Hills Cues Has Gone Down Hill

Warning! To anyone thinking of purchasing a Hills cue, its not worth the trouble. I am a local player and there was a time when Darrin was well liked and on the rise as a cue maker. Like most guys looking for custom stuff, you go to who has the best reputation. 10 years ago Hills cues was the hottest cue to have in these parts. Some of the best local players I knew played with a Hills cue and had positive things to say about it, so naturally I turned to him to make one for me. I had given Darrin piece work by way of getting to know him, before commissioning him to make a cue for me. I had him replace several tips, as well as put leather wraps on two of my Southwest cues. He was pricey, but the wraps looked good. The real problems started when I asked him to make me a cue. He was quick to take my money, all the while referring to himself in the third person (which Ive always found strange) about how great of a cue maker he is and who plays with his cues. What I received in exchange for my trust and money was a cue that had a ping in it from the moment he handed it to me. He said that he thought the glue he used would expand to fill whatever crevice was hollowed, and to come back if the sound remained. I left and lived with it, knowing there wasnt much to be done, with the exception of scraping it and building a new cue. Over the next few years the cue just got worse. The finish clouded up, both shafts warped on me and I discovered the source of the ping, when the A-joint literally came apart in my hand. I brought the cue to his attention, only to be met with hostility and derogatory comments. I had also given him $300 by way of good faith to do some work on another cue for me (prior to my current cue falling apart in my hands), to which he decided he was entitled to the money and refuses to communicate or repay me my deposit. There are too many cue talented cue makers out there to risk your money over this headache. Learn from my lesson and dont trust this guy with your cues, your money or your time.

I havent had Facebook in almost two years, so I cant comment on any Facebook drama. If you are referring to some sort of non refundable disclaimer, it was agreed via text that he would be repaying me the deposit. He gave me a quote, in person, to which I agreed and gave deposit of cash. He called me two days later to tell me it would cost me $1000.00 more than we had agreed on. I told him I would come along and collect the cash. All of my attempts there after were met with excuses or outright dismissal.
As for the cue pictured above...
1) It has a buzz. I realize that a buzz doesnt necessarily mean anything. When you spend $1300.00 for a custom piece of anything though, you expect it to be up to snuff.
2) Both shafts warped. Ive owned cues for 20 years. Other than two original OB1 shafts, Ive never had a shaft warp on me other than his. I take care of my cues, as I dont have thousands to just replace them.
3) The finish is cloudy. What sort of craftsman will look you in the face and try to pass off flawed craftsmanship for top dollar? Go to Hills cues and find out.
4) Really though, above all, it fell apart in my hand. If none of the other things listed above were even taken into consideration, the fact that his craftsmanship is such garbage that someone on here compared it to a jump/break hot glued together says more than I can about the quality of his work.
I messaged him to see what he was willing to do about it. He told me that all of these things were a matter of opinion and that I should take my business elsewhere, after calling me a few derogatory names. My reply was that these are actually empirical facts, not matters of opinion. I think that may have been too deep for him, because I never got a reply. In my opinion, he is on his way out of business. Its a tight community around these parts, and everyone has the same relative opinion of him, his work and his overall attitude lately. Last time I was in his shop, he told me that he didnt carry tips in stock and he would have to order them for me. Same with the bumper that kept falling off my cue everything I shot with it. I ended up having to order a dozen so that I could replace it.
I am angry about being ripped off, both for a cue that literally fell apart in my hands and being ripped off cash, but this post is to let the rest of you know what type of person he is and what you are dealing with if you trust him with anything. No name calling, no opinions, just facts.

Type79 said:

In a nutshell, there is a problem with delivery of cues.

The customer posted a series of screenshots of text communications with Darrin Hill over an eight month period to detail his dialog with the cuemaker and it is the usual list of promises to deliver the cues peppered with the all too common litany of excuses.

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Click to expand...

When I took my shaft to him to look at the warp, ("Darrins shafts dont warp." he tells me over the phone, referring to himself in the third person, as he so often does) I noticed an absence of anything work related. The machines were there, but there was no wood stock anywhere. Just a bunch of old one piece house cues. The displaycabinets were empty. There were no partials laying around or any work being done at any stage. When I asked about getting another cue tipped, he told me that he doesnt stock tips and would have to order them. Then he wanted $50 for a Moori medium (anything cheaper is almost certainly a Chinese knock-off he assured me). If he is telling anyone he is doing work for them, he is likely full of the BS. Ive been in busy cue makers shops before and he had nothing going on.