Omen - Propellor cue I just sold

classiccues

classiccues

Morgan set complete...
Silver Member
I was given permission to pass this along. If you're a cuemaker, read it as a lesson on customer service, if you're a cue buyer, you'll learn that if you order something and you don't like it, don't eat it.

This cue was ordered as the following:
4 ebony points, black, orange, green and white veneers. A Bushka ring above the wrap, elephant ear leather, Hoppe style with Szamboti propellor inlays. Petes signature / marking was to appear in the Hoppe Ring. The cue was to be $1600.00. A $500.00 deposit was left with the cuemaker. The cue was 3 mos late and cost an additional $ 300 over the quoted price.

935_oal.jpg


This is what arrived. You be the judge.

JV
 
I really like that cue, but that isn't what was ordered, unless I am really confused about a few things.
 
IMHO he got less of a cue and was charged more. I advised him to return it and tell the maker that if my money wasn't in the mail to me immediately he would be coming to Pa for court. However the buyer was very decent and just lived with the excuses he was given.

Me, I would have driven it to Florida and probably have beaten him senseless with it for my trouble.

FTR - Cue is beautiful. Workmanship is very good, top tier, and Pete knows how to make a good hitting cue.

I would like to know how many cuemakers understand that when you agree on a price to make something and you are given a deposit, and accept it, you have entered into a binding contract.

JV
 
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I'd be asking for my money back. I'd almost think he shipped the wrong cue if I got it. Certainly can't see paying for extra for something that is so different than what I ordered.

Beautiful cue, but how can you deviate that far from a given design and expect more money for it.

Extra time would be aggravating, but something I could live with. Won't normally order a cue that requires a deposit, makes the extra time a lot more aggravating. About 4 cuemakers, including the one I'll order from next, that I'll give a deposit to. Been burned on the deposit deal in the past and now avoid it.
 
lesson learned the hard way....it sucks that it was on a higher end cue...hope it works out for you....i can understand by not being an a$$hole about it because your kinda at the mercy of the maker...but at some point you either have to say screw it...maybe someone will like the cue and you can trade it for something you like....
 
tattoo said:
lesson learned the hard way....it sucks that it was on a higher end cue...hope it works out for you....i can understand by not being an a$$hole about it because your kinda at the mercy of the maker...but at some point you either have to say screw it...maybe someone will like the cue and you can trade it for something you like....
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Look the buyer, great guy, never an issue. I felt bad for him because he likes a certain style of cue and this was ordered for his collection.

When dealing with potential customers, especially in cues, build what they want, they are the ones paying. He lost a customer that had he liked the cue, would have kept it and praised it to high heaven.

JV
 
Very much depends on what was on the final order form as often a number of things are discussed before the final design and price is agreed upon. When I take an order over the phone or through e-mail, we discuss all details as far as woods, inlays, length, weight, balance point, joint, butt cap, deco-rings and placement shaft number and size, inlay material and any and all other options. When we agree I have the customer send me an e-mail with every single one of the parameters listed in detail so that later there can be no discrepancy between what was thought was ordered and what was in reality ordered. The e-mail doesn't lie and lasts forever. From that picture I can't discern if it has an orange or a red veneer so that could be wrong. Without the order form I can't know if the order was for propellers or Szamboti propellers. That can certainly make a difference as those are propellers, just not Szamboti propellers. I don't see a ring in front of the wrap either but once again, I haven't seen the order form. As far as price on a cue goes, the estimate that I give is what I charge.

Dick
 
Looks like the Bushka ring above the wrap as requested was missing and the propellers are in Pete's style rather than Szamboti style. If Pete didn't want to do a close copy of the Szamboti propeller, he should have said so, IMO. BTW, even dealers get uwanted surprizes when ordering cues about decor, and or specs. There is no substitute for clear communication. I have to say that Unless the customer agreed to changes that were more costly, raising the price after agreeing on a price for a cue specified is not ethical by any cuemaker. Having said that, I've known Pete to be an honest and honorable man. I love Omen cue build quality. His cues have the Searing country vibe. When I saw that Propeller cue, I thought the design was clever and the price low for that level of decor on an Omen cue. The demand for Pete's cues was growing at a good clip until the stalled economy took the wind out of (almost) everyone's sales.

Martin
 
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I am interested to know how the order was placed.

Pete uses a form that leaves little room for misunderstanding. I have ordered cues at dark loud tournaments between matches and found almost nothing of my original concept made it off the lathe...but Ohman uses a written form. He takes the uncertainty out of it. Inlays are diagramed. Veneers, rings are identified.

Pete has made 6 cues for me and is the MOST attentive cue builder I have worked with. No variation...he gets it right.

Joe, I can't boast having even a fraction of your experience, but with Pete Ohman, I gotta say this story is way out of the norm.
 
jazznpool said:
Looks like the Bushka ring above the wrap as requested was missing and the propellers are in Pete's style rather than Szamboti style. If Pete didn't want to do a close copy of the Szamboti propeller, he should have said so, IMO. BTW, even dealers get uwanted surprizes when ordering cues about decor, and or specs. There is no substitute for clear communication. I have to say that Unless the customer agreed to changes that were more costly, raising the price after agreeing on a price for a cue specified is not ethical by any cuemaker. Having said that, I've known Pete to be an honest and honorable man. I love Omen cue build quality. His cues have the Searing country vibe. When I saw that Propeller cue, I thought the design was clever and the price low for that level of decor on an Omen cue. The demand for Pete's cues was growing at a good clip until the stalled economy took the wind out of (almost) everyone's sales.

Martin
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Martin,
Love the new site. This cue was ordered as I stated. There was no changes by the customer at any time. Again, this isn't about Pete's quality, his cues are very, very well put together.

IMHO The customer, who I believe you met at our booth in VF, likes classics. He design taste is very easy to accomidate. The fact it's missing the Bushka ring, and he asked for more money and delivered less of a cue, disturbs me the most out of the whole deal. When orderering a cue, if I told someone I wanted a traditional 4 point cue with propellors and a Bushka ring, if I have to go beyond that, then I am talking to the wrong cuemaker.

It is a lesson in communication and customer service. Again, once you fork over cash, you are in your right to demand what you ordered, when promised. I am sure there will come a day when a cuemaker gets dragged to court over this if it hasn't happened already.

JV
 
Drawman623 said:
I am interested to know how the order was placed.

Pete uses a form that leaves little room for misunderstanding. I have ordered cues at dark loud tournaments between matches and found almost nothing of my original concept made it off the lathe...but Ohman uses a written form. He takes the uncertainty out of it. Inlays are diagramed. Veneers, rings are identified.

Pete has made 6 cues for me and is the MOST attentive cue builder I have worked with. No variation...he gets it right.

Joe, I can't boast having even a fraction of your experience, but with Pete Ohman, I gotta say this story is way out of the norm.
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He did apologize for missing the ring, and the misunderstanding of the inlays. I don't know how he accounted for the extra money however.

Again, I would have rejected the cue altogether. But that's me.

JV
 
I ain't taking side but I don't like "hearsay" as we don't know what conversation took place between the buyer and cuemaker.

Cue makers are human and can make a mistake ... perhaps, Pete Ohman offered to re-do the cue? I dunno ...

Perhaps cue maker would've "adjusted" the price if that was the big factor and the buyer insisted on it?? I dunno ...

Perhaps the buyer is a conflict-avoider like me and just decided what's done is done, sell the cue and move forward in life?? I dunno ...

There are too many sides to the truth and that's why I can't handle the truth!!!
 
I would be curious on the reasoning for the extra money too. When you order a cue, set a price level, and then pay a deposit you are pretty much in a binding contract, especially if you have it in writing. Does he have the price agreed to in writing or just verbally? I would be very confused on how you "forget" a bushka ring. Things do happen though, and commuication might have been lost when the cue was ordered on that part. Were pictures sent during the process or not until the end? It is still a nice looking cue, but if its not what the doctor ordered...

If there is an option or change that requires extra money, if it is agreed on then its ok...if not then that phrase sounds similar to Easons cues and what he did. Pete's cues look real nice so I hope this isn't the case. Hopefully just a misunderstanding and we shouldn't jump to any conclusions without hearing what he has to say.
 
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The moral of the story is definately customer service and communication. I wouldn't hesitate to order from Pete because he makes a nice cue. Go to Martin's website and look at number 4. That's as nice as it gets, IMHO.

JV
 
from the picture i can't tell if there is a green veneer or not in there,but it looks like it.

Pete is a very nice guy and totally honorable and i agree with some others that i would have to know the entire story before deciding.

isn't SW cues charging $2500+ for cues that they took orders on 10 years ago quoted about half of that?i always figured estimates were just that,estimates.while $300 does seem a bit steep over the original estimate i can understand the price varying 10% or maybe even a little more over or above the original estimate.a lot has changed financially in the last year for everyone.it seems that everything costs more and everyone has less money.

anyway,knowing Pete i just can't believe i am reading this.it just doesn't sound like him.
 
Piss Poor Pete...

Is that an invisible Bushka ring?

I got a quote from Pete on a plain jane cue.

All I can say is that I will NEVER buy an Omen!!!
 
Drawman623 said:
I gotta say this story is way out of the norm.
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Out of the norm or not, this should not have happened.

I agree with Joe. He wouldn't have had to give me a full refund. Just upping the price $300 AFTER the quote would be enough for me to cancel the order.
 
To begin with as a consumer myself, should I face with such a problem, like what Classiccues had mentioned earlier, he would have rejected the cue. But what if it is for those customers that first ordered their very first custom cue? How can they go about making things right? I believe that the progression of this thread has already state it clearly that there is an obvious flaw in terms of communication between cuemaker and customer. But what I may want to see from contributors here are some of the so called recommended mitigation actions that one should adopt should such situation arises?

Honestly, if paying an additional of $300 gets me exactly to what I want. I think the customer, which I am assuming here, wouldn't mind at all. But paying more and getting what was so off from the agreed. I think is a little bit hard to swallow.
 
progress pics

just a question,

i know that many makers email pics to the buyer to let them know how things are going.

does anyone know if pete does?

on the flip-side, not saying that he has too, but the buyer, did he ask for progress pics, because as for me, i sure as hell ask for pics, merely to satisfy my itch.

pics in this situation may have helped avoid this.

rather than being disgusted at either party, i just feel bad for both, because i know how it feels to get something not up to your satisfaction and i'm sure that pete didn't maliciously do this and i'm sure (other than misunderstanding) that he 100% stands behind the cue.

sorry to hear bout this.
 
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