What's the skinny on purchasing parts from Keysight?

[LabSpokane]

I'm rejected as well.  What a lousy, obnoxious policy. 

Thank you for registering with the Parts Online Store system.

Access to the Parts Online Store system requires that the email address used for registration be your company email address. We request this to help protect user privacy and insure that order information for your company remains confidential. It does not appear that your email address in your registration matches your company name therefore we are unable to finalize your registration....

That's insane, ignorant, and just plain stupid Keysight!

Give me a f*cking break!

I'm a little peeved about this. There should be giant warning labels informing unsuspecting purchasers that Keysight refuses to support non-commercial users with parts. Or, that Keysight products are for commercial use only. I've seen nothing of the sort.

[LabSpokane]

I am now approved to buy parts, but only because I have my own domain.

Welcome to the Keysight Parts Online Store service. We appreciate your interest in our company and products. With the Parts Online Store you can purchase with a Purchase Order or a Credit Card, 7x24. If you order before 2pm Pacific Time you get free shipping. All online purchases from the Parts Online Store are subject to the Keysight Terms of Sale. You may view these terms at:  Keysight Terms of Sale

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[ap]

I have not heard that (KS shipping to companies only, but not end-users) from Keysight. With company purchases here never seen any issues.
But I have heard this axpilicitely about R&S here in Germany (head office not dealing with end users), although at the same time, I know of items from end users that they repaired. Sonds like not same rules for everyone and from every RS division. Seems the same with KS. Maybe the guys are too big to act consistently.

[Bud]

I think it is a reasonable ask to have a business email address.

[xrunner]

I think it is a reasonable ask to have a business email address.

WHY! Why should they give a damn? My money is as good as a business. If I pay for a part, WTF do they care if it's a business or a private citizen? They made money and sold me something I needed.

    

[Cubdriver]

I think it is a reasonable ask to have a business email address.

I'm genuinely curious as to why you think that.  Why should an individual who is, for instance, an advanced electronics tinkerer who does this as a hobby be unable to purchase replacement parts?

-Pat

[madires]

In some countries there are customer protection laws to protect consumers, not company customers. So some distributors focus on company customers to avoid the nuisance with consumers, like extra costs.

[LabSpokane]

I think it is a reasonable ask to have a business email address.

I judge people on not having their own domain, but only because in my line of work I expect someone who plans to build a $300M power plant to have a business with a domain.

As far as purchasing equipment and parts goes, such a policy is totally senseless.

The only reason I could think of is the FCC ISM Group 1, Class A rating for devices used in an industrial environment.

[xrunner]

So some distributors focus on company customers to avoid the nuisance with consumers, like extra costs.

Yea those troublesome consumers - you know, the consumers who are a Royal pian-in-the-ass that buy your equipment and aren't with a company. What a nuisance, to have the regular public as consumers of your product. Hope the damn thing doesn't break and they might have the unmitigated gall to ask to buy a spare part or two. F*ck 'em.

Hmmmm... but wait a second - I guess they weren't such a nuisance that they wouldn't sell the public the piece of gear in the first place. Guess that money's OK. Yea, cool policy.

[Bud]

Having a domain registered provides a level of assurance you are who you say you are. If there is a vendor who wants to know who they deal with, whatever the reason might be, the corporate policy, protecting the brand, etc. i was asked before for a company's email, the case being discussed here is not anything new to me. Same happened when i was getting a digital certificate from a Certification Authority, they required my company' s domain email address for the purpose of validating my identity. I had parts suppliers requiring this, cant remember though who it was.

Money is not universally everything.

[bitseeker]

Thanks, everyone, for submitting your experiences. It's good to collect them in one place to try to get some clarity on how things work in practice, even if it varies by country.

For the US, I'm hearing that as long as I have a company email address (no problem), then I don't have to worry about any other requirements such as minimum quantities or order size.

What about support of HP/Agilent Service Notes that indicate coverage as "Lifetime of product", "Agilent responsible: Always", or similar? Has anyone had these honored by Keysight? Many of these service notes are for customer-serviceable issues, but does Keysight still ship out the parts (if available), so we can perform the repairs?

[Marco]

I think it is a reasonable ask to have a business email address.

I suspect people retaliate "unreasonably" with commercial purchases if they have been screwed by them as a private owner of their equipment, we're fickle beasts. Even if the spare parts business is a loss for them this is going to lose them more money than just eating the cost.

If it loses them money it's highly unreasonable, because that's the reason they exist.

[xrunner]

Having a domain registered provides a level of assurance you are who you say you are.

It sure is funny - I can buy things from Target, Wal Mart, Digikey, Mouser, any of thousands of companies all the time without a registered domain. I wonder how they get a "level of assurance" I am who I say I am. That's just a silly reason Bud.

Company A has thing I need. I pay them for it. They ship it to me. It all happens every day without people having registered domain names.

Money is not universally everything.

Then why not provide individuals the same level of respect as a company? After all, you said money is not universally everything ...

[janoc]

This issue with the generic/free webmail addresses being rejected is not just Keysight. If you try to register with and order from outfits like TI or Microchip or many others, no dice. If your address doesn't end in .com or is something like Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail and similar, they won't deal with you.

It is totally retarded.

Then the part with companies not selling to individuals but only business - in Europe this often has to do with VAT which they have to collect if selling to individuals. It is simpler when dealing with businesses that pay VAT themselves. And sometimes it is a purely business decision not wanting to deal with punters ordering a $1 fuse ...

[Docholiday]

They are just trying to protect themselves from fraud. It's not a perfect solution, but at least its something. Here in the USA if it was a fraudulent purchase then Keysight would then have to payback the real credit card holder. That would cost them a lot of money in the end we the real buyers would absorb these Keysight costs through higher prices.

Do I like it? No. So, what choice is there? I just make my purchases via phone which I like better anyway. That way if the part I seek is not available for purchase maybe then the assembly that it belongs to - is availble for purchase.

Most online ordering systems are unable to tell you this other then the part is not available, obsolete, or been replaced by some other part number that would not even fit your board let alone work because the board you have is a wrong revision board.

Do like the ability to look up my part online and then verify and order the part with a live person.

[Bud]

To those people who thinks everyone is obligated to sell stuff to them as long as they are willing to pay: it is totally to my discretion as a seller if i will sell my product to you or not. Over the years i fired a few customers because of their disrespectful behaviour, or who tried to press me for unreasonable discount, or who did not honored terms and conditions. Some abused Paypal buyer protection. There were not many, but for the purpose of this discussion - no i am not obligated to make a sell and i do not care about your money, i will either not accept the payment or fully refund.

[LabSpokane]

A little consistency in the sales policy is all that's needed. If parts won't be sold to individuals, then have the same policy for the sale of the equipment.

There are regulatory reasons as to why certain equipment is not sold to non-commercial entities. That's ok. The double standard is not.

[xrunner]

To those people who thinks everyone is obligated to sell stuff to them as long as they are willing to pay: it is totally to my discretion as a seller if i will sell my product to you or not.

You got the corporate speak down really good. You act like we want to buy fissionable materials or dangerous chemicals that could harm people if not used properly. Give me a break - we're talking about keypads and displays and the like for test equipment. Good grief!

[TheSteve]

Used my regular gmail address for my Keysight parts purchase. I do own several domains but I doubt they noticed.

[Docholiday]

Used my regular gmail address for my Keysight parts purchase. I do own several domains but I doubt they noticed.

I tried to order online but got that message it was not a business email domain. However, they will accept it non business email over landline. Is that what you did too?

[xrunner]

Over the years i fired a few customers because of their disrespectful behaviour, or who tried to press me for unreasonable discount, or who did not honored terms and conditions.

Me: "Hello Z-Mart? Yes this is me, I want to order a new coffee maker!"

Z-Mart: "I'm sorry sir - but you have been fired"

Me: "Huh? I don't work there, I'm a customer!"

Z-Mart: "Yes sir, but you have been fired - we regularly fire customers"

Me: "How can you fire a customer? I don't understand, did I not pay for something?"

Z-Mart: "You have returned 3 items in the last month. We fire any customers that return 3 or more items in a month"

Me: "But your policy states that you will happily accept any returns!"

Z-Mart: "Well, this is an unwritten policy. Besides, we were told that you posted a bad review of Z-Mart on the internet"

Me: "WTF?"

Z-Mart: "Your money is not welcome here. This conversation can serve no purpose any longer. Goodbye"

Me: "I've been fired!"

[Docholiday]

Hmm... I see lucrative niche market here. A lot of $$$$ potential!

[bitseeker]

Z-Mart: "You have returned 3 items in the last month. We fire any customers that return 3 or more items in a month"

Me: "But your policy states that you will happily accept any returns!"

Z-Mart: "Well, this is an unwritten policy."

Not so far-fetched: http://wtkr.com/2016/03/21/amazon-bans-customer-for-returning-too-many-items/

[xrunner]

Not so far-fetched: http://wtkr.com/2016/03/21/amazon-bans-customer-for-returning-too-many-items/

Ah, but what is the policy exactly? From the article we find this -

So what constitutes extreme? Amazon UK allows customers to return items within 30 days but refuses to say how many returns are too many.

Amazingly, not far from the fictitious example I conjured up - unwritten policies ...

[Docholiday]

This is all over the place. Different policy for what ever country you are from. I have no problem in ordering parts from Keysight but must order over landline. I am in USA, question is for others in USA are you able to order your parts?

Perhaps a new policy for new customers?