Phyllis and I have been buying tools, fastenings, and half a hundred other things from McMaster Carr for decades, and are such fans that I often say that if the company goes out of business I’m selling our boat and taking up golf…and I hate golf.
Over all those years, and hundreds of orders, I can only remember McMaster-Carr making a mistake twice.
The second time was two weeks ago when I ordered a 5mm tap and got a 1/2″ drill bit.
I emailed them with the photo above and in less than half an hour they replied:
I apologize we delivered the incorrect item. We will issue a replacement for the material you didn’t receive. We will deliver a replacement on Thursday between 2- 4pm.
There is no need to return the drill bit to us. Feel free to keep or discard as you see fit.
And two days after that, I had the tap in hand. No fuss, no excuses, no requirement to return, no RMA bureaucracy, no customs clearance hassles (they always deal with all that), and zero cost to us.
All companies make mistakes, what differentiates good companies from bad ones is how they handle their mistakes. It don’t get no better than McMaster-Carr.
McMaster-Carr’s customer service is absolutely the best. I’ve been buying from them for years and they unquestionably stand behind all their products. They are my first choice for anything they carry.
Hi John,
I wonder if there is a correlation between the ease of using phone trees and getting a human on the phone with the gracefulness of a company dealing with an error.
My best, Dick
I agree as well and often promote them and their service. Been buying from them for years.
I ordered some hole saw during thebuilding a race car. We needed them asap of course. Problem was tho, I had made an error on my CC info online during my order 11pm Sunday night. I received a call at lunchtime Monday, we corrected the issue on the phone.
Somehow, the items WERE ON MY PORCH when I arrived home late the same evening! They are without a doubt the easiest and most well stocked supplier I have ever dealt with!