VENDOR RATINGS

In an effort to assist others in materials research, we are herewith listing vendors and suppliers that have proven particularly helpful or unsatisfactory. The reasons for gratitude or dissatisfaction, set forth below, represent our subjective undocumented recollection or opinions and are not guaranteed to be an index of the company's overall performance or similar to the experiences of other customers of these vendors.

OUTSTANDING	GOOD: MIXED	UNSATISFACTORY
LPS Specialists	TA Instruments	Puget Sound Energy
Wilshire Chemical	All-World Scientific	AT&T
Tacoma Screw	UPS	Federal Express
Capital Sheet Metal	U.S. Post Office	Sony
Shape Software	DHL Airways	Radio Shack
C and H Surplus
Pacific Motion & Control
Mega Machine Shop
Chestnut Hill Constr
Cannon Microprobe
Olympus Camera

OUTSTANDING VENDOR AWARDS:

The following vendors provided us with the most satisfactory experience in the designated years, those who have "gone the extra mile" for us:
2003: Cannon Microprobe
2002: E.S.F.
2001: Lab Performance Specialists, Redmond, WA
2000: Tacoma Screw, Lacey, WA
1999: Mega Machine Shop, Tumwater WA
1998: Wilshire Chemical Company, Gardena, CA
1996: Pacific Measurement and Control
1995: Chestnut Hill Construction
1994: Capital Sheet Metal, Lacey, WA
1993: Shape Software, Kingsport, TN
1992: C and H Supplies

GOOD VENDORS:
MIXED EVALUATION:
TA Instruments, New Castle DE:

UNSATISFACTORY:
PSE (Puget Sound Energy):
AT&T:
Sony:
Radio Shack:
I delayed replying to your last e-mail (below) until i could ask a few colleagues about their experiences with overnight-delivery carriers. I regret to say that the news was not good. I must conclude that we know of no carrier that has proven entirely satisfactory.
DHL failed us once in 1995 by failing to deliver a package of zero-gravity apparatus parts to our hotel in Cleveland. When the couldn't find us, they simply returned it to sender without phoning us. We haven't used them since. In the present instance, they were (as I recall) a day or so late and then refused to acknowledge our request for customs charge documentation. Ultimately, they sent our bill to a collection agency, we countered with a Better Business Bureau complaint, and they eventually apologized.
Federal Express failed a colleague who sent live biological specimens to the University of North Carolina. They were marked RUSH-SATURDAY DELIVERY but were held in a warehouse over the weekend. They were dead by the time they delivered the following Monday. This happened twice. In neither case, did Federal Express apologize or make restitution.
United Parcel failed the same colleague in the same way once. We have also had occasional problems with their deliveries in that they have left parcels at our front gate---in the rain---instead of delivering them to our receiving room.
The Post Office is more reliable about delivery but has often been a day late in overnight "Express" deliveries. On one occasion, when we protested, they neither apologized nor offered restitution.
In general, therefore, all have proven deficient. At present, we tend to use UPS or the Post Office but we still hope to someday find a completely reliable and convenient carrier. I hope this summary will help you.
Incidentally, our new website has a page listing our ratings of good and bad vendors. All of the above will soon be summarized there. And by the way, E.S.F. will be listed, with about six other companies, as an "Outstandingly Helpful" vendor.