Dale Perry Backs his work up....NOT!

Man, Dale really gets me sometimes......
It's bad enough his cues flood all my eBay searches...he's gotta add insult to injury with these stunts! AND WITH A DIRECT CUSTOMER, ABOVE ALL THINGS!?!

Unbelievable. :mad:

I dunno how he continues to sell cues...I hear nothing but bad things in regards to this guy's customer service and overall operation...
In my opinion, there are just some things that "the hit of a cue" could never hope to make up for.
 
Well its one thing if you want a good cue at a good price but this just bad business that when you have cheap fast food type cuemakers pumping them out for the $ you dont always get the fries with your order.:rolleyes:
 
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LOL! I like that...:D

Ah, well. Who needs them. So many great cues out there at fair prices from a myriad of great up and coming cuemakers......

Life is good. :)
Lol.


......wanna know what isn't? Calculus homework. LOL :rolleyes:
 
Dp....

I bought one about 2-3 years ago from ebay when he first started with it...first the shafts didnt match one was AA white and the other was ugly, in addition one of the shafts was warped...I called DP and I said one of the shafts is warped, will you send me another, or at least pick up the post to send it back and he was like well you decide, either you want a new shaft and pay to ship it back or not. I know that he knew one of the shafts was bad from the get go, simply because they didnt match in color...good versus bad stock, almost right after buying mine he stopped selling them with 2 shafts. I ended up getting out of it for what I had into it, thankfully. It didnt hit too bad, but neither did my Players cue.
Pauly
 
Fast Lenny said:
I seen this and just feel disgusted that cuemakers dont back things up and would rather have there name and reputation suffer.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Dale-Perry-Cust...2QQihZ006QQcategoryZ21212QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
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Finish lifted. Was it like that when it arrived originally? I would not refinsh a cue for free if someone used it and then the finish lifted. That is caused by bumping the cue against something. Dale may not be getting a fair report here. It is just as likely this cue is showing problems from being bumped as not. Not sure why you want to jump on this customers band wagon, if you have no investment and don't know all the facts???
 
cueman said:
Finish lifted. That is caused by bumping the cue against something.
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with all due respect this is misleading. i've had several cues by several makers, many high end, that this has happened to and some of them never hit a ball. not even dry hit. i've had some cues that i've played with also and very, very rarely do i hit, touch or scrape my cue on anything but my hand, rail and the balls. sure it can happen when a cue is bumped against something but more than what you'ld expect, it also happens because the adhesion of the finish is poor due too an improper preparation of the wood surface, defective material applied or the wood moving underneath it too much along joint collars, handle/forearm area ect....due to improper construction techniques or just plain old age of the cue.
 
What a shame..

If I remember the earlier pics of this cue which Ebay doesn't want shown for some reason, there are many, many finish "lifts" throughout the cue. Too many to believe that they were caused by bumping the table. It would have had to have been attacked by a hammer. Perhaps you can contact the seller and have him email thise pics and they could be posted on here for other cuemakers to determine what they feel the cause would be.

I suppose DP is making a living with his present business plan, but I just don't see how. He was building and selling excellent quality cues for $1500-2000 at one time, now his cues are $200-400 and falling. I predict that it won't be too, too long before you cease to see Dale Perry cues.

Honestly, I would like to see him go back to making top quality, true custom cues because he really did make a super nice cue, but it is probably too late now.
 
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Worth a giggle....

Bamacues said:
If I remember the earlier pics of this cue which Ebay doesn't want shown for some reason, there are many, many finish "lifts" throughout the cue. Too many to believe that they were caused by bumping the table. It would have had to have been attacked by a hammer. Perhaps you can contact the seller and have him email thise pics and they could be posted on here for other cuemakers to determine what they feel the cause would be.

I suppose DP is making a living with his present business plan, but I just don't see how. He was building and selling excellent quality cues for $1500-2000 at one time, now his cues are $200-400 and falling. I predict that it won't be too, too long before you cease to see Dale Perry cues.

Honestly, I would like to see him go back to making top quality, true custom cues because he really did make a super nice cue, but it is probably too late now.
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I guess I have to wonder a little. When Dale was charging about 1500-2000 he was making a great cue and touted for being great cuemaker.

Now that he is selling 2-400 his quality is down.

Is his quality down or just his prices?

Yes, I have a titlist conversion that Dale did for me. It is looked down on like a kerr dog, but it plays good (I have TAD, GINA, SOUTHWEST, DPK, etc). No it isnt the best cue I have but I wonder how much is just sour grapes and how much people getting some or making some coorlation from price and quality.

I still think for an entry level cue, a DP ebay cue is GREAT deal for the money.

IF you dont think so go have a "master" cuemaker make you one for $200 and see what you get............

LMFAO

Ken
 
Ken_4fun said:
I guess I have to wonder a little. When Dale was charging about 1500-2000 he was making a great cue and touted for being great cuemaker.

Now that he is selling 2-400 his quality is down.

Is his quality down or just his prices?

Yes, I have a titlist conversion that Dale did for me. It is looked down on like a kerr dog, but it plays good (I have TAD, GINA, SOUTHWEST, DPK, etc). No it isnt the best cue I have but I wonder how much is just sour grapes and how much people getting some or making some coorlation from price and quality.

I still think for an entry level cue, a DP ebay cue is GREAT deal for the money.

IF you dont think so go have a "master" cuemaker make you one for $200 and see what you get............

LMFAO

Ken
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I agree that they are a great entry level cue, but his cues now are more of a production cue, in my opinion. His old cues were hand spliced points and hadn inlays. If you read the posts on here regarding DP cues, I think you will see that there have been many quality control issues.

His old cues were really top quality. The only way to try to make up for the difference in money from sales of $1500-2000 cues to sales of $200-400 cues is to increase production by 8-10 times.

Honestly, there are certainly some sour grapes, but the people who are complaining about the quality problems are the customers who are now buying his cues from Ebay, etc, not the former dealers who will not touch them.
 
I have in the past been a cabinet maker and cabinet finisher for a very long time. I have spent untold hours with exotic (and not so exotic), wood and wood finish. I have spent double that around pool.

While those finish lifts can be triggered by bumping, my experience has always been, that no matter what, when this type of blemish appears, it is because the finish was applied improperly, and the "bump" is just the proverbial straw.

To be fair, exotic hardwood, because of the natural oils many of the species contain, can be very difficult to apply finish to properly. I know for a fact that many cue makers use utter garbage for finish (PPG LOL), and apply it as if it were an afterthought.

Finishing things well is an art in and of itself. Today's finishes require mixing in precisely correct proportions, the use of perfectly clean equipment, perfectly clean spray environment, correct humidity, correct temperature, the correct number of coats, correctly prepared woods, and even application. Any of these fail, and you will get a problem finish. The proper finish properly applied should adhere to the wood for at least 50 years.

At $400 for an otherwise pretty fancy cue, DP must be cutting it close on margins, so the first thing that will go is QC, and the second is CS, but in my opinion, any cue maker that tries to pawn this type of problem off on the customer is in denial.

Good luck with your sale.
 
SphinxnihpS said:
I have in the past been a cabinet maker and cabinet finisher for a very long time. I have spent untold hours with exotic (and not so exotic), wood and wood finish. I have spent double that around pool.

While those finish lifts can be triggered by bumping, my experience has always been, that no matter what, when this type of blemish appears, it is because the finish was applied improperly, and the "bump" is just the proverbial straw.

To be fair, exotic hardwood, because of the natural oils many of the species contain, can be very difficult to apply finish to properly. I know for a fact that many cue makers use utter garbage for finish (PPG LOL), and apply it as if it were an afterthought.

Finishing things well is an art in and of itself. Today's finishes require mixing in precisely correct proportions, the use of perfectly clean equipment, perfectly clean spray environment, correct humidity, correct temperature, the correct number of coats, correctly prepared woods, and even application. Any of these fail, and you will get a problem finish. The proper finish properly applied should adhere to the wood for at least 50 years.

At $400 for an otherwise pretty fancy cue, DP must be cutting it close on margins, so the first thing that will go is QC, and the second is CS, but in my opinion, any cue maker that tries to pawn this type of problem off on the customer is in denial.

Good luck with your sale.
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Nice post, putting both sides in objective perspective. Thanks.
 
SphinxnihpS said:
I have in the past been a cabinet maker and cabinet finisher for a very long time. I have spent untold hours with exotic (and not so exotic), wood and wood finish. I have spent double that around pool.

While those finish lifts can be triggered by bumping, my experience has always been, that no matter what, when this type of blemish appears, it is because the finish was applied improperly, and the "bump" is just the proverbial straw.

To be fair, exotic hardwood, because of the natural oils many of the species contain, can be very difficult to apply finish to properly. I know for a fact that many cue makers use utter garbage for finish (PPG LOL), and apply it as if it were an afterthought.

Finishing things well is an art in and of itself. Today's finishes require mixing in precisely correct proportions, the use of perfectly clean equipment, perfectly clean spray environment, correct humidity, correct temperature, the correct number of coats, correctly prepared woods, and even application. Any of these fail, and you will get a problem finish. The proper finish properly applied should adhere to the wood for at least 50 years.

At $400 for an otherwise pretty fancy cue, DP must be cutting it close on margins, so the first thing that will go is QC, and the second is CS, but in my opinion, any cue maker that tries to pawn this type of problem off on the customer is in denial.

Good luck with your sale.
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this problem can happen with many makers. most of the time it's just one of the miriad of "criteria" that you've touched on that can lead to this issue. i want to stress though, that most experienced makers know what they're doing when it comes to finishing a cue and sadly it can be just those "criteria" that "slip through the cracks" that get most advertised and not the other 99% of criteria that don't. this can happen to the best of makers and most can be aware of the issue and will take care of it.
 
cueman said:
Finish lifted. Was it like that when it arrived originally? I would not refinsh a cue for free if someone used it and then the finish lifted. That is caused by bumping the cue against something. Dale may not be getting a fair report here. It is just as likely this cue is showing problems from being bumped as not. Not sure why you want to jump on this customers band wagon, if you have no investment and don't know all the facts???
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No bandwagon here,just have seen a few cues from him that werent quite up to par and he didnt take care of the customer.You say you wouldnt refinish a cue if its played with?,that doesnt sound fair to me.I mean playing with the cue shouldnt affect the finish too much as long as the cue isnt handled roughly like banging the table and being dropped,i think the difference between this and a bad finish can be differentuated.Most reputable cuemakers will refinish a cue for nothing if the cue was recently made,it doesnt cost much to make it right and save some rep and have good customer service unless your just trying to make a quick buck and hit & run.:cool:
 
SphinxnihpS said:
To be fair, exotic hardwood, because of the natural oils many of the species contain, can be very difficult to apply finish to properly. I know for a fact that many cue makers use utter garbage for finish (PPG LOL), and apply it as if it were an afterthought.
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Curious as to what finish you prefer?
 
Fast Lenny said:
it doesnt cost much to make it right and save some rep and have good customer service
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Ya know, this comment is really starting to wear thin with a lot vendors. There is a flip side to the coin...How about players taking good care of their equipment? My personal cue is over 5 years old and DOES NOT HAVE A SINGLE NICK IN IT. A pool cue is not intended to be used like a baseball bat.

Here's a good example: A Gentleman drops by the shop yesterday with his cue & Predator shaft (I made the cue & fitted the Pred shaft). Now, he's only had this thing less than six months! The cue looks like it's been through a war zone!!! Chips, nicks, whatever you want to call them...It looks terrible!! The Predator shaft is split for about 14" and HAS been cleaned (with what I suspect is something with a very high water content). His claim: "I have been very careful with it and haven't even used the Predator shaft, only the one you made". He expected me to replace the Pred shaft and refinish the handle at no cost to him.

I told him I would be happy to send the Pred shaft to Predator for them to look at but it would be up to them to replace it. And that I would NOT refinish the handle at no charge. I offered to refinish it at a reduced cost though.

His reply was very similar to yours above: "that is some really (censored) customer service. I politely showed him the door!

Now you tell me, what would you have done?
 
TellsItLikeItIs said:
Ya know, this comment is really starting to wear thin with a lot vendors. There is a flip side to the coin...How about players taking good care of their equipment? My personal cue is over 5 years old and DOES NOT HAVE A SINGLE NICK IN IT. A pool cue is not intended to be used like a baseball bat.

Here's a good example: A Gentleman drops by the shop yesterday with his cue & Predator shaft (I made the cue & fitted the Pred shaft). Now, he's only had this thing less than six months! The cue looks like it's been through a war zone!!! Chips, nicks, whatever you want to call them...It looks terrible!! The Predator shaft is split for about 14" and HAS been cleaned (with what I suspect is something with a very high water content). His claim: "I have been very careful with it and haven't even used the Predator shaft, only the one you made". He expected me to replace the Pred shaft and refinish the handle at no cost to him.

I told him I would be happy to send the Pred shaft to Predator for them to look at but it would be up to them to replace it. And that I would NOT refinish the handle at no charge. I offered to refinish it at a reduced cost though.

His reply was very similar to yours above: "that is some really (censored) customer service. I politely showed him the door!

Now you tell me, what would you have done?
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Great post... I think a new thread called.. When does good customer service end, and consumer taking advantage take over, is in order...

JV
 
classiccues said:
Great post... I think a new thread called.. When does good customer service end, and consumer taking advantage take over, is in order...

JV
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Possibly. Of course, you & I both know that "good customer service" never ends.

What upsets me is the man standing there looking me straight in the eye and telling a bold faced lie. The wood grain in the Pred shaft was raised and at that area was clean. Near the tip there was chalk showing, plus the tip was slightly mushroomed. Duhhh!

I feel I am pretty darned easy when it comes to warranty issues, what very few I have had. I will absolutely go out of my way to help people (customers or not). But, don't try to BS me especially on something like this.

It might be that some players fail to realize, a maker that has been around for a while can tell a lot about their playing habits just by looking at their cue. It's certainly easy to read their outlook on maintenance!

As for a chip/nick/finish lifting on a cue(?), folks, that can be read also.

I'm not going to comment on the original post. I haven't seen the cue. But I do think it's entirely possible DP is getting a bad rap here.
 
skins said:
it also happens because the adhesion of the finish is poor due too an improper preparation of the wood surface, defective material applied or the wood moving underneath it too much along joint collars, handle/forearm area ect....due to improper construction techniques or just plain old age of the cue.
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I wouldn't doubt the finish lifted because of improper preparation of the wood surface when you think about how many cues he's selling on ebay. He's turning them out right and left and things can get missed (wood prep.) when you are building cues that fast. I'm not saying that's exactly what happened it's only my observation of this problem.

I bought one of his cues with a uni-lock radial pin joint and the shafts were loose on the threads when I received the cue which I wondered why they were like that. I've owned Josey and Capone cues with that joint and the shafts were very tight when you screwed them on to the butt of the cue. I sold the DP cue for what I had in it and I haven't considered owning another one.
 
meucci vs. dale perry

i'd rather have a meucci.just for the simple fact that a meucci is worth more.i bought a dp from dale when he had first started listing his cues on ebay.he retailed the cue for 2200 and i bought it for 800.i should have known then that his cues wouldn't be worth anyting in a matter of years.look at some of the cues u can buy from him on there.most cue makers would sell their house before letting those cues go for those amounts.i friend of mine that deals with cues on the regular said he's havin them made over seas more than likely.i hate to spread rumors but i was a little burnt by dale in vegas when i asked him for some type of trade with the cue i had.not going to get into that but it wasn't pleasant.he could care less says it all.
 
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