Help, My Cue!!!

[Bazooka Tooth]

You are a strange dude.

hahah pretty much....I have a random sense of humor...I can laugh at anything....

 

[despotic931]

Did your joint protector have any small scratches on it, if so he chucked in into the lathe and became over tighten when the shaft was spinning during the refinish/clean-up. This is the reason your joint protector was on extremely tight. I wouldn't think it would get tight enough to damage the threads unless he torqued the shaft while it was spinning. It could be fixed, shaft would need to be plugged and a new insert would have to be installed. Send it into Predator, I'm assuming they could fix it without any problem.

There arn't any scratches on the joint protector. He denies ever taking it off, in the brief conversation we had at the bar he told me he never removed the joint protector and acted as though there was no way this could have been his fault (I made it brief because I was so pissed off I couldn't barelly talk let alone think). The only place there is damage on the joint protector is on the threads. I've got to figure out how to get it threw to him that this is his fault.

Anyone wanna buy a cue? j/k

On a different note, he also had another cue of mine. The ferrule had become unglued, he told me he would just reglue it, instead without asking me he just installed a new ferrule on it and put a LePro tip on the cue (I play with a pressed triangle on that cue). He did this all without asking me, and then charged me for it.

I think that a lot of you guys are going to be stunned when you find out who this is after this all blows over. I just want this fixed, I'm so mad I don't even want to play pool lately.

I wouldn't send it back to him. If he messed it up installing a tip, I'd hate to imagine what would happen if he tried to replace the insert. Predator shafts are softer than normal hard rock maple. It doesn't take much to spin the shaft.


(despotic931 clear some PMs)

If he tells me he will, and that he can fix it, then I'll let him try. However, if he screws up agian he will have to suffer the embarrassment of paying another cue tech to fix his mistakes.

PMs Cleared

Thanks Guys...
Justin<---not wanting a confrontation, but ready for one

 

[cuejoey]

Well the forums are great for info..when i am in the Chicago area i go to ProTyme in Orland Park..the owners fiance Kelly does the tip work..she does some of the best work..she will put on a tip WITHOUT sanding down the entire cue shaft as i seen one local guy do on cues WITHOUT being asked..i don't know what else she has the ability to do but when it comes to tips that's where i will go.....

 

[John Barton]

If Rat cues says he can fix it without voiding the warranty then that's who I'd send it to and make the cue repair guy pay for it. Don't hesitate to take him to small calims court over it either. We will back you up on the technical issues involved.

As for fixing something that you didn't ask for and charging you.... that's just bad business right there and I wouldn't have paid for it.

 

[despotic931]

If Rat cues says he can fix it without voiding the warranty then that's who I'd send it to and make the cue repair guy pay for it. Don't hesitate to take him to small calims court over it either. We will back you up on the technical issues involved.

As for fixing something that you didn't ask for and charging you.... that's just bad business right there and I wouldn't have paid for it.

Thanks,

I will keep you guys updated as to what happens.

Justin

 

[despotic931]

OK, so here's what went down...

Basically the cue maker and I never really got the chance to discuss what happened and what we were gonna do about it in a one on one manner, but I finally caught him today. First he said that he had heard I was on this site, and had identified him to everyone, which is completely untrue, I purposely never mentioned a name. (except too one person in a pm, and that person asked who it was and knows this cue maker so I was honest) Anyways, before I could explain any of the truth to him he asked to see the cue, and asked if he could have a moment to see if he could fix it.

I agreed to let him, figuring that either way the insert would need replacing whether he wasn't able to fix it, or even if he only managed to screw it up more. So, he took it into his shop and returned within about ten minutes or so with the cue screwed together, he told me that there had been some burrs that had been preventing the cue from screwing together. Where the burrs came from I don't know, last I knew metal doesn't just grow burrs.

I looked at the work and it was well done, I don't think he re-tapped it, just cleaned the threads up. So, the cue is good as new. I explained to him what all I had written on this site, and that my reason for posting here was for information, and advice, and not to bash his name at all. I'm really glad he was able to fix it, I never asked what caused the damage in the first place, I'm just happy to have my cue back.

Honestly, I will most likely have the guy do more of my work in the future, but probably not on my Predator, simply because he told me he doesnt have the Unilock lathe pin, and I don't want to risk a repeat incident with this cue. As far as the other cue goes, it was a misunderstanding as far as what he thought I wanted him to do with it. This I can believe because it was one of those "Here, whenever you get the time can you do this for me?" deals. Where I basically just handed it to him knowing he wouldn't be able to get to it for a while. Besides it is a cheap cue that I keep as a bar player, and the new ferrule actually plays a lot nicer than the old one.

So, to sum up. He repaired the cue for me, no problem, and explained the misunderstanding with the other cue, also no problem. He also apologized for not being able to get to it sooner, and I explained what was really said on this site. All's well, and I hope that he feels the same. Thanks everyone for your help, if anything, this has been a very educating experience for me.

-Justin (despotic931)

 

[Drew]

Glad to hear it bro

 

[despotic931]

Glad to hear it bro

Yup, and now I get to try out that Sniper tip

 

[Jack Madden]

So many of us just hand our stuff to people we might not know too well and hope for the best. Me too. A cuemaker known to us all here once did a refinish job on my $1200 cue that could be described as shoddy at best. Not only did he remove part of the stain on the forearm but he made no attempt to restain it so that looked like crap. Then the finish was uneven and had sanding marks spiraling down it. I thought it was impossible to do such a bad job. I was so mad that I didn't even make an issue of it. I should have but I didn't. I was at the point where I didn't even want to let him try again with the cue. Nor did I want to put more money into it with someone else. And don't ask because I won't name names. It doesn't matter now. The point is that while he "might" have been able to correct it what really needed to happen at that point was for him to replace the cue and I am positive he didn't have the funds nor the insurance to do so at that time. I may be wrong but I didn't bother to ask before he started work because, who does that? Right, no one does, we hand it over and hope for the best.

John
On a refinish or repair it is best to have the cuemaker who built your cue do it. There is something other than the money involved when an old cue of mine comes back to me. It is called pride - that cue represents me - I want it to always look good.