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Talbit Senior Member Joined: 07/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 210
Posted: 10:01pm 17 May 2014
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Finally !!!
Arrived on Friday. That's a good 7 weeks. But still no reply's as to why the big delay only that my VISA card info wasn't 100% but that wouldn't have been the main holdup.
TalbitTalbit
Lou Senior Member Joined: 01/02/2014 Location: United StatesPosts: 229
Posted: 02:44pm 20 May 2014
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Congrats Talbit
Finally !!!
Arrived on Friday. That's a good 7 weeks. But still no reply's as to why the big delay only that my VISA card info wasn't 100% but that wouldn't have been the main holdup.
Talbit
I emailed Futurlec about 3 seperate orders I placed on March 27th. They emailed back in about 36 hours and said each order had 1 or 2 parts out of stock and gave me options to cancel or receive substitute parts. I canceled where there was no sub and accepted the substitute parts for the for the remaining. I also requested they email me when the parts ship, we'll see, I will post here when I get the parts.
The items they said were out of stock on my orders showed in stock when I ordered and still show in stock today on their website.
I have already reordered most of the missing parts I needed from ebay (as Greg suggested) and other suppliers, some are already up and running while I wait for Futurlec. Go figure.
LouMicrocontrollers - the other white meat
Goeytex Regular Member Joined: 12/05/2014 Location: United StatesPosts: 74
Posted: 06:22am 21 May 2014
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I have used Futurlec twice. Both times the orders took well over a month to arrive.
Waiting a month (or more) for components (that can be purchased from a more reputable
supplier) is not something that interests me. It is not worth the few dollars or
cents that might be saved.
When "cheap" is the main specification for parts & components, then many times you
usually get what you pay for: Dubious quality, counterfeits, no datasheets, and poor
service.
Many people think that stuff is generally cheaper from Futurlec. However I just did
a small sample comparison that showed that they are actually more expensive on many
items that can be purchased from Mouser,Digikey,RS,Farnell, etc.
IMO, Futurlec = Buyer Beware
Edited by Goeytex 2014-05-22
Talbit Senior Member Joined: 07/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 210
Posted: 11:00am 21 May 2014
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Thanks Goeytex,
I agree but the reason I bought these last items from Futurlec was because they were the only guys who would sell me a few of them. Mouser & Digikey only sold in large quantities. Element14 (Farnell) and RS didn't have them. So I shouldn't complain. I got them eventually. Futurlec do sell some nice stuff. They have a very nice SPI 8 digit LED display which was prefect for one of my GPS clocks. I'll probably still use them when I need to I guess. I just wished they'd lift their game. Competition must be tough out there and they simply won't survive at this rate.
Regards to all
TalbitTalbit
Lou Senior Member Joined: 01/02/2014 Location: United StatesPosts: 229
Posted: 06:46pm 21 May 2014
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Hi All,
Futurlec emailed back and listed the parts substituted and the parts removed from my orders and said all three orders have shipped and gave me two registered shipping numbers to cover the three orders. They said the cost of the removed parts would be added to my card.
I guess the bottom line is to order parts then email them for order status to find out if the parts are in stock, straighten out the parts out of stock if any, and wait to see what happens. I think I'm getting a headache.
The waiting game begins again, hopefully I'll get the parts in 2 to 3 weeks. I'll post and be done with Futurlec, it doesn't seem worth the hassle.
LouMicrocontrollers - the other white meat
MicroBlocks Guru Joined: 12/05/2012 Location: ThailandPosts: 2209
Posted: 09:36pm 21 May 2014
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Anyone know from where they ship.
I have a feeling that most of those parts come from Thailand.
They have an office a few hundred meters from where i live.
I might be able to pick up things locally and ship it quicker then they can.
What parts are interesting from futurlec that can not be bought elsewhere?
Microblocks. Build with logic.
Lou Senior Member Joined: 01/02/2014 Location: United StatesPosts: 229
Posted: 05:37pm 22 May 2014
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TZA, this is part of the email I got from Fururlec:
This order will be shipped today via standard post from our Asia distribution center Thailand with the registered shipping number RK419337983DE
So yes, they must ship at least some of their stuff if not all from Thailand.
Do they have a storefront near your house?? That would be nice just to go shopping like at Radio Shack.
What parts are interesting from futurlec that can not be bought elsewhere?
Nothing you can't get elsewhere, it's just kind of a one stop shop with the variety of parts they sell.
LouMicrocontrollers - the other white meat
MicroBlocks Guru Joined: 12/05/2012 Location: ThailandPosts: 2209
Posted: 07:20pm 22 May 2014
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Interesting. The place close to my house is just an office.
They probably have their warehouse nearby.
The one thing i suspect though is that they do not have much in stock and just order it from other places. Otherwise why should it take so long to fulfill an order.
I use normal shipping and to Australia/New Zealand it takes about ten days.
There are many places like 'Radio Shack'. I often go to Ban Mohr where there are hundreds of little shops that sell everything related to electronics, close by there is also an area for anything mechanical, and tools.
However those areas are mostly good for buying hobby stuff and one offs as most stuff are stock leftovers and second hand parts.
A few large shops and electronics distributors also have their main location in Ban Mohr as it is the hot spot for electronics. They are very good places and have everything new directly from the factory and have large stock. I get my parts from them, order online and within two days (sometimes same day when using a courier) i have it.
Microblocks. Build with logic.
Talbit Senior Member Joined: 07/06/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 210
Posted: 08:38pm 22 May 2014
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My orders from Futurlec have always come through Singapore.
TalbitTalbit
paceman Guru Joined: 07/10/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 1329
Posted: 12:18am 23 May 2014
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I've had them from Singapore and Thailand.
Greg
Lou Senior Member Joined: 01/02/2014 Location: United StatesPosts: 229
Posted: 04:20am 25 May 2014
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Talbit, paceman,
This is the return address from my Futurlec order about a year ago:
I've had Futurlec.com and .com.au packages from Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand.
I tend to order quite a few items at a time and the "in stock - out of stock" item(s) is/are always what holds up an order. I can usually get an email response and find out what's holding up an order and simply get the item(s) dropped. If I only order a few different items, they've been known to turn up in 10 days.
The delays are acceptable (to me) given the pricing (after cf eBay, AliExpress).
Lou Senior Member Joined: 01/02/2014 Location: United StatesPosts: 229
Posted: 07:01pm 11 Jun 2014
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Hi Guys,
My Futurlec history, the final chapter:
I placed three separate orders from Futurlec on March 27th.
I Heard nothing until I Emailed Futurlec May 20 and found out some parts on all 3 orders out were of stock, I had them delete some parts and substitute another part.
May 22nd they said all three orders shipped.
I received two orders on June 5th, two weeks later.
I received the last order today, 2 weeks and 6 days after they shipped.
My conclusion:
Their claim of delivery in 2 to 3 weeks was accurate, the hang-up was out-of-stock parts. All out-of-stock parts showed in stock when I ordered, all showed in-stock every time I checked, and still show in-stock today.
I guess when ordering parts from Futurlec you must email them in a few days about your order status to find out if the parts are really in stock. They seem content to take your money right away and sit on your order until they get it all together, not telling you anything. The parts from Futurlec look OK, I haven't tried any of them except the displays.
All three Futurlec orders shipped from Niederaula Germany via Deutshe Post.
I am working with Zonker on the LDC display board he recently posted and really needed the displays I ordered from Futurlec. When they didn't come I ordered some displays from Mouser to test, so the project went on. When I tested the Futurlec displays last week, they were all rather dim, not easy to read and sub-standard in my opinion compared to the Mouser displays. I'm glad the Futurlec displays didn't come sooner or I would never have known how much better other displays looked (at the same price).
By the way, I saw the display on MicroMite.com and it looks very similar to the Mouser display (again, at the same price). And Zonker's LCD display board plugs right on the back of Phil's display, a perfect fit.
Notice. New forum software under development. It's going to miss a few functions and look a bit ugly for a while, but I'm working on it full time now as the old forum was too unstable. Couple days, all good. If you notice any issues, please contact me.
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