Am I over reacting or is this owner actually an $#!?

[Pushout]

Sounds all too familiar. There are a lot, and I mean a lot of people who got into the pool room business really having no idea of what they're doing. I've seen this often, most recently locally. The guy lasted about three years but his experience with pool was playing in leagues for a few years. It amazes me that people like this think they know enough to run a room. I and a few others made suggestions and tried to help, but in the end the owner stuck it to himself. One of the biggest mistakes new room owners can make is the idea that leagues and tournaments are to make money. Leagues and tournaments, especially in the opening weeks or months are for promoting the game. If you break even, you should be satisfied and even if you lose some money, but get customers who become regulars because of leagues or tournaments you have done ok. Staff is usually trained by the owner, I rest my case.

 

[BHW]

They won't last long.

 

[Varney Cues]

I know Arthur from his time in New York and he's a good guy.

There's so many rooms shutting down all over the place due to the economy and to the lack of interest in pool that it's sad that people are already shooting down a new room due to one person's experience.

True Authur is a good guy. He's just in panic mode. He spent a ton to get it open...and he's yet to really get any customers. Normally only maybe 1 table rented when you visit. Most locals don't even realize the room exist. The problem with the staff...he really has no staff yet. I'm sure he's only hired the very minimum. The crew I saw working, I've never seen before...probably their first day there, brought in extra to help out. Authur knows how to run a room & I'm sure he'll get it all worked out in time. The room itself is great...add a pro shop & it'd be a real players room. I hope things work for him...if not I already know a couple who are keeping a close eye out wanting to buy it.

 

[jay helfert]

True Authur is a good guy. He's just in panic mode. He spent a ton to get it open...and he's yet to really get any customers. Normally only maybe 1 table rented when you visit. Most locals don't even realize the room exist. The problem with the staff...he really has no staff yet. I'm sure he's only hired the very minimum. The crew I saw working, I've never seen before...probably their first day there, brought in extra to help out. Authur knows how to run a room & I'm sure he'll get it all worked out in time. The room itself is great...add a pro shop & it'd be a real players room. I hope things work for him...if not I already know a couple who are keeping a close eye out wanting to buy it.

In the meantime you better take care of the precious few customers you do have. That is the best way to grow a new business. There is no better advertising than positive word of mouth. Or worse than negative w.o.m.

 

[SUPERSTAR]

in the meantime you better take care of the precious few customers you do have. That is the best way to grow a new business. There is no better advertising than positive word of mouth. Or worse than negative w.o.m.

Daaaaaaaaamn!!!

 

[the9ballroller]

I have honestly never been in any tournament in which I had to pay for practice...I would rather shoot cold than do that personally. I mean really...what good is playing for an hour gonna do to my game other than wear me down that much quicker.

Old Roller

 

[gunzby]

The only excuse I can make for em is that it's a new business and there will be growing pains.

There is however no excuse for the owner not apologizing to you for making you wait.

If I was the owner I would have told the tourney players that they could practice on any table in the place before the tournament started, but if regulars came in just to play they would have to open up a few tables.

 

[Matt90]

true enough

In the meantime you better take care of the precious few customers you do have. That is the best way to grow a new business. There is no better advertising than positive word of mouth. Or worse than negative w.o.m.

I will probably get ribbed about this but I ran a tv repair business and had
a store front in Mid Town /Atlanta for about 10 yrs.Comming from a small
town in NC I was not real used to men who dressed like women .So one day
I get a call from a Regina ???I knew when I got there Regina was well a
drag queen .He/she was very nice and did not bicker with me about price
or anything .I treated Regina as good as any other customer and about
a month after that I had so much business from just that area it was hard
to handle. It seems that Regina was the manager at the largest gay club
in Atlanta at that time and also was the main bar tender .So I think she
told everyone about us and the good work we did . I know its not pool
related but you gotta treat people good ,whether the heat is on or not
one upset customer can create a wave just like one happy one can. For
the record I like the REAL ones but I am real sensitive and would of probably
made a bigger issue out of it than you did .Look what a measly $5 cost the
guy

 

[Varney Cues]

I will probably get ribbed about this but I ran a tv repair business and had
a store front in Mid Town /Atlanta for about 10 yrs.Comming from a small
town in NC I was not real used to men who dressed like women .So one day
I get a call from a Regina ???I knew when I got there Regina was well a
drag queen .He/she was very nice and did not bicker with me about price
or anything .I treated Regina as good as any other customer and about
a month after that I had so much business from just that area it was hard
to handle. It seems that Regina was the manager at the largest gay club
in Atlanta at that time and also was the main bar tender .So I think she
told everyone about us and the good work we did . I know its not pool
related but you gotta treat people good ,whether the heat is on or not
one upset customer can create a wave just like one happy one can. For
the record I like the REAL ones but I am real sensitive and would of probably
made a bigger issue out of it than you did .Look what a measly $5 cost the
guy

You must of made "Regina" really happy!!!:grin::grin::grin:

 

[LILJOHN30]

True Authur is a good guy. He's just in panic mode. He spent a ton to get it open...and he's yet to really get any customers. Normally only maybe 1 table rented when you visit. Most locals don't even realize the room exist. The problem with the staff...he really has no staff yet. I'm sure he's only hired the very minimum. The crew I saw working, I've never seen before...probably their first day there, brought in extra to help out. Authur knows how to run a room & I'm sure he'll get it all worked out in time. The room itself is great...add a pro shop & it'd be a real players room. I hope things work for him...if not I already know a couple who are keeping a close eye out wanting to buy it.

Sounds like he should sell it

 

[one stroke]

I agree- Big Daddy's gots it goin' on!

this I would agee on Rick and Cindy run a great pool hall very respectable and caters to all levels ,kids included he offers discounts to his league players and has a tue and sat no handi cap turney. infact he is now adding 200.00 the first sat of the month to the 10 ball one.
Rick a great player himself knows the game and the buisness and it shows in the way he treats people and how he keeps his place



1 stroke

 

[Pushout]

I know Arthur from his time in New York and he's a good guy.

There's so many rooms shutting down all over the place due to the economy and to the lack of interest in pool that it's sad that people are already shooting down a new room due to one person's experience.

If I was out of line in my comments, I apologize. I guess I shouldn't have generalized so much, but, like I said, I've seen it happen.

 

[1on1pooltournys]

Mothers

Too bad Mothers closed. I was there a few times and it seemed like a poolplayer's heaven.

 

[1on1pooltournys]

I'm "old school." And in the old school the customer is KING! Without him/her you have no business. With a name like Arthur Rosen he should damn sure know better. Read that any way you want, but I grew up around some pretty sharp (yes Jewish) businessman, and worked for them as a kid. They treated EVERY customer like their best friend. One of these guys told me once that everyone who walks through those doors was a VALUABLE customer. I never forgot that lesson. Sounds like Arthur never learned it.

Jay, you hit the nail on the head here. I'm younger than you, but happen to work for somebody who is from the "old school", so to speak. I work at a bar/restaurant that has been in business for over 65 years and is famous for prime rib. My boss is a very charismatic person and well liked amongst the community. He is in his business at prime time hours (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) every day in order to insure consistency. In the restaurant business you can serve 100 great meals to somebody and 1 bad meal and we all know they will only remember the bad meal. He believes in your theory and has taught me to do the same. I am usually the first thing people see when they enter and I greet them with a warm smile and immediately communicate with them to make it known they are going to be well accommodated while at our place. Jay is right, every customer is valuable and crucial to your business, and you must be aware of that in order to make it in these struggling times. Without regulars you have nothing, and owners can really be the master of their own demise. I hope that poolroom owners really take heed to Jay's advice in this terribly bad economy.

 

[8&snap]

I'm "old school." And in the old school the customer is KING! Without him/her you have no business. With a name like Arthur Rosen he should damn sure know better. Read that any way you want, but I grew up around some pretty sharp (yes Jewish) businessman, and worked for them as a kid. They treated EVERY customer like their best friend. One of these guys told me once that everyone who walks through those doors was a VALUABLE customer. I never forgot that lesson. Sounds like Arthur never learned it.

Jay, i was thinking the same thing,my mother ran the family plumbing buisness & her motto was "word of mouth will make or break you", & if you ever had a jewish woman standing over a bad worker then you know she could make a sailor blush & wilt

 

[pooltchr]

Too bad Mothers closed. I was there a few times and it seemed like a poolplayer's heaven.

I miss the OLD Mothers, but in the past couple of years, it really went down hill.
Those old Diamonds from the back room are now at the "dive" that Brian mentioned was his regular room. (I also spend a good bit of time at that same room)
This is not the first negative comment I have heard on the new room. I know it's tough starting up a new pool room, and the economy isn't the greatest, but the things I'm hearing about this place are not good. And whether they are accurate or not, that is the perception of people who go there, and that is the reputation that they are earning. Not a good way to get started.

Steve

 

[p3ga]

After the calcutta starts the girl from the front desk comes up to me and huffingly says "you're the guy who took table 12, you owe us $7.50". I try to very politely tell her "you told me that was part of the tournament and was free practice". She says "no, you're wrong, go up to the desk and pay." So, I wander up to the front desk and see the owner Arthur Rosen at the desk and think to myself "ok, I'm sure the owner will take care of it". So, head up to the desk and explain exactly what happened. He looks at me and says "I know my staff, they explain everything completely, they don't make mistakes, they made it clear you were paying by the hour!". I explain "If they had made it clear, I would have hopped on another table that only had one person playing that was free." He then not so politely says as he's ringing it up "I'll only charge you $5".
Brian

What a genius. That $5.00 may ultimately cost him hundreds, as I doubt you (or many others on the board) would go back to that establishment.

 

[Craig Fales]

I'm "old school." And in the old school the customer is KING! Without him/her you have no business. With a name like Arthur Rosen he should damn sure know better. Read that any way you want, but I grew up around some pretty sharp (yes Jewish) businessman, and worked for them as a kid. They treated EVERY customer like their best friend. One of these guys told me once that everyone who walks through those doors was a VALUABLE customer. I never forgot that lesson. Sounds like Arthur never learned it.

That's pretty much new school aswell.

EDIT: Maybe the guy isn't an a$$ clap but I can see the employee trying to pull some crap like that.

 

[timdog24]

I know Arthur from his time in New York and he's a good guy.

There's so many rooms shutting down all over the place due to the economy and to the lack of interest in pool that it's sad that people are already shooting down a new room due to one person's experience.

I agree with you here BrooklynJay. This is a lot of heat for one guy's experience. I know Arthur from NYC as well, and he is a solid guy. He helped run Corner Billiards for years and worked at Chelsea before that so he does know how to run a poolroom. Not saying what happened didn't happen, but I'm sure he's feeling the pressure of just beginning a brand new business that hasn't taken off as planned yet. From a player's perspective, I heard the room is really nice and I think players shouldn't alienate the joint without checking it out for yourself first.

 

[Quesports]

Nyc & NC

What may have worked in NYC may not work in North Carolina. There is a different way of living in NC as compared to New York City. You have to cater to the clients around you and if he is trying to get the locals from NC with a NYC approach I don't think that will work. NO Offense to the New York folks at all, NC is just a lot different place from NYC, and they like it that way..