Deposit for cue

B

Busbee Cue

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
Hello,

This may be the wrong place for this question but I would like to get the general feelings on this subject.

Say a person gives you $60 deposit on a $400 cue that they want you to make for them. You complete the cue and months go by and the person does not come up with the rest of the money. After several more months this person tells you they can not afford to complete the deal and they would like to get their deposit back. What is the proper thing that should be done here? Most all of my friends say that I shouldn't give anything back but I want to do what most feel to be the proper thing to do. I did sell the cue but took $50 off because the person that bought it loved the cue bit they didn't really want the Uni-loc joint which is what the other person requested. Unless something else is requested I prefer to use the 3/8 10 or Radial. Any advice or standards would be greatly appreciated.
 
Your question is great, but I would assume that if you want to order a $400.00 Cue the Cuemaker would ask for more thaqn $60.00 Down.

Also if you went South on the Deal, and could not complete the transaction for ANY REASON it would be a good Will gesture ONLY on the part of the Cuemaker to refund your Deposit...

These (2) statement about are IMO

Why the question in the first place???
 
PoolSleuth said:
Your question is great, but I would assume that if you want to order a $400.00 Cue the Cuemaker would ask for more thaqn $60.00 Down.

Also if you went South on the Deal, and could not complete the transaction for ANY REASON it would be a good Will gesture ONLY on the part of the Cuemaker to refund your Deposit...

These (2) statement about are IMO

Why the question in the first place???
Click to expand...
20% is standard. Or $80 in this case.

What good is a deposit then? To have your name on a cue? You make a deposit and state your specs, the maker makes it to your specs then you can't afford the cue so the maker refunds you the deposit?
If you are a customer and you put on a deposit for ANYTHING YOU ORDERED, then you can't pay for the balance, you shouldn't expect a refund of that deposit.
Consider this, if a popular maker has a refund policy on his deposits, everybody is going to place an order and the maker will be backed-up for years.
Like South West who doesn't even require a deposit. Everybody is on the list.
 
Busbee is the cuemaker Sleuth, not the person who went south. He is asking to know what the concensus or standard is. A $60 deposit on a $400 dollar cue is probably about right. It all depends on the cuemaker, and if he requires a deposit at all.

I think a small deposit like $50 is usually not refundable. There are probably some cuemakers who make exceptions depending on who the customer is and circumstances, but advertising or informing ahead of time that it is not refundable seems in line to me.

Kelly
 
Deposit on cue

Both you and your customer came to an understanding that he would give you a deposit on a custom cue you would make for him. You finished the cue and he changed his mind. He has voided the contract he made with you which forfeits his deposit. KEEP THE DEPOSIT
I will finish the cue half way if they only give half down and will finish the cue when they finish paying for it.
It only takes getting burnt one time to get the money up front before you start the cue.
 
Plus basically each Cuemaker is an independent business person, who runs their business as they see fit, setting their business policies to adhear to local, state & federal laws, plus if they are a member of a trade group who required their member to adhere to a Code of Ethics to retain Membership, etc..
 
Busbee Cue said:
Hello,

This may be the wrong place for this question but I would like to get the general feelings on this subject.

Say a person gives you $60 deposit on a $400 cue that they want you to make for them. You complete the cue and months go by and the person does not come up with the rest of the money. After several more months this person tells you they can not afford to complete the deal and they would like to get their deposit back. What is the proper thing that should be done here? Most all of my friends say that I shouldn't give anything back but I want to do what most feel to be the proper thing to do. I did sell the cue but took $50 off because the person that bought it loved the cue bit they didn't really want the Uni-loc joint which is what the other person requested. Unless something else is requested I prefer to use the 3/8 10 or Radial. Any advice or standards would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

If the situation ever became a legal matter, I think what you may find would be that you are allowed to deduct any expenses you incurred, to resell the cue, from the deposit. Also, if the expenses were over and above the deposit the customer would be obligated to pay the additional expenses. On the other hand, if you sold the cue for more than the original selling price, you would be obligated to refund everything over and above the original selling price to the customer, including his deposit.

I personally take deposits on most orders and over the years have only had one incident of the customer not stepping up to the plate. The customers situation was understandable, so AFTER I resold the cue, I refunded his deposit. I always try to be fair and above board. We all have had times when we over extend ourselves.

Barry C.
 
I think that it is up to you but IMO Ithink it is very nice of you to give him his deposit back and maybe he will buy from you in the future.I think if it would have been me I would not have asked for my deposit back but that is just me,also I would have paid for the cue in the first place,maybe just to sell it latter.
 
Busbee Cue said:
Hello,

This may be the wrong place for this question but I would like to get the general feelings on this subject.

Say a person gives you $60 deposit on a $400 cue that they want you to make for them. You complete the cue and months go by and the person does not come up with the rest of the money. After several more months this person tells you they can not afford to complete the deal and they would like to get their deposit back. What is the proper thing that should be done here? Most all of my friends say that I shouldn't give anything back but I want to do what most feel to be the proper thing to do. I did sell the cue but took $50 off because the person that bought it loved the cue bit they didn't really want the Uni-loc joint which is what the other person requested. Unless something else is requested I prefer to use the 3/8 10 or Radial. Any advice or standards would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...


I think it's up to you and the circumstances for the cancellation. Sometimes stuff just happens. I always felt that a deposit was to help defray some of the cost of the materials. Let's face it, when the cue was commissioned, it meant that the wood used was no longer available to another customer, who may have desired the same piece. (I am using this as an example.) Additionally, when you did finally sell the completed cue, you had to take off money, because the joint wasn't right for the new customer who purchased it.

I think, unless there was an extenuating circumstance that did not allow for this customer to take delivery, it is reasonble for you to keep the deposit. Now, you could show a goodwill gesture and give the deposit back. But I feel it was presumptuous (sp?) for the customer to ask for the deposit back. The customer needs to learn that they can't just go ordering cues 'willy nilly' and then expect their deposit back when they change their mind.

Concerning deposits and LONG waiting lists....well, if a waiting list is pushing well over the two year mark, I think deposits become a headache. There is entirely too much that can happen over a long period of time. For instance, when a cuemaker goes on a 'walkabout' as recently happened with a highly regarded cuemaker. Or, perhaps a customer or cuemaker passing.

Just my thoughts.
Lisa
 
Disclosure

I agree with almost everything everyone is saying from the sentimental side of me that loves this industry, but, from the legal side, you have to disclose your policy. This policy must be in plain sight and posted in your receiving area, shop, invoice, etc.

If you do not let the customer know that they will not receive their deposit back should they not compete the deal, at the time of the sale, you don't have a leg to stand on.

Besides, wasn't it a forgone conclusion that the cue would sell to someone else at some point anyway? The deposit should be given back and with a smile minus any negativity. We're talking about $60.00 here. No brainer in my opinion.

Gene
 
Busbee Cue said:
You complete the cue and months go by and the person does not come up with the rest of the money. After several more months this person tells you they can not afford to complete the deal and they would like to get their deposit back.
Click to expand...

This scenario above is an acceptable reason to NOT return the deposit. Had the customer been upfront immediately about his inability to accept delivery of this cue, I could see perhaps returning the deposit. However, the customer appears to have drawn this thing out over a period of time before disclosing that he was going to be unable to accept delivery of the cue. This was time that the cue sat in the shop, unavailable to sell to another customer, and thereby delaying the cuemaker from recouping some of his initial build costs.

Lisa
 
Keep the deposit

Whenever you accept a deposit, in most states it means you now have a binding contract. It means you cannot sell the item that person deposited the cash on for 90 days or 6 mos or whatever for your state. In MO it is 90 days. If you are holding merchandise for someone, storing it and keeping it safe untill they pick it up, then you are providing a service. You should always have your deposit policy clearly posted at your business and maybe even on your reciepts. Unless the guy is spending a ton of money with you, I would keep it. If he had that much trouble coming up with $400 then chances are slim he will be spending again anytime soon. If you refund it then expect EVERYONE to want that type of exception to the rules when they do the same thing. Make sure you have them SIGN an understanding on cancellation fees, restocking fees, bounced check fees, before you even start a custom cue. These days people want to sue you for everything. Most cuemakers want 25-50% for a deposit. The guy got off cheap for backing out on a contract.
 
I would give him $10 since you were able to sell the cue for $350 and were expecting $400. You've got an extra $10 so that's what I would give him.
 
Busbee Cue said:
Hello,

This may be the wrong place for this question but I would like to get the general feelings on this subject.

Say a person gives you $60 deposit on a $400 cue that they want you to make for them. You complete the cue and months go by and the person does not come up with the rest of the money. After several more months this person tells you they can not afford to complete the deal and they would like to get their deposit back. What is the proper thing that should be done here? Most all of my friends say that I shouldn't give anything back but I want to do what most feel to be the proper thing to do. I did sell the cue but took $50 off because the person that bought it loved the cue bit they didn't really want the Uni-loc joint which is what the other person requested. Unless something else is requested I prefer to use the 3/8 10 or Radial. Any advice or standards would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Hello Busbee Cue, I in most cases would take things on a case by case basis.

Sometimes a person really has problems and can not complete the transaction, while this can be frustrating, I think that you will come out ahead in the long run.

However, if the customer is not wanting to complete the transaction because of other reasons, to bad so sad, they should lose part or their whole deposit depending upon the amount.

I think the best policy is to have a agreement pre-printed that the customer reads and signs. This agreement should outline your policy on refunds, deposits, and any warranty that you offer on your cues. You should keep the original and give the customer a copy.

This way there is no questions and any legal actions would be in your favor.

Have a great day!!

Craig
 
Rules

No matter how you feel about what the customer did, you can't just make up your own rules on this as you go, if there is no stated policy. Period.

Gene
 
Deposits can be legally challenged

even if specified that they are non refundable in a signed contract.But a Retainer cannot in the State of Ohio. I have heard that the same rulings apply in many states. A simple contract with rules on refunds should be included on every order. Have the customer sign it, after they are asked to please read it. Specify the amount of a retainer for your cue building or rebuilding services they are putting down. Include a statement specifying how many days they have to complete the transaction with the balance of money owed after you have finished your work. Do not specify a finish date unless you are selling that specific service as time bound, and you know you can make the deadline. Good luck!
 
why not just keep the deposit untill you can sell the cue for the same price quoted to original customer? then having lost nothing,Give it back.
 
Deposit

Being a small time cue maker I require a small non refundable deposit, usually 50 bucks. Since I have a regular job I don't have a ton of time to work on cues, so I don't want to work on a cue for x amount of time and then have him or her back out. I want to work on a cue, get paid, and buy more wood:)
If it was a cue that I know would be easy to sell I might let the person out of it to keep everyone happy but if it was some strange design that they had me build and I thought it might not be real popular then I'd probably tell him tough.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top