CPC

[Modge]

I guess you could always switch to using Canford instead or, if you're working to a budget, carve your equipment out of solid gold...

 

I've just priced up some bits for an install (they're running limeLIGHT for control and I've found my self helping out with other bits of the install) and I priced up some panels with 3 XLR holes punched in them via cpc and canford. Just the panels were a 1/3 the price with cpc and including some surface mount boxes it was less still. Granted there's a quality argument to be had but I'm entirely confident the cpc stuff will be adequate.

[Dicky]

I'd add that like many of you who use CPC I recieve what seems to be 2 or 3 mailings a week with special offers, and quite often there are items in those 'specials' mags that I need to buy. It's worth noting that the lower than catalogue prices in these mailshots don't come up on the website when doing a search, so it's quite possible to buy exactly the same item at different prices.

 

For what it's worth, I recently did an order not using any of the mailshot mags, and just before I sent the order, looked at the 'technology focus' mag on my desk, saw that most of the item codes had an additional 2 digits which were all the same "14" in this case. I went through my order and added "14" to the end of some of the product codes and sure enough, some of them came back with a lower price!

 

So CPC related tip for the day, always flick through that mailshot before you order.

 

Dicky

[peternewman]

Ordering, admittedly with a debit card, from CPC, Farnell and Onecall I've never had any issues with deliveries to various addresses. When my "Staff" Onecall account was first set up, I had to email after each order or something, but they fixed that fairly promptly afterwards.

 

Regarding the 16A splitters, I had a few arrive duff, can't remember which pin wasn't connected, but the lead had been pushed too far into the socket and the screw was clamping the insulation rather than the conductor, five minutes work and all working fine. Which is why you should always PAT new kit, in the same way as companies like Dell have had issues with machines being dead on arrival.

 

Overall I really can't fault any of the three companies, I get some very speedy deliveries while not paying for fast postage and the range and price is great.

[Rob_Beech]

I think as with all large companies dealing with so many orders there are going to be issues here and there. We need to remember that nobody is going to come here and start a thread saying. Aren't CPC brilliant! In the same way that you don't get a Mercedes owner join a Merc forum to say that their new E class is very good and there is no fault with it.

 

I've had my fair share of issues with CPC, I stopped using them for a fair while due to constant ###### ups costing me money and just increasing hassle no end. I've given them another go in the last 18 months and things have either improved or a big red light flashes with a sign saying "don't piss this person off!" on it when I call. The cancelling of orders is not un-common and it can really leave you stuck. The lack of phone call on one occasion with myself and me sitting around waiting cost them probably £10000+ in lost business as it became an unreliable service. Whilst the cancelling thing is clearly still and issue that really needs to be resolved, I do believe that in general most of the little issues have been ironed out.

 

Not surprisingly, they can call me to tell me that they haven't yet received my payment for last month (though they probably have received my cheque today to be fair) yet can't call me to say, ooo that order that you placed with us with timed delivery (common sense tells us that you might actually need the stuff pretty sharpish) has been cancelled.

 

 

So my suggestion? Give them another chance. A non account order is always going to be tricky. best to set up an account and get it all sorted. Have a chat to someone in accounts and make sure it's all good, make sure they're happy with all the details on file.

 

Rob

[Chris Beesley]

Guys - whatever your gripe please please please let me have the details and I will do what I can to sort things! We ship over 4500 individual orders every day and some do go wrong, however we dont do it on purpose! My work email is chris.beesley@cpc.co.uk - please feel free to drop me a line or if urgent call me on 01772 664760. (please note - I dont work in sales, as a result im not always by the phone)

[Hugh]

There was a time when a parcel from CPC was called a "lucky dip" in our office as contents were basically random. This was shortly after the takeover when I assume new systems were put in place, but they seem to have got their act together now, and deliveries are generally swift and accurate.

[rooftop]

I have to say, a few years ago I was spending perhaps £15k per year with CPC. It got to a point where EVERY box was turning up in a hell of a state - purely from not being packed/taped properly.

 

One day I decided enough was enough and I emailed the MD or General Manager to complain (forget which). I was immediately set up with a dedicated person to deal with all my orders/problems, and every order going out of the warehouse was packed properly from that day forward.

 

I even got a personal visit from two of their key accounts team at one point - made me feel all special like.

 

The result was that CPC kept my business for another 3 years (I've moved on to other things now).

 

So I think to be fair, they do listen and do want to put things right - give them a chance

[tolley1466]

I had my first order from CPC today. I ordered on Sunday evening and chose standard delivery and it came today!

 

My only annoyance is, I ordered an empty (unloaded) stagebox that was clearly black by the picture and description on the website but the pannel is black and the casing is well, metal coloured? I can live with this though.

 

It saved me spending £40 more on a stagebox from Adam Hall!

[allgoodnamesaretaken]

I can relate to the problems of the OP. The fact that they will not deliver to an address other than the registered card address even after more than one successful delivery is a right royal pain (no I don't want an account thanks).

 

I have also had ENDLESS problems with card payments. Being resigned to having to have stuff delivered to the card address is one thing but when their system continually cancels your order as the address details apparently aren't correct (when they are) is irritating to say the least. The final nail in the coffin for me was that typically you got the "your order has been cancelled" email too late in the day to be able to do anything about it and therefore potentially loose a days work in the process.......

 

If only there weren't so useful it would be less of a pain!

[Sound In Gloucestershire]

I made an order at 6:55PM on Friday, received it first thing Monday, 100% accurate (even for tiny pcb components and phono couplers) and very well packed

 

I had it sent to an alternative address which was no problem

 

For those who dont want to setup an account, why not? I have an account, its not a Credit account, but I pay up front, but it means I can get deliveries to alternative addresses. From CPC's point of view, they dont want to send to an unregistered address as its not worth the risk, mail order fraud is the big earner at the moment! So setup an account be then its sorted

[neild]

I have to absolutely agree with Sound In Gloucestershire on this. I too have a cash only account which sorts out all the delivery problems.

 

I had the same issue as many a few years ago when my internet orders were being cancelled as I was entering an alternative delivery address. I emailed CPC to query it, and was recommended to set up a cash account. Only difference is I have to enter an account number when I order online. I still pay by card, but can give any delivery address, and have never had a problem with it!

 

Do contact accounts and let them sort it out for you!

[allgoodnamesaretaken]

Ah! an interesting point that hasn't been pointed out to me by them...... I will go and do that and no doubt become a happy customer again!

 

Thanks

 

I have to absolutely agree with Sound In Gloucestershire on this. I too have a cash only account which sorts out all the delivery problems.

 

I had the same issue as many a few years ago when my internet orders were being cancelled as I was entering an alternative delivery address. I emailed CPC to query it, and was recommended to set up a cash account. Only difference is I have to enter an account number when I order online. I still pay by card, but can give any delivery address, and have never had a problem with it!

 

Do contact accounts and let them sort it out for you!

[Wuddy]

I have similar Credit Card problems with CPC and some other merchants as well.

 

The problem in my case is that my Comapny name contains the figure 2000 and CPC's (and the other merchants) C.C. verification sofware reads this number as the property number.

 

The only street name same as mine that goes up to 2000 is in Notingham so it throws up a Nottingham post code which doesn't match the Huddersfield delivery post code.

 

The bigger problem is, that although the merchant sofware is cancelling the sale because of the post code error, my bank is actually authorising it.

 

I found all this out when several failed attempts at CPC and another merchant (I kept re-trying the cancelled order) took my CC over the limit. I then had to wait 7/10 days for the unclaimed amounts to 'fall off' to regain my credit.

 

I now do telephone ordering where although the same problem occurs it can be manually overridden.