Custom Cues pay up front wait years?

[BHQ]

I've read a lot lately about custom cues. One of the many reasons I've never bought one is the wait and I went from bar to bar to find action or hustle.

All the bar tables in the East were Valley's that have the raised metal corners that tear up your cue.
correct , bar boxes are ruff on cues

Another reason is most, if not all want you to pay 100% up front.
to my knowledge, not correct most require only deposit or no deposit.
most prefer NOT to be paid in full in advance.


Forget about the problems of the cue being made wrong or something is not right when you get it after 1 to 5 years, what about if the cuemaker gets sick, has a bad car crash, or God forbid dies when your cue is half finished?
this is a good point.
something that i have thought about before too.
if i croaked today, there's at least two guys, friends, fellow sawdust makers, that would step up to finish my ongoing cues.
something i have been working on is familiarizing my wife with my saved email folders.
how to access all that info on my computer.
a folder of all emails between me & customer, with drawings of the cue, the specs, what he has paid, not paid, how to access my paypal, etc.
i'm hoping she never has to do this though!! :thumbup:
if me & wife & my computer ALL croak,
well, i wont be around to worry about it

Most of the custom cuemakers are one man shops.
one man & a pet squirrel here


To me it makes no sense and is bad business paying 100% for anything up front. Johnnyt
stevie (the squirrel) & i,
are sorry you & some of the others in this thread, like mr edwards,
have had these bad experiences ...................................

 

[ridewiththewind]

Joss East, Scruggs, two Southwests, Gulyassy, Tucker, all paid for on delivery. Nothing up front.

I know for a fact that Murray Tucker will accept no amount of money up front. This because he does not build full time, and his primary family business and family come first. If he tells you he will build you a cue, he will, but he will not quote you a completion date, because he simply does not know when any given cue will be completed.

If he does not accept a deposit, then his time isn't obligated. He does let a customer know this going in...and most are willing to wait, because his cues really are worth it.

Lisa

 

[mudball]

They don't expect you to pay for your car's oil change until they change it, right?

That might not be the best analogy You're comparing the work of a 10-15 minute job to one of many hours and precise care.

20% is the perfect number I think because its not too much, yet it still shows you are serious. Too much sweat and tears can be put into building a cue just to have someone back out...and we all know how pool players can be quick to pull a fast one

 

[SCCues]

Seriously, I will not pay for a cue in advance, partly due to the horror stories here. Once they have your money, there is little incentive to get the cue completed in a timely manner...if at all.

Lisa ====> been VERY lucky to work with good makers.

You couldn't have put it better........When you order a cue or need some cue work and send your payment up front your job isn't the top priority since it's been paid for. The priority is taking the next order or the next repair job that hasn't been paid for yet, IAW making more money.....He's already got your money. This doesn't apply to all cue makers because I have dealt with some who don't ask for anything up front some because they know me and others because their work is so sought after that if I backed out they could sell it in a minute to someone else.

I've been taken advantage of by a few of the top cue makers and also treated like royalty by some of the others. I wish everyone treated their customers the right way, but that's not the case.

James