E-comcat Help

Assistance in using the Jencons-PLS online website can be found within this Help Page which covers the major areas of functionality within the site. If, however, you have any problems or queries not covered in this Help text, you can email us on ecomcathelp@jencons.co.uk or telephone us on 01525 372 010 asking for the E-comcat helpdesk. If you have any queries regarding your orders please email us on ecomcatsaleshelp@jencons.co.uk or telephone us on 01342 337447 asking for the E-comcat sales enquiries. Help on Searching for Products Browsing for Products Using your Shopping Basket Delivery Information Payment Information Obtaining Quotes

Searching for Products Back to top

	You SEARCH the catalogue for products by using the search function on the top menu bar. There are three boxes to use for searching. E-comcat is designed to search data from the Description, Manufacturer, Jencons’ Cat No. and Manufacturer’s Part Number fields.
	Description Keyword Search If you enter a word in BOX 1 it will search for that word in the Product’s Description and Manufacturer’s Part Number and display any products that contain that word in EITHER field. If you enter more than two words in BOX 1 it will only find products that include all the words in the EXACT order you entered them in the Product Description or Manufacturer’s Part Number. If you enter words in BOXES 1 and 2 it will only select products containing BOTH words in either the Product Description or Manufacturer’s Part Number. Example This will find all products with "hotplate" AND "ceramic" - either word can be in the product description. Example This will find all products with "ceramic hotplate" AND "stirrer" in the product description.
	Manufacturer Search BOX 3 can be used for searches on all products from a single manufacturer. Example This will find all products with "Bibby" as the manufacturer. This would include products from Bibby Sterilin and Bibby Stuart. If you wish to narrow your search you can enter words in the other search BOXES 1 & 2 .E-comcat will use this entry AND the manufacturer search BOX 3 entry to determine the results. Example This will find all products with "hotplate" AND "ceramic" in the product description and "Bibby" as the manufacturer.
	Catalogue / Part Number Search If you know the Jencons catalogue number of the product you require and wish to see details, then please enter that number in Box 1 or Box 3 to search. You can enter either the Jencons’ Catalogue Number or the Manufacturers’ Part Number in either Box 1 or Box 3 to search. Example This will find a grey Powerpette Plus pipette controller with a Jencons Catalogue Number of 266-000. Example This will find a Techne Flexigene thermal cycler with a Techne part no of FF G05FSD and a Jencons catalogue number of 286-694.   Back to top

The Browse function on the Top menu bar can be used as an INDEX for browsing the E-comcat product range. Clicking on the appropriate letter for the type of products you are looking for Example   If you are looking for a list of all the Ultrasonic baths on offer from E-comcat you can click on the letter ‘U’ in the Browse area of the top menu bar. This will take you to a page listing all first level index entries for products beginning with the letter U.   Clicking on the category ‘Ultrasonic Baths & Accessories’ takes you to a screen.     From this screen you can choose to browse all the Ultrasonic Baths and Accessories or refine your browse further to instruct E-comcat to show you only the Ultrasonic Baths or only the Accessories. Alternatively you could find Ultrasonic Baths through a refined search through the category of Baths. Clicking on B on the Browse Menu bar delivers the following page:   Clicking on ‘Baths & Bath Accessories’ delivers:     Clicking on ‘Ultrasonic Baths & Accessories’     From this screen you can choose to browse all the Ultrasonic Baths and Accessories or refine your browse further to instruct E-comcat to show you only the Ultrasonic Baths or only the Accessories. At any point you can go back to the previous category by clicking the link at the bottom of the page.

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Your Basket Back to top

	At any point on E-comcat you can access your current basket by clicking on the ‘basket ‘ on the top menu bar.   Unless you have retrieved a previously saved basket (or ‘favourite’) clicking ‘basket ‘ on the top menu bar takes you to your current ‘unsaved’ basket. If you have not placed any products in your basket already the basket looks as shown below.
	Adding Products to your Basket You can add products to your basket from a number of screens: 1. Basket Screen - here you can add products by typing a known Jencons catalogue number into the box shown below. Either leave the quantity at 1 or to enter more than one of the same item into the basket enter the quantity in the box and click update basket.   2. Search or browse results screen - this allows you to put a product directly into your basket from the Search results screen. Type in the number of items you want in the Qty box and click on add to basket. For search results displaying multiple screens add to basket needs to be action before proceeding to the next page.   3. Product Details screen - this allows you to put a product directly into your basket from the Search results screen. Type in the number of items you want in the quantity box and click on add to basket.   Basket on the top menu bar will automatically update to reflect the quantity and products added to the basket.
	Information on products in your basket Once you’ve added the first product into your basket, E-comcat will display the Jencons cat. no., description, product availability, price per product and value of the product(s) ordered. You can delete selected products from the basket by clicking the cross in the Delete box and clicking update basket to refresh your basket. You can access the extra information pages of any products in your basket by clicking on the product description text.   What you can do with your basket E-comcat allows the following functions.     1. Purchase the contents your basket by clicking ‘proceed to delivery details’. This takes you to the next stage of the ordering process. Please note that once you’ve ordered a basket that you have not previously saved, the basket is automatically emptied. 2. Keep your basket to order later or to store as a ‘favourite’ for repeat ordering, by clicking save. This will bring up the dialogue box Create Favourite Basket. You are prompted to name your basket for easy recognition and retrieval. Click on save changes to save your basket. 3. Clear the contents of your basket by clicking empty. 4. E-comcat allows you to send your basket to the Jencons-PLS Technical Office for a quotation by clicking quote me. For more information on using your basket to request a quotation and how to access quoted baskets, please see quotes tips on the home screen or help. 5. You can access any previously saved baskets by clicking favourites. Please note that if you try to retrieve a favourite basket when you still have an existing basket unsaved, E-comcat will prompt you to either save or delete your existing basket.
	Favourites Screen You can pick up your saved baskets from the Favourites screen.   The Favourites screen shows a list of all your previously saved baskets. The summary list displays the basket description or name, value of the basket, the date the basket was last amended and who the basket was last emailed to. 1. Click on its Description to open the basket 2. Click on amend desc if you wish to change the name of the basket 3. Click on the cross in the Delete box to permanently remove a basket from your favourites list 4. Click on the letter icon in the Email basket column to send an email to a colleague alerting them to the existence of an E-comcat basket you may wish them to access and or approve. Back to top

Deliveries on E-comcat Back to top

	E-comcat provides a range of flexible delivery options. The Delivery Screen   The delivery screen displays your details including the delivery address set up against your account for you to check before you progress your order further. The ‘Please mark goods for the attention of’ box allows you to specify to whom the parcel should be addressed.   Any extra delivery instructions, notes or requests you might wish to add can be typed into the additional delivery instructions box. Please note that any special requests will need to be confirmed by our Customer Support department.   As a default, E-comcat will deliver to the address displayed on the Delivery Details screen. If you require delivery directly to location other than the one attached to your account (e.g. to your laboratory) you need to request a delivery quotation from us. Clicking the above link on the Delivery screen takes you to the Delivery Quotation Form shown below.     For more information on Quotations for Delivery Charges please see E-comcat Quotes Tips E-comcat will deliver all the products in your basket in one delivery. This means that, as a matter of course, we will wait until we have all the items in your order before dispatching any of them. However, if you are ordering products from E-comcat that have different availability times, you can choose how you would like your items to be delivered to you. The availability of a product signifies the length of time it takes before the item is available for us to send to you, and it is displayed on a number of screens on E-comcat, principally the Product Details screen.   and the Basket screen For example, if you order one item with an availability of “2-3 days” and another marked with an availability of “5 days” we will dispatch both to you when the item with the “5 days” availability becomes available. This way we are able to keep delivery charges for your order to a minimum.
	What to do if you would like your each item delivered as soon as it is ready If you would like us to deliver ordered items as they become available this is simply done by ordering each product in a separate basket. This will guarantee that each item you order will be dispatched as it becomes available. Inevitably, your delivery charges will increase as E-comcat applies a separate delivery charge to each order. To minimize delivery charges for part shipments we would recommend that items with the same or similar availability’s are ordered together in one basket, so, effectively, we can dispatch items as soon as they are available without making any more deliveries than necessary. Please remember that in all cases the availability of all items in a single ordered basket will be the availability of the product or products in that ordered basket showing the greatest number of days. (Availability) + (Dispatch Time) = Total Delivery. Our standard carrier operates a 3-day service.
	What to do if you require a more complicated delivery schedule. We are always happy to deliver to personalised schedules. You can request a quote for products including delivery through our ‘Quote Me’ link on your basket page. Back to top

Payment on E-comcat Back to top

For registered users with credit account facilities with Jencons-PLS, E-comcat allows payment either using this account or using a credit card. Users without credit accounts can still purchase with any of the following credit cards: VISA, Delta, Switch, etc. The payment screen on E-comcat will show you the value of the goods you are ordering, the delivery charge if you are a UK customer and TBA (To Be Advised) if you are an overseas customer, plus VAT where applicable as well as provide you with the final value of the order to be placed.   E-comcat then asks you to select your payment method.   If you have a credit account you have a choice between using that account or using a credit or purchasing card.   If you do not have a credit account with us you will need to give us all the details for a credit /purchasing card. Please note that although the standard payment screen shows the option of a credit account for all registered users, if you do not fill in your credit card details and you do not have a credit account, we cannot accept your order.   Whether you are paying by credit card or credit account in either case we require an order number or order reference from you. Having provided all necessary details clicking ‘Proceed to Order Summary’ delivers a page where all the details you have provided us with are displayed for you to check prior to ordering. Back to top

Quotations on E-comcat Back to top

	E-comcat allows you to send your basket to the Jencons-PLS Technical Office for quotation by clicking the quote me button on the Basket Page. This takes you to the Quote Request Page. This page contains a form through which you can communicate with the Jencons-PLS Technical Office. You can request a quotation for: a delivery charge for your basket, if you have a Special Delivery Item in your basket or you would like any products delivered to an address other than the one associated with your account. Your basket contents only (including delivery) Your basket contents and alternative models of similar specification. A specification you’ve pasted into the ‘Extra info’ box provided Alternatively you just use your basket and the ‘quote me’ function to request a telephone call from a Technical Officer to discuss your requirements with you.
	Requesting a Quotation for a Delivery Charge Only   To request a delivery charge on E-comcat, click the first tick box on the page to take you down to the Delivery Quotation Form. Here you are prompted to answer a series of questions on your requirements.   Please answer all relevant questions, as the more information you provide us with, the more accurate your delivery quotation will be.   E-comcat delivers to the delivery address attached to your account. This address appears in the box titled Address - please fill in. If you wish to receive a quotation for delivery of your products to an address other than that shown in the box, you can delete the contents of the box and enter a new address. Please ensure that you include the full details.   If you wish your products to be delivered to an alternative location, we need to know a few details about the accessibility of the site, e.g. if there is restricted access to your lab and if it is on a 1st or 2nd floor perhaps. If you do not wish your products to be delivered to an alternative location you need not answer these questions.   Lastly, it is sometimes necessary for a Technical Officer to get in touch with you. It is important that we have a correct telephone number and email address for you. Please note any changes you make to this form will automatically update your user profile held on E-comcat, so if your telephone, email, department or other details change you will need to update E-comcat only once.   Once you have filled in all the details, you can send your request to our Technical Office by clicking the send quote request button. E-comcat then displays a Confirmation Screen containing your unique Quote Reference Number (or Tracking Number). Please make a note of this number. Our Technical Office will receive your email and will endeavour to action your request within 2 working days. In the event of any delay to this timetable a Technical Officer will email you within 2 working days to advise you of their progress. You will receive an email from us confirming the special delivery charge for your basket. When you confirm to us by email that you are happy with the delivery charge quoted, your Technical Officer will modify the basket you sent to us for quotation to reflect your new prices and delivery, your basket is transformed into a quoted basket and given a unique reference. We will then send you an email that informs you of your quoted basket reference number to allow you to retrieve and order it.
	Retrieving your Quoted Basket Your quoted basket can be retrieved when you access the Basket area from the Top Menu Bar. From here, click on the finished quotes link.   E-comcat takes you to the Quoted Baskets screen where you can retrieve your quoted basket.   When prompted for your basket I.D., type in the basket reference no. quoted on your email to display your basket contents and prices for checking.   E-comcat displays the contents of your quoted basket displaying the expiry date of the quoted basket, products, availabilities, special pricing and delivery charge.   Please note, amendments can be made to your basket only by sending your basket back, with your instructions, to our Technical Office. Do this by clicking the re-quote link on the Quoted Baskets screen. If you are happy with your quoted basket, you can order it by clicking proceed to payment options. Please note that all prices shown in quoted baskets are exclusive of VAT. If you are set up as a VAT payable account then VAT will be added to your quotation and shown when you proceed to the payment options screen. If you are attached to a VAT exempt account then no VAT will be added to your quoted basket at a later stage. Expired Quotes As with all quotes, an E-comcat quoted basket has an expiry date. If you retrieve a quoted basket that has passed which is no longer valid, E-comcat will display the following message.   You can send your expired basket back to our Technical Office to for an updated quotation by clicking the re-quote link on the Quoted Baskets screen.
	Requesting a Quotation for Products & Delivery E-comcat allows you to request a quotation for individual products, laboratory equipment packages and even items not featured online. Your basket contents only (including delivery) Your basket contents and alternative models of similar specification. A specification you’ve pasted into the ‘Extra info’ box provided Alternatively you just use your basket and the ‘quote me’ function to request a telephone call from a Technical Officer to discuss your requirements with you. Please note - You have to have at least one product in your basket to allow you to send a request for a quote to our technical office. If you do not wish us to incorporate the product you have placed in your basket for this purpose alone then please make a note on any special instructions field. E-comcat prompts you to indicate the type of quotation you are requesting.   To give our Technical Office an indication of the urgency of your quote request E-comcat asks if the quote is requested on the basis of an immediate need for the products or for the purposes of a Grant application or for another purpose. If you need your quotation by a specific date, please put this information in the free text box A4 further down the form.   If you are requesting a re-quote, it helps us if you can provide the quote reference number from the previously quoted basket you would like re-quoted.   We are able to provide a wide range of equipment to suit a variety of specifications and budgets. If you have a ball-park budget to cover the products requested for quotation you can indicate that to us if you wish.   The E-comcat quotation form provides a free text box for you to type in notes, specifications and / or instructions. You can paste into this box, a complete quote specification, notes on when you need your quotation by , key features required, applications and techniques and any other points you might wish to make.   Having provided details on your product requirements you are then prompted to answer a series of questions on your delivery needs.   Please answer all relevant questions, as the more information you provide us with, the more accurate your delivery quotation will be.   E-comcat delivers to the delivery address attached to your account. This address appears in the box titled Address - please fill in. If you wish to receive a quotation for delivery of your products to an address other than that shown in the box, you can delete the contents of the box and enter a new address. Please ensure that you include the full details.   If you wish your products to be delivered to an alternative location, we need to know a few details about the accessibility of the site, e.g. if there is restricted access to your lab and if it is on a 1st or 2nd floor perhaps. If you do not wish your products to be delivered to an alternative location you need not answer these questions.     Lastly, it is sometimes necessary for a Technical Officer to get in touch with you. It is important that we have a correct telephone number and email address for you. Please note any changes you make to this form will automatically update your user profile, so if your telephone, email, department or other details change you will need to update E-comcat only once.   Once you have filled in all the details, you can send your request to our Technical Office by clicking the send quote request button. E-comcat then displays a Confirmation Screen containing your unique Quote Reference Number (or Tracking Number). Please make a note of this number. Our Technical Office will receive your email and will endeavour to action your request within 2 working days. In the event of any delay to this timetable a Technical Officer will email you within 2 working days to advise you of their progress. You will then receive an email from us containing the quote you requested. When you confirm to us by email that you are happy with the quotation, your Technical Officer will modify the basket you sent to us for quotation to reflect your new prices and delivery, your basket is transformed into a quoted basket and given a unique reference. We will then send you an email that informs you of your quoted basket reference number to allow you to retrieve and order it.

Your quoted basket can be retrieved when you access the Basket area from the Top Menu Bar. From here, click on the finished quotes link.   E-comcat takes you to the Quoted Baskets screen where you can retrieve your quoted basket.   When prompted for your basket I.D., type in the basket reference no. quoted on your email to display your basket contents and prices for checking.   E-comcat displays the contents of your quoted basket displaying the expiry date of the quoted basket, products, availabilities, special pricing and delivery charge.   Please note, amendments can be made to your basket only by sending your basket back, with your instructions, to our Technical Office. Do this by clicking the re-quote link on the Quoted Baskets screen. If you are happy with your quoted basket, you can order it by clicking proceed to payment options. Please note that all prices shown in quoted baskets are exclusive of VAT. If you are set up as a VAT payable account then VAT will be added to your quotation and shown when you proceed to the payment options screen. If you are attached to a VAT exempt account then no VAT will be added to your quoted basket at a later stage.   Expired Quotes As with all quotes, an E-comcat quoted basket has an expiry date. If you retrieve a quoted basket that has passed which is no longer valid, E-comcat will display the following message.   You can send your expired basket back to our Technical Office to for an updated quotation by clicking the re-quote link on the Quoted Baskets screen. Back to top