Coercing McMaster into sending me a catalog.

[Rickertsen2]

Some people on this forum have obviously obtained McMaster catalogs. How did you do it? I have sent in many requests on their website and even called the sales reps several times and they have promised to send me a catalog. Still.. Nothing. I even asked if i could have one when i went to pick an order up form the local warehouse and they said they couldn't help me. How do i obtain one of these sacred books? Othe companies with equally gianormous catalogs are quite generous (MSC with their several thousand page hardocover catalog, newark with their full color catalog, allied electronics, etc).

[RogerR]

Originally Posted by Rickertsen2

Some people on this forum have obviously obtained McMaster catalogs. How did you do it? I have sent in many requests on their website and even called the sales reps several times and they have promised to send me a catalog. Still.. Nothing. I even asked if i could have one when i went to pick an order up form the local warehouse and they said they couldn't help me. How do i obtain one of these sacred books?

over the past two years, i've been using their website, instead of they're catalog. what makes the catalog better than the website? what've i been missing?

[Rickertsen2]

Originally Posted by RogerR

over the past two years, i've been using their website, instead of they're catalog. what makes the catalog better than the website? what've i been missing?

I like paper things better. Its nice to be able to sit down with the thing and flip though it.

[JVN]

Maybe you can get someone you know from a big company, (like NASA) to order you one. McMaster is much more responsive to companies and small businesses who buy from them on a regular basis.\

Edit:
Those who didn't understand the NASA joke, should read Lavery's and Kevin Watson's posts below.

[Jay H 237]

Have you tried asking any of the companies that support your team?

If they can't (or won't) get you a new one maybe they can give you an old one as most suppliers like this give out catalogs a few times a year. There isn't a big product change between 1-2 catalogs so a slightly out of date one will be fine.

I've gotten many older, and a few brand new because the company already had one or more, from where I work including MSC, Grainger, Panduit, Festo and even a 6 inch binder from SMC containing all thier pnuematic components.

[Joe Johnson]

There are times when having the web is better but there are other times when having the catalog is really much preferrable.

For example, sometimes I don't know exactly what I want and the search on their site doesn't provide any good leads. In this case, the catalog is the only way to shop.

I don't know how to get McMaster to send you one, but there are several available on ebay -- probably cost you $20 or so by the time you factor in shipping, less if you are willing to live with less than the latest and greatest version. I have #111 -- but #110 would work for 99.99% of the time need/want to use a catalog.

Have you tried calling them? I have never hung up unhappy after talking to the customer service folks at McMaster.

Joe J.

[dlavery]

I guess that my experience with McMaster has been exactly the opposite from Joe's. I have never had a good experience with them, and absolutely refuse to do business with them either personally or professionally. It should not matter if I am just representing myself as an occasional customer using personal finances, or representing a $16.5 billion organization. If they want my business, then they should act accordingly. If they don't, I am quite happy to take my business (and that of my $16.5 billion organization) elsewhere.

The way that I see it, if I have to repeatedly request a copy of their catalog and they still never get around to actually sending one, then that is highly indicative of their overall attitude toward their customers. The last time I requested one of their catalogs I received a form letter in response that stated that my organization (NASA) did not conduct enough business to justify having them send me one of their expensive catalogs. In response, I sent them back a very nice letter noting that if they did not feel my organization needed one of their catalogs to enable us to order from them, then we would not bother them any further.

I wrote the letter on the back of a page from the MSC catalog.

-dave

[Rich Kressly]

Originally Posted by dlavery

I wrote the letter on the back of a page from the MSC catalog.
-dave

...and that is exactly why Dave is the coolest nerd I know. Nice Work.

[Joe Johnson]

Wow! I will be honest, I can't recall a single negative word ever said about them unless it is that their prices are high for some items.

I have placed literally 100's of orders totalling well over $100,000 with them over the last 10 years. I got the same great service whether the order was from me personally, or as a Delphi engineer, or as a small business man. I have nothing but good things to say about them. In fact, I often use them as examples of a company with great customer service, one that almost always exceeds customer expectations.

Strange that Dave and I should have such a widely varying experiences with the same company.

Perhaps the Aurora, OH service center is better at servicing the Midwest than whatever facility Dave has been working with.

It's a puzzle.

Joe J.

[JohnBoucher]

My company is a vendor to McMastar Carr. We do approx $200,000 a year with them. They are a bit disorganized for a company their size. I also find using their website very difficult. I am sure they could double their business with some changes to their operations.

[Gdeaver]

Mcmaster Carr is on my A list of vendors. Never had a problem with an order. I quite often e-mail them for spec sheets and usually get a reply that day. They are not always the cheapest but if its in stock I usual get the stuff fast. 1 or 2 days. Your school probably has a catalog. The maintenance people or the shop teachers may have it. If not I bet they would be very responsive from a school. Ask your school to get you 1.

[Kevin Watson]

Originally Posted by JVN

Maybe you can get someone you know from a big company, (like NASA) to order you one. McMaster is much more responsive to companies and small businesses who buy from them on a regular basis.

Well, I've tried repeatedly to get a printed catalog, but was never successful.

-Kevin

[sanddrag]

I've had McMaster ship an order in 3 different parts without letting me know about it in any way. So when the first box shows up, I'm like "where's the oher half of my order?" Then I call and they say "oh, there is another box on the way." And then I get the second box and go "hey, I'm still missing this one thing" so I call them again and they inform me there is a third box, on its way. Very confusing.

Also, I once ordered a tiny little clutch bearing about 1/4" in OD and 1/4" long and weighing about an ounce. That's all I order. They packed it in a box about a foot square and 6 inches tall and charged me nearly 8 bucks for shipping and I'm less than 40 miles away.

I think their website it quite good though. I much prefer it over something like a paper catalog because since it is digital media, it is easily searchable.

[Noah Melamed]

I too attempted to get a catalogue but was unsuccessful. Though I was unhappy with that I am always suprised by the way they have handled my other requests. I have often recieved phone calls in responce to emails requsting information about prospective parts.

My favorite McMaster story occured over there summer at our sponsors shop where we ordered a part online first thing when we got into work. It arrived that afternoon early enough for us to finish assebling that day!

[JVN]

Originally Posted by Noah Melamed

My favorite McMaster story occured over there summer at our sponsors shop where we ordered a part online first thing when we got into work. It arrived that afternoon early enough for us to finish assebling that day!

On 229, the joke was always "Order it from McMaster, it'll pop out of your CD-ROM Drive."

I've had nothing but great experiences with them as well.

The only time I had a semi-bad experience:
I placed a web order. 20 minutes later, I realized I picked the wrong screw length. Called them up, and asked them to change the length I chose. They said they couldn't, because it had already shipped! They're FAST.