NCE ProCab Availability

[Ray H]

I am aware of the time that it took to get the PowerCab upgrade EPROMs sent out by NCE and wonder if my experience when trying to buy several ProCab throttles via a reasonably well known UK retailer is typical?

 

I placed an order with said retailer for three ProCabs 4 months ago. I wasn't too surprised initially when they weren't available immediately knowing of the EPROM saga. In fact it was fortunate because it allowed me to increase the order to four a little later. I also included several of the throttle holders with the original order and the delay has also allowed me to increase order twice.

 

The purchase is largely for a club although a couple of the items are for me.

 

I have endeavoured to keep the retailer up to speed regarding dates that I could or couldn't accept delivery. More recently I am being repeatedly asked where the club's order is so I have endeavoured to ascertain that information from the retailer.

 

I was initially advised of a delay in despatch from America. I was then advised that the courier was due to deliver within a couple of days. Next it was a case of the courier only having delivered one package, but not the one with the items that I had ordered. Next it was a case of the items being delayed by HMRC - and that was about a month ago. Today's response was all but suggesting that in fact that the items still hadn't been shipped.

 

All stories prior to today give perfectly feasible reasons. However, given how highly NCE systems are regarded in the UK and, presumably, how frequently they must be selling, I am beginning to wonder whether something is amiss somewhere.

 

That said, I've just made a quick search of the Internet looking specifically for UK ProCab retailers and can only find four listed. Interestingly that search didn't find the retailer I've been dealing with. Equally, all but one had insufficient stock to meet my requirements (and that retailer is not one I'm acquainted with).

 

The retailer that I am dealing with has my card details although they have yet to draw anything via the card.

 

Is NCE equipment difficult to get (reasonably quickly) from America?

 

Does anyone else have any experience with purchasing several similar items from a UK source and did they have to wait months rather than weeks?

 

How can NCE kit be so highly recommended if it takes so long to get it shipped across the pond?

 

This post is as much a request to find out whether my experience is usual so that I don't jump from the frying pan to the fire if I attempt to find a different retailer. For this reason I have no intention of identifying the retailer concerned.

[Dava]

I bought a NCE PowerCab about a month ago. Retailers such as DigiTrains at the GCR Quorn model gala didn't have them in stock and after a bit of a search I ordered one from CoastalDCC who had a few in stock at the time. They are apparently hard to get hold of, with limited supplies coming to the UK, which must be frustrating for the retailers and buyers alike.

 

Dava

[Nick G]

I recently bought two ProCabs from a UK seller on eBay for £109.00 each. Just checked and he doesn't currently have any for sale. This does happen with him though he seems to get them in batches of 4.

[Oldddudders]

Coastal DCC has stock, but I know not how many. 

 

Being loyal to a retailer is only reasonable when he is reasonable with you. 

[amdaley]

Digitrains & Dcc Concepts seem to have them in stock.

[Ray H]

Many thanks for the info chaps. Unfortunately I haven't thought to keep a check of stock elsewhere because I incorrectly believed that the retailer I was dealing with was in fact the Main (Sole) UK importer. I was advised yesterday that this is not the case, there is no main importer, each trader orders their own.

 

Further more I have been in touch with a separate retailer to enquire whether they could meet my order's requirements. They responded by saying that they can't currently do so, they have a delivery due next week - a statement of fact? - and actually order every two weeks. What they never said was how long their orders take to come through so we could still face a delay in or order being met.

 

The two stories (from the separate retailers) definitely do not compute.

 

We could meet our requirements by dealing with two separate retailers (almost certainly from their current stock). The downside is that we'd then face two lots of carriage charges and if the current stock can't service our order one or more further carriage charges may be possible.

[Nigelcliffe]

To the best of my knowledge, there never has been a UK or European distributor for NCE, each retailer has dealt with NCE in the US themselves.

 

Small retail businesses won't hold large stocks of stuff bought in foreign currencies, far too easy to be burned by rapidly changing exchange rates, leaving retailer with stock which has to be sold at a loss.  Plus, stock has to be paid for, outright, at time of order, can't be returned, etc..  so very different to dealing with a UK based distributor with 30-day settlement terms, restocking arrangements, etc.. 

[Ray H]

To the best of my knowledge, there never has been a UK or European distributor for NCE, each retailer has dealt with NCE in the US themselves.

 

Small retail businesses won't hold large stocks of stuff bought in foreign currencies, far too easy to be burned by rapidly changing exchange rates, leaving retailer with stock which has to be sold at a loss.  Plus, stock has to be paid for, outright, at time of order, can't be returned, etc..  so very different to dealing with a UK based distributor with 30-day settlement terms, restocking arrangements, etc.. 

 

Thanks Nigel. I can understand that. I can't recall previous problems purchasing NCE stuff direct from retailers - usually at shows, and the communication from the second retailer does make me wonder why my (originally) chosen retailer has had so much difficulty.

[ian]

As Nigel said, UK NCE retailers deal direct with NCE and pay cash up front for the goods and carriage. This means that they will only order when the need sufficient to make it worthwhile. When the goods arrive in the UK they sit in customs for an indeterminate and highly variable length of time - anything from a day to a fortnight - before a customs charge is generated. This has to be paid before the packages are delivered.

 

The practical upshot of this is that:

• Smaller retailers, or those who sell a limited amount of NCE, will order infrequently and supplies on the shelf will vary from feast to famine. In the normal course of things they may never have more than a couple of Pro Cabs on the shelf.
• Retailers cannot give a firm delivery date as the carriage across the Atlantic and the black hole of customs is unpredictable - they won't know when something is arriving until they have paid the customs charge.
• If something does go missing en route or the order was packed incorrectly/placed incorrectly it can take a while to sort it out. NCE are very good at sorting things out but the difficulty of getting things to the retailer remains.
• Finally - if the retailer is experiencing cash flow problems then a product for which cash must be paid at least a couple of weeks up front is the first thing to drop off their purchases. I am NOT saying this is the case here, just making a general observation that you might wish to take into account.

Edited July 28, 2018 by ian

[newbryford]

I know of one UK dealer that put an order into the US for NCE stuff about 10 days ago - I have been told it arrived today.

 

 

Cheers,

Mick