Author Topic: Elecrow PCB deception? (RESOLVED)  (Read 25430 times)

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Offline crt

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Re: Elecrow PCB deception?
« Reply #25 on: August 13, 2014, 01:50:09 pm »
After reading this, i try to purchase from elecrow
PCB was very good quality for me and its fast, 3 day for fabrication plus 11days for shipment
even they give me a suggestion to make a panelizing for more board with less price  :-+
 

Offline macboy

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Re: Elecrow PCB deception?
« Reply #26 on: August 14, 2014, 05:26:49 pm »
I had a quick look and the prices are currently much better than listed in this thread a couple months ago:
10 of 10x10cm green: $11.90
10 of 10x10cm colored: $15.90
10 of 5x5cm colored: $9.90

So green is a little less, but not much. The price for colored 10x10cm boards is probably unbeatable elsewhere.

I see also that they have linked to this thread from a page in their news feed:
http://www.elecrow.com/index.php?main_page=news&c_id=4&chapter_id=35
Nice to see that they are owning it and not trying to sweep it under the rug.
 

Offline zaptaTopic starter

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Re: Elecrow PCB deception?
« Reply #27 on: August 15, 2014, 03:19:23 am »
I had a quick look and the prices are currently much better than listed in this thread a couple months ago:
10 of 10x10cm green: $11.90
10 of 10x10cm colored: $15.90
10 of 5x5cm colored: $9.90

So green is a little less, but not much. The price for colored 10x10cm boards is probably unbeatable elsewhere.

Last month I updated the prices mentioned in the original post.


I see also that they have linked to this thread from a page in their news feed:
http://www.elecrow.com/index.php?main_page=news&c_id=4&chapter_id=35
Nice to see that they are owning it and not trying to sweep it under the rug.

They still charge 33% extra for 10x10 and still claim 'color free' . For less effort they could just fix the misleading claim.
 

Offline Precipice

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Re: Elecrow PCB deception?
« Reply #28 on: August 15, 2014, 06:01:28 am »
They still charge 33% extra for 10x10 and still claim 'color free' . For less effort they could just fix the misleading claim.

Free as in choice. Good grief.
 

Offline macboy

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Re: Elecrow PCB deception?
« Reply #29 on: August 15, 2014, 01:21:38 pm »
They still charge 33% extra for 10x10 and still claim 'color free' . For less effort they could just fix the misleading claim.
Oh come one now, they explained it well: You can choose any color you want no extra charge! or you can get a discount for green!  ::)
 

Offline crt

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Re: Elecrow PCB deception?
« Reply #30 on: September 12, 2014, 12:48:44 pm »
Here some photo of my PCB unit

10 pcs with 10cm*10cm dimension with 10+ panelizing
PCB itself cost $31,90 with $18,50 EMS Shipping

 

Tac Eht Xilef

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Re: Elecrow PCB deception?
« Reply #31 on: October 06, 2014, 12:08:17 am »
Anyone else see something wrong with this picture?



http://www.elecrow.com/special-offer-for-2-layer-1010cm-max-green-pcb-510pcs-p-761.html - 2 layer, green only (no colour options available), "10*10cm".

Saw this thread back when it was started and thought the original complaint was fair enough - but sort of excusable due to ESL, ever-changing pricing, etc. Went to order some boards last night, and thought I'd give Elecrow a try since they were a bit cheaper than the other known names. Even after I noticed the above I decided to order since it made no difference to me (my board is 5 x 8cm). It does seem a bit deceptive though...

Luckily their payment gateway seemed to give up just when I was ordering, so I think I'll use my usual place and pay the extra $3 there.
 

Offline CrashO

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Re: Elecrow PCB deception?
« Reply #32 on: October 06, 2014, 12:33:02 am »
Anyone else see something wrong with this picture?
Not really.
What would the alternative be? 2 separate products for 5x10 and 10x10cm board sizes?
Then people like the TS will start creating posts about not knowing they could order a 5x10 when they are looking at the 10x10 version.
Now it's shows them in one simple option with clear pricing.
 

Offline true

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Re: Elecrow PCB deception?
« Reply #33 on: October 06, 2014, 01:56:19 am »
The price not long ago was $15 or $16 with no option to discount for 5x10.

Get over it, it isn't a big deal.
 

Offline zaptaTopic starter

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Re: Elecrow PCB deception?
« Reply #34 on: October 06, 2014, 02:34:31 am »
The price not long ago was $15 or $16 with no option to discount for 5x10.

Get over it, it isn't a big deal.

Of course it is. The title is deceptive, regardless of historic 'reasons'. Elecrow does it consistently and intentionally. That's sleazy marketing.
 

Tac Eht Xilef

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Re: Elecrow PCB deception?
« Reply #35 on: October 06, 2014, 02:35:54 am »
Anyone else see something wrong with this picture?
Not really.
So advertising 10x10 boards as costing "from $11.90", then actually charging $11.90 + $3.00 = $14.90 doesn't seem a little deceptive to you?

Granted, "deceptive" is in the eye of the beholder - which in this case is me. Not saying they do it deliberately, and as I said I'm willing to cut them some slack for various reasons, but in most of the rest of the world it'd be called "bait & switch" or "misleading advertising" regardless of the reason...

What would the alternative be? 2 separate products for 5x10 and 10x10cm board sizes?
Why not? That's what several other places e.g. iTead, Seeedstudio, etc. do.

Then people like the TS will start creating posts about not knowing they could order a 5x10 when they are looking at the 10x10 version.
Now it's shows them in one simple option with clear pricing.
I think in this case it's actually more confusing. They advertise 10x10 boards for $11.90, but for that price you can only get a 5x10 board. If I want a 5x10 board, I'll go looking for the size they do that'll fit that (like I did for my 5x8 board).

Amusingly, there's currently a graphical ad on their pages that mentions 5x10 'color free' - a size they don't otherwise list - for $12.90, with 10x10 - a size they do list - at the "real" price of $15.90.


(alternative link in case it disappears quickly)

Get over it, it isn't a big deal.
There's not really anything for me to "get over". As I hinted in my comment, it's no skin off my nose - I decided to order elsewhere using a place that gives a 5x10 option, even though it cost me what a 10x10 board would from Elecrow, simply because I didn't like the appearance of misleading advertising (and, I admit, the dodgy non-response from their payment gateway, which meant I had to wait until this morning to check whether my payment had gone through or not).

If they can ever get around to do what they advertise for the price they advertise, and they're cheaper than the options I know from experience to be good and reliable, then I might order some boards from them.

Until then, I thought it reasonable to remind people that what they advertise isn't what they deliver.
 

Offline zaptaTopic starter

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Re: Elecrow PCB deception?
« Reply #36 on: October 06, 2014, 03:38:05 am »
Not saying they do it deliberately, and as I said I'm willing to cut them some slack for various reasons,

Of course they do, this is why they don't fix those 'mistakes'.
 

Offline zaptaTopic starter

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Re: Elecrow PCB deception?
« Reply #37 on: November 02, 2014, 01:41:16 am »
Elecrow has a strange way to ship DHL, with my last order the DHL status page shown that the pickup was 2-3 days after Elecrow generated the tracking number  and it was in Hong Kong rather than Shenzen. I could not understand from Elecrow what exactly happened but it seems that they are mailing the package to DHL at Hong Kong instead of having a local DHL pickup.

Once the shipment had a status of picked up (in Hong Kong), things are moving very fast with frequent DHL updates and expected delivery 48 hours after pick up in hong kong.




 

Offline ovnr

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Re: Elecrow PCB deception?
« Reply #38 on: November 02, 2014, 02:20:50 am »
Elecrow has a strange way to ship DHL, with my last order the DHL status page shown that the pickup was 2-3 days after Elecrow generated the tracking number  and it was in Hong Kong rather than Shenzen. I could not understand from Elecrow what exactly happened but it seems that they are mailing the package to DHL at Hong Kong instead of having a local DHL pickup.

Once the shipment had a status of picked up (in Hong Kong), things are moving very fast with frequent DHL updates and expected delivery 48 hours after pick up in hong kong.

This is because many companies have their packages shipped by truck to Hong Kong, and then onwards to the final carrier - saves money, for some reason. The whole process is described quite well by Dangerous Prototypes in regards to their DirtyPCBs.com service.


Edit: And no, in regards to Elecrow's listings: This isn't "sleazy marketing". It's the chinese not giving a fuck about how it's presented, because they're not fooling anyone. Plus it's the cheapest option on the market AFAIK, so even if they had dancing bananas all over their site, I wouldn't give one shit. Not even one.
« Last Edit: November 02, 2014, 02:24:07 am by ovnr »
 

Offline zaptaTopic starter

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Re: Elecrow PCB deception?
« Reply #39 on: November 02, 2014, 04:06:05 am »
This is because many companies have their packages shipped by truck to Hong Kong, and then onwards to the final carrier - saves money, for some reason. The whole process is described quite well by Dangerous Prototypes in regards to their DirtyPCBs.com service.

Tahnks, that's explains it!  They ship via DHL but there a middle man that takes ~3 days to deliver to DHL and needs to cross custom boundary.  This middle man dominates the overall shipping time and has no proper tracking.  It's like using US Post to mail a package to a Fedex office in Canada for delivery to Europe.
 

Offline zaptaTopic starter

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Re: Elecrow PCB deception?
« Reply #40 on: November 02, 2014, 09:42:12 pm »
Dirty PCB has this disclosure on their main page. They will also offer real DHL shipping.  I will give them a try next time.

"WARNING: Hong Kong and China customs are inspecting ALL packages leaving mainland China! Our shipping transit estimates have been extended a few days. It will take several days up to a week to get a tracking number! Evidently this effects all carriers and logistics companies. Additionally, our dirt cheap logistics company has issues providing tracking numbers lately, so you might not get one automatically. Starting soon we will quit using a logistics company and offer next-day and same-day delivery directly from DHL. If you have the option, CHOOSE DHL CHINA, the Hong Kong border looks like this."
 

Offline zaptaTopic starter

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Re: Elecrow PCB deception?
« Reply #41 on: November 03, 2014, 04:47:33 pm »
Dirty PCB has this disclosure on their main page. They will also offer real DHL shipping.  I will give them a try next time.

"WARNING: Hong Kong and China customs are inspecting ALL packages leaving mainland China! Our shipping transit estimates have been extended a few days. It will take several days up to a week to get a tracking number! Evidently this effects all carriers and logistics companies. Additionally, our dirt cheap logistics company has issues providing tracking numbers lately, so you might not get one automatically. Starting soon we will quit using a logistics company and offer next-day and same-day delivery directly from DHL. If you have the option, CHOOSE DHL CHINA, the Hong Kong border looks like this."

Just had an email exchange with elecrow. They also added recently a local Shenzen DHL pickup for ~$5 extra. That's good.
 

Offline crt

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Re: Elecrow PCB deception? (RESOLVED)
« Reply #42 on: February 01, 2015, 03:29:03 am »
This is the third times i order from Elecrow
- Still same about 3 business days to finish PCB
- Black colour of PCB more darker than before to my eye
- Now they put a bonus pcb ??? (order 2*10pcs PCB, arrive 1*11 and the other 1*12pcs PCB)
(i don't know maybe they are miscounted or something) :D
 
The responses from email are a bit slow, but they answering all my mail question
which is not bad :)
 


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