Word of caution if you use Futurlec

[wannaBinventor]

So, back on January 10th I ordered a GPS module, a recording and playback IC, a speaker, and 5 different values of capacitors from Futurlec.

January 24th the order still showed on their website as "order received." I emailed them asking what was going on. They replied and said that they were waiting on a shipment of the GPS module and the playback IC which would be received in 3 days at which point they would ship it out to me.

I was irritated that they hadn't indicated the items were out of stock when I ordered, but I let it go.

A couple more weeks passed, and I still didn't have my order. I emailed them back reminding them that they said that it was suppose to be shipped out by around the 27th of January. They replied and said that they still didn't have the playback IC in. I replied telling them I was displeased, that they should have made an effort to contact me on the matter because they had my money since Jan 10 and promised me it was going to be shipped soon in a previous email. I asked that they ship my order without the playback IC, that they refund me for that IC, and offer me some form of a discount on the overall order to compensate me for getting jerked around.

They replied February 17th without addressing my request for a discount. They said they would return my money to my card for the playback IC (about $5 bucks) and that they would ship it immediately and that I should receive it in 7-10 days. I finally received it yesterday, 16 days later. The total time from order to delivery was 53 days, and they had my money from day one.

It of course did not include the playback IC, but it was also missing one of the capacitor values that I had ordered. They have also not refunded my $5 for the playback IC that they told me they would refund two and a half weeks ago.

Caveat emptor!

 

[Ratchit]

wannaBinventor,

If you ordered with a credit card, then you should be able to contest the charges. Just fill out the form the CC company will send you, and supply the documentation. I have had good luck with recalcitrant sellers by doing this. It is a little hassle on your part, but also on their part, too. Usually they will capitulate rather than fight it.

Ratch

 

[wannaBinventor]

Unfortunately it was my debit card, not credit card. I take solice in knowing that my post here may cost them at least couple hundred in revenue. I'm not a fan of bashing a business, but it's almost like they've gone out of their way to be inept here.

 

[mdanh2002]

I think debit card (if you refer to MasterCard/VISA/Amex/Diners/..., and not the ATM card used for cash withdrawal) and credit cards are treated the same way my many banks. My bank allows customer to dispute charges on debit card/credit card within 90 days from the transaction date. From what I heard, the final decision is made by the bank, and usually the consumer will win, e.g. the charge is reversed, rightly or wrongly. This way, many eBay sellers are cheated when buyers paid for the product, received it and disputed the charges with their bank. Usually the charges are reversed and the seller loses the transaction amount.

Try to dispute the charges although it may take up to 2 months.

 

[MrAl]

Hi,

Im not into bashing companies either but i have had similar problems with this company. I only lost about $2 USD i think it was, so it wasnt too much to complain about but yes they do jerk you around a bit and dont indicate on the web site that they were out of stock to begin with. I ordered two USB connectors and they were in stock when i ordered, and after quite a delay i didnt hear anything from them (they never bothered to email me to say the order would be delayed) so i emailed them and a few days later got a reply that they didnt have them in stock. I couldnt help but think how stupid that was, delaying the ENTIRE order because of two dollars of merchandise. I told them to ship it anyway and a few weeks later i got it, but it sure did take long to get that order from day 1 of ordering. They said they would ship the connectors when they came in but i told them to forget about it and they could ship it with my next order instead. I never ordered again however and that was quite a few years ago.

Bottom line with them seems to be that you will get your stuff sooner or later, but mostly later, and you might be missing something that cost a few dollars or so.
Maybe PayPal would be the better way to go with this company?

Top side is that they have some good deals, that is of course if you get the stuff and you are not in a hurry to get it
What i tested worked so the parts you do get seem to be ok as far as i can see.

What do you guys think, maybe PayPal instead of a credit card?

 

[mdanh2002]

I think the PayPal process to dispute a transaction can be done with a few clicks and less of a hassle compared to credit card. Many banks charge the customer investigation fees when filing a credit card dispute, so it's not worth going through the trouble if it's only a few dollars. However, PayPal seller fees are high so you may end up paying more...

I encountered a similar scenario when purchasing a USB oscilloscope from eBay via PayPal some time back. I had purchased a few things from the same seller the month before, so without thinking twice, I went ahead with my purchase. 3 weeks passed and my item was not marked as shipped on eBay. I contacted the seller with no reply. Only when I opened a PayPal dispute did the seller reply me saying he would ship when he got the stock, and refused to cancel the transaction and refund me. He also asked me to close the dispute saying that his account may be suspended due too too many disputes. Of course I did not close the dispute but instead escalated it to a PayPal claim. PayPal decided in my favour and I got my money back almost 3 months later.

 

[Ratchit]

MrAl,

What do you guys think, maybe PayPal instead of a credit card?

Be careful of Paypal. They are not subject to the same rules and regs as a credit card is. The link below is touting another financial service, but there are plenty of other sites that bad-mouth PayPal. I have never had any prob with PayPal, but I terminated my account with them because of the bad things I read about them. I always use a credit card (not a debit card) when I mail order something.

Ratch

Paypal Problems, Information, Issues, Class Action Lawsuits - PayPal

 

[mdanh2002]

MrAl,



Be careful of Paypal. They are not subject to the same rules and regs as a credit card is. The link below is touting another financial service, but there are plenty of other sites that bad-mouth PayPal. I have never had any prob with PayPal, but I terminated my account with them because of the bad things I read about them. I always use a credit card (not a debit card) when I mail order something.

Ratch

Paypal Problems, Information, Issues, Class Action Lawsuits - PayPal

Depending on which side you are looking at. I think sellers don't like PayPal due to their high transaction fees and unexpected decision in case of disputes. From what I heard, if a buyer opens a dispute on a transaction and the goods are not shipped via registered mail with proof of delivery (as is the case for most cheap electronics components orders), the buyer almost always win the case. In many other cases, their decision seems random even if you have submitted all the information they require. Also their exchange rate is very high compared to the retail exchange rate, or even the exchange rate offered by a credit card issuer (which already includes bank surcharges for international transaction).

That said, PayPal is still very safe compared with having to provide your credit card number to an otherwise unknown online merchant.

 

[HarveyH42]

Other than the really long time, and little communication, I've been happy with my orders from Futurlec. I suppose customer service and fast shipping are sacrificed to keep costs down, and still make a profit. Most everything I've order, has been of good, if not excellent quality (much better than expected, for the price, and as advertised). Haven't been shorted, or overcharged. I haven't ordered anything exotic, or custom made, so might have something to do with it. Also, the Orders get shipped from Thailand, so maybe Chinese New Year might have had something to do with January delays. Definitely not for the impatient, or people upset with a couple of dollar adjustment for shipping or other things. It's a unique sort of company to do business with, there are more costly and scarier companies, where you really get exactly the cheap crap you saved a few bucks on. I don't use Futurlec much, maybe once or twice a year, as I'm usually wanting some of the parts a little quicker, but would hesitate when it comes to replenishing common items in my parts bins.

 

[Rbeckett]

Wannabe, I had a very similar issue with them too. Took 23 days to ship in stock stuff and then went back to my credit card twice for more money. Emsailed and protested, no luck there either. Futurlec needs to go.
Bob

 

[dknguyen]

PayPal is never safer than CC when it comes to trying to fix botched transactions or scams. Your CC company, despite beign a big evil conglomerate always seems to be more willing to watch your back and intervene on your behalf than PayPal ever will.

 

[HarveyH42]

I've never used PayPal, sort of why I don't buy Ebay either. Just don't like passing my account numbers around blindly. At the beginning, PayPal seemed to be there to protect the sellers (the ones who are paying Ebay), and Ebay itself. My thoughts on why something wasn't quite right about it, might be completely wrong, but do have a strong impression that the buyer's interests are secondary. They of course want customers to return, and keep buying, tell all their friends about the great deals, but profits are always the highest priority.

I don't think Futurlec is out to rip people off, but their business methods are a little unusual, and just plain slow working things out. There are much worse places to buy parts...