Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/22/2024

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Subject: Request for Refund - SparkFun Order #******* I am filing a dispute regarding an order (#*******) placed with SparkFun Electronics on October 2, 2023. The order included five SparkFun Inventor's Kit Lab Pack - v4.1.2 (SKU: LAB-*****), totaling $4,949.75. After receiving the kits, we encountered several issues that have led to significant complications.The new redboards included in the kits were incompatible with the software provided, as the software did not recognize the redboards. Despite extensive troubleshooting and attempts to resolve the issue, the equipment still would not function as expected. Additionally, we made several attempts to contact SparkFun Electronics customer service over the course of a few months but received no response, leaving the issue unresolved.Due to this lack of functionality, we were forced to revert to using older Arduino boards and software. This outcome is contrary to the purpose for which the kits were purchased, and it does not meet our requirements. Since the product did not fulfill its intended purpose, and our efforts to resolve the situation with SparkFun have been unsuccessful, we are requesting a full refund for the purchase.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/23/2024

  Hello, 

  We do apologize for the issues you experienced with this purchase. Your initial order was purchased in October of 2023. Per our Return Policy (**********************************************) we accept returns within 30 days of the purchase date. 
  
  We received an email from you (*****) on July 26, 2024 to which we did respond and authorize a return for testing of the boards you reported as defective. We received no response from you to that confirmation, nor was the return made to allow us the ability to test the boards to determine if they were truly faulty. (Record of our email to you attached) This is the only record of contact from you we received. 
  
  We then received an email from ******* ******** (correspondence also attached) in September and have been actively communicating with this individual regarding this order, the *** and the credit refund that was provided. 

  Due to the claims of defective hardware, as we provided to you in July, we not only did accept this order back but also provided a return shipping label to send the items back to us. The return was received at our warehouse on September 17, 2024. Per the communications between SparkFun and *******, your account was issued credit for the cost of the kits, less a 25% restocking fee, as we did circumvent our standard policies to resolve this issue for you. Additionally, we also refunded your shipping and tax directly back to your credit card. 

  Your claim that "several attempts to contact SparkFun Electronics customer service over the course of a few months but received no response, leaving the issue unresolved" is inaccurate and we have been consistently in communication to resolve this issue for you. 

  Your account (registered to *************************** currently has $3,712.31 in credit from this refund that is available at any time for use toward a purchase on from our website. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/23/2024

   
  Complaint: 22458344
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  Thank you for your response and for providing further details regarding the return process. I would like to clarify and address the points mentioned in your message.
  
  We initially purchased these kits in October 2023, and upon receiving them, our team made several attempts to use the products as intended. Unfortunately, the kits did not function properly, which led us to try and troubleshoot the issues ourselves. During this period, we made multiple attempts to reach out to customer support for assistance but did not receive the response we were hoping for.
  
  It is true that I (***** ****) reached out on July 26, 2024, after giving up on the kits and trying to find someone at Sparkfun to help with support, and received authorization to return the defective boards for testing.
  

  However, given our ongoing efforts to resolve the issues on our own and the time taken to manage logistics with our students, there was a delay in our response. Furthermore, ******* ******** subsequently reached out on our behalf in September, and we appreciate your engagement and willingness to work through the situation with her.
  
  Upon returning the items, ( shipping label was not provided, hence why you refunded shipping) we did receive a partial credit refund to our account. However, we were under the impression that this issue could still be resolved without the 25% restocking fee, considering the products were defective and initially unusable for our instructional purposes. While we appreciate the refund of shipping and tax, we would like to reiterate that our intent was to either have fully functional kits replaced or receive a full refund to allocate those funds toward another viable solution.
  
  Regarding your statement about consistent communication, we made every attempt to resolve this issue in good faith, as our goal was to provide hands-on learning opportunities for our 130 students with these kits. You do not have a tech support, and if you do its not available on your website, 
  
  At this point, we kindly request a reconsideration of the 25% restocking fee that was deducted, as we did not initially seek to return the kits but rather hoped to resolve the defects. We hope to reach an outcome that allows us to continue supporting our students education in robotics and embedded systems without unnecessary financial losses from this experience.
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** ****

  Customer Answer

  Date: 10/29/2024

  
  
  Good evening,
  
  I initially reached out to SparkFun to address an issue we encountered with their inventors kits, as it was non-functional despite our troubleshooting efforts. They advised us to return the kits. Our goal is simply to receive kits that function as expected. Having purchased items from SparkFun for over 10 years without any prior issues, we are now seeking either working replacement kits or a full refund, so we can procure the necessary equipment for our classes. I have attached an email for reference.
  
  Thank you,  
  
  *****
  

  
  

  Business Response

  Date: 11/06/2024

  *****, I have issued additional credit of $471.25 to your account which equals a full refund for this order. 

   

  Please let us know if you have any other questions. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/08/2024

   
  Complaint: 22458344
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  We will need to replace the 50 Sparkfun kits for our curriculm. If you could replace the kits that were sent back with kits that actually work, then this is great. 

  Sincerely,
  
  ***** ****

  Business Response

  Date: 11/18/2024

  Hello *****, 

  The credit on your account can be used to place a new order for replacement kits. You requested a refund, which we complied with. You are not making a completely different request and demanding replacements. 
  
  Please confirm what you would actually like to occur. Alternatively, this can be resolved immediately by visiting our website and placing an order for replacement kits with the refunded credit we have applied to your account. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 11/18/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***** ****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/17/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I ordered a Sparkfun order with the order # ********. I contacted them to see if I could return it and they never got back to me

  Business Response

  Date: 06/17/2024

  Hello, 
  
  We did receive your email requesting an RMA be created, and did respond via email. Unfortunately the email address that was provided in the request ********************** was denied as undeliverable. Your RMA was created and your return instructions and RMA number are included in the attached response email. 
  
  Please send an email to ********************************** if you have any additional questions and we are more than happy to assist. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/27/2024

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I bought on 7/31/2023 from Sparkfun (Order #*******), a SparkFun ************************* Kit (for *****************************************************) for $41.93 (+tax). The money was withdrawed from my account around that time. I was then told that the item wasn't available anymore and that my order would be processed once it is back in store. It's been over 6 months.However, all the items that make this kit are made by the company itself and the individual parts are available separately and are in stock (see the attachment):- ***************************************************** - ***************************************************** - ***************************************************** - ***************************************************** - ***************************************************** In essence, they should be able to ship these parts for me, either by making a kit (which is what I bought but hasn't been in stock for over 6 months), or shipping the parts separately.I contacted Sparkfun to ask them to ship the individual parts, I am just being told that the item I ordered is in back order. They have stop responding to my inquiries.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/28/2024

  First my apologies for this customer experience. We pride ourselves on servicing our customers and this clearly missed the ***** This will be addressed internally. 

  Your order has been packed and will ship this afternoon (2/28). Additionally, I've asked the team to credit your order (*******) in full.

  Thank you for being a loyal SparkFun Customer.

  Happy Hacking. 

  **************************

  CEO

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/05/2024

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********.

  Sparkfun has made a nice effort to promptly ship the goods.  I have received them over the weekend.

   The resolution is very satisfactory to me. 

  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/02/2024

  Type:Delivery Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  On October 2nd, 2023 I ordered products from SparkFun with the understanding that they would ship later that month. This was a pre-order, which SparkFun immediately charged to my credit card, long before the promised shipping date. Since then, SparkFun has not shipped my order and continues to accept orders for the item.SparkFun should not be taking pre-orders they do not intend to fill.

  Business Response

  Date: 02/13/2024

  I am sorry for the inconvenience. Without further details I cannot check the status of your order.

  If this is related to a Raspberry Pi product (the Rpi5 was released in October) we are fulfilling those backorders as we receive product from the Supplier. We are hoping to have all backorders addressed by the end of March. In the meantime, please feel free to cancel your order if you would like to be removed from the backorder queue and your will be fully credited for your order.

  email request can be sent to ***********************************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/13/2024

   
  Complaint: 21239980
  
  I am rejecting this response because: SparkFun is NOT fulfilling Raspberry Pi 5 preorders, is lying to customers about the status of preorders, and is still accepting preorders that they do not intend to fill. SparkFun must discontinue preorders, give a clear and truthful status update to all customers, and either fulfill or refund all open orders before accepting any further payments from customers for the Rasperry Pi 5.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  *******************************