I wanted to share my recent experience with TEquipment so others can better decide if they are the best place to spend their money.
I needed a few pieces of equipment for my business and started the process at Google. TEquipment shows up prominently in Google Shopping and their prices were very competitive for the equipment I needed. I also intended to use the EEVBlog coupon code.
The items I needed were listed for sale on their website, although none of the listings I purchased from indicated "In Stock", "Out of Stock" or anything like that. Since most websites clearly indicate if an item is backordered or otherwise not available for immediate shipment, I assumed they were. So I fired up my PayPal account and placed my order. Shortly thereafter, I received an order confirmation. So far, so good.
The next morning I received another email indicating that the estimated ship date for my items was approximately 30 days out. Since I expected the items to be shipped sooner, I called to cancel my order. When I asked why the listings didn't indicate that the items were backordered, I was told that if the items had been in stock the listing would have shown "Quantity in Stock: X." If the item was not in stock, no message would appear, but orders could still be placed. On my website and many others I purchase from, the listing is automatically hidden when out of stock or clearly displays an "Out of Stock" or "Backordered" message. Not so with TEquipment.
Hours pass and my PayPal account was still not credited. I needed the credit so I could place my order with another vendor. I called PayPal to inquire. They said that they had not received a refund request, but it would post immediately once received. I contacted TEquipment to ask about the cancellation and was told that the credit department had gone home for the day but I could expect to see my refund "in 24 to 48 hours." I was told that credit card refunds are immediate, PayPal credits are not (although PayPal tells me this is not true). So I'm on hold until the refund appears.
The moral of this story? If you need something immediately, contact TEquipment to inquire about availability before you place your order on their website. And if you require an immediate refund if something goes wrong, don't pay with PayPal.
I hope this story is helpful to someone...