I needed some aluminum tubing for a project, and after checking a few online sources, McMaster-Carr had the type and size I needed for a reasonable price so I put my order through with my credit card at noon yesterday. I was concerned that no shipping charges were added to the order so I sent a friendly note via the "Contact Us" link asking about that.
A half hour later came the reply from Naima:

" Thank you for the feedback. Shipping charges are determined when an order is weighed and shipped. I estimate shipping for the aluminum tubes you ordered to cost $5 to La Farge, WI.

Whenever you need a shipping estimate before you place an order, please let us know the items and the destination, and we will quote shipping charges at that time."

OK, so sounds good. So I figured when they are ready to ship, I'll get the invoice, which I get this morning.

Shipping charge is $9.36 for two 6" lengths of aluminum tubing, 1 1/2" OD & 1 1/4" OD. I assumed the order hadn't been sent yet so I sent a note asking to cancel the order because I felt the shipping was too high. Almost double Naima's estimation.

I was ready to call the bank and see if I could stop the charge when Naima's reply arrived:

"I apologize that the shipping estimate was not correct. We'll credit your credit card $4.36 to match our estimate."

Wow. That's cool. I decided to accept Naima's kind offer, sent a note of thanks and gave the order a go-ahead. OK, I'm a pushover, I know. I just didn't have time to sit and mess around with the hassle of trying to cancel the charge and make a new order with a different source. I had stuff to do, people to see, etc.

So I get back home this afternoon to see the package from McMaster-Carr on the doorstep. I was flabbergasted. Sent from Chicago by UPS Ground to my place, in SW Wisconsin, in about 27 hours from the order! I had no idea UPS could do that. Sure, only a 5 hour drive but no red tape? No sitting in a distribution center in some ridiculously far and out-of-the-way city like St.. Louis, MO or Denver, CO?

Just wanted to give a public tip o'the hat to the company for it's great customer service. And thanks also to UPS.

On Wed, 15 Oct 2014 20:32:40 -0700 (PDT), Ken Grunke
wrote:

I needed some aluminum tubing for a project, and after checking a few online sources, McMaster-Carr had the type and size I needed for a reasonable price so I put my order through with my credit card at noon yesterday. I was concerned that no shipping charges were added to the order so I sent a friendly note via the "Contact Us" link asking about that.
A half hour later came the reply from Naima:

" Thank you for the feedback. Shipping charges are determined when an order is weighed and shipped. I estimate shipping for the aluminum tubes you ordered to cost $5 to La Farge, WI.

Whenever you need a shipping estimate before you place an order, please let us know the items and the destination, and we will quote shipping charges at that time."

OK, so sounds good. So I figured when they are ready to ship, I'll get the invoice, which I get this morning.

Shipping charge is $9.36 for two 6" lengths of aluminum tubing, 1 1/2" OD & 1 1/4" OD. I assumed the order hadn't been sent yet so I sent a note asking to cancel the order because I felt the shipping was too high. Almost double Naima's estimation.

I was ready to call the bank and see if I could stop the charge when Naima's reply arrived:

"I apologize that the shipping estimate was not correct. We'll credit your credit card $4.36 to match our estimate."

Wow. That's cool. I decided to accept Naima's kind offer, sent a note of thanks and gave the order a go-ahead. OK, I'm a pushover, I know. I just didn't have time to sit and mess around with the hassle of trying to cancel the charge and make a new order with a different source. I had stuff to do, people to see, etc.

So I get back home this afternoon to see the package from McMaster-Carr on the doorstep. I was flabbergasted. Sent from Chicago by UPS Ground to my place, in SW Wisconsin, in about 27 hours from the order! I had no idea UPS could do that. Sure, only a 5 hour drive but no red tape? No sitting in a distribution center in some ridiculously far and out-of-the-way city like St. Louis, MO or Denver, CO?

Just wanted to give a public tip o'the hat to the company for it's great customer service. And thanks also to UPS.


WOW, you don't order much stuff do you. McMaster's shipping charges
are the most reasonable around. Try some of the online metal places,
I've gotten a nice low price on the material, then a 15 dollar cutting
charge and a $20.00 S&H charge.

Remove 333 to reply.
Randy

---
This email is free from viruses and malware because avast! Antivirus protection is active.
http://www.avast.com

Randy333 fired this volley in
:

So I get back home this afternoon to see the package from
McMaster-Carr on the doorstep. I was flabbergasted. Sent from Chicago
by UPS Ground to my place, in SW Wisconsin, in about 27 hours from the
order! I had no idea UPS could do that. Sure, only a 5 hour drive but
no red tape? No sitting in a distribution center in some ridiculously
far and out-of-the-way city like St. Louis, MO or Denver, CO?

Just wanted to give a public tip o'the hat to the company for it's
great customer service. And thanks also to UPS.


Yeah, 'The Mick' is real good. They deliver overnight for ground rates
to me in Florida from Atlanta, and if I nudge them only a tiny bit,
they'll throw in overnight shipping for free from their northern
warehouse when stock isn't available in Atlanta.

You must understand, they didn't just wrap those tubes up in tape and
throw them on the truck... you also got a 7' long, $6.00 hardened
shipping tube in the deal!

LLoyd

On Wed, 15 Oct 2014 20:32:40 -0700 (PDT), Ken Grunke
wrote:

Just wanted to give a public tip o'the hat to the company for it's great customer service. And thanks also to UPS.


Not in Canada.
--
Boris

---
This email is free from viruses and malware because avast! Antivirus protection is active.
http://www.avast.com

So I get back home this afternoon to see the package from McMaster-Carr on the doorstep.
I was flabbergasted. Sent from Chicago by UPS Ground to my place, in SW Wisconsin, in about
27 hours from the order! I had no idea UPS could do that. Sure, only a 5 hour drive but no red
tape? No sitting in a distribution center in some ridiculously far and out-of-the-way city like
St. Louis, MO or Denver, CO?

Just wanted to give a public tip o'the hat to the company for it's great customer service.
And thanks also to UPS.

McMaster has me plumb spoilt.I order by 6:00 PM get it 10:00 AM next
morning. Always top quality stuff. For the upper midwest, they use
Speedee - the low cost carrier - about 1/2 of UPS

Karl

On 10/16/2014 2:25 PM, Karl Townsend wrote:

So I get back home this afternoon to see the package from McMaster-Carr on the doorstep.
I was flabbergasted. Sent from Chicago by UPS Ground to my place, in SW Wisconsin, in about
27 hours from the order! I had no idea UPS could do that. Sure, only a 5 hour drive but no red
tape? No sitting in a distribution center in some ridiculously far and out-of-the-way city like
St. Louis, MO or Denver, CO?

Just wanted to give a public tip o'the hat to the company for it's great customer service.
And thanks also to UPS.

McMaster has me plumb spoilt.I order by 6:00 PM get it 10:00 AM next
morning. Always top quality stuff. For the upper midwest, they use
Speedee - the low cost carrier - about 1/2 of UPS

Karl




Just adding my thumbs up for McMaster-Carr. They have always
had quality, price and shipping and an unbelievable catalog.
Mine is old but valued.
Mikek

amdx fired this volley in news:m1pcr4$h5p$1@dont-
email.me:

Just adding my thumbs up for McMaster-Carr. They have always
had quality, price and shipping and an unbelievable catalog.
Mine is old but valued.

Y'know, catalogs are one thing: Both McMaster and MSC have dynamite
catalogs.

But go on-line, and boy, does the difference show!

It's nigh-on impossible to find any one specific item on-line with MSC,
unless you already know its exact description (not a keyword) and/or its
MSC part number.

Go on the McMaster site, and you can find nearly anything they have in a
few mouse clicks. Even if it's something exotic and you don't have a
good description, you can usually narrow it down in less than ten levels
of search. When they can't find it at one level, they give you hints for
the next search.

All that's flat _impossible_ on the MSC site, and I shop with them often.
But when I do, I have to drag out the BIG BOOK...


Lloyd

....
Go on the McMaster site, and you can find nearly anything they have in a
few mouse clicks. Even if it's something exotic and you don't have a
good description, you can usually narrow it down in less than ten levels
of search. When they can't find it at one level, they give you hints for
the next search.

All that's flat _impossible_ on the MSC site, and I shop with them often.
But when I do, I have to drag out the BIG BOOK...


Lloyd

Yep, i pretty much just order online Mcmaster now. The other company
like MSC is Grainger. I can get stuff cheap from them but their online
catalog SUX so bad, I don't bother.

"Ken Grunke" wrote in message
...
I needed some aluminum tubing for a project, and after checking a few
online sources, McMaster-Carr had the type and size I needed for a
reasonable price so I put my order through with my credit card at noon
yesterday. I was concerned that no shipping charges were added to the
order so I sent a friendly note via the "Contact Us" link asking about
that.
A half hour later came the reply from Naima:

" Thank you for the feedback. Shipping charges are determined when an
order is weighed and shipped. I estimate shipping for the aluminum tubes
you ordered to cost $5 to La Farge, WI.

Whenever you need a shipping estimate before you place an order, please
let us know the items and the destination, and we will quote shipping
charges at that time."

OK, so sounds good. So I figured when they are ready to ship, I'll get the
invoice, which I get this morning.

Shipping charge is $9.36 for two 6" lengths of aluminum tubing, 1 1/2" OD
& 1 1/4" OD. I assumed the order hadn't been sent yet so I sent a note
asking to cancel the order because I felt the shipping was too high.
Almost double Naima's estimation.

I was ready to call the bank and see if I could stop the charge when
Naima's reply arrived:

"I apologize that the shipping estimate was not correct. We'll credit your
credit card $4.36 to match our estimate."

Wow. That's cool. I decided to accept Naima's kind offer, sent a note of
thanks and gave the order a go-ahead. OK, I'm a pushover, I know. I just
didn't have time to sit and mess around with the hassle of trying to
cancel the charge and make a new order with a different source. I had
stuff to do, people to see, etc.

So I get back home this afternoon to see the package from McMaster-Carr
on the doorstep. I was flabbergasted. Sent from Chicago by UPS Ground to
my place, in SW Wisconsin, in about 27 hours from the order! I had no idea
UPS could do that. Sure, only a 5 hour drive but no red tape? No sitting
in a distribution center in some ridiculously far and out-of-the-way city
like St. Louis, MO or Denver, CO?

Just wanted to give a public tip o'the hat to the company for it's great
customer service. And thanks also to UPS.


You know, I have had good service from McMaster for the most part, but I
don't read reports like this as an overwhelming positive.

Paraphrasing:
"They screwed up and tried to %^#&% me, but when I called them out over it
they made it right."

I would rather they don't screw up in the first place.

"Bob La Londe" fired this volley in
:

Paraphrasing:
"They screwed up and tried to %^#&% me, but when I called them out
over it they made it right."

I would rather they don't screw up in the first place.

Yeah, but Bob, no cogent experienced customer service person would have
quoted $5.00 shipping on something that required 1) a shipping tube, and
2) UPS... period. This was a newbie. Had to be.

And it's not _much_ of a screwup. Ask yourself, "How much would it cost
ME to ship those two pieces to McMaster's address?" And just to
consider, how much would that lock-end shipping tube cost, if I had to
provide it?

McMaster provides the best service at the best shipping rates and fastest
shipping of any general-lines supplier I've ever found. They have
screwed up occasionally for me, too. But they _always_ make it right, at
no cost to me.

I needed a 24"x24" sheet of 0.035" aluminum for a Friday. Ordered on
Thursday, it arrived on time. The dolt who packed it put a 24x24 in a
24x24 box, and it arrived crushed on all four corners (of course).

I called them up, whining about having to have it TODAY, and now it would
be Monday before I could have it -- and what do you know? They shipped
it overnight, Saturday delivery, no charge. And I didn't even have to
return the bad one! (and yes, they properly packed the replacement).

PEOPLE happen to good business models. You cannot prevent it, only
'cure' it.

Lloyd

On Thursday, October 16, 2014 8:31:42 AM UTC-5, Lloyd E. Sponenburgh wrote:



Yeah, 'The Mick' is real good. They deliver overnight for ground rates

to me in Florida from Atlanta, and if I nudge them only a tiny bit,

they'll throw in overnight shipping for free from their northern

warehouse when stock isn't available in Atlanta.



You must understand, they didn't just wrap those tubes up in tape and

throw them on the truck... you also got a 7' long, $6.00 hardened

shipping tube in the deal!


Harumph. My tubes came in a little cardboard box. Now I'm really gonna raise a stink!

Ken

On Thursday, October 16, 2014 7:18:42 PM UTC-5, Lloyd E. Sponenburgh wrote:


And it's not _much_ of a screwup. Ask yourself, "How much would it cost

ME to ship those two pieces to McMaster's address?" And just to

consider, how much would that lock-end shipping tube cost, if I had to

provide it?



The little box weighed 14 oz, just over the USPS First Class limit but the tubes weighed 8 oz so easily could have went FC in a padded envelope for around $3. Of course it wouldn't be overnight shipping but I've gotten and sent First Class parcels in two days in the same region.

Ken

Ken Grunke fired this volley in
:

The little box weighed 14 oz, just over the USPS First Class limit but
the tubes weighed 8 oz so easily could have went FC in a padded
envelope for around $3. Of course it wouldn't be overnight shipping
but I've gotten and sent First Class parcels in two days in the same
region.

Ken

Didn't you write 6-foot tubes in your first post of complaint/thanks? If
not, I stand corrected, but I think I remember your writing "6'".

You do, of course, always have the option of specifying the shipping
method when placing your order with McMaster. If you had asked for
Priority Mail, they'd have complied. They presume "business urgency" for
their customers' shipments.

Lloyd

On Thu, 16 Oct 2014 16:32:09 -0700, "Bob La Londe"
wrote:

"Ken Grunke" wrote in message
...
I needed some aluminum tubing for a project, and after checking a few
online sources, McMaster-Carr had the type and size I needed for a
reasonable price so I put my order through with my credit card at noon
yesterday. I was concerned that no shipping charges were added to the
order so I sent a friendly note via the "Contact Us" link asking about
that.
A half hour later came the reply from Naima:

" Thank you for the feedback. Shipping charges are determined when an
order is weighed and shipped. I estimate shipping for the aluminum tubes
you ordered to cost $5 to La Farge, WI.

Whenever you need a shipping estimate before you place an order, please
let us know the items and the destination, and we will quote shipping
charges at that time."

OK, so sounds good. So I figured when they are ready to ship, I'll get the
invoice, which I get this morning.

Shipping charge is $9.36 for two 6" lengths of aluminum tubing, 1 1/2" OD
& 1 1/4" OD. I assumed the order hadn't been sent yet so I sent a note
asking to cancel the order because I felt the shipping was too high.
Almost double Naima's estimation.

I was ready to call the bank and see if I could stop the charge when
Naima's reply arrived:

"I apologize that the shipping estimate was not correct. We'll credit your
credit card $4.36 to match our estimate."

Wow. That's cool. I decided to accept Naima's kind offer, sent a note of
thanks and gave the order a go-ahead. OK, I'm a pushover, I know. I just
didn't have time to sit and mess around with the hassle of trying to
cancel the charge and make a new order with a different source. I had
stuff to do, people to see, etc.

So I get back home this afternoon to see the package from McMaster-Carr
on the doorstep. I was flabbergasted. Sent from Chicago by UPS Ground to
my place, in SW Wisconsin, in about 27 hours from the order! I had no idea
UPS could do that. Sure, only a 5 hour drive but no red tape? No sitting
in a distribution center in some ridiculously far and out-of-the-way city
like St. Louis, MO or Denver, CO?

Just wanted to give a public tip o'the hat to the company for it's great
customer service. And thanks also to UPS.


You know, I have had good service from McMaster for the most part, but I
don't read reports like this as an overwhelming positive.

Paraphrasing:
"They screwed up and tried to %^#&% me, but when I called them out over it
they made it right."

I would rather they don't screw up in the first place.

I like 'em too, but I recently had to send back a couple regulators
and go to the manufacturer for a better solution. These were Airtrol
miniature precision regulators. Turns out they leak 350 cc/min by
design. No data to that effect on McM, but if I had known more about
regulator design, wouldn't have been a problem. Airtrol was able to
provide one that leaks 5 cc/min, which works. The lady I talked to at
McM wasn't interested in doing a special, even once I had the part #,
so I had to chase down a vendor in Houston.

This regulator controls the pressure to the cylinder driving the idler
wheel on the belt grinder (almost finished, finally) I'm building for
my son. The frame is the air tank, and the lower leak rate means he
can grind several days in a row before refilling. He will have to
cycle the 3-way valve controlling the cylinder to lower the output
pressure.

Pete Keillor

Hmmm... no, I note that you DID write six-inch. I mis-read that.

1-1/2" o.d. pipe is a little large to ship in a regular padded envelope,
but I guess it would usually make it there OK.

Lloyd