Not sure what to think here...

If I were that room owner, I would be a bit upset too, since Tommy, you were selling your services as a business owner (not a personal/private sale), within the walls of his business. If I were you, I would give the owner a small reasonable cut, make sure he's happy and he will recommend others to you for further business (with commissions I bet).


However, I wouldn't follow you and tell you not to come back. Bad business move.
You not coming back = no further business, no $
You coming back = better business (whatever amount you're going to spend, small or large)
 
It should never be a problem to meet a customer in a pool room to discuss a transaction or to do some business. Repair guy drops off some work or picks up some work that is at the service of the customer who is patronizing the place.

Now if the repair guy or the cue seller is hanging out and undermining the pool room's services then sure. When I was on the road with my cases I always cleared it with the the room owner first before bringing anything into his establishment for general sale. But if I were meeting a guy to discuss one case then I didn't really see the need to involve the room in that as long as I didn't plan on making it a spectacle and a sales pitch to the general population of the room.

But as a general rule it's ALWAYS more favorable to be on very good terms with the room owner and his staff. No matter what that IS their turf and any "business" done under their should be with their blessing.
 
Not sure what to think here..

I thank everyone for their input,and not throwing more negativity my way.

I've done repairs for practically everyone that cares about their cues in this area for 15 years now,and as far as I know,no one else within 75 miles does repairs.

I don't have a business card or ad placed in his place,but he has sent me people that came in looking for cue work. Not many,but a few over the years,and always thanked him.

I've never made arrangements with him,and never felt like I needed to,because what little business I do actually helps him.

It's the only place in town that has something other than bar tables,and people do play there every day. Once they see the quality of my work,and like my service,they play more,thus spend more money.

As things are right now,should I give him a cut when I'm there to do 10.00 worth of business for myself? If I was doing 100.00 worth of work or more every week and using his room as my office,I WOULD.

They've never sold cues,or offered repairs. I've never sold a single cue in there,and as I've already stated,I'm the only game in town for repairs,let alone quality.

In this particular scenario,the room was just a common meeting place. There isn't another pool room locally.

I know this place isn't just raking it in,so I can understand his point from a business sense. Pool rooms are a tough nut,esp in a place like this.

It's a old-timers type room,and in my mind it's more of a place for guys to hide from their old lady than a pool room.

They have 4 tables,only 2 of which have enough space to play comfortably,slow cloth and worn out ball sets that are never cleaned. The first table is a perpetual bank pool game that charges a quarter per man,loser pays for everyone. That leaves one table for people to practice,match up,etc. The tables were recovered for the first time in 5 years by a local doing a table for the first time ever,for a case of beer per table. I honestly don't think he gives 2 shits about pool.

If he did,he'd get away from the mentality that cracker-box equipment is "good enough for around here",and present his business a little better than keeping the ball sets in a cardboard box or ice cream bucket :eek:.

They only sell beer,so he's not making money of liquor like almost every other bar in town.

This was same place where back a few years ago,I walk in and another guy that was working there told me if I wasn't there to play Hold-Em,I wasn't welcome.

It's not the kind of place most men would take a date,so they are missing out on that sector of the population.

I can see his point to an extent,honestly. My problem is how he chose to deliver his point to me.

I'm also in agreement there is something deeper going on,and this was just his opportunity to make it known.

My dad plays in there more than I do,and did shade-tree mechanic work for over 20 years locally and met people there for that purpose,nothing has ever been said to him.

These are my feelings here.

While I haven't been particularly sharp lately,most of the time I would believe this was an issue with me winning with regularity. I've been barred from SEVERAL tournaments for such. I take that in stride,and laugh about it most of the time.

My "behavior" shouldn't be a question. Sure,I get mad at myself or the rolls if I lose at times,but always shake the opponent's hand,and never cause scenes with others.

However,this is eliminating practically my only competitive outlet.

I wouldn't be aggravated about it other than the way he handled it.

I plan on trying to deal with this directly,at the right time. Thanks to everyone that contributed. Tommy D.
 
Tommy-D said:
About an hour ago,I went to the pool room to deliver a shaft I worked on for a new customer. I showed it to him,made sure he was pleased,got paid and left in just a few min.

I'm walking back to my vehicle,and the owner follows me outside.

He tells me he'd appreciate it if I didn't come back for the weekly tournament because I don't spend any money,or at least not enough to suit him,claiming I haven't spent a nickel for a month :confused:. He's also half-ass agitated as he delivers the message :speechless:.

I've played there 5 times in the last month. 4 of those times I was there for a tournament,and bought what I needed,no more than 2 canned drinks in a couple hours. The one other time I played for 45 min while waiting for a cue work customer,and paid before I left.

This is why I don't spend a lot in this place.

I'm not the type to just randomly buy people a beer. Anyone that asks me for a beer typically gets denied on personal principle,unless we're tight. There were 3 people there that fell into this category. None of them drink beer,and none of them would ask because they pay for their own.

They don't serve food,and typically any workplace vending machine has a much better selection of candy,chips,etc. I don't eat stuff like that much at all,and when I do I'd like to have something other than product that has visible dust on it :o.

They don't have my preferred beverage,I don't like water,and I've been trying to reduce my soft drink intake because my sugar has been out of whack lately. I've never even tried to carry in a drink from outside,out of respect.

I've only won this tournament once recently,and 3 times since Jan. His complaint was never brought up when I was winning it more often than not.

I was so stunned by this I just silently stood there until he walked away muttering to himself,like he had something to say but not the stones to say it.

What do you think? Tommy D.
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This might sounds crazy, being generous and giving will benefit you more on the long run. You are doing business in his place after all, i would consider taking the table for an hour, give good tip, please the guy, he might send more customer to you!!
 
Does he work on cues their or have someone he sends the stuff too but regardless if your using his venue for your business then he deserves a little something.
You could always do your business in the parking lot
I know more than one pool hall owner that would have a problem but they offer services

1
 
If you work it where he's getting a little jelly from your work (involving people you meet at his room) you will likely find yourself with more biz coming by way of referrals from him. A win-win. :thumbup:

That's all anyone ever wants, a little tribute. Didn't you ever watch the Sopranos? :grin-square:

Def worth a call to smooth things over, imo, and maybe you can let him know about your dietary restrictions or whatever you like to spend on so maybe he can accomodate that.

But mostly, it's about tribute.

And, yes, who's doing the room's cue repairs? Could you be getting that work?

best,
brian kc
 
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Most tournies around here include table time in the entry fee of the tourney. Technically the establishment than has no right to ***** if you are there just for the tourney (as most real players would be). Just Sunday I shot in a local tourney. Great equipment (GC3, 860, Cents). Strong field. Double Elim (race to 7 on winners side, 5 on losers side). Entry fee was 28 bucks. 20 to the tourney, 8 to cover table time. I played 5 matches (win, loss, win, win, loss). Overall I feel I got more then my 8 bucks with in greens fees including the 20 for the entry fee.
 
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Tommy-D said:
About an hour ago,I went to the pool room to deliver a shaft I worked on for a new customer. I showed it to him,made sure he was pleased,got paid and left in just a few min.

I'm walking back to my vehicle,and the owner follows me outside.

He tells me he'd appreciate it if I didn't come back for the weekly tournament because I don't spend any money,or at least not enough to suit him,claiming I haven't spent a nickel for a month :confused:. He's also half-ass agitated as he delivers the message :speechless:.

I've played there 5 times in the last month. 4 of those times I was there for a tournament,and bought what I needed,no more than 2 canned drinks in a couple hours. The one other time I played for 45 min while waiting for a cue work customer,and paid before I left.

This is why I don't spend a lot in this place.

I'm not the type to just randomly buy people a beer. Anyone that asks me for a beer typically gets denied on personal principle,unless we're tight. There were 3 people there that fell into this category. None of them drink beer,and none of them would ask because they pay for their own.

They don't serve food,and typically any workplace vending machine has a much better selection of candy,chips,etc. I don't eat stuff like that much at all,and when I do I'd like to have something other than product that has visible dust on it :o.

They don't have my preferred beverage,I don't like water,and I've been trying to reduce my soft drink intake because my sugar has been out of whack lately. I've never even tried to carry in a drink from outside,out of respect.

I've only won this tournament once recently,and 3 times since Jan. His complaint was never brought up when I was winning it more often than not.

I was so stunned by this I just silently stood there until he walked away muttering to himself,like he had something to say but not the stones to say it.

What do you think? Tommy D.
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I think you might try elsewhere for a while.

Our pool team was fired for the same excuse. We were told we didn't drink enough to make it worth their while. If you know our team, we drink too much, have too much fun, get along with other patrons too well, and generally make a bar a more fun place everytime (oh, and we won first place for the bar, with the throphy, etc.). But that's not good enough, apparently. What else does she want from us, free sex?

So, we took our business elsewhere where our dollars and attitude are appreciated greatly.

Life is short.

Jeff Livingston
 
I cant imagine living in a one pool room town. Hell I got 4 (2 of which are great) within 10mins of my house. Stretch that out to 30 mins and I have 6 poolhalls within my house. Stretch it out to 45mins and I have 8. Of those 8 there are at least two that have weekly tournies that charge a few dollars more in entry fee to cover table time.

I completely understand with not giving him a cut on what you are making with repairs. Maybe if you made more and charged more, but raising your price you risk losing the few customers you already have.

I think Im going to side with what DoubleD originally said. Call him and see what it takes to make it right. If that seems to much for you then try to compromise. If that doesnt work your going to have to respect his wishes of him not wanting you in the poolhall.

Best of luck. Please post back with outcome....
 
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Jesus look at all these apologists.

You didn't do anything wrong and the guy treated you like toilet paper. If he has a problem with your cue repair then he needs to communicate that. If he thinks you're robbing his tournament then he needs to communicate that.

This isn't your girlfriend where you're expected to just guess what you did wrong.

If he sucks at communicating, and sucks at handling customers, f*ck him. He's a lousy business owner and deserves to lose money. I'd call him up and give him one chance to explain himself. If he isn't all apologies, let him know you'll be badmouthing his room on every review site and you'll steer all your buddies elsewhere.
 
CreeDo said:
Jesus look at all these apologists.

You didn't do anything wrong and the guy treated you like toilet paper. If he has a problem with your cue repair then he needs to communicate that. If he thinks you're robbing his tournament then he needs to communicate that.

This isn't your girlfriend where you're expected to just guess what you did wrong.

If he sucks at communicating, and sucks at handling customers, f*ck him. He's a lousy business owner and deserves to lose money. I'd call him up and give him one chance to explain himself. If he isn't all apologies, let him know you'll be badmouthing his room on every review site and you'll steer all your buddies elsewhere.
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Tap Tap Tap...
He will soon find it hard to stay open with an attitude like that. running some one off that is involved in the pool community and participating in tournaments, plus making his joint a place to find some help with their minor cue repair needs may cause other folks to patronize the place as well.
What an Idiot. I say leave and let others know why.
 
I thought it rather funny, the post or two suggesting that the owner be cut in. Why?

Example, BCA League at the hall. I don't play but go to have a couple and watch some great shooting. People see me and it is then that if anyone needs something done, I wait until the night is over and take their shafts etc.

The next time I am back practicing, I drop off with either the owner or someone working. The other repairman does the same.

I agree that if the owner has a bug, then maybe a sit down can clear the air but it wasn't fair to say what he did and not give a proper explanation. That was just rude.

Maybe the owner can advertise for you and have a pick up, drop off service. Then, work out a deal to cut him in. Maybe that is all it would take. If his nose is out of joint because he figures that he should make some, fine.

The harder he advertises for you, the more he makes.
Offer to retip his house cues and give him a fair shake.
Lots of different ways to mend a fence. Most times it involves a hammer. Give him one in the head if all fails.
 
i didn't read every response so i'm not sure if someone said this already. here's my 2 lead pennies.
does he have any sort of house repair man or a deal with someone who does repairs that he reccomends and advertises as such in the room? if so maybe that's his gripe with you bringing around work you have done and letting everyone else see the transactions.
if that is not the case then maybe he is angry you haven't brought a deal like that to him. wherein he lets people know you are the go to guy and you cut him in for a little jelly for throwing you the referals.
anything else maybe he was just having a bad day. it can't hurt to ask him. you can always tell hiim to pound sand and meet customers in the parking lot and do your playing somewhere else, after you find out what the deal is. or you might get a little more business by working with him.
 
I see no need to apologize to him at all here. If he's offended by something related to the tournament itself,my behavior,or me doing business there,it was never brought up at all. This is exactly what he said.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't come back for the tournament any more. You haven't spent any money here in weeks" :scratchhead:.

That is incorrect. I paid for a full hour on Sat and didn't even play the full time. The last time I needed something to drink there,I bought it. End of story there.

I could see in his eyes he was serious. I shook off the confusion and composed myself and tried to explain why I didn't buy any soft drinks this past Thurs,and before I could even get the words out,he cuts me off and basically repeats himself,only with noticeably more agitation. He walked off muttering and I walked away. The whole thing took less than 30 seconds.

I wasn't allowed to speak. So I honestly have no clue what the issue is. I won't know that until I go there again today to meet another customer for cue work. I'm not banned from the place,just the tournament.

If the timing isn't right for a private conversation,I'll wait for a better opportunity. He's not gonna talk to me like some punk and run me off either,without letting me even get a word out again. I'm prepared for that too.

Yeah it sucks to be a lifer and live in a place like this. One year at the U.S. Open,I got to talking with Jimmy Reid and told him about what it's like here for a player,and he told me I must be doing something right,because it's damn near a miracle you learned to play AT ALL there.

Closest 9 footers are over an hour away. Closest Diamonds are over 2 hours. One table with fast cloth in town,and that's a janky as f**k 8ft bar box. Balls are never cleaned,and the amusement company that owns all the bar tables doesn't do anything but bare minimum maintenance. The only Red Circle cue ball in town other than at the poolroom is in my case.

Trust me,there is no one doing repairs that people would pay for 75 miles in every direction. If there is,I'd know it by now,esp if he was big enough to be handing out cards.

Couple years ago I offered to do all the house cues for 5.00 and even 3.00 each if he wanted. That would barely cover the tips glue and sandpaper unless I did them ALL. He declined. I'm not picking up 3-4 shafts at a time there either,one customer at a time,and most always I deal face to face.

At this point,I don't think his issue is me doing business there. If there is a problem,I plan to deal with it without some animosity and bullshit if at all possible.

I heard a little bit ago dude is dealing with personal shit,and supposedly has treated others like this recently too. There are guys there all day that sit around and bullshit,don't spend money,and if he's weeding them out and lumping me in with them,so be it. Just make it clear,and don't try to act swole up and mad about it.

Guess we'll find out later today :thumbup2:. Tommy D.
 
My thoughts

I disagree with most people that posted a reply to this thread. It has turned into most assuming that the owner is mad because he didnt get a cut. The owner came out and said the OP doesnt spend enough. Well, When you only sell beer, sodas, and very little food that doesnt suit everyone. I would be in the same boat as the OP. The OP has no reason to go back there and have a so called heart to heart with the owner IMO. It seems to me the owner is trying to run his buisness into the ground. If there was another poolhall around there i would go there. But I know you said there was not another one around. In this situation i would go back and just carry on as you have been. If he were to call you out again then i would just let him know if you want me to spend some $ have more of a variety of things in here. IMO
 
You can do it if you want

Put the nail in the coffin
Open your own room
Small place ,8-12 tables.....a barbox or 2 included.....cue repair done on site, a few leagues.
Small bar seperate from playing area yet they can watch,,,,better drinks,snacks, food if possible
And very low music,,,low..low..low
Make it happen
Best of luck

P.S. Make sure you allow him in your establishment whether he spends or not
 
CreeDo said:
Jesus look at all these apologists.

You didn't do anything wrong and the guy treated you like toilet paper. If he has a problem with your cue repair then he needs to communicate that. If he thinks you're robbing his tournament then he needs to communicate that.

This isn't your girlfriend where you're expected to just guess what you did wrong.

If he sucks at communicating, and sucks at handling customers, f*ck him. He's a lousy business owner and deserves to lose money. I'd call him up and give him one chance to explain himself. If he isn't all apologies, let him know you'll be badmouthing his room on every review site and you'll steer all your buddies elsewhere.
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Im sure the O.P wouldnt have a problem with any of that if this guy wasnt the only place in town.
 
CreeDo said:
Jesus look at all these apologists.

You didn't do anything wrong and the guy treated you like toilet paper. If he has a problem with your cue repair then he needs to communicate that. If he thinks you're robbing his tournament then he needs to communicate that.

This isn't your girlfriend where you're expected to just guess what you did wrong.

If he sucks at communicating, and sucks at handling customers, f*ck him. He's a lousy business owner and deserves to lose money. I'd call him up and give him one chance to explain himself. If he isn't all apologies, let him know you'll be badmouthing his room on every review site and you'll steer all your buddies elsewhere.
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Very pleased you wrote that. It's exactly what I think too ...and now I don't have to type it. :]



Tommy-D said:
I heard a little bit ago dude is dealing with personal shit,and supposedly has treated others like this recently too.
...
Guess we'll find out later today :thumbup2:. Tommy D.
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That's your answer right there. Your worst 'fault' is that you're probably nice and peaceful enough to make the owner feel confident that he can project his issues onto you without you pushing back too hard. Something similar happened to me not too long ago with a waitress at my local. Some people will be unreasonable whatever you do or don't do. If you have the cash, start your own pool hall. If not, think about moving. :)

Are you in the states? (I suppose yes.) If so, which part (if I may ask)?
 
I decided to try and wait a few days and let the owner get whatever burr he had up his ass out of the way.

I went in on Mon and Tue to pick up individual cue jobs. He never said a word.

I had a good customer drop off work for one guy,and he waited for his cue to be done before the tournament. I went up there to drop off the stuff he left earlier during the tournament and picked up 4 more from a couple of locals. I went back a couple hours later and dropped that stuff off,and picked up 2 more shafts to clean. I go back with those 2,and one of the guys from earlier says his tip isn't right. I go back home to replace it.

I go back for the 4th time,make sure he's satisfied,and get paid.

He still hasn't said a word. As I'm walking out,one of my customers asked me why I didn't play in the tournament tonight. I motion towards the owner and say "ask him".

He tells the guy that asked that all I do is come for the tournament,and never spend anything.

I said that's fine,just make sure you do the same with the 30 guys that sit in here all day and never spend any,that way things are fair.

He starts in on me directly. I start to speak and once again he's gonna try to cut me off.

I got loud and said "look man you're NOT gonna talk down to me like that...I tried to tell you the reason I didn't buy anything last week was my sugar was off,and I don't like water. If you have a problem with that,F**K YOU AND THIS F**KIN GYP JOINT..." and walked out.

That's ok,I made more between 5 and 10pm on my repairs than he probably has in the last MONTH on table time.

I made sure all MY customers were happy,he probably didn't.

Believe me,if I could open a new room here,I would. Tommy D.
 
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