There is a lot of negativity surrounding the pool world and the state of the industry lately. I'm not going to argue that times could be better, but I do want to share (unsolicited) my positive experience.
I recently bought two cues from Nielsen's Billiards in Springfield, IL (www.joerackem.com). The first one arrived last week, and the second one will likely take a few more weeks. But, I had to post this today, because I cannot say enough good things about Joe and the service that I've gotten from him.
I had been wanting to spend some time hitting shots with different cues side by side and feeling the hits, and the differences between joints, weights, makers, etc. I was fortunate enough to head down to Springfield to check out their showroom, where I got to do just that. I told them up front that I wasn't going to be buying a cue that day, but they still let me spend the better part of 2 hours there hitting shots with different cues to find out what I liked. I never once felt pressured one way or another, or rushed in any way. I got suggestions when I asked for them, and picked up a few tidbits that I wouldn't have even thought to ask about.
When I got back home, I was in e-mail communication with Joe for a couple of weeks, getting price quotes, clarifying details, etc. I never waited more than 24 hours for a response, and often had responses from him within the hour. The process would have taken less time, but I wasn't quick enough to keep up with Joe!
I priced both of these cues several places, including some of the dealers on this site, and Joe was able to beat the second best price on both by nearly 20%. I don't know how he does it, but I can't ignore savings like that.
When my cue arrived, Joe rolled it, notified me that he was sending it and then sent me the tracking number for the cue. It arrived as scheduled, and looked absolutely stunning (if I do say so myself
).
The cue felt heavy when I put it together for the first time, so I brought it into work with me and weighed it on a digital scale. It was exactly 1/2 ounce heavier than I had ordered it, so I gave Joe a call. I wasn't sure what the normal variance was for new cues, so I wanted to know if it was something worth taking up with the maker or not. Joe did me one better...
On the spot, he appologized for not weighing the cue (I told him that was not necessary, and that I did not think it was his responsibility). Then he took the time to talk me through taking the bumper off the butt, and taking out the weight bolt. He was able to identify the weight bolt used despite my horrible description ("uh...it feels like steel..."). He then sent me a weight bolt out of his own stock (shipping paid by him) that would cut 1/2 ounce off the weight of the cue.
In my opinion, he went out of his way to make sure that I got exactly what I was looking for. There are some great dealers here on AZ, and I'm not taking anything away from any of them. But, after an experience as great as the one I had with Nielsen's, I can't imagine going anywhere else to buy.
I just wanted to share that with everyone. Nielsen's obviously gets my recommendation to anyone.
I recently bought two cues from Nielsen's Billiards in Springfield, IL (www.joerackem.com). The first one arrived last week, and the second one will likely take a few more weeks. But, I had to post this today, because I cannot say enough good things about Joe and the service that I've gotten from him.
I had been wanting to spend some time hitting shots with different cues side by side and feeling the hits, and the differences between joints, weights, makers, etc. I was fortunate enough to head down to Springfield to check out their showroom, where I got to do just that. I told them up front that I wasn't going to be buying a cue that day, but they still let me spend the better part of 2 hours there hitting shots with different cues to find out what I liked. I never once felt pressured one way or another, or rushed in any way. I got suggestions when I asked for them, and picked up a few tidbits that I wouldn't have even thought to ask about.
When I got back home, I was in e-mail communication with Joe for a couple of weeks, getting price quotes, clarifying details, etc. I never waited more than 24 hours for a response, and often had responses from him within the hour. The process would have taken less time, but I wasn't quick enough to keep up with Joe!
I priced both of these cues several places, including some of the dealers on this site, and Joe was able to beat the second best price on both by nearly 20%. I don't know how he does it, but I can't ignore savings like that.
When my cue arrived, Joe rolled it, notified me that he was sending it and then sent me the tracking number for the cue. It arrived as scheduled, and looked absolutely stunning (if I do say so myself
).The cue felt heavy when I put it together for the first time, so I brought it into work with me and weighed it on a digital scale. It was exactly 1/2 ounce heavier than I had ordered it, so I gave Joe a call. I wasn't sure what the normal variance was for new cues, so I wanted to know if it was something worth taking up with the maker or not. Joe did me one better...
On the spot, he appologized for not weighing the cue (I told him that was not necessary, and that I did not think it was his responsibility). Then he took the time to talk me through taking the bumper off the butt, and taking out the weight bolt. He was able to identify the weight bolt used despite my horrible description ("uh...it feels like steel..."). He then sent me a weight bolt out of his own stock (shipping paid by him) that would cut 1/2 ounce off the weight of the cue.
In my opinion, he went out of his way to make sure that I got exactly what I was looking for. There are some great dealers here on AZ, and I'm not taking anything away from any of them. But, after an experience as great as the one I had with Nielsen's, I can't imagine going anywhere else to buy.
I just wanted to share that with everyone. Nielsen's obviously gets my recommendation to anyone.
