A friend of mine wanted to be a table mechanic. He heard how much Ernesto made.poolhustler said:
One more thing to think about Russ. I'm not an $8.00 an hour employee working for Diamond in the factory, making parts, who puts in my 40 hours a week, clocks out at 3:30pm everyday, and has weekends off.poolhustler said:
realkingcobra said:One more thing to think about Russ. I'm not an $8.00 an hour employee working for Diamond in the factory, making parts, who puts in my 40 hours a week, clocks out at 3:30pm everyday, and has weekends off.
I'm a sub-contractor, with 100 percent of the responsibility of getting the job done, no matter how long it takes, or what day of the week it is. I work by myself, which in most cases would take 2, or 3 guys to do the job. I drive Diamonds truck to get the job done, and pay for it. I can think outside the box, so I don't need someone to watch over me, and hold my hand to make sure I do my job right. How valuable is that in a person? But, part of being independent, is also having a voice. I bring in Pay checks to Diamond so to speak, every-time I deliver a pool table, so you might say I'm an "asset" to Diamond, not a liability. As a sub-contractor, I need better equipment to do my job right. If I was in Diamonds backyard, I'd be going home every-night, but...I'm not, hell....I'm not even in MY backyard most of the time. So, at what point in time do I say, what the hell...why can't I get you to understand...I need something done now...not 6 months from now!, but when that 6 months has come and gone...and nothing has changed...then what? I don't want to quit, but I can't do my job either...so, what am I to do? This thread...was the beginning, and the end, all at the same time, the beginning for you, the end for me
Glen
When I get back to Vegas, after delivering tables in Washington State...sometime next week, I'm recovering the 2 Diamond tables at Pool Sharks with Simonis 860 Tour Blue before I take off back east to deliver tables, just thought you might want to knowMichael-Hoang said:
I don't really know if anyone picks being a billiards mechanic as a job, I think the job picks the mechanic. No matter how much someone wants to be a mechanic, the job will either become a lifestyle, or a memoryJoeyInCali said:
naaa...LOL Diamond, the BCA, and Rick Jones with his 18 wheelers has all that covered...LOL...well, now they may need some help recovering 30 to 40 tables before the BCA event, hadn't thought about that, I'll see if I can get you in for recovering tables...$75.00 a table for rails and beds OK with you?n10spool said:
..LOL
Manufacturing is not really the problem, distribution is. For the most part, it really wouldn't matter who built 9ft one piece slate tables, they'd run into the same problems, trying to handle the equipment for distribution. The Diamond ProAm really is the best tables in the world for setting up for tournaments hands down, the problem is in shipping. The world has never had to deal with anything this big in the billiards industry before, and everyone is trained for the most part in how to handle 3 piece slate tables. Crate and ship, no problem, someone on the receiving end assembles...and you've got a table to play on. That's been the billiards industry since the beginning of time, but now...we have a table that is a monster to deal with, and whether or not anyone wants to admit it...it's a problem for anyone trying to deliver them. To be a mechanic, you don't need a truck and trailer, you don't need to move tables from coast to coast. All you have to do is work in your own back yard, there's plenty of work to be done, if someone wants to take the time to find it.bandido said:
Think about this for a second..."WE MANUFACTURED 300 TABLES THIS WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!! but we only got 50 delivered...because there isn't enough mechanics out there that have their OWN trucks and trailers to deliver OUR pool tables to the buying customers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!realkingcobra said:Manufacturing is not really the problem, distribution is. For the most part, it really wouldn't matter who built 9ft one piece slate tables, they'd run into the same problems, trying to handle the equipment for distribution. The Diamond ProAm really is the best tables in the world for setting up for tournaments hands down, the problem is in shipping. The world has never had to deal with anything this big in the billiards industry before, and everyone is trained for the most part in how to handle 3 piece slate tables. Crate and ship, no problem, someone on the receiving end assembles...and you've got a table to play on. That's been the billiards industry since the beginning of time, but now...we have a table that is a monster to deal with, and whether or not anyone wants to admit it...it's a problem for anyone trying to deliver them. To be a mechanic, you don't need a truck and trailer, you don't need to move tables from coast to coast. All you have to do is work in your own back yard, there's plenty of work to be done, if someone wants to take the time to find it.
But, with the ProAms, and Smart Tables...everything as we've known it in the mechanic industry...has changed, and Diamond can't expect all mechanic's to have trucks pulling trailers to be used to deliver these tables only...so that's where the problem comes in..."These tables only" Diamond already had the truck, and my Ranger was about used up. As a mechanic, I didn't expect to get the use of the truck for free, and I don't, I have to pay a lease to use the truck, no different than if someone else would lease a truck for work.
The problem, is getting the equipment sold...to the buyer, and that has to be done by either a truck and trailer, or a bigger truck, because trucking companies won't ship tables on dolly's, and you can't deal with a 9 foot ProAm because of the weight...unless it's on a dolly...so, that only leaves a working relationship between Diamond....and me, until others step forward and start getting involved. Sooner or later, Diamond is going to get plugged up with production, based on distribution. It don't matter how many tables you can manufacture....if you can't get them delivered!
Glen
What's behind door number 3?..a fishing pole and a pond???????n10spool said:
I've been wanting to go fishing for so long now, every time I pass by a mud puddle...I want to cast my hook in the water just to see what it's like againn10spool said:
I've seen this problem before, but only in a different light. While stationed in Germany for my last 3 years in the army, I found myself up in the norther part of Germany in Garlstedt, GR. This was the Army's newest military post in 1980. 4800 troops stationed there, only problem...when it was payday, and every GI wanted to get off post and get downtown 30 minutes drive away...there was only 2 German taxi's to transport everyone off post. The taxi's charged 10 marks a car load, about $5.00 American dollars. It didn't take me long to figure out that I needed to buy me a car, so I could play taxi too, so I bought me a big ford, and started taking guys downtown too, only...I charged $10.00 per person, so I was raking in anywhere from $1,000 to $1,500 a payday weekend, twice a month, but my paychecks from the army were only $660 a month, I made bank!!! But...sooner or later the German Taxi drivers started to complain, so I couldn't pick anyone up at the gate anymore, but...no problem, it was a mile long walk to the front gate, so I just picked them up along the way, still made my money. But then, the taxi drivers finally got smart, and started keeping 30 taxi's at the front gate. They each didn't make that much money, but the GI's no longer had to wait for a ride downtown anymorebandido said:
