My local pool hall

[the scorpion]

Hi guys I was wondering if there is anyone out there who can help me, you see my local pool hall is going down the tubes I went on sunday and played a few games but the tables are getting worse pockets are coming appart from the table, the slate is visible through the cloth and to top it all 90% of the rails are dead.

So I was wondering what could I say to the manager without being rude that might help get the tables back in order & playable again because I am sick of playing on unlevel tables.

Any help would be appreciated btw here's a picture:

 

[moccabee]

Ask him if he is getting any tax return this year and if he is going to use that to refinish his tables? Another option, that I have seen happen to a nice poolhall here in Ohio is the owner just got tired of it and wanted to sell it so he didn't want to put any $$ back into it knowing he was just going to sell the place.

 

[PROG8R]

Wow

Did you draw that picture too?

 

[the scorpion]

PROG8R listen all I want is advice not some silly comment about a previous post OK! so if you have nothing constructive to say then just don't say anything at all, there is other peoples opinions I value more you know than a child like yourself!.

 

[PROG8R]

Lol

PROG8R listen all I want is advice not some silly comment about a previous post OK! so if you have nothing constructive to say then just don't say anything at all, there is other peoples opinions I value more you know than a child like yourself!.

Look, you had to know that was going to come back sooner or later.
As far as an answer to your post:
Well, just don't be abrasive. You can always say things like "man I can't believe how the cloth is getting beat up in here" "How much does it cost you to redo a table?" "When you plan to redo the tables, Can I help? I really want to learn how" by the way, it nice to know how to do it properly. "how often should you redo the cloth in a pool hall anyway?" Don't make yourself sound like a dick, try to seem genuine, and curious.
Good Luck, let us know how it comes out.

 

[the scorpion]

Thanks Prog8r sorry about that I should have known it would come back and bite me in the ass sooner or later hopefull that should be it over with, btw is there anything I can do if they start to fobb me off by saying yeah yeah it'll be done soon, cos I am a very loyal customer and its not great playing on really crappy tables.

 

[PROG8R]

Well,

If you know the guy pretty well you can talk to him then. You can always say something like, "I was online the other day and Platinum Billiards is having a sale on Simonis 860 cloth, $163 per table, you know and the 860 is a little more durable and slower than the 760 so it should last longer and I would love to help you redo the tables for like experiance and table time?" If they blow you off, "just think about it and let me know", then ask again next time you see them.
If they dont fix it, then find another place to play. If you look you might find the new Brunswick cloth "Centinial", for less then the price of simonis. It is not bad cloth, one of the pool halls close to me put it in and they have had pretty good results, pretty quick, no natting up and it is scotch guarded.

 

[Snapshot9]

Be honest

Talk to the owner, and just say, 'Look, your tables are in sad shape, and if
they aren't going to be fixed and put into top shape, I am going to take my
business elsewhere. You can not play good Pool on bad tables, and I want to play good Pool'.

And if he doesn't fix them, then simply go elsewhere to shoot. You can not coerce him into anything, either he cares about his customers or doesn't. If he doesn't, then he doesn't deserve them. Your picture looked a little more like a 'gameroom environment' than a true pool room environment, and that
could be part of the problem, and the age bracket that a place is really trying to attract.

 

[Bill O]

[ I am a very loyal customer and its not great playing on really crappy tables.[/QUOTE]

It costs $400 to cover a GC with simonis in the NY area, so it's not an inexpensive undertaking. Having said that, then as a "loyal" and I would guess very frequent customer, you should be comforable saying that it's, "not great playing on really worn (crappy) tables." Perhaps a little more diplomatically.

Good luck

 

[ScottW]

Old adage of business - "You gotta spend money to make money."

I feel your pain - in my area, within about 10 miles radius, I can count three places - well, two now, as one of them shut down a couple of months ago - with full-size tables. One of'em keeps their tables in decent shape. The other isn't really a "pool hall" per se - they've got 10 9-footers and a token 8-footer, but they're mainly a bar/restaurant (roof deck and all that). Their tables are in AWFUL shape. The one closest to the bar, the cloth is 50% covered in beer stains. The rest of the tables all have stains of that sort to varying degrees. Pockets are coming detached and balls plunk down onto the floor here and there. Lamps are in horrid shape, not every table has a rack. I can't recall the last time *anything* was done to those tables.

Hence, I generally only go over there on "free pool" (with purchase) days.

 

[cueandcushion]

delicate balance....

Old adage of business - "You gotta spend money to make money."

I feel your pain - in my area, within about 10 miles radius, I can count three places - well, two now, as one of them shut down a couple of months ago - with full-size tables. One of'em keeps their tables in decent shape. The other isn't really a "pool hall" per se - they've got 10 9-footers and a token 8-footer, but they're mainly a bar/restaurant (roof deck and all that). Their tables are in AWFUL shape. The one closest to the bar, the cloth is 50% covered in beer stains. The rest of the tables all have stains of that sort to varying degrees. Pockets are coming detached and balls plunk down onto the floor here and there. Lamps are in horrid shape, not every table has a rack. I can't recall the last time *anything* was done to those tables.

Hence, I generally only go over there on "free pool" (with purchase) days.

Well, I know being a pool room owner is never easy in terms of satisfying anyone. Most of your money comes from people you don't know and can't play pool; and most of your complaints come from regulars who frequent everyday, mostly just hang out and spend only on occasion. I would suggest if you are sincerely interested in playing on a good table be brave enough to financially support a good table. If you are only going on FREE POOL days..expect to get what you pay for. A suggestion to the billiard parlor owner would be to have a PREMIUM table set up somewhere with new cloth, new rubber etc. Just dont have discounts on this table (or even charge more) and only better players and not the bangers will use it. If the pool hall doesnt have enough decent players to support a quality table you must choose another place. That is just a financial reality. If your particular pool hall concentrates on drinkers and the banger level of play; then you are out of luck I presume. You can't have premium product at Walmart prices in today's economy; that is just unrealistic. Good luck!

 

[cuejoey]

forget about the manager see the Owner.some people just do not care about their place,then they wonder in a few short years why they have to close because they are not making any money..