Fastenal

Has anyone ever had any trouble with Fastenal? I am waiting for an engine that I bought in Conn. to be shipped to Aurora Il. It was shipped on June
28th I thought it would have been here by now. I talked to the Aurora branch and they said there was no way to track the engine. I talked to the man I
bought it from Friday he thought I should of had it by now also, he is on vacation until tomorrow maybe he can find something out. Just venting

Usually when I contact the shipper or post a message like yours the item shows up the next day

I hope that happens Bob.

Fastenal I was interested in purchasing about $40 worth of bolts about one week ago. I was asked my account number. I said I don't have one, but work for St.Cloud State Univ. He said i needed to set up and account to purchase things, and that account needed to average $500 a month trade with them. I told the man they were shooting themselves in the foot, as it cost nothing to keep selling to walk ins. He said I was wrong, and that corporate made the decision based on solid management decisions. Maybe their Logistics division (which I used successfully) has also gone to commercial use only, and your part was caught in the middle. I would make such a fuss that they would regret the encounter. It is their reality, but our consequence. Jim

I have used Fastenal a few times and never any trouble. However, their tracking ability leaves a lot to be desired. Their policy seems to be "you will get it when you get it" and they can't tell you when that will be from either end. Bummer.

Maybe it has changed but...................

I have used Fastenal a couple of times.
First time was very reasonable second time not so much.
One thing to consider is that [b:8aaa6a0fd6]your shipment with Fastenal is at their leisure.[/b:8aaa6a0fd6]
Your stuff goes if there is room in the truck after their stuff.
So it might sit in a depot or three for a while before it gets to your local store.
I am lucky in that our local store is kinda not busy at times. The guys there will help with getting stuff crated/palletized if you slip them a few bucks or bring them pizza for lunch, etc.
Mine will also deliver the package to me at my place of work as they have an account.

Contact the person that quoted you the price for shipping. They will be able to find out where it is.
That is what I did and it worked just fine.

Did the shipment leave the Fastenal store on June 28th or is that what the seller said?

Jim, I had the same experience about 30 years ago at Fastnall.

I needed some belleville washers, stopped in a local store, first time in, only customer in the place.

I was met with arrogance and apathy. The sleepy counter man didn't know what belleville washers were but was sure they didn't have them, I was an idiot for wasting his time, and there is the door!

Never went back.

Try McMaster-Carr. They have an incredibly good reputation.

Tracy Brown, not wanting to high jack this post but if you are the one that has the salvage in NE MS I would like to contact you.

Everything they sell can be bought online for much less. It is a place of last resort when I have to have it that day or the next. Tom

In KS I buy as a walk in customer and pay cash. If they do not have it at the store they will order it.

Jim

tracking fastenal, google search

As others have stated, Fastenal moves freight when they have room on their truck. I learned shipping from the east coast takes longer because their trucks are full Faster shipment for freight is coming from the west. Yes they do not have a good way to track shipments.

I tried once. No luck with the online so I went to the store and filled out the paper work. Checked back several times and never got the papers.

I have no luck with them at all. they never seen to have what I need but can order it and there prices are at least twice as much as anywhere else. they don't seem to cater to the fellow who walks in and wants something.

they use to be great to work with in lincoln ne. had stores in different parts of town and a store in small town near me. I was to the one remaining store about a month ago. everything is self serve and if you can't find it, they won't help you. If it takes $500 a month for my acct to stay active, then i won't need to go back. they didn't have what i wanted, so i never got to the acct part!

I have never used Fastenal for shipping, and I've never bought anything from them. In fact, I've never been in one of their stores. Even so, I have about $2500-$3000 worth of new merchandise from Fastenal. My daughter worked for the company in Houston for about a year. Her store was having an inventory or some kind of records purge and they started cleaning stuff off the shelves and hauling it to the dumpster out back. Some of it was partial packages of stuff, but mostly unopened boxes and bags of nuts, bolts, other kinds of fasteners, chains, tarps, tape, Bondo, cleaners, solvents, respirators, etc. When I say boxes and bags, I mean 500 or so nuts or bolts or other stuff per package. Few tools, but almost anything else you can think of.

The thing that impressed me most, I guess, were the dozens of specialty drill bits and machining cutters of all sizes. I priced some of them on the Fastenal web site and some ran $50, $60, $70 bucks each.

Needless to say, my daughter went dumpster-diving and brought me as much as she could grab.

A year or so later she transferred with the company back here at home in Louisiana, where she worked as-needed in several area stores. One of the stores was being closed, and the scene was repeated, but on an even greater scale. She squirreled away even more loot, and I went back up there myself and pulled out some really interesting stuff. For instance, there was a box containing 10 6-foot piano-type hinges, 4" wide when opened. There were dozens and dozens of fire-retardant welding shirts of various sizes, still in the plastic bag. I retrieved about 50 of the things, plus a bunch of other stuff.

I can't remember all the things we stashed, because this was about two years ago and I haven't looked at the stuff since. That points up the fact that I don't really need any of it as my piddlin' and putterin' days are about over. I might try to sell some of the higher-dollar items, and find somebody to give the rest to. The shirts I'll probably donate to the local trade school for their welding classes.

Ive needed oddball items and our fastenal bent over backwards to help me,never asking to have an account.
Might been that store personells way of sayin get i aint workin,im paid to do nothing,next to a government job

I don't care for them,,

Never tried them for shipping .Though they have went to a no cash program here and have to buy the whole package deal. That might not be to bad for some things though for the one in a lifetime item, I don't want to buy 2 dozen.

They opened a store in my home town, and closed it after a year or two.

I only went there a couple of times, for some odd bolt I couldn't find elsewhere.

Have used fastenal logistics twice with no trouble. A 300lb cast iron tractor grille and a 150lb small engine. You need to call the store that shipped it and they'll get status from the shipper they used.
They need to know who the initiator was to track it. Have always found them 100% cooperatative. Best value out there to ship.

I tried to buy a rather rare item there and was told the nearest one they had was in South Dakota and it "just wouldn't pay to ship it all that distance" (two states away) I ordered what I needed on line from another company and it arrived two days later. Another time I drove into their parking lot at quarter to four on a weekday and noticed the clerk inside make a hurried path out the door, locking it as he went. He locked me out of the place. I don't go to them for anything anymore. If I can't get it at a local JD, NH CaseIH/Kubota or Fleet Farm, I order it on line.

They are a hardware company not a shipping company. It may take longer than a shipping outfit.

yikes. no tracking number ?

all about the store manager and ours is great he don't put up with S from his employees you server the costumer or out the door they go

They service our plant at work- even brought in several vending machines for gloves, safety glasses, welding supplies, etc. Keeps all that out of the storeroom, so our guys can work 4 ten hour days. A classmate of my oldest son works for them, he's been shuffled around the state a bit, but likes the work.

Our local store has a couple of young ladies working there, VERY easy on the eyes. I shop there, but rarely buy.