Positive experience buying from suppliers

[Meow-Ludo]

Hi all,

I just wanted to share the experience I have had ordering from scientific suppliers.

I found a link for ordering a free 'sample' of Taq polymerase. I was sent 100units and they claimed that 1.25 units is enough for a reaction. This just saved me AUD$121. This was from Promega. They knew that I had a home lab and they were very accommodating. They offered to help me troubleshoot and said they are happy to offer competitive pricing and would do what it takes to have me as a customer even though I was not going to spend anywhere near as much as a university or large biotech company.

I then contacted Fischer Biotech in Australia. I explained my setup and lack of funds (being a uni student). The rep said she could also send me a 100unit 'sample' of taq so that I could compare the quality! She then offered to round up any unused or slightly out of date products and ex demo stock for me at a low price. She is giving me cheap ladders, *hopefully* an ex-demo UV transilluminator, old glassware, and is even helping me finalise my protocol.

I guess the moral of the story is to get on the phone and start speaking to companies. I have had one negative experience with some lady telling me I shouldn't do science at home, but the benefits I have received from more sympathetic companies far outweighs this negative experience. If I had done this right from the start of setting up my lab I may have been able to save even more money and probably diverted some scientific equipment from ending up as landfill.

Does anyone else have similar experiences? Good customer service from companies they wish to recommend?

[Nathan McCorkle]

Yep, same experiences here for me, I've received a full set of demo micropipettors from the local VWR sales Rep, samples from NEB and MPBIO and MOBIO

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[Cory Geesaman]

Out of curiosity, what company had a rep say you shouldn't be doing science at home?

[Mega]

An entire set of micropipetors?? ?? How did you get that? Did you just ask for it?

>Out of curiosity, what company had a rep say you shouldn't be doing science at home?

They should have told the first caveman not to play with fire. Then we still wouldn't have gotten out of our caves, let away melting metals or electronic devices.

[Nathan McCorkle]

On Tue, Jul 17, 2012 at 2:43 PM, Mega <masters...@gmail.com> wrote:
> An entire set of micropipetors?? ?? How did you get that? Did you just ask
> for it?
>

Yep, pretty much... asked if he had any old stock (i.e. non-current
generation), demo units that he wasn't using. From the wet lab
companies I basically had a product in mind, and asked if they had
sample sizes, sometimes they did, and a few times they didn't but sent
me a normal aliquot for free.

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Nathan McCorkle
Rochester Institute of Technology
College of Science, Biotechnology/Bioinformatics

[Andreas Sturm]

But you did go there in person, right?
Because when you ask via email, maybe to people in another country, they won't want because of shipment costs?

2012/7/17 Nathan McCorkle <nmz...@gmail.com>

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[Nathan McCorkle]

On Tue, Jul 17, 2012 at 3:39 PM, Andreas Sturm <masters...@gmail.com> wrote:
> But you did go there in person, right?
> Because when you ask via email, maybe to people in another country, they
> won't want because of shipment costs?

I asked either on phone or e-mail, or both actually I think. But the
guy was the sales rep for my region, so he was in the area regularly.
I'm pretty sure your region has sales people, if you have any
Universities or bio/chem companies.

[Andreas Sturm]

Would definitely be worth a try ;)

Thx

2012/7/17 Nathan McCorkle <nmz...@gmail.com>

[Meow-Ludo]

http://www.thermofisher.com.au/ 

They were unfriendly and derogatory. It was a cranky lady that had nothing better to do than tell others what they should and shouldn't do. They won't get my business now, or in the future. There are reps from other companies bending over backwards to be helpful and friendly.

[Meow-Ludo]

I really agree with phone and email method. I have spoken to reps that are familiar with the maker scene and they were excited to be helping out on the projects. They also get a lot of positive image for their company and it doesn't cost them much if they were throwing stuff out anyway.

[Mega]

>They were unfriendly and derogatory. It was a cranky lady that had nothing better to do than tell others what they should and shouldn't do.

Bad to hear that....

She wouldn't even have a telephone (to tell such bullsh*t) without an amateur (Graham Bell and his predecessors) doing science at home.

[Dorif]

By the way, anybody have experience with Epoch Life Sciences company?

вторник, 17 июля 2012 г., 5:10:29 UTC+3 пользователь Meow-Ludo написал:

[Cathal Garvey]

Yes. I ordered a plasmid-scale gene synthesis job from them, and they were friendly, professional, affordable and generally awesome.

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[Andreas Sturm]

Do you think it's smart to ask directly at Eppendorf ( http://www.eppendorf.at/int/index.php?l=221&action=distributor&sitemap=7.22&pb=7342fe93851fd05e# ) for old stock , or better Promega, where also a local representative's email is listed??



Thx

 

2012/7/20 Cathal Garvey <cathal...@gmail.com>

[Meow-Ludo]

Ask both!

I got 100units of Taq from omega and I am sure eppendorf would have some demo stuff.

[Nathan McCorkle]

On Wed, Jul 18, 2012 at 3:30 PM, Dorif <dor...@gmail.com> wrote:
> By the way, anybody have experience with Epoch Life Sciences company?

Yes, some sample extraction tubes and recipes for buffers