Experiences with Futurlec

[nos...@nowhere.com]

I ordered a few bits from Futurlec a few weeks ago, they haven't
turned up yet and the order status report on the website shows not
shipped. Fair enough, maybe one of the items is out of stock at the
moment. Then I happened across this on the google list...

http://domainsafrica.blogspot.com.au/2012/07/scam-futurlec-electronic-components-and.html


OTOH, I used them a year or so back and it went fine.

Any experiences to report?

[Bob Milutinovic]

<nos...@nowhere.com> wrote in message
news:dj33o9dmeeib5o6b8...@4ax.com...

No experience whatsoever with Futurlec, but plenty of experience with
psychologically unstable lunatics using BlogSpot.

The fact that he cites Dominic Main as a real person is a major intellectual
failing right off the bat.

On the one hand, you have an Australian-registered company with the ACCC and
DFT to protect you - on the other, you have a raving lunatic using a free
blogging service. Which one do you think has more credibility?

--
Bob Milutinovic
Cognicom

[Sylvia Else]

I did a whois on the australian domain name. It comes up with a company
ACN of 104332041.

Now, the company of that ACN was Futurlec Pty Ltd, but it was
deregistered in 2005.

There is a company of the same name currently registered, but of course
with a different ACN. It was registered in 2006.

The business name Futurlec is also registered to the deregistered company.

These may be nothing more than an oversights, but it raises a question
about whom exactly one is contracting with when one orders through the
web page.

If you paid by credit card, your credit card statement may be informative.

Sylvia.

[Computer Nerd Kev]

I put in an order to Futurlec earlier this year as a bit of an experiment.
About $25 worth of components (21 different types). I searched around a bit
online first and found a forum topic where there was quite a bit of
discussion about them (don't have the bookmark with me now). I don't remember
seing anyone with solid signs of being ripped off. The general consensus was
that they do ship what they sell, but you pay for the cheap prices with a
fairly consistant one month wait for arrival in Aus.

The advice I saw there was to keep on them with emails (the website request
to submit PayPal orders via Email was a good way to start this). So I did,
successively requesting they inform me of every step along the way and the
package arrived well within a month (can't remember exactly how long, but
before I started to worry). It was posted three or four days after the order
was placed.

Until I got the parcel I thought they were in Asia, but it seems to have
been sent from (or at least through) Germany (Frankfurt if I'm reading the
postage sticker properly), which in my books is a plus. Packaging was good -
padded bag inside a padded bag and all components in stapled plastic bags.
I checked and every component was accounted for in the right quantity. Only
slight wrong was that I recevied two LM555 chips while (partially as a test)
I ordered one NE555 and one LM555 (separate entries on the website).
technically they did me out of five cents as the NE555 was 26c Vs 21c, but
it's not enough to put me off (and to be fair their description of the NE555
is "LM555/NE555 Timer", but they _are_ slightly different internally
(according to the datasheets))

Also, their Crockodile Clips are insanely cheap ($0.05 each), but man are they
slippery!

--
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#_ < |\| |< _#

[pedro]

Been using them for a good number of years now, mainly for prototype
pcb's. Often I order parts with a pcb order (to save shipping cost),
and that seemed to confuse them on the last order - the pcb's arrived
sans parts. Emailed them and got it sorted, and they sent the parts
UPS at their cost.

The company is based in Bangkok and run by Alan Bonnard, an ex-pat
Aussie. Your payment may show up as "Futurlec Wallsend" on your
statement.

Their shipping model is "interesting". It seems that they bulk the
small packages and forward a bundle to another country where they are
broken out for forwarding to individual addressees. Have seen this
through HK. As the Chinese govco subsidise small Chinese export
postage, maybe it is a way to not only compete but to also harness
that state "benevolence".

[Andy Wood]

"pedro" wrote in message news:1k96o9tbp1lcercq0...@4ax.com...
. . .

>The company is based in Bangkok and run by Alan Bonnard, an ex-pat Aussie.

Perhaps shipments are delayed by the present unrest in Thailand?

[Clocky]

I know it's been a while but did the package turn up. I need to order a
bunch of stuff and have ordered plenty of stuff from Futurlec in the
past and it has always arrived - extremely well packaged and as exactly
as ordered - but postage is typically very slow. (last package came from
Frankfurt, Germany, oddly)

The only time I was concerned about the package arriving was when it was
over six weeks since ordering. They offered to resend the order if it
hadn't arrived by the end of that week but it arrived the next day.

[pedro]

I've used them more than a dozen times, as recently as a couple of
months ago. Contrary to the experience of that scam-blog author and
his alleged mates, I have never has a consignment fail to appear.

They are based in Thailand. I have spoken to Alan there by phone.

Delivery is variable. It appears most of their despatches are
bulk-shipped and broken out in another country. I know of US
deliveries being postmarked in USA. Most of mine have been direct ex
Thailand but some with pcb's have had the sender address blanked out,
suggesting to me that the break-out has occurred in a more
"postal-favourable" country.

[Clocky]

Good to know they are still fine. I've placed the order. Thanks for the
confirmation.

That site would be costing a few legit businesses quite a lot of
business I would think.

[pedro]

On Fri, 11 Jul 2014 09:06:26 +0800, Clocky <not...@happen.com> wrote:

>Good to know they are still fine. I've placed the order. Thanks for the
>confirmation.
>
>That site would be costing a few legit businesses quite a lot of
>business I would think.

Well I consider them still fine. These sethefrikens seem to have a
real agenda, rather than just a gripe. But scam is something Futurlec
haven't been IMOE.

[keithr]

On 9/07/2014 12:56 PM, Clocky wrote:

> I know it's been a while but did the package turn up. I need to order a
> bunch of stuff and have ordered plenty of stuff from Futurlec in the
> past and it has always arrived - extremely well packaged and as exactly
> as ordered - but postage is typically very slow. (last package came from
> Frankfurt, Germany, oddly)

I recently bought some stuff from Sparkfun, and it was posted from Sweden!