Williams Automation

Complaint Themes

Each tag reflects a complaint's single primary theme (not every angle it raised), and complaints outside any problem theme — a positive report, or one later retracted by its author — aren't tagged. Counts may total less than the full complaint count above.

Independent Sources

Shown for context — not merged with USAComplaints' own numbers.

Contacts

• Website: https://williamsautomation.com/
• Phone: (803) 761-7027
• Email: [email protected]

Locations

About Williams Automation

Williams Automation (legally Williams Automation, Inc.) is an online reseller of industrial automation parts based at 137 Rolling Hills Road in Aiken, South Carolina. Founder Charles Elisha Williams says on the company's own site that he started the business in 2016; South Carolina’s BBB file agrees, listing a "Business Started" date of 1/1/2016, and shows the corporation was formally incorporated on March 6, 2018.

The company sells new and surplus PLCs, VFDs, touch panels, and related components from brands including Allen-Bradley, Siemens, and Mitsubishi, and also buys surplus industrial equipment from customers. Its BBB file (ID 0743-49113) resolves under two business-name variants — “Williams Automation” at an Aiken, SC address and “PLC Central” at a Monetta, SC address — consistent with a rebrand from an earlier name; the company's own site makes no mention of the PLC Central name.

Is Williams Automation Legitimate?

Williams Automation has been BBB Accredited since March 14, 2019 (BBB File Opened 4/2/2018; business incorporated 3/6/2018) and currently holds an A+ BBB rating, with a separate BBB customer-review average of 4.81/5 across 48 reviews. No lawsuits, attorney general actions, or FTC enforcement records naming the company were found in this review. A WHOIS/domain check shows williamsautomation.com registered September 30, 2019 (with the registrant's identity shielded via a privacy service) — several years after the company says it opened for business in 2016, which is consistent with the company operating under the earlier “PLC Central” name/domain before rebranding.

Separately, ComplaintsBoard shows a mixed but sharply bimodal picture: 14 reviews averaging 3.0 out of 5 stars, split exactly evenly -- 7 five-star reviews describing fast shipping and responsive service, and 7 one-star reviews alleging the company's website overstates in-stock inventory, including one account describing a tracking number created in Shenzhen, China that never moved and a refused refund, and another describing being told a part was "on the shelf" at the company's NC location only to later receive a tracking number to an unrelated address in a different state. No independent complaint activity for this company was found on Trustpilot, ConsumerAffairs, or Reddit as of this review.

Separately, Williams Automation's own "Product Information" policy page directly discloses that it is an independent reseller not authorized by or affiliated with the brands it sells, that it sources products (which may be new, surplus, or used) through independent third-party channels it cannot independently verify against manufacturer serial-number databases, and that any warranty or support is with Williams Automation itself, not the manufacturer. This disclosed business model is consistent with -- though does not excuse -- the recurring complaint pattern of items not matching what a listing described.

What Complaints Describe

Of the 14 reviews on ComplaintsBoard, exactly 7 are one-star and describe a recurring pattern:

• Inventory shown as in-stock but unavailable: multiple reviewers (including orders reported at $14,400 and $1,080-per-unit) say the site listed items as in stock or same-day/overnight-shippable, only to be told after ordering that the item wasn't actually available, sometimes after a multi-week wait.
• Used items shipped as new: three reviewers say they ordered a part listed as new and received a used unit instead.
• Refund delays or refusals: reviewers describe refunds being withheld, only partially issued, or requiring repeated follow-up calls.

These are the complainants' own allegations, drawn from one review platform (ComplaintsBoard), and have not been independently verified by USAComplaints. The company's positive reviews, on the same platform and its own site, describe fast delivery and responsive service, including one customer reporting over $45,000 in cumulative orders.

Frequently Asked Questions