OKAY NOW Happ is ripping people off !

[SNAAAKE]

okay I just paid $42 shiping for marque retainer and 27" monitor bezel..what is this
I just want to know how much the shiping was for EVERYONE who bought monitor bezel and marque retainer !
I ordered using credit card !
$42 shiping for some plastic materials?
MY GOD !  
no,I am not being cheap but.....

[zaphod]

I ran into the same problem when I ordered from them in December.  I ordered one marquee retainer, one monitor bezel, and some T-molding.  Three separate boxes, $40+ S/H.  I sent an email to their CSD complaining that the shipping amounts were never disclosed prior to the shipment from their warehouse.  I got a $10 credit.  The problem is the retainers come through UPS in a 5' long box.  The marquee is also in an odd-sized box.  A lot of the cost is due to these odd sizes from UPS, from what I can gauge from the ups site and the box dimensions.  My argument to Happ was that it is not disclosed on their site that a particular item might be more expensive to ship.  
I have since ordered everything I could from Bob, but unfortunately he doesn't sell these two items.

[thedemo]

how did you get it shipped? Absolutely, positively gotta gotta have it tomorrow rate?

[Superdude]

I live near Happs and Wico.  They (Happs) dont like it when I pick up my items because they lose money on shipping.  Although Wico gave me free microswitches and a free pen and were really friendly. Anyone else ever go to Wico or Happs?  (Illinois)

[SNAAAKE]

how did you get it shipped? Absolutely, positively gotta gotta have it tomorrow rate?

I dunno how they ship it but I ordered last thursday and got it today !
meh,who cares...

zaphod,
you DID pay $40 on shiping.ouch !  
okay atleast I feel little better...atleast it doesnt sound like they are ripping me off.
but I would try to avoid ordering from happs next time around...too weird
they usually charge a lot on shiping and the so called "handling" but this time I gave out credit card info and they just di*ked me over badly !  

[zaphod]

Yes, I paid the fee (minus the token credit) AND it took two weeks.  I made sure to inform my friends of this situation.  A buddy ordered a slew of joys, buttons, etc from them and they shipped at a reasonable price (still more than Bob)- it seems like just the oddball sized items really get you.

[MameFan]

> how did you get it shipped? Absolutely, positively gotta gotta have it tomorrow rate?


No, I'm sure they ordered it via UPS ground.  The word for what happened to them is *likely* "Dimensional Weight".

Basically if the item you're shipping has a Length + Girth (girth meaning 2x width + 2x height, OR circumference of a round tube) 84 inches or longer, then you pay the 30 pound shipping weight EVEN IF the package weighs 1 pound!!!!

All it takes is lets say a 36" long box. If the sides are 12x12, then you've hit the oversize 1 rate.  (there is another one at 104" where they charge you a 70 pound rate I think)

The justification of UPS is that in an area that size, they should be able to have charged other people with smaller boxes TOTALLING at least 30 pounds in the same area, therefore you're "taking up space but not weight" on their trucks, and you shouldn't be charged the same as someone shipping a 12x6x4 box weighing 1 pound.

The other possibikity is that simply, Happs is charging at least the retail rate, if not more, while having a cheap (about 40% lower) corporate shipping account with UPS, and pocketing the difference.

[Snarbald]

I live 10 or 15 minutes away from the Elkgrove happs location. So, obviously, I always opt to pick up. When I ordered a trackball they decided they were gonna send it UPS ground anyway and charge me $9 shipping, Just remember how close I am. Luckily I caught the "Your Order Has Shipped" e-mail fast enough to have them stop the package from going out. But yeah I wonder how often they make this mistake, the invoice they e-mailed me said something like:
desired shipping option - willpickup elkgrove
shipped - UPS ground $9.00

[BobA]

Snaaake, you had a message tread last year about getting ripped off for shipping.  I think it was Happs that time.  Don't you ever learn?

BobA

[ErikRuud]

I have hadd three orders shipped from Happs, they all came regular UPS ground, and they were all quick, and about $6.00 for the shipping.

I only live 30-40 minutes away from Elk Grove Village, but it was easier to pay them to ship.

My gripe with the last order was that they put through a pending charge of $49.84 until they figured out the shipping and Illinois sales tax.  the total cost of the parts $31.26 and the final total was 37.23.  They tied up an extra $12.61 for almost ten days.  It's not that it was a huge amount of money, but it does seem like a poor way to do business.

[ItzMR2u]

Happs is a make profit from shipping supplier!  I've ordered multiple times from them and everytime I am amazed at what they charge for shipping, not to mention the not giving you a shipping cost prior to ordering.  This is a big eBay problem as well.   Why don't sellers just sell items for a price they really want and keep the shipping at actual cost.  It's bad business.

[RandyT]

> how did you get it shipped? Absolutely, positively gotta gotta have it tomorrow rate?


No, I'm sure they ordered it via UPS ground.  The word for what happened to them is *likely* "Dimensional Weight".

Basically if the item you're shipping has a Length + Girth (girth meaning 2x width + 2x height, OR circumference of a round tube) 84 inches or longer, then you pay the 30 pound shipping weight EVEN IF the package weighs 1 pound!!!!

All it takes is lets say a 36" long box. If the sides are 12x12, then you've hit the oversize 1 rate.  (there is another one at 104" where they charge you a 70 pound rate I think)

The justification of UPS is that in an area that size, they should be able to have charged other people with smaller boxes TOTALLING at least 30 pounds in the same area, therefore you're "taking up space but not weight" on their trucks, and you shouldn't be charged the same as someone shipping a 12x6x4 box weighing 1 pound.

The other possibikity is that simply, Happs is charging at least the retail rate, if not more, while having a cheap (about 40% lower) corporate shipping account with UPS, and pocketing the difference.

From all the business I have done with UPS, I have only seen dimensional weight calculated when the item is being shipped by means of air.  Ie. Next or Second day service.

And from what I have been able to tell, UPS has a pretty firm size limit and the formula is:

The maximum size total is 130 inches (length + girth, where girth is 2 x width plus 2 x height).

Which means you can still ship even a 12x24x36 without exceeding this limitation or incurring additional expense.

I have seen people turned away at the shipping counter for packages barely larger than the limit, without being offered an oversize rate.  Am I missing something    It would be nice to be able to send larger stuff via UPS, even with an extra fee.

RandyT

[MameFan]

I have shipped over 60 packages via UPS ground since November. Trust me, they charge Dimensional weight on ground packages too.  

Go to the UPS site and the Rate Calculator, and enter in your dimensions. They will take them into account in calculating the ground rate too.  Also check here: http://www.ups.com/content/us/en/shipping/help/glossary.html#O

Oversize: The designation for larger packages that you ship via UPS Ground and UPS Standard to Canada that meet one of the following specifications for billing purposes:                                                                  


Oversize 1 (OS1):  a package with a combined length and girth that exceeds 84 inches, and combined length and girth is equal to or less than 108 inches, and actual weight is less than 30 pounds.  For each OS1 package, the billable weight is 30 pounds.

Oversize 2 (OS2): a package with a combined length and girth that exceeds 108 inches, and actual weight is less than 70 pounds.  For each OS2 package, the billable weight is 70 pounds.

[SNAAAKE]

Snaaake, you had a message tread last year about getting ripped off for shipping.  I think it was Happs that time.  Don't you ever learn?

BobA

LOL !
yeah that...---gosh-darn--- man..even I myself forgot(I need help remembering things).  
Last time I paid like $25 on shipping though..now $35.
ahh well who cares !  

Okay the thread seems pretty useless..anyone mod see this,feel free to get rid of it...

[caykroyd]

I just made my second purchase from HAPP.  the first wasn't too expensive, but this one was $36.  And what did I get?  A marquess retainer.  That's what puts the cost through the roof.

Also notice it's shipping and handling.  So what they're charging you for is handling.  They do sort out your order and bag it up.  It's not prepackaged stuff that they just throw in a box and ship, but it still seems a little expensive.  I guess they have to pay someone to put the buttons and switches in bags, mark the bags, and box them up.  Not to mention that you really can't buy the stuff elsewhere.  Maybe they should go to court like M$ did for being a monopoly  

[ErikRuud]

I just checked my invoice, frieght was $3.39, well within reason for what I ordered.  They could not have charged much for handling, and my last order was for a bunch of loose parts to upgrade my supers to top fire josticks.

[Chris]

Also notice it's shipping and handling.  So what they're charging you for is handling.  They do sort out your order and bag it up.  It's not prepackaged stuff that they just throw in a box and ship, but it still seems a little expensive.  I guess they have to pay someone to put the buttons and switches in bags, mark the bags, and box them up.  Not to mention that you really can't buy the stuff elsewhere.  Maybe they should go to court like M$ did for being a monopoly  

Happ is a business-to-business supplier.  They're not used to selling a single marquee retainer to a hobbyist; they ship a dozen to an operator, and the shipping cost for a dozen is likely the same as the shipping cost for one due to dimensional weight.

I have never had a problem with Happ's shipping costs, but I've avoided buying large, light stuff just because of dimensional weight issues.  A big "thank-you" goes out to SNAAAKE for warning me about this the first time he had the problem; I actually called Happ to take a marquee retainer out of my order that time, and satisfied myself with $2 worth of corner molding from Home Depot which worked just as well and looks great.

--Chris

[Grasshopper]

I have to say I'm amazed that anyone would hand over their credit card details before getting the exact amount they're paying (including shipping) confirmed in advance.

Why not tell Happ that you'll be paying by cheque or money order? Then they'll have to calculate the exact cost in advance.

I've ordered many parts (sometimes from overseas) and I'm surprised how arbitrary the shipping costs appear to be. However, if the costs are too high simply ask for a re-quote using a different shipping method. If the company refuses then walk away and they'll eventually get the message. I've done it before.

[ErikRuud]

It's not that much different than paying by credit card at a resturant.

They run your credit card, and put through a "pending" charge that is higher than your actual bill so that they know there is enough to cover the bill and any tip you may add to the bill.  Later on they put through the adjusted amount, and "complete".  If they leave the charge "pending" for more than ten days, the "pending" amount is automatically reveresd by your credit card company.

Usually most people do not see this happen, because they only look at their monthly statements.  I look at my account online a couple of time per week, so I see it more than most people.

I was just annoyed that they couldn't do a better job of estimating the tax and freight.  They overestimted by about 300%, and then took their time about sending in the completed amount.

[RandyT]

I have shipped over 60 packages via UPS ground since November. Trust me, they charge Dimensional weight on ground packages too.  

Sorry, I stand corrected .  The scenario I gave the rate calculator was an 50lb. package, one that was near the maximum allowable size and one that was very small.  Of course, It gave me no difference in cost.  

Most things I send (or receive) don't fall into the "large and light" category so I never see this.

RE: Dimensional Weight.  

This is what is used by UPS to calculate the rate charged for parcels sent by Next or Second day service that are larger than one cubic foot.  Ie.  a box that weighs 2lbs and measures 13x13x13 may be charged at a rate equal to a heavier parcel.  As the size goes up, based on a different magic formula that I am too lazy to find, so does the "dimensional weight".  The oversize classification is more like a two-stage penalty for large and light boxes, than actual dimensional weight.

But in reality, they both exist for the same reasons you spelled out.

Too many technicalities  

RandyT

[SNAAAKE]

Okay I am sorry I was wrong.
Just got a "receipt" and it says...

sales amount - $29.55
freight - $42.78 although UPS guy showed up and NO freight unless frieght means UPS...
what the hell  

 

Even my 25" monitor wasnt this much from american gaming.I remember paying $24 shiping for the huge monitor.
BUT HEY ! marque retainer for sale..yay ! make something back.
http://www.arcadecontrols.org/yabbse/index.php?board=2;action=display;threadid=7450

Happ is REALLY stupid though..I mean they should ship the retainers in 4 pieces...each piece should be like 2.5 feet instead of 5.
I mean last I knew there ain't no cabinet thats like 5 feet wide...
grrr...those idiots at happs make me sick !   WTF !  

[crackbone]

Well, Snaaake, thanks for telling me.... THE DAY AFTER I ORDER MY RETAINER!!!!!!

J/K, although I never figured they bone me like that, considering shipping was minimal on my last order from them.

Live and learn, I guess.  Thank god I didn't order the T-Molding from them.

Crack

[Wienerdog]

I ordered 20 feet of T-Molding and they sent it unrolled in a 20 foot box on an oversized truck.

[dhansen]

Two words...

Bob Roberts

He usually cross ships, order on Monday receive package on Thursday!

It will be a sad day when he closes shop...

Doug

[Wienerdog]

Okay, I was just kidding.

I did have two joystick orders.  I ordered a bunch of p360s and a bunch of supers and requested will call pickup.  They shipped them to me and charged me.  It wasn't TOTALLY unreasonable, but I wanted to pick up the orders.  Oh well.

[cdbrown]

I have to say I'm amazed that anyone would hand over their credit card details before getting the exact amount they're paying (including shipping) confirmed in advance.

Why not tell Happ that you'll be paying by cheque or money order? Then they'll have to calculate the exact cost in advance.

I've ordered many parts (sometimes from overseas) and I'm surprised how arbitrary the shipping costs appear to be. However, if the costs are too high simply ask for a re-quote using a different shipping method. If the company refuses then walk away and they'll eventually get the message. I've done it before.

 For my order with Happs, I had to make it online and nowhere during the process do they provide the amount for shipping.  A few times I stopped the process before entering my c/c details because I wanted to know the shipping rates.  Sent them a few emails and even faxes to their international sales number and never got one response.  I just decided to bite the bullet and order the 2 optical rotaries - I think the shipping of these 2 joysticks cost a bit more than the shipping of a big box of items (joysticks and heaps of buttons) from Bob Roberts.  Happs just charge whatever you want and you only find out the price as they send it out to you.

[Wade]

I ordered a marquee retainer (and specifically told them to cut it into 2 or 3 pieces to make shipping less expensive), a 27" bezel, and a bunch of buttons.  Shipping was about $25-$30 IIRC (I can find out if anyone really wants to know).  The buttons were in the same box as the bezel.

I thought it was high, especially considering there really was no packaging at all (the parts were just loose in boxes).  I just figured the bezel was too big and drove the price up.  They sent the retainer in two 5' pieces.

Wade

[MrToasty]

I ordered 2 P360s and a couple buttons from them when the sticks were on sale.  Freight charge was $19 on a small lightweight box.  I emailed them and asked why it wasn't more like the $5 UPS would have charged me to ship the same thing.  I got a reply that it was a mistake and they credited my card $14.  Guess it doesn't hurt to complain sometimes, although I know that most folks here haven't had any luck in similar situations with Happ.

[Mametrix-Reloaded]

Now you made me go back and check the shipping they charged me for my t-molding. Turns out according to the UPS website, they charged me 6.50 less than they should have. (the company discount rate most likely).

All in all, I've been more than happy with the service, product,and quality of happs. You have to admit, the guy who doesn't complain about prices for parts, is usually the guy who buys it all in one piece.

Shipping charges are shipping charges. most companies also include the cost of the box, tape, packing, etc (granted they pack with newspaper). When you look at the overall cost though, with the sales they constantly have, it all evens out if you buy enough... (how much is enough   )

-mike

[JustMichael]

Most other companies also disclose these charges (handling) as well as the shipping charges before you complete the transaction.  Honestly Happ needs to tell people this info before taking the order.

[SNAAAKE]

Most other companies also disclose these charges (handling) as well as the shipping charges before you complete the transaction.  Honestly Happ needs to tell people this info before taking the order.

well yeah..got that nasty surprise receipt the other day..i thought shipping was like $35 BUT it was actually $43.
and they refused to cut the retainers for me..oh well atleast I made something back..sold half the retainer for $20 !  

[RandyT]

Most other companies also disclose these charges (handling) as well as the shipping charges before you complete the transaction.  Honestly Happ needs to tell people this info before taking the order.

well yeah..got that nasty surprise receipt the other day..i thought shipping was like $35 BUT it was actually $43.
and they refused to cut the retainers for me..oh well atleast I made something back..sold half the retainer for $20 !  

Just so no-one thinks Happ is the only company out there that this happens with, I thought I would share my own recent sticker shock.

I just bought a 6' piano hinge from a major on-line industrial supply house.  It was a good price at about $9, but the shipping charge was $14.00!!!!  They ship via UPS.

They also don't tell you the shipping charges.  So basically, "if it's long or large, prepare to be  charged!"  

RandyT

[Jim123]

Same thing here....I just ordered a 27" Monitor Bezel, Marquee Retainer, T-Molding, and Game Stool about 4 days ago.  They never disclosed shipping costs during the check out process nor did they emailed me any type of confirmation....Today I got the invoice via snail-mail and it was $59.65 SHIPPING!!  Unbelievable!

[SNAAAKE]

Same thing here....I just ordered a 27" Monitor Bezel, Marquee Retainer, T-Molding, and Game Stool about 4 days ago.  They never disclosed shipping costs during the check out process nor did they emailed me any type of confirmation....Today I got the invoice via snail-mail and it was $59.65 SHIPPING!!  Unbelievable!

Your shipping price is sort of reasonable...you bought 2 stools right?
aren't they supposed to be heavy ?
who knows anyway lets move on !

[AndyWarne]

I think someone further up the thread hit the nail on the head. Happ are a Business-to Business company. Frank Happ is probably the best known figure in the closed world of coin-op amusements (and certainly the largest, he's a big guy!) and his business is supplying to the amusement industry, not home users.
I doubt that there is any intention to rip off anyone but the point is that Happ have probably not made any effort to get the cheapest deal on shipping, simply because their target market is not too concerned, as they would probably be ordering 100 items not just one, and their products would go into machines that make a lot of money.
I doubt that they have any intention of changing, if they deliberately targeted home users they would be upsetting their major market, always remember that the coin-op industry is not especially enamoured with emulation!