Don't know if anyone else has purchased from Amateurradiosupplies.com (ARS) but I'll put this out there for your information. I ordered several items from them on 15 SEP, 2013. First of all, their free shipping is by mail even for higher dollar orders.
1. SLOW getting it shipped out from the store then slow getting it here.
2. Even though inside the box was my name and address, on the outside of the box was another customers info so the order was mailed to a guy in South Carolina. When the customer emailed me about his receipt of my goods he said he would mail it to me and not to worry because this was not new in his dealings with ARS. That they always reimburse his shipping costs when this happens.
3. I received a small mailing bag in the mail with his 20 bucks worth of parts, his account data and address inside but my name and address on the outside.
We re-mailed the items to each other as instructed by ARS and was credited the shipping costs to my card.
4. However, what I didn't know until I received the re-shipped package (28 SEP) was that my shipment was missing one small item (Coax Seal) and did not include my 75 feet of buryflex coax. There was a note from ARS that the Buryflex was shipped separately.
5. ARS did mail me the tape immediately but two more emailings later I only received my Buryflex today. And that was only a couple of hours after they sent me an email TODAY (Tuesday) stating the Buryflex was on backorder and would ship to me Thursday. (Day after tomorrow???)
But I do have everything now and that bad pre-assembled jumper that Jim found yesterday when helping troubleshoot my setup was from: You guessed it ARS. They might normally be a wonderful store and may have done great business for others. My experience may be an absolute fluke. But I wanted to let you all know how they appeared to be totally lost and confused in handling my order. I'll stick to HRO in the future.
Amateur Radio Supplies
Re: Amateur Radio Supplies
Hi Tim,
As you found out, there are many vendors out there selling Amateur Radio equipment. But over the course of many years most of us in the Great Falls area have settled on dealing with Ham Radio Outlet (HRO) for our ham radio needs. The HRO store in Portland, Oregon, is the nearest to our location here in Montana. Many hams simply call the Portland HRO store directly to place their order. The HRO shipping policy is that orders over $100 ship free via UPS.
Amateur Electronic Supply (AES) used to be the main "go to" dealer for Amateur Radio equipment. But around 2005 their customer service went downhill. The breaking point for me was when I ordered and paid for a brand new frequency counter - but instead received an obviously used "demo" model. The AC charger was missing its box. The plastic sleeve for the antenna was ripped open. I contacted AES and they agreed to replace it with a "new" one. I had to pay to return the used/demo to them. No note of apology with the replacement unit. Just the typical big company attitude of "Ok, so you caught us. What do you want, a medal?" I also ordered an Icom 2m radio that was supposed to have a rebate, but they sent me an outdated rebate form that had expired. When I contacted them, AES refused to send me the current, correct rebate form. I had to contact Icom directly in order to receive the form. Sad thing was this was a $700 order.
AES has apparently decided that customer service is more of a hassle than it is worth. The bottom line now is to bring in more new customers than you tick off. As long as sales from first time customers generate profits, you don't need repeat sales from previous customers. There was apparently a change of management at AES, and they simply are no longer interested in the Amateur Radio market.
I have noticed that recently AES started offering free shipping for orders over $100. They have apparently finally figured out that all their former abused customers have switched to HRO. In a failed attempt to win back some of the lost business they decided to offer the same free shipping deal that HRO has provided for years. It doesn't change the fact that AES has gone downhill and does not like dealing with ham radio operators. However, AES does produce a very nice print catalog in glossy color. So go to their web site and request that a copy of their catalog be mailed out to you. Then use it as a reference when you order from HRO!
Years ago I played the "price" game, calling various vendors to see who had the lowest price and the best shipping terms. This is how you end up with some "fly by night" business that depends on new customers to replace the previously "burned" customers (the current AES business strategy). But Ham Radio Outlet (HRO) always had good prices and free shipping for orders over $100. They have 12 stores located across the country, so their sales volume results in better prices overall. They may not have the absolute lowest price on an item, but they are usually fairly close to everyone else. Now that I am a little older and wiser, I focus on customer service. The good vendors get my return business, which in this case is Ham Radio Outlet in Portland, Oregon.
As you found out, there are many vendors out there selling Amateur Radio equipment. But over the course of many years most of us in the Great Falls area have settled on dealing with Ham Radio Outlet (HRO) for our ham radio needs. The HRO store in Portland, Oregon, is the nearest to our location here in Montana. Many hams simply call the Portland HRO store directly to place their order. The HRO shipping policy is that orders over $100 ship free via UPS.
Amateur Electronic Supply (AES) used to be the main "go to" dealer for Amateur Radio equipment. But around 2005 their customer service went downhill. The breaking point for me was when I ordered and paid for a brand new frequency counter - but instead received an obviously used "demo" model. The AC charger was missing its box. The plastic sleeve for the antenna was ripped open. I contacted AES and they agreed to replace it with a "new" one. I had to pay to return the used/demo to them. No note of apology with the replacement unit. Just the typical big company attitude of "Ok, so you caught us. What do you want, a medal?" I also ordered an Icom 2m radio that was supposed to have a rebate, but they sent me an outdated rebate form that had expired. When I contacted them, AES refused to send me the current, correct rebate form. I had to contact Icom directly in order to receive the form. Sad thing was this was a $700 order.
AES has apparently decided that customer service is more of a hassle than it is worth. The bottom line now is to bring in more new customers than you tick off. As long as sales from first time customers generate profits, you don't need repeat sales from previous customers. There was apparently a change of management at AES, and they simply are no longer interested in the Amateur Radio market.
I have noticed that recently AES started offering free shipping for orders over $100. They have apparently finally figured out that all their former abused customers have switched to HRO. In a failed attempt to win back some of the lost business they decided to offer the same free shipping deal that HRO has provided for years. It doesn't change the fact that AES has gone downhill and does not like dealing with ham radio operators. However, AES does produce a very nice print catalog in glossy color. So go to their web site and request that a copy of their catalog be mailed out to you. Then use it as a reference when you order from HRO!
Years ago I played the "price" game, calling various vendors to see who had the lowest price and the best shipping terms. This is how you end up with some "fly by night" business that depends on new customers to replace the previously "burned" customers (the current AES business strategy). But Ham Radio Outlet (HRO) always had good prices and free shipping for orders over $100. They have 12 stores located across the country, so their sales volume results in better prices overall. They may not have the absolute lowest price on an item, but they are usually fairly close to everyone else. Now that I am a little older and wiser, I focus on customer service. The good vendors get my return business, which in this case is Ham Radio Outlet in Portland, Oregon.
73 de
Bruce, KA2ODP/7
Bruce, KA2ODP/7
Re: Amateur Radio Supplies
Tim,
I don't know if you are familiar with the web site "www.eham.com", but in their Forum section they have a category named: "Company Reviews". I just checked it and found postings concerning problems with Amateur Radio Supplies (ARS). You are not the only one complaining about ARS. It seems in some cases they don't actually have an item in stock, but they tell the customer they do. Then when they have enough requests for the same item, they place an order with their supplier. After their shipment arrives, they finally start shipping out the item to the various customers who had previously ordered the "in stock" item.
Checking out the reviews and forum sections of "www.eham.com" is a good way to spot problems before placing an order with a company. If there is a growing trend of unhappy customers, you can avoid adding your name to the list.
The Ham Radio Outlet (HRO) web site shows you which of their stores have the item in stock. This information lets you know if the HRO store nearest you has the item you seek. If not, they will ship the item from one of the other locations - which might add a day or two to the shipping time. But at least you will know before placing your order what the "in stock" status is. Below the listing for each item is usually a link to the manufacturer's web site. This is handy if you are looking for a specification sheet or other detailed information. Most manufacturer web sites have copies of the owners manual that you can download. This lets you read through the manual and ensure the product does what you need it to do, before you order it.
I don't know if you are familiar with the web site "www.eham.com", but in their Forum section they have a category named: "Company Reviews". I just checked it and found postings concerning problems with Amateur Radio Supplies (ARS). You are not the only one complaining about ARS. It seems in some cases they don't actually have an item in stock, but they tell the customer they do. Then when they have enough requests for the same item, they place an order with their supplier. After their shipment arrives, they finally start shipping out the item to the various customers who had previously ordered the "in stock" item.
Checking out the reviews and forum sections of "www.eham.com" is a good way to spot problems before placing an order with a company. If there is a growing trend of unhappy customers, you can avoid adding your name to the list.
The Ham Radio Outlet (HRO) web site shows you which of their stores have the item in stock. This information lets you know if the HRO store nearest you has the item you seek. If not, they will ship the item from one of the other locations - which might add a day or two to the shipping time. But at least you will know before placing your order what the "in stock" status is. Below the listing for each item is usually a link to the manufacturer's web site. This is handy if you are looking for a specification sheet or other detailed information. Most manufacturer web sites have copies of the owners manual that you can download. This lets you read through the manual and ensure the product does what you need it to do, before you order it.
73 de
Bruce, KA2ODP/7
Bruce, KA2ODP/7
Re: Amateur Radio Supplies
I have done a lot of equipment study via eham but I never thought to look at the company reviews for ARS. I just saw a good price on the coax and went for it. And I got stuck exactly as others with ordering the Buryflex when they claimed to have a sale but it wasn't in stock. Then further complicated by the other issues. Oh well, another of life's lessons. Minor difficulties. I won't sweat the small stuff.
Re: Amateur Radio Supplies
Hi Tim,
This is true, chalk it up as a lessoned learned and don't sweat the small stuff. At first I did not notice the "Company Review" forum section either. It was only after viewing the www.eham.com web site for a while that I discovered it. It provides an interesting "heads-up" warning about some dealers and small companies that are about to go bankrupt. If there is a steady stream of complaints from customers concerning orders that were paid for but never shipped - that serves as a red warning flag. The business is scooping up all the money it can before pulling the plug on their web site and going bankrupt. Even if the business has enough new customers coming in via internet sales to replace the burned ones, enough repeated negative feedback on www.eham.com warrants extreme caution. That type of information is as valuable as the feedback on various types of radio equipment you might be considering purchasing.
This is true, chalk it up as a lessoned learned and don't sweat the small stuff. At first I did not notice the "Company Review" forum section either. It was only after viewing the www.eham.com web site for a while that I discovered it. It provides an interesting "heads-up" warning about some dealers and small companies that are about to go bankrupt. If there is a steady stream of complaints from customers concerning orders that were paid for but never shipped - that serves as a red warning flag. The business is scooping up all the money it can before pulling the plug on their web site and going bankrupt. Even if the business has enough new customers coming in via internet sales to replace the burned ones, enough repeated negative feedback on www.eham.com warrants extreme caution. That type of information is as valuable as the feedback on various types of radio equipment you might be considering purchasing.
73 de
Bruce, KA2ODP/7
Bruce, KA2ODP/7