Here are some of the more common questions that we are asked:
I do not want to buy an ELM327 scantool with a clone chip in it. Can you provide a list of customers that use genuine ELM327 chips in their product?
No – sorry. Even if we could share customer information (we do not), we could not guarantee that a particular customer always uses our product. Simply buying some ICs from us is no guarantee that they do not also sell clone products.
If you want to be sure that a particular scan tool uses a genuine ELM327 integrated circuit, ask the vendor or manufacturer if it does, and obtain their assurance that your money will be refunded if you are not completely satisfied.
Do you license portions of your code?
No. Elm Electronics does not license the code for any of our products.
Do you offer discounts on volume purchases?
Yes. There is a chart of the quantity range and prices on every product page. Occasionally, the single unit price is displayed on the web site, but the correct discounted price is always calculated when the product is added to the shopping cart. We use the total number of ICs purchased of one type (P + SM) for the calculation.
Note that all prices are in Canadian dollars.
Do you have any retailers or distributors in my country?
No – we only offer our products via the web, and do not have distributors. This helps to keep our costs down, so we can in turn keep the prices low. All orders must be made over the Internet, through our web site.
What is your return policy?
Returns are not accepted. As experienced electronics hobbyists know, mistakes can happen when you are building a circuit. Occasionally circuits are severely overstressed by excessive voltages or currents, and although they may not fail right away, they could eventually die prematurely due to the stress. We cannot know what an IC has been subjected to, so can never resell one if it were to be returned. This is common practice in the electronics industry – we are just being consistent.
Do you do custom designs?
No, we are a small business and do not have the resources that would be required to properly develop and maintain custom products. There are many competent embedded systems designers – a web search should net you a few to choose from.
Can I phone you to ask a question?
No, you can not – we do not offer a telephone help line. If you have a question, then please ask it in an email. We always do our best to answer your questions promptly.
What is your Privacy Policy?
Any information that you provide to us remains confidential. Other than passing on your information to Stripe for credit card authorization (through an encrypted portal) your information is never shared by us with, nor sold to another party.