RS Components sent me USED mosfets?!

[mcinque]

Today I received from RS-Components a sealed bag with 5 mosfets that are (apparently!?) visibly salvaged 

• the component's pins are cutted
• the central pin is bent as if the components was previously inserted on a TO-92V1/V2 footprint
• there is residual solder on the pins like if they was unsoldered

 

I've already ordered this part in the past months, and received always new components.

I really can't understand HOW a company like RS Components can do this kind of mess.

What the hell should I think of this?!

[Howardlong]

Today I received from RS-Components a sealed bag with 5 mosfets that are (apparently!?) visibly salvaged 

• the component's pins are cutted
• the central pin is bent as if the components was previously inserted on a TO-92V1/V2 footprint
• there is residual solder on the pins like if they was unsoldered

 

I've already ordered this part in the past months, and received always new components.

I really can't understand HOW a company like RS Components can do this kind of mess.

What the hell should I think of this?!

Possibly returned parts "unopened" from an unscrupulous customer?

[mcinque]

Possibly returned parts "unopened" from an unscrupulous customer?

if so:

they have no quality control for returns parts (just return any part, it will be accepted)
inconsistent ISO quality control on their warehouse

[fivefish]

That's probably the "old" parts the other user returned to RS... and the new parts are installed in his project.

[mcinque]

Ok, this is something that a stupid customer can of course do, but this kind of activity cannot be ignored by the returns management.
They cannot accept any return without inspecting it; I saw with one eye the components was used.

[Towger]

I ordered NSK bearings off RS a few years ago. They looked like fakes. I sent some to the NSK offices in the UK. They came back with an excuse they they (NSK) 'may' have supplied them to RS from another company, as their factory was on strike at one point. There was no straight answer from them. They ended up replacing them. The whole thing was a waste of time and effort, I should have bought RSs cheap own brand bearings in the first place, for half the price.
Like all these things, it is not the cost of the parts, but the time and effort in stripping down the equipment to replace them.

[nctnico]

Today I received from RS-Components a sealed bag with 5 mosfets that are (apparently!?) visibly salvaged 

What the hell should I think of this?!

This is very bad. I'd give RS a phonecall and ask how the hell this happened. IMHO RS isn't a good supplier for electronics parts. They have send me QFP chips stuck between foam which bend the pins several times. Sometimes they are a tad cheaper than Farnell but these kind of slip ups make me prefer to order from Farnell.

[TopLoser]

Yeah at Farnell any returns would be thrown to one side and not enter the supply chain ever again.

Imagine the cost to RS to process that customer return and put them back in the warehouse, far far more than the parts are worth. They should just have been scrapped and written off.

[Mechanical Menace]

I'm genuinely surprised you went to RS. I'd have thought with the amount of large Italian companies just doing industrial automation you'd have had some decent local suppliers.

[Deathwish]

stick some wire into a few raisins , reseal them in the bag and return it

[digsys]

I had a near legal battle with Farnell (RS is the same) with unknown parts supplied, so I made an ISO case.
Turns out their ISO is on PROOF and integrity of SHIPMENT, NOT what the heck is in the parcels !! They are NOT manufacturers, just SHIPPERS !!
But, they replace / exchanged any incorrect shipments without question, so I learned to adjust :-)

[AlfBaz]

stick some wire into a few raisins , reseal them in the bag and return it

[ciccio]

RS is completely illogical in their delivery process:
they keep a stock in the Italian warehouse, that does not cover all inventory. What is not available in Italy is delivered from UK.
Last order I made (about 120 euros, no delivery fee, about 10 items) was delivered in 3 parcels: one from Italy, with 8 items, by express courier, and TWO from UK by DHL air courier. One of the DHL packets included a single 50 pcs tube of op-amps, and was a big box (the tube is long) from one UK warehouse, the other was a padded envelope with 4 Neutrik PCB connectors (from another UK warehouse)
This is not the first time this happens, and usually i receive the box from UK BEFORE the one form Italy, but this time the order was:
one box from UK at 10 am, the one from Italy at 3 pm, and the last one from UK at 11 am the day after.
I think that they have great discounts from the couriers, but I cannot believe that this (3 deliveries, 3 packaging, 3 delivery documents) is cheaper than shipping a single box from UK, if the Italian stock cannot fulfill the order.
For me it's really impractical: I must have somebody stay in the office waiting for 2 or 3 deliveries.
I buy also from Distrelec, and when they had a warehouse in Italy sometimes an item was not available. Usually they contacted me and asked for directions: if the delivery was not urgent I waited for them to receive the missing parts from Switzerland,  and I received a SINGLE box one day later.
Now the Italian warehouse is closed, and everything comes from Switzerland: by DHL, the day after.
This IS better.... (for me, obviously not for those who worked in the Italian warehouse they closed)

Best regards

[Deathwish]

Would it have anything to do with their purchasing in bulk from manufacturers and Taxes as to where they stock and how much of each thing.

[Macbeth]

stick some wire into a few raisins , reseal them in the bag and return it

Do RS still sell those old transistors?

[mcinque]

After a formal complaint they called me apologizing about this issue.

They told that for this kind of products (low price single components), they choose usually to give credit without asking for the goods to be shipped back, because they have much greater costs to manage the return and in the end they must trash the used parts.

So this is happend probably because an unwanted/unauthorized return was processed in a wrong way (putting the returned parts back in stock instead tossing them). 

I'm genuinely surprised you went to RS. I'd have thought with the amount of large Italian companies just doing industrial automation you'd have had some decent local suppliers.

Unluckily I don't know other B2B companies other than RS, Distrelec, Farnell (Element14) and Mouser that deal with Italy and delivery in 24/48h.
I accept suggestions 

[wreeve]

I doubt it is a return; anything like that from Farnell they just tell you to throw it in the bin and they send you more; RS must do the same?

[plazma]

Unluckily I don't know other B2B companies other than RS, Distrelec, Farnell (Element14) and Mouser that deal with Italy and delivery in 24/48h.
I accept suggestions 

How about
http://www.tme.eu/en/HowBuy/5/Country:HowToBuy-way-and-costs-of-transport-136.html

[mcinque]

How about
[url=http://www.tme.eu/en/HowBuy/5/Country:HowToBuy-way-and-costs-of-transport-136.html]http://www.tme.eu/en/HowBuy/5/Country:HowToBuy-way-and-costs-of-transport-136.html[/URL]

Hmm interesting. Thank you!
The only con is that, as far I see, they provide an EU invoice, something that must pass thru my business consultant since EU companies must declare, with a proper "intrastat" module every business purchase; and this module filling has a cost.

I doubt it is a return; anything like that from Farnell they just tell you to throw it in the bin and they send you more; RS must do the same?

Yes, in fact they stated that was an unauthorized return that should have been refused, while it has been accepted and (badly) processed.
This could be simply an excuse like another, who knows what is really happened