Futurlec

[cellularmitosis]

Interesting.  I finally emailed them to ask what was up, and they did end up replying same day.  It turns out one part was on back-order the entire time, and it will be arriving in 2 more days... erg.

I think they could do a lot to improve their reputation if they proactively emailed you about the fact that your stuff likely won't ship for another 20 days because of x y or z...

[johnboxall]

Interesting.  I finally emailed them to ask what was up, and they did end up replying same day.  It turns out one part was on back-order the entire time, and it will be arriving in 2 more days... erg.

I think they could do a lot to improve their reputation if they proactively emailed you about the fact that your stuff likely won't ship for another 20 days because of x y or z...

Yeah ... but they don't Usual procedure is to find what you want somewhere else, then if all else fails - order from Futurlec, then email them with the order details to find out what's in stock, then sort it out with them. Royal PITA.

[kayvee]

My experience with them shows they are hopeless for low volume line items,  those that would be typical for hobbyists and development purposes.

For production line items where one is ordering $200 plus per line item they are reasonably good, cost and delivery wise.

[Greg Robinson]

For what it's worth, I've had similar experiences with Element14 too.
Frequently I will order parts listed as being in stock 6-7 working days, and then receive an email with updated ETA's sometimes months away. Often these ETA's will pass without any correspondence, and no updated information.
I've even had them cancel items from my orders without informing me, no suggestion of alternative items, no email, phone call, nothing.
My experience has also been that emailing them requesting updated ETA's once the original has passed is fruitless, they seem to evade the inquiry entirely.

As a repairperson, this is extremely frustrating, often I will have quoted a client and given them an ETA based on the advice from Element14, only to have the part required cancelled from my order. Often, finding an alternative (reputable) source is not cost effective, and the client will decline the revised quote, and I am lumped with esoteric or expensive parts in my inventory that have already shipped and I've been billed for, for a job that I'm no longer doing, and I am unlikely to use said esoteric parts in another job.

I will say that overall, my experience with Element14 is good, but these letdowns, leaving me in the lurch, are extremely frustrating, and often difficult if not impossible to resolve with them. Multiple calls and emails often get nowhere.

[alank2]

I placed two orders on 2-5 and 2-9.  The 2-5 order shipped two days later, but the 2-9 one was still unshipped.  I used their contact form to ask about both and got a response the next day about both.  The one that was held up is because they are having trouble sourcing one item on it so I told them to substitute it.  They are at least responsive, I will give them that for my requests.