Issues with Tequipment

[cepsbow]

I recently ordered the last Instek LCR-916 in stock from Tequipment. I wound up having to contact them because the shipment took unusually long. They replied that it was a secondary warehouse that was shipping the item and that some things needed to be checked out. I asked them specifically if they do anything to take the meter out of its bag, such as testing, etc. They replied with a firm no, and said that it had to do with the paperwork. I received the unit the following week and lo and behold, ithe meter lay bare, without any packaging on it, and was shipped with incomplete accessories. Two fixtures and oddly the manual and additional paperwork were entirely missing. They only had the calibration certificate in the box. It's likely an open box return from somewhere else. And I contacted them patiently and explained the messed up unit they sent me. It's been well over a week, and they have not issued me anything. A return label, an apology, a refund - nothing. I will not be ordering from them again based on this experience alone.

[J-R]

I'm not impressed with them either.  My last order took almost three weeks to ship and the freight cost was excessive.

[KungFuJosh]

I had a similar experience with them years ago. I wouldn't buy anything from them. Sad to see they haven't improved.

[BirdManPhil]

I purchased an oscilloscope from them yesterday. It shipped same day, ups already has it and it's on its way. They even gave my a coupon code that saved me $26 on the purchase.
I purchased the same scope from saeilig the day before and they took a day to tell me they didn't have the inventory and that the website does not reflect availability lol. Tequipment did very good by me

[KungFuJosh]

....so far. Hopefully you don't have any issues when/if it arrives.

[bdunham7]

And I contacted them patiently and explained the messed up unit they sent me. It's been well over a week, and they have not issued me anything. A return label, an apology, a refund - nothing. I will not be ordering from them again based on this experience alone.

Did you call them directly or did you use email/portal/etc?  A phone call is the best way to resolve these issues with them in my experience.  I've had good luck with them overall although I've heard more of these stories than I'd like.  I fully expect they'll eventually resolve it correctly.  Yes, they appear to drop ship even though they call it something else, and you've gotten a returned item or a demo.

[BirdManPhil]

What could possibly go wrong at this point? Does Tequipment stock defective gear more than other resellers or something? As long as I get what I paid for ill be happy.

[KungFuJosh]

Open box / used but sold as new, missing something, etc. Multiple people (myself included) had similar experiences.

I hope you don't have issues, but it's not impossible.

[bdunham7]

What could possibly go wrong at this point? Does Tequipment stock defective gear more than other resellers or something? As long as I get what I paid for ill be happy.

They work with a network of suppliers and other resellers to round up your stuff if they don't have it and then it gets drop shipped without TEquipment ever having laid hands on it.  Or at least that is how I understand it.  The usual result is that if this happens, it takes longer than expected to get your stuff.  Or, occasionally, you get a box of whatever.  If their website shows a specific number in stock, then TEquipment has your product and you'll likely have no issues.  If they show it as available but with no mention of the number in stock, then they don't have it but they think they can get it "somewhere".   It is in those cases that your results may vary.  I personally haven't had any issues over many orders, but that's no consolation to the buyer stuck with a package of junk.

[BirdManPhil]

Ok great to know! They had 3 sds804x in stock on the site so I guess that means I'm in the clear!

[cepsbow]

I called them directly. Even today they are still claiming some RMA backlog from hell. I'm not interested in their excuses at this point, I'm going to take the fight directly to my financial institution and get my money back. I'm not in the business of giving loans to private companies at my own expense.

EDIT: This was advertised directly as in stock from their own supply, listed brand new. There is no excuse for an open box from some third party. They claimed this was their warehouse it was sent from.

[bdunham7]

I called them directly. Even today they are still claiming some RMA backlog from hell.

That's not good. 

EDIT: This was advertised directly as in stock from their own supply, listed brand new. There is no excuse for an open box from some third party. They claimed this was their warehouse it was sent from.

Not looking to justify or excuse their policy, but if you look at the website today does it still look to you as if they have it in stock? 

[cepsbow]

So queue two weeks later, they sent a label after I opened a case. They finally got back to me today. I already have confirmation of delivery since 6/28/2024. They told me that they won't receive it until July 9th and that I won't get a refund until after they confirm whatever about the unit. I AM GOING TO END THESE PEOPLE.

[KungFuJosh]

Yeah, not much different than what I dealt with. Watch them try and charge you a restocking fee.

[watchmaker]

Stick with Saelig in the USA.

[unmaker]

That's really unfortunate to hear. I've placed quite a lot of orders with them over the years, and most recently bought my Siglent SDS804X HD from them using the EEVblog discount code. I've never had an issue.

[Old Printer]

Within the last few months I bought a hot air station and some Hakko handles and tips. I ordered online and had the goods in only a few days. The service was good and it was on its way very quickly. No problems, it was a pleasant experience.

[J-R]

To clarify, I didn't have a truly negative experience, it just wasn't positive either...

I checked my e-mails and the drop shipping & multiple warehouses explanation aligns with what I see on my end.  They spammed me with half a dozen e-mail notifications that seemed to be generated every time they had new information about when an item would ship or arrive at some consolidation warehouse.

They are probably decent folks but I have less use for a company that takes my money for things they don't have on hand ready to ship.  This last order was shipped in three separate boxes because they came from different places, and that cost me more money than it should have.  Splitting shipments up also makes things complicated when they suddenly realize they can't get some item, and now I'm paying even more for shipping to order that one single item from somewhere else.  They also charged me for FedEx 2nd day air, but as mentioned it took almost three weeks to ship.  Just wasting my money because of their way of doing business..  Further insult was one shipment was sent USPS.

Also, they DO appear to be somewhat deceptive with their stock status.  When I placed my last order everything was listed as in stock, but multiple items took weeks to ship, which indicates they didn't actually have it.

One place that comes to mind that I despise is https://crimpsupply.com
They had an item listed for a specific price at quantity 10, but they only shipped one and said it was a listing error.  After multiple e-mails, they refused to give a partial refund, only a full refund, and after receiving the items back they only refunded me for the items, not their shipping charges!  So I was out a bunch of money and they stopped responding to my e-mails and calls.

[KungFuJosh]

I think what some people don't seem to understand is that you don't really see the quality of customer service if there are no issues with the order or supply.

The second there's an issue with a Tequipment order, you see who they truly are. They suck. I'm still waiting to see if they charge OP with a restocking fee or not. "Sorry we screwed up your order, to make it better, we're withholding 30% of the original price and shipping fees."

[unmaker]

That hasn't been my experience. I once had an order which broke during shipping. It was a Pace glass chamber for my desoldering handpiece. I emailed TEquipment about it and they replied the next day saying they were sending me a replacement free of charge. I didn't consider it an issue worth mentioning because it was quickly resolved by TEquipment. It also likely broke from mishandling by UPS. This was back in 2020 so maybe things have changed in the last couple of years 

[bdunham7]

This was back in 2020 so maybe things have changed in the last couple of years 

The company was sold to Test Equity in 2022.  These situations almost seem as if someone there is personally offended by customers having issues.

[unmaker]

This was back in 2020 so maybe things have changed in the last couple of years 

The company was sold to Test Equity in 2022.  These situations almost seem as if someone there is personally offended by customers having issues.

What do you mean by "these situations"?

[bdunham7]

What do you mean by "these situations"?

The ones described by the OP and KungFuJosh where there is an issue with product and the response is unhelpful and confrontational.  Maybe they hired some reps that used to work in the airline industry.

[KungFuJosh]

What do you mean by "these situations"?

The ones described by the OP and KungFuJosh where there is an issue with product and the response is unhelpful and confrontational.  Maybe they hired some reps that used to work in the airline industry.

My issue with them was in 2018. It sounds like they got worse since then. They were so special that they told me I would get a 25% restocking fee if I shipped it back in the manufacturer's packaging...the same packaging they used to send it to me in the first place.

Part of my issue with them was they tried to sell me an open box scope as new.

[unmaker]

What do you mean by "these situations"?

Maybe they hired some reps that used to work in the airline industry.