Big Billiard Retailers

[Rob_jerrylee]

Problems with my table installers

I'm curious if anyone else here is as resentful towards the big billiard retailers as I am. You know the places I'm speaking of - one chain sells more hot tubs than tables and the other specializes in Oriental rugs.

First of all, their installers (I won't call them table mechanics) suck. In just the past year I've seen the following on tables they installed:

• Missing railbolts.
• Slate seamed with tape.
• A table with one leg unattached - it was simply sitting under the corner of the table. It had been like this for a year in a home with small children. The table owner had no idea.
• Legs shimmed with corrugated cardboard.
• Graffiti written on the slate in black sharpie - inappropriate comments about the table owners attractive wife.
• Assorted stripped bolts and slate screws, crossthreaded bolts, they NEVER use bondo or beeswax - always rockhard putty.

I attribute this to the fact that they rarely pay any of their people a fair wage for their work - so they (and ultimately their customers) get what they pay for. Substandard pay = substandard work.

And another side-effect of their substandard pay is that they end up flooding the market with rogue wannabe table mechanics. Once one of their guys sets up a few dozen tables and thinks they know what they're doing they spend their last paycheck at Harbor Freight and bang! - they're in business. And inevitably they run into a GC or another table they're unfamiliar with and butcher it. I'm a very good, but not great table mechanic. One of my greatest skills as a mechanic is to know when I should pass a difficult job on to someone with more knowledge and/or experience than I. These guys have no concept of that.

But my biggest problem with these large retailers is their complete lack of ethics or integrity. At least once a month I'll have a customer tell me that they called one of these places to get a quote on moving a table. Invariably they will tell the customer that existing cloth can't be reused and that they will have to have new cloth. And of course they're charging 200 bucks for the cloth and a sizable labor up charge to install it. Once, after being quoted 800 dollars for a simple move job, my customer told this retailer that I had quoted her only 350. They then actually told my customer that I was a "scam artist".

Sorry for ranting.

These are simply my experiences with these chains in my market. If any of you work for these chains, sorry if I offended you - hopefully the stores in your markets are better.

You know I've got the same problem , Now I live in Michigan and It seems like there's really no good Billiard place's around , I'm not saying there aren't but I guess I've never found one yet .

Anyways I Bought a 8 ft table right before Christmas and told them that I wanted to put Simonis 860 Cloth on the table and they told me that It would be a special order and that's it costs alot well that's before I really was educated on Billiard supplys , so I hoped on here and started reading Thread after Thread about Simonis Cloth , and of course when I said Simonis to them the guy kinda gave me that funny look , then tryed to tell me that Mali would be better ( I'd use that cloth for toilet paper ) and I simply replyed Nope I want simonis and if you can't get it I'll have it here by Friday .

So the Two guys came and started setting it up , and when it come's to the cloth I said to them "have you ever installed Simonis " and of course they said "oh yeah we do it all the time " Now here's the kicker the guy that sold me the table said that they Veeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrry Rarely sell it or install it .
So I was praying to God that they would do it right .

So they got to streching the cloth and I noticed that they barely streched it and now when I clean the cloth from one end to the other It has a wave when i get to the end , it's not bad but I don't like the idea that it's there , and another thing was I only played on it for a day or so and i noticed that there was a Dimple in the finish on one of the rails and that there was a ridge where the two peaces of slate were put together so they came out and fixed it .:angry:

Well just about a week ago I notice that the slate seems to have that ridge again and there's not a chance in hell I'm calling them back , they have the must horrible guys putting tables together .:angry:

If your in Michigan and Live in the Tri-City area Please don't go to the " The Bellows" they got nice tables but the People there are horrible and they don't know what they are talking about . :angry:

Oh and if you do live in the Tri-City area and know anything about Putting Simonis 860 Cloth down please P.M me .

 

[QuickEdward]

Hope this link works look at what ASE did for the auto and truck industery

http://www.ase.com/Content/Navigati...enter1/About_ASE2/ASE_Profile/ASE_Profile.htm

The car and truck industry can support these types of changes because cars and trucks have a shelf life of about 12 years, cost 30-40k each, and generate thousands of dollars per vehicle every year in maintenance, basic care and aftermarket products.

Pool tables on the other hand average about 2-3k each, last 20-30 years, and are low maintenance. Plus if someone's pool table is broken, they can let it set without any inconvenience to their everyday lives.

The manufacturers and retailers in the auto industry make a concerted effort to take the lead in policing their industry because brand recognition and repeat customers are extremely important. In the billiard equipment industry manufacturers seem to be less and less interested in maintaining high standards that result in brand loyalty. The Brunswick name isn't respected like it was 20-30 years ago. Manufacturers are either moving operations overseas or flat out going out of business.

But the bottom line is that you can have a high quality Gabriel, Gold Crown, or Diamond table and they'll all play like steaming dogshit if they're installed by a hack mechanic.

Retailers, both big and small, need to take the lead in this effort. Paying mechanics a fair wage will result in better work, less turnover, and fewer "rogue" mechanics. When you do this, then you can upsell your service the same way you do your tables - people will pay more for tables of a higher quality - they'll do the same for service.

 

[fsarfino]

You know I've got the same problem , Now I live in Michigan and It seems like there's really no good Billiard place's around , I'm not saying there aren't but I guess I've never found one yet .

Anyways I Bought a 8 ft table right before Christmas and told them that I wanted to put Simonis 860 Cloth on the table and they told me that It would be a special order and that's it costs alot well that's before I really was educated on Billiard supplys , so I hoped on here and started reading Thread after Thread about Simonis Cloth , and of course when I said Simonis to them the guy kinda gave me that funny look , then tryed to tell me that Mali would be better ( I'd use that cloth for toilet paper ) and I simply replyed Nope I want simonis and if you can't get it I'll have it here by Friday .

So the Two guys came and started setting it up , and when it come's to the cloth I said to them "have you ever installed Simonis " and of course they said "oh yeah we do it all the time " Now here's the kicker the guy that sold me the table said that they Veeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrry Rarely sell it or install it .
So I was praying to God that they would do it right .

So they got to streching the cloth and I noticed that they barely streched it and now when I clean the cloth from one end to the other It has a wave when i get to the end , it's not bad but I don't like the idea that it's there , and another thing was I only played on it for a day or so and i noticed that there was a Dimple in the finish on one of the rails and that there was a ridge where the two peaces of slate were put together so they came out and fixed it .:angry:

Well just about a week ago I notice that the slate seems to have that ridge again and there's not a chance in hell I'm calling them back , they have the must horrible guys putting tables together .:angry:

If your in Michigan and Live in the Tri-City area Please don't the to " The Bellows" they got nice tables but the People there are horrible and they don't know what they are talking about . :angry:

Oh and if you do live in the Tri-City area and know anything about Putting Simonis 860 Cloth down please P.M me .

OMG I cant believe that this is what some people have to deal with when playing on their home tables. Man am I glad I did my own table and made sure it was done right.

 

[Rob_jerrylee]

OMG I cant believe that this is what some people have to deal with when playing on their home tables. Man am I glad I did my own table and made sure it was done right.

Oh believe me I'm as mad as they come right now , and the issue is I don't know any Mechanics in my area that do 110% work , so I'm SOL and JWF for right now .

 

[realkingcobra]

Oh believe me I'm as mad as they come right now , and the issue is I don't know any Mechanics in my area that do 110% work , so I'm SOL and JWF for right now .

Keep an eye on the posts of my travels as I believe I have some Diamonds coming up that I have to deliver to Detroit

Glen

 

[Rob_jerrylee]

Keep an eye on the posts of my travels as I believe I have some Diamonds coming up that I have to deliver to Detroit

Glen

I'll keep an eye out Glen , :wink: Cause I'm in desprite need of having my table done correctly . All it needs is to be restreched and leveled properly .