Except that Farnell charge me (a bona fide trade account holder) shipping on any order under 30gbp. They justify this on my 'poor' annual spend. I try to explain I'm a design consultant, and the companies I design for then buy hundreds of thousands, based on my say-so. I then explain I will recommend RS, because they don't penalise me. They reluctantly agree - but I still have a fight every time I order sub 30gbp totals. I gave up with them.

Have you ever tried ordering on-line with Farnell? Their site is a joke and often fails, claiming such and such is not a recognised part number - even when you have the part on the screen - so it won't add it to your basket. Even their catalogue is a mess - they've incorporated Buck and Hickman inventory - but not got to grips with the different item numbers - their index is also completely askew. For one of the world's biggest component distributors, they have a real problem... If I had shares, I'd be selling them fast.

Dave