Head pool table mechanic wanted

[GoldCrown]

RKC, you should earn that. I sure wish you were headed to Chicago. I'd like for you to set up my table.

RKC should be able to name his price and get it. However..as said before most table buyers do not know the difference and go for price and assume the job will be done right. We would think professional pool rooms would pay for the best techs.... They tend to want a bargain. Those that know quality will pay for it...those that don't won't.
Back to Muellers. Someone that needs a stable constant paycheck should grab the job...and they better produce. Everything can be re-adjusted if the person fills the bill. Maybe a guy that worked as a helper is ready to move on to a better position.

What RCB said about a job seeker that was trained by a schlock artist will produce schlock. I know all about that. People came to me for work(dental lab) that had 15 years experience. 1 years knowledge times 15. And what they knew was not too much. I'm surprised their employer kept them unless that was the best they could do.
If I was looking for work and had experience servicing tables and saw an oppurtunity to work for Muellers I might grab it...get some more experience, fine tune my skills and eventually become my own boss. Maybe have an arrangement with Muellers to sub work or something like that. To those that think 15-20 is not worth walking out the door...is 100% of nothing better than that. It's a start. Prove yourself and re-evaluate. And if anyone thinks starting their own business is easy...go try it. Do it right...have a reliable vehicle, proper tools and commercial insurance. Don't get sick. Go hire a helper that might show up or has limited skills.
Ok this is an interesting thread...every reason not to apply for the job has been posted. No positive replies aside from offer more money? Muellers should stop before they start. Potential employees should read this thread and immediately ask for more money before they prove themselves.
Anyway I'm done ranting...in all reality its a hard way to make a living. Most techs are real poor but think they are talented. In Florida most self employed techs are hackers. The one company near I live has a hacker. The more tables you give them to service the sloppier it gets. Sadly these are the guys doing the work and getting away with it. I commend Ryan for soliciting a person that needs certain requirements instead of hiring the first guy to show up.

 

[realkingcobra]

Well, this isn't the first request they've posted, it's the second time I've seen this nob opportunity, so they must not have found someone as of yet. I think i saw the other request sometime last year.

 

[GoldCrown]

Well, this isn't the first request they've posted, it's the second time I've seen this nob opportunity, so they must not have found someone as of yet. I think i saw the other request sometime last year.

Muellers best bet would be to sub contract. Pay the contractors price and build it into the table sale price.
I would say they should factory train someone and have a contract. But does anyone really want to learn a marketable skill...work hard and prevail. Does not look that way.

I hope you are getting your fees and busy. You take the trade to proper level and then some.

 

[skip100]

Muellers best bet would be to sub contract. Pay the contractors price and build it into the table sale price.
I would say they should factory train someone and have a contract. But does anyone really want to learn a marketable skill...work hard and prevail. Does not look that way.

I hope you are getting your fees and busy. You take the trade to proper level and then some.

I'm sure there are people who would like to learn a marketable skill like this, and they might even be willing to start at $15-20/hour, but the job listing requests five years experience. No surprise they aren't finding any takers.

 

[ROB.M]

I charge $150 labor to recover Valley style pool tables, have more requests for work than I'm willing to take on at my age, takes me 1 1/2 hours to recover the Valley taking my time, that's $75 an hour labor. I charge $1,000 labor to convert a red label Diamond to blue lable, takes 10 hours labor, that's $100 an hour, and i KNOW what I'm doing! Most in this industry charge about the same for half the time spent, which means per hour they make more than i do, don't matter if their work turns out like shit, the price is right, and most customers don't care, or know the difference anyway. So, why would someone that even knows half of what they're doing right, work for an houy wage punching a time clock....thats the question not being addressed!

-


Geessh, your a cheap date! Mueller's charges more than that.
Go easy on that knee you brute!

Edit: the last time I was in the showroom at mueller's there was only a few pool table and one of them pool tables was a old antique that they restored with a something silly price tag of like 50k....

Rob.M

 

[bradsh98]

$20/hr with benefits isn't a bad living, especially if it includes overtime.

The actual requirements of this position have not been discussed. It seems that everyone is comparing the skill set of this position to someone who fully customizes tables. I would guess that this will not be required of this position.

I would guess that the bulk of the work would be rebuilding/refinishing rails. I'm also guessing that they already have a fully functional work shop, furnished with all of the necessary tools and equipment.

I can think of a couple of guys that this position would be perfect for, if they had any interest in moving to Nebraska.. These guys are fully capable of the work, and it would even be a nice bump in pay for them.

 

[realkingcobra]

$20/hr with benefits isn't a bad living, especially if it includes overtime.

The actual requirements of this position have not been discussed. It seems that everyone is comparing the skill set of this position to someone who fully customizes tables. I would guess that this will not be required of this position.

I would guess that the bulk of the work would be rebuilding/refinishing rails. I'm also guessing that they already have a fully functional work shop, furnished with all of the necessary tools and equipment.

I can think of a couple of guys that this position would be perfect for, if they had any interest in moving to Nebraska.. These guys are fully capable of the work, and it would even be a nice bump in pay for them.

You ever been to Lincoln NB?....LOL

PS, corn fields and corn feed women, and flat as far as you can see, and snow from hell....i just love driving through without stopping...LOL

 

[Johnny Rosato]

justinb386

 

[Cory in DC]

You ever been to Lincoln NB?....LOL

PS, corn fields and corn feed women, and flat as far as you can see, and snow from hell....i just love driving through without stopping...LOL

No need to pick on the women of Nebraska like that!

Also, put me in the camp that says $15 to $20/hour is low if Muellers is looking for someone with a decent amount of skill.

 

[realkingcobra]

No need to pick on the women of Nebraska like that!

Also, put me in the camp that says $15 to $20/hour is low if Muellers is looking for someone with a decent amount of skill.

Not picking on all the women in Nebraska, there are some that eat meat too:thumbup:

I did speak with Rory on the phone, with that conversation i wish him the best of luck.

 

[jimmyco]

I bet $40K a year goes a bit further in Lincoln than some other places, maybe further still if OT and/or spiffs are included.
Some people like the laid back pace.
Good bird hunting in the outlying areas.
A single young man could keep busy in a college town and some guys prefer corn feed wominz.

I hope they find what they seek. They may if their quals are not etched in stone and they are open to negotiation.

 

[WVShootist]

$15/hour for 5 years of specialized carpentry experience isn't bad money.

 

[realkingcobra]

$15/hour for 5 years of specialized carpentry experience isn't bad money.

There's all kinds of carpentry books and schooling for that trade, there's NONE in the billiards industry, so where does a person aquire the skills with 5 yrs of working on pool tables to even know enough to NOT be called a hack? This whole industry is filled with monkey see, monkey do workers! And like I've already said, there is absolutely no industry support to teach table mechanics how to do their job correctly because this entire industry would rather sell new instead of fixing up the older tables, and by older i mean the ones that have already been sold, even recently! Inexperience table mechanics are this industry's backbone for supporting new table sales. Tear up the older tables guys so we can sell everyone NEW pool tables!!!

 

[WVShootist]

There's all kinds of carpentry books and schooling for that trade, there's NONE in the billiards industry, so where does a person aquire the skills with 5 yrs of working on pool tables to even know enough to NOT be called a hack? This whole industry is filled with monkey see, monkey do workers! And like I've already said, there is absolutely no industry support to teach table mechanics how to do their job correctly because this entire industry would rather sell new instead of fixing up the older tables, and by older i mean the ones that have already been sold, even recently! Inexperience table mechanics are this industry's backbone for supporting new table sales. Tear up the older tables guys so we can sell everyone NEW pool tables!!!

I'm sure this isn't going to come as a shock to you but every job in every industry more or less asks for an absurd amount of education/experience these days. The guy will do what every other employer has to do, pick from the pool he's presented with and make due. Frankly I'm kind of shocked he can keep a guy on full time with benefits to fix pool tables as opposed to contracting out work as he gets it. Lincoln, Nebraska must be a pool-enthused city.

 

[realkingcobra]

I'm sure this isn't going to come as a shock to you but every job in every industry more or less asks for an absurd amount of education/experience these days. The guy will do what every other employer has to do, pick from the pool he's presented with and make due. Frankly I'm kind of shocked he can keep a guy on full time with benefits to fix pool tables as opposed to contracting out work as he gets it. Lincoln, Nebraska must be a pool-enthused city.

Big difference between being a self employed hack vs a hack working for and misrepresenting a company where there can be recourse.

 

[GoldCrown]

Big difference between being a self employed hack vs a hack working for and misrepresenting a company where there can be recourse.

My clubhouse in Florida has been serviced by the "Best Of" hacks. The tables would have been better off if left alone. They set the record for staple over staples after 3-4 rounds of servicing. V cut pocket area. Blue tape on the strips that hold the rail cloth down. Loose rails were done at no extra charge. Lean into one and it slid. Nicely stacked pile of paper for shims.
Around 6pm they said they're running late...I said no kidding..you started late. Their only concern was leaving...not How Is Everything...are you satisfied. Eventually the tables had to be replace and I attribute that to real poor service. Slates got mixed, chipped, filled and sanded and more. And ya know what...worked out for the best...we got 4 Diamond ProAm's to replace them. I should thank them.
Anyone in S. Florida getting tables done...let me know who you are using and I'll gladly flame them if our community used them before.
And for my home GC4...installed by the people I bought it from. The installation was the typical Home Job...The Home Job is the one where we assume the install will be great...but we don't really know the difference at first.
Years later the level, cushions, cloth were done by a gent I got from AzB.
Worked out very well(to my satisfaction.)
15-$20 hour employees or $500-$1000 from self employed. If the job is not done right it's worthless and money thrown out. Everyone has pitched in to help Muellers How To Hire a tech. I wish them luck...would like to see them find a quality person as they are a quality company. As for competent table techs...you need a detective to find one. And if you do...wait for him and pay their fee.