Fasttech Problems...

[grainde]

Just to let people know I have had a few issues with Fasttech recently. In fact the first order I made didn't show up at all. They claimed they had sent it, but without tracking as it was below their threshold for free tracking. Something I was unaware of at the time, unfortunately.
Anyway after 6 weeks and the 45 day limit I started a PP claim, which they promptly refunded. Yes this was good, but I had my suspicions that they had never really sent anything and so refunding wasn't an issue. To date and now nearly 12 weeks on nothing has arrived, so I believe it to be the case.

I decided to give Fasttech a last try and was very happy when the package arrived. To my dismay however, not all the items had been included. Id ordered and payed for 2 x East 092 drivers some 2-3 days before it was announced on LPF that that particular driver was out of stock. They made no effort to notify me that they couldn't ship the drivers and just sent the package without them. They effectively wasted a further 3 weeks of my time, time which I could have spent looking for and buying an alternative driver.

All of this means that I still havent managed to complete the flashlight and laser started on the 23rd Jan and I still need to order parts...

Sorry for the rant, but this thread is simply to warn others about my experiences with them. I'd also like to hear if other people have had similar issues. :thinking::beer:

 

[Blord]

Sorry to hear that. My experience with Fasttech is impeccable.
Fasttech has pictures of the packages online. Did your order have a picture ?

 

[grainde]

Sorry to hear that. My experience with Fasttech is impeccable.
Fasttech has pictures of the packages online. Did your order have a picture ?

Hey Blord. Not sure what you mean. Are you referring to the order page where they give you the status of your order? If so then yes it shows that all the items were shipped and gives the date...:beer:

 

[mhemling33]

yeah they take pictures of the package and post it in your item details when they ship it.

I have had nothing but good experiences with them. I am sorry your having troubles

 

[Blord]

^^^

Yes that is what I mean. They take picture of the actual package as proof.

 

[awillis2589]

Yeah ive had a couple little problems but they took care of them fast and to my liking so I didn't make a big deal about them.

1. Got ultrafires instead of NCR18650A - sent me replacements, covered return shipping to Florida.
2. 2 low out modules 1x532nm 1x405 - same thing as last issue.
3. Clone imito mx1 instead of official like the first one I bought from them. Still working that one out because they didn't know about the issue and there supplier lied to them so I took some pictures of the differences and should have it resolved soon.

Then arnt problems I like but as long as there taken care of and it doesn't cost me out of pocket I'm still very satisfied with there company.

 

[grainde]

yeah they take pictures of the package and post it in your item details when they ship it.

I have had nothing but good experiences with them. I am sorry your having troubles

Nope Ive never seen or had that appear on my order page? Do you have to look somewhere in particular?:beer:

Edit: Have never ordered over $20 at a time, so maybe its for more expensive orders?:thinking:

 

[mhemling33]

This is how you get to it

Click your orders

Than click a link next to your order

It turns out you will only get the picture if its above $20 so you are right

Order over $20

Order under $20

 

[grainde]

It turns out you will only get the picture if its above $20 so you are right

Ah ok was a good guess. Just did a screen shot to show what I was getting....:beer:

Edit: Just FYI the XM-L2 U2 bare emitters are now in stock here: https://illuminationsupply.com/cree-xml2-bare-u2-1c-tint-6500k-p-279.html#.UVYFdBmXSqA These are the L2 U2 not L2 T6 ones! Just ordered a couple..

 

[awillis2589]

Well I've got a package that should be there today and I'm suppose to have that driver in as well so I hope its in there.

 

[grainde]

When did you order? I ordered on March 13th...let us know whether they've sent it.

I guessing you saw the link I posted above? It was mainly for you, Ryansoh, IE, Blord and BShanahan :beer:

 

[awillis2589]

Yeah I did see the link I'm not ordering any bare diodes till those 16mm copper boards come out then I'll be getting some. As long as everything is there and right tonight I've got 2 more L2P flashlights to build then I'll be looking for something with a bigger reflector for more throw. Though the L2P is a very nice light. I also updated my build tread with a beam shot of the L2P if you haven't seen that yet.

 

[grainde]

Just had a look. Nice beam shot What about flood to throw lights, I know we talked about them earlier, but they make much better EDC's?

I just modded an 8 x AMC driver with 4 extra AMC chips and it now puts out just over 4.1 A at the tail cap. Should be 4.5 but its probably resistance losses or one chip isnt working? Soldering was quite hard as it was very difficult to get the iron in the tiny gaps on the board and it took me around 2 hrs to finally get it right. lol The throw is quite good now :beer:

 

[awillis2589]

Well I'm thinking I'm going to mod that flashlight that was in my order. Its like a clone of yours but I'm thinking about adding a new driver and a couple amc's and possibly going with a XM-L2 u2 or t6 that would throw and flood nice and it looks like a nice host.

 

[InfinitusEquitas]

I had some problems with FT too, but so far they have been working with me well enough to where I will keep ordering from them.

-One order had a missing set of batteries, they asked me to take a picture of the package and contents, and gave me a credit.

-Ordered the EA4W when it first came out, with their special lower price. 2 weeks later still didn't ship. When I contacted them, they told me it was out of stock, but they would send it on getting more... offered to refund, I chose to wait (still the lowest price out there for them). I did receive the light, but took almost 4 weeks.

-Placed a large order 2/22, and had multiple problems with it;
1. They were out of stock on the LEDs I ordered, so they offered to refund, or substitute a slightly different LED - I opted to substitute.
2. Order was split into two packages, and still didn't ship until a week later.
3. The Skyray King Flashlights I ordered, under the same SKU as before, were a different model. ( Black SRK at Fasttech for under $40 with BLF-coupon! | BudgetLightForum.com )
4. Skyray price dropped but a few $$ while order was still in transit.
5. Two LED's were missing from the order.

6. - The second half of my order, I don't know if it was shipped ( suspect it was) but it never got to me. Tracking number did not ever work.

To be fair FT refunded me the part of the order I didn't get, and refunded me the difference in price for the skyray kings.

I do think they are one of the better chinese companies to buy from, and Jasmine does an excellent job in taking care of problems.

That said, I would recommend the following;

-Split your order into $50 or $100 pieces to minimize chances for loss.
-Keep an eye on the date of the order. If it's been over a week and you don't have a tracking number - open a ticket.
-Order only with tracking. This is not negotiable.

Word of caution / advice on opening tickets with them. The date/time stamp on the ticket is updated each time you add another message. This means that if you open a ticket 3/27, follow up a day later 3/28, and a day later 3/29, their support only sees the last date on the message, and you lose your place in the answer queue.

Try PMing her on BLF if you need to reach her, or emailing her if you don't get a response within 48 hours over the ticket system. (Longer over weekends.)

I just re-ordered my second half of that order... will be interesting to see how well it goes.

 

[awillis2589]

Yeah 24h is usually what it takes for a response. Do I send something in the morning get an answer in the middle of the night then so on. And you are right Jasmine does take good care of you and that is why I continue to order from them. I understand people make mistakes especially a company that is probably sending out hundreds of orders a day, but its how you deal with the mistakes that's what counts.