Parts Vendor Review - Murray Equipment

I usually get my stainless obsession fix at buyfittingsonline.com because the prices are good and they ship quickely (being near NY doesn't hurt). They sell the typical Taiwan/China imports.

I saw that The Pol used Murrayequipment to outfit his RIMS tube and not only were the prices better but they supposedly have made in the U.S. fittings. Ok, that makes it feel better anyway.

I placed an order online last Monday 3/22/10 and immediately got an order confirmation. I was hoping to get the stuff Friday but I gave them some leeway. Yesterday I logged in to their site to see if I could get order status or tracking but there was no links for that even though they have a "my account" section.

Finally today I call them and they said, oh, that didn't ship because we were a few items short. Really.. No communication at time of ordering. No communication when the picker found a shortage? Just let it hang in neverland until what? I call or they get more in?

Bottom line, if you want to give www.murrayequipment.com a shot, I'd recommend calling the order in and making sure they have everything in stock because their system isn't friendly in that way otherwise.

I also used them for a small order because the prices were nice. The parts were very good quality but the shipping did take longer than I expected. It did not matter for me because I had no timeline for the products. I will take that into account next time I think about where I am buying from.

Sorry to hear about your experience with them, I recall when i ordered a bunch of SS fittings/pipe from them for my heat exchanger the delivery was pretty quick, maybe 3-4 days. There was an issue with picking on my order, they sent me 2x 1/2" Tees instead of the 2x 1_1/2" tees that i ordered. I called them and they told me to keep the 1/2" tees and sent me the 1_1/2" tees the next day. A small inconvenience but i cant complain, their prices are great.

I have ordered from them 3 times.

I had the same problem Bobby described once.
I think the problem is that their website is not real-time with their inventory... some items they show as "out of stock", those you know will be a problem. But, the problem comes up when you order something that appears to be available and in fact is not in stock. When I called, they asked if I wanted them to ship what they had or wait on the missing pieces... but I agree it would be nice had they initiated the contact and ask that question when they knew there was a problem.

Ed

I don't expect inventory to always be correct but when they try to pick an order that shows in-stock and they find otherwise, it should be mandatory to contact the customer and ask how to handle it. Their cart process has no option for "hold until complete" or "ship partials".

I hate to equate them with a place like Stpats but this plays into the old saying, you can have it fast, cheap or good but not all three.

I might give them another shot when I have some time to spare on receiving the parts.

I got the impression a smaller order doesn't get a lot of attention.

I had to call and follow up on my online order a couple times. The first time, the guy I spoke with was very helpful and offered a work around (two bushings for one) for the only out of stock item to get me what I needed. I agreed and also added a few extra nipples and couplings to my order, no problem. The second time was to get shipping info and tell them I couldn't get into my account on their site - they just said "hmm, not sure about that" and my order was out for delivery that day.

My order did show up, but it was in two separate packages and not only had they substituted the out of stock item with the 'work around' in the second package they also substituted a 316 stainless bushing for the same out of stock 304 stainless bushing I ordered - double shipping, double substitution. It's not worth paying shipping to get credit - oh well...

The Pol saw the pricing for the RIMS tube from Murray Equipment on my RIMS for dummies thread. I have been using Murray for stainless pipe for a few years now. I never had a problem but then I have not ordered from them online, I prefer to call so I can talk to a human and find out if something is really in stock. They have the best prices I have ever found. I know, even with shipping, I can't get this type of stuff locally for less and believe me, I have tried.

Sawdustguy said:

The Pol saw the pricing for the RIMS tube from Murray Equipment on my RIMS for dummies thread. I have been using Murray for stainless pipe for a few years now. I never had a problem but then I have not ordered from them online, I prefer to call so I can talk to a human and find out if something is really in stock. They have the best prices I have ever found. I know, even with shipping, I can't get this type of stuff locally for less and believe me, I have tried.

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Ding ding ding, I think we have a winner. My first order with them was based on your RIMS heater also, but I went the online route.

I think with the prices they offer, a phone call is probably worth the effort.

I haven't had a bad experience with them (3 orders), but may call instead of going online next time I need something.

I'm only relaying my experience and web order or not, you can't argue that their no-contact policy is reasonable. Anytime a company puts an online order system out there, the customer expectation should be that it works. Image that. I guess I'm spoiled by places like Mcmaster and Amazon.com.

Ive had the same problem, first order shipped, but my second one, was lost in la la land for 2 weeks. Had to call and re order

Bobby_M said:

I'm only relaying my experience and web order or not, you can't argue that their no-contact policy is reasonable. Anytime a company puts an online order system out there, the customer expectation should be that it works. Image that. I guess I'm spoiled by places like Mcmaster and Amazon.com.

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No arguement here. When I absotively, posilutely got to have it, and soon, I call. I never trust what they publish on the net. Thats pretty much what I do with most purchases no matter which vendor. If I don't need it right away I order it online.

I live In Fort Wayne, and just go into there counter and order my parts. They are very helpful. They do appear a little behind the times as far as there web based stuff. They were quite surprised when I told them they are becoming popular with the Homebrew community.

Well, F-me. I decided to give them another shot because a few people have had success. I put in another small order to test the waters with instructions to call me immediately if anything is backordered (everything said in stock on the order system). I get a call right away, about half the items I want are on order and should be in max 3 days. Ok. I go on a biz trip this week, call this morning 7 full days since we last spoke. Nope, still not in.

Fool me once, fool me twice, won't get fooled again.

Try http://www.dalrockindustrial.com/ I just ordered about ~$100 worth of stuff and it was only $5 more than Murray. Dalrock valves are cheaper than murray too, so that would have made the whole order less. Reasonable shipping and quick too.

Bobby_M said:

Well, F-me. I decided to give them another shot because a few people have had success. I put in another small order to test the waters with instructions to call me immediately if anything is backordered (everything said in stock on the order system). I get a call right away, about half the items I want are on order and should be in max 3 days. Ok. I go on a biz trip this week, call this morning 7 full days since we last spoke. Nope, still not in.

Fool me once, fool me twice, won't get fooled again.

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Bobby,

I don't blame you. Personally I have not had the same experience with them, maybe I've been lucky. When/if I have the same experience you have, I'd have the same reaction.

Good luck.

Bobby_M said:

Fool me once, fool me twice, won't get fooled again.

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Hahaha... by far my favorite blooper. I laugh so hard every time I see or hear it. I miss that stuff.

Bummer about Murray's. Sounds like you just need to make sure everything is simple and in stock before pulling the trigger. Similar to St. Pats. I just ordered from them and it was super easy and painless. Just make sure there aren't any bumps in the road.

Bobby_M said:

Well, F-me. I decided to give them another shot because a few people have had success. I put in another small order to test the waters with instructions to call me immediately if anything is backordered (everything said in stock on the order system). I get a call right away, about half the items I want are on order and should be in max 3 days. Ok. I go on a biz trip this week, call this morning 7 full days since we last spoke. Nope, still not in.

Fool me once, fool me twice, won't get fooled again.

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That would definetly piss me off too. I guess I am lucky that that I have found a local supplier for my stainless fittings. They are are not as cheap but there is no shipping. I am sorry to hear about your plight.

Was going to order from them but remembered the lousy website and this thread. Wound up with buyfittingsonline and like the fact that they tell you if it fits in the USPS box that's what shipping costs.

Local supplier has or can get everything but the prices can be on the high side for some things although I usually go local. This time I wanted it dropped shipped to someone else.