Earlier today, I placed an order with McMaster-Carr, as they will ship by USPS. I've used them in the past with good results. Tonight, however, I received this email from McMaster:

From: atl.sales@mcmaster.com [mailto:atl.sales@mcmaster.com]
Sent: Friday, June 29, 2007 3:14 PM
To: rich@caribbeanblacksmith.com
Subject: Your purchases with McMaster-Carr

Due to the ever-increasing complexity of U. S. Export regulations, McMaster-Carr has decided to continue to accept orders only from a few, long-established export customers. Your company is not in this category and we are unable to process your orders.

Joshua Clark

I replied:

Joshua Clark,

As a customer of McMaster-Carr since my first business venture in 1971, I am astonished to receive such a callous and unfriendly response to my recent order.

I’m astounded that McMaster no longer wishes to acknowledge that the United States Virgin Islands is part of the United States. After all, the United States Postal Service delivers here at domestic rates. That alone should give you a clue as to our status with the Federal government. Further, we pay income taxes on the good old Form 1040, same as everybody else. We get drafted, shot at and killed in wars, carry U.S. passports, etc. And yet, McMaster-Carr suddenly and arbitrarily decides we’re no longer citizens. Frankly, I find that distressing to the point of outright anger.

Please be advised that I am forwarding your email to all my mainland friends and will be encouraging them to take their future business to MSC Industrial Supply, instead of your narrow-minded and undemocratic company. Further, I will be posting your email to every metalworking forum of which I am a member, with the same suggestion that readers cease doing business with your company. Lastly, I will forward your email to my Delegate to Congress, The Honorable Donna Christiansen. This practice of treating certain United States residents as second-class citizens has to be stopped, and I will suggest to Delegate Christiansen that she begin drafting legislation that penalizes corporations that have policies demonstrating a bias against citizens of United States Territories.

So what is your next ignorant move? Is McMaster planning to refuse to do business with residents of Hawaii? What about the military personnel stationed overseas? Are you planning to cut them off, too? Oh, hey – the Florida Keys are all islands, too. Better cut them off as well. Then cut off Long Island, Manhattan, Rhode Island, and any other islands you can think of. There are lots of islands around Alaska, you know. Not to mention the barrier islands of the Carolinas, Texas and anyplace else. Oops, I almost forgot Catalina Island, California. Why, just think; if you work this right, your company can restrict itself to dealing only with a handful of landlocked people in the Midwest. That should certainly decrease the workload of your sales and shipping staff. With luck, when your MBA’s finally realize that revenues are shrinking, they’ll have the good sense to eliminate your position and outsource customer service to a boiler-room in Bhopal.

Sincerely,

Richard Waugh,
U.S. citizen, businessman and now, outraged former McMaster customer.