large box for the things I've ordered online from a national store, all the items were there, but also allot of satellite stuff that wasn't meant for me.After contact them, they arranged the pickup for the wrong sent items.Regards

author: Zipdox
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2022, 03:14:38 pm
content: That's what I'll do.

author: jmelson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2022, 10:40:16 pm
content: A couple months ago I got a box from Mouser. It had a bunch of solderless breadobards and adafruit modules, nothing I had ordered. They paid to have the stuff returned to them. So, they seem to be suffering from some carelessness in the shipping department.Jon

author: SmallCog
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2022, 07:14:48 am
content: I’ve had mixed experiences with this sort of stuff.Some have wanted them shipped back, they’ve emailed me a shipping label and it was no stress for meOthers have not wanted the stuff back but appreciated the honesty and told me I can keep/bin the items. Some of this is probably cost related but I suspect also that the parts may be considered “untrustworthy” from an ESD perspective?One supplier billed me for the extra stuff that arrived after I let them know. When quoted the unofficial chorus to “am I ever going to see your face again” (YouTube a live performance if you’re curious) they then issued me a credit less a re-stocking fee. Quite the mess! All sorted in the end but it certainly cost them a lot in future sales.A related annoyance is the bag being labelled for what you want but containing something else…

author: hans
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2022, 09:09:51 am
content: I've had a similar experience with wrongly sent items.They probably have a threshold for which pickup and restock makes sense for them.In my case I ordered at RS, and they didn't bother to pick up the 10 wrong inductors. They were only small ones, I didn't look them up, but I'm guessing it wasn't more than 10EUR worth of components.

author: TERRA Operative
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2022, 02:20:04 pm
content: Quote from: SmallCog on March 26, 2022, 07:14:48 amThey did you dirty. Legally they cannot charge you for mis-shipped items..https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/sales-delivery/receiving-things-you-didnt-ask-for

author: TheSteve
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 26, 2022, 04:33:39 pm
content: I received a box cutter mixed in with a Digikey order once.

author: TimFox
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2022, 05:16:44 pm
content: That sounds like a scalpel left in the patient after surgery.

author: dbctronic
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2022, 06:00:23 pm
content: Quote from: SmallCog on March 26, 2022, 07:14:48 amMouser... I'll make a note of that.Anybody who puts themselves in for bad PR like that in the Internet Age isn't very quick, are they? How much in sales have they lost just amongst those of us reading this thread? Surely many times that restocking fee they pulled on you.The very few problems I've had with vendors were all sorted instantly with a phone call and no monkey business.EDIT: As pointed out, SmallCog did not specify who the vendor was. My bad.

author: TimFox
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2022, 06:06:22 pm
content: Reading SmallCog's post, he didn't say it was Mouser.

author: radar_macgyver
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2022, 06:13:14 pm
content: Last year Digi-key mistakenly sent me about 400 ADG419 ICs with an order. When I looked it up on their website, the quantity listed in stock exactly matched what I had received - seems like someone had bought all their remaining stock. The bag had an order number that didn't match mine, so it was clearly a mistake at the binning stage. I called them and they emailed me a UPS label for the return shipment.I found it odd that they still listed the parts in stock even though they had assigned them to an order, and shipped them out 3 days prior.

author: SiliconWizard
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2022, 06:21:59 pm
content: Had that happen to me as well. Ironically, it was a cut tape of ... power inductors that I never ordered. It wasn't worth that much though. Just didn't bother and kept it.Now what you should do is up to you. This is their mistake, so as a customer, you're not supposed to fix their own screw-ups I guess. Personally, if it was worth a lot more, or that looked like "rare" parts, I would still contact them. Otherwise...

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2022, 06:52:31 pm
content: If the supplier wants to pay for courier pickup, including packing, at a mutually convenient date and time, sure they can have their mis-delivered parts back. Otherwise they can pay me time (min.1 hour at my usual rates) and materials (or credit me the same) and send me a shipping label and I'll be happy to fix their screwup. If they don't want to do that and the package was actually addressed to me, well. thank you for the unsolicited free gift.Quote from: SmallCog on March 26, 2022, 07:14:48 amYes, we more or less stopped using CPC for anything we could get elsewhere because of that and other shenanigans. Full story here:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/nooo!-rs-components-what-have-you-done-ruined-my-with-new-delivery-charge/msg3098718/#msg3098718

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2022, 08:38:38 pm
content: I've had a similar thing happen with Farnell. Contacted customer services, they clearly worked out it was of negligible cost (I think it was 100 x some SMD resistors, so value of $1-2USD maybe), and they told me to keep it.I guess if it was more significant they would pay to get it back; not sure what the law is on whether they can compel you to do this or not.

author: SiliconWizard
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2022, 09:11:56 pm
content: From a legal standpoint, it probably varies a bit depending on your country. But, I think there are definitely two different cases:- Items delivered to you, that you didn't order, with no indication of another recipient than yourself: "unsolicited goods". You usually have a right to keep them as a gift.- Now if there's any indication of the person they were meant for, you usually do NOT have the right to keep them.=> In particular, misdelivered items, in a package with another person's name: you certainly do not have a right to keep the package. Doing so would be theft. You need to contact the delivery service (can most often be seen on a tag on the package itself) for them to pick it up.I think the OP's case is the first one (as was the case for me too), so there is legally no issue there, AFAIK anyway. (But check with your local laws of course.)

author: Bud
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2022, 09:15:27 pm
content: A few times when i received from Digikey something i did not order, they told me to keep it.

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2022, 09:24:32 pm
content: Quote from: Bud on March 26, 2022, 09:15:27 pmDitto, but that was more than 10 years ago. I can only recall 2 instances. One was the wrong device, which DK quickly replaced, The other was when I ordered 1" of 4" diameter delrin round. It shipped 1', which was a huge difference in cost. DigiKey's system used to extremely accurate.My advice to the TS is to be civil. Errors happen. Don't insist on Mouser picking it up at an appointed time. Just follow the Golden Rule.

author: 2N3055
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2022, 09:35:12 pm
content: Yeah, mistakes happen. Never had a really bad one, where they didn't want it back but wanted me to pay for it.Once I ordered a set of dies for my Pressmaster crimpers from TME, and received a pack of 5. These are 35-40€ a piece. I called them and they apologized and thanked and asked (very politely) if they could ask me favor to return surplus if they send a courier to get it. I sent 4 back, and that same lady even thanked me few days later when she received it.Fast forward, I ordered few more dies few months later. I receive them but there was one additional type I didn't order.I repeat the routine, report to them. Same lady sends an E-mail, says hello, apologizes for making mistake again, (she remembers previous episode) and asks me bluntly, do I have a use for the die? She says, if I find it useful, she would be glad for me to keep it. So they left it with me.As fate would have it, after a month or so, that particular die came in handy on one job...

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2022, 09:49:18 pm
content: @2N3055Exactly. That's the way real business operates. You never try to screw the other "guy" for a simple mistake. Thus, my comment about requiring a courier appointment. Just take it to the P.O., if Mouser wants that.EDIT: Sorry, both orders were NOT Digikey. The Delrin was McMaster-Carr. Both are great companies to deal with, maybe a little more expensive than the least expensive, but great customer service. McMaster in the past few years seems to be falling behind. When it ships from multiple locations, you are stuck with X times that number in shipping costs. I have never been charged for double or triple shipping from DigiKey.

author: Zipdox
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2022, 11:07:18 pm
content: I talked to someone at Mouser though their live chat yesterday and they said they'd email me but I haven't gotten an email yet. If I don't receive anything I guess they don't want it back anymore? I'm not gonna bother contacting them for a second time anyway.

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2022, 11:34:48 pm
content: If you've got the luxury of a full-time reception desk, with space for parcels inwards and outwards, of course you can offer availability for courier pickup any time in business hours. Equally, if you do a regular post-office run, unless its unduly bulky it can go on that without you incurring extra costs. However if the supplier in question screws up multiple orders per month, why should *YOU* be out of pocket to reduce *THEIR* cost of *THEIR* mistake? Delays getting orders fulfilled with the correct parts, and admin time chasing up orders, are already costing you.OTOH If they have a history of going above and beyond for excellent customer service e.g. not only accepting phoned in urgent orders for next day delivery, but managing to merge it with any regular order you had they were dispatching the next day and only charging one lot of shipping, then yes, I would go out of my way to aid them returning the mis-shipped goods without raising an invoice for time etc. Incidentally, those are the suppliers that very rarely screw up an order . . .

author: Cerebus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 27, 2022, 01:36:50 am
content: Quote from: tom66 on March 26, 2022, 08:38:38 pmWithout quoting reams of statute basically the law in the UK is that if you tell the sender that you have received unsolicited goods and give them a reasonable deadline by which tocollectthem, at their own expense, then if they have not collected them by that deadline you can dispose of them as you see fit (which term includes keeping them) with no further liability on your behalf. Basically if you say, "I've got your stuff, I didn't order it, collect it within 2 weeks or it goes in the bin" and you actually let them collect it if they bother to turn up, then you've covered all the bases. If you unavoidably encounter significant costs in doing so (e.g. they insist on a particular collection time and you have to pay someone to be there, or lose money yourself by not being at work) you've a right (in tort) to reclaim those costs, but you'd have to go to court to do so if they didn't agree to pay.If anyone tries to charge you, threaten you with debt collectors, etc. etc. for unsolicited goods they commit a criminal offence.(Unsolicited Goods Act 1971, The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, Consumer Rights Act 2015).

author: SmallCog
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 27, 2022, 11:19:29 am
content: Quote from: TimFox on March 26, 2022, 06:06:22 pmCorrect, same situation different supplier thoughTo be honest I think a bit of it was “lost in translation” pretty sure the customer service rep was offshore and didn’t quite comprehend the situation

author: duckduck
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2022, 05:46:35 am
content: Quote from: Cerebus on March 27, 2022, 01:36:50 amIn the USA, if someone mails you something you didn't order, you get to keep it:https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/39/3009Quote from: Zipdox on March 26, 2022, 11:07:18 pmI think that you did the right thing by contacting Mouser. If they don't get back to you it's clearly not that important to them.Mouser has always done right by me when it comes to their shipping foul-ups. They even sent me a replacement order when the US Postal Service mis-delivered the package (which eventually made its way back to me). Mouser told me to keep the extra package (it was only USD20 of capacitors and resistors).

author: Berni
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2022, 06:02:36 am
content: We also at one point got a mysterious shipment of IEC power cords from Mouser.It turned out it was a mistake, but we ended up keeping them (I guess it was not worth the trouble of shipping back internationally) Quite a nice thing tho, since they happened to be the correct EU Shuko plug. These things always come in useful for plugging in test equipment (I like to leave these cables at every desk so that they are ready to plug in).

author: Zipdox
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2022, 11:05:36 am
content: I mean, that spool of inductors is literally worth more than my entire order. It's quite embarrassing. This is my first ever order at Mouser too. I was kinda shocked when I figured out what happened.

author: Cerebus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2022, 12:44:34 pm
content: Quote from: Berni on March 28, 2022, 06:02:36 amThey meant to send you two, they forgot to individual wrap them in polythene condoms, and by the time you got them there were 40.

author: Gribo
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2022, 04:30:17 pm
content: Digikey once sent me mil spec circular connectors instead of standard ones - I called their local office, which at the time was right above my workplace, and they said keep it, it was too expensive to ship it back.

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2022, 10:08:22 pm
content: Quote from: jpanhalt on March 26, 2022, 09:49:18 pmYeah, I avoid ordering from Mcmaster at all costs now.Other companies can figure out how to charge a flat rate, or a reasonable rate. Mcmaster you add a $1 delrin rod to your order, now you've rolled the dice on paying an extra $20 shipping charge because they can't consolidate warehouses.

author: Berni
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2022, 05:21:52 am
content: Quote from: Cerebus on March 28, 2022, 12:44:34 pmIt only got to 10.Still 10 IEC cords is quite a useful thing to have around (Pretty nice beefy ones too). Tho maybe it is a good thing that they got here since i think i remember the invoice inside going to somewhere in Canada, so they wouldn't fit there anyway.Guess that company is selling products internationally so they include EU power cords for EU costumers, probably more of a boutique low volume thing given they only ordered 10.

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2022, 08:48:08 am
content: Quote from: thm_w on March 28, 2022, 10:08:22 pmI have been buying from McMaster since the early 70's. Originally you needed a business to get a catalog, so I lived with second hand catalogs from my employer. In the early 80's, I got a legitimate business and my own catalogs.It's the only company I have known whose catalogs were considered such treasure. I still have its last paper version.That adverse change in shipping seems recent. In the example I mentioned, they were not unusual products. I suspect it is more than just incomplete warehouse inventories. Maybe it is some plan to level product aging or overstocking in its warehouses. In any event, you cannot really tell which warehouse(s) will be shipping without a phone call. That seems counterproductive. However, if you live near one of its warehouses and can do "will call" pick-up, it is really hard to beat for service.

author: Cerebus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2022, 10:24:52 am
content: Quote from: Berni on March 29, 2022, 05:21:52 amProbably a Quebecois with French speaking sockets.

author: Cerebus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2022, 10:45:49 am
content: Quote from: jpanhalt on March 29, 2022, 08:48:08 amRS Components (formerly Radiospares) in the UK did business on exactly the same basis and similarly there was always a fight to see who got to take home the old catalogue from the office when the new one arrived. The last paper catalogue I had from them was three (4?) volumes and took up over 8 inches of bookshelf. RS do actually still have a paper catalogue in 4 volumes you can request but (1) they don't automatically send them out to customers every year, (2) the latest appears to be dated 2016. Back in the day customers, even really small ones, got a visit in person at least once a year from a "rep".Farnell operated on a similar basis but were slightly more hungry and didn't grill you before they deigned to accept you as a customer. I remember a Farnell rep calling touting for new business complete with a catalogue and a separate printed cross reference that had RS order codes in one column and Farnell order codes in the hext.