some people really have a helluva lot of nerve

BHQ

BHQ

we'll miss you
Silver Member
you guys ever run into a people like this weenie?
this weenie comes up to me tonight
we've talked before
it didn't take more than a couple minutes to figure out what a tightass he is
the first time we talked , he wanted to add an ivory joint and ivory ferrule and a moori tip and told me it HAD to be done for $90
i laughed at him and walked away

tonight he says, he needs a new predator shaft and tells me that it HAS to be done for less than $150
i told him no way, of course
i said go buy one on ebay for $180
then he asks about a standard shaft and i told him $100 , just to get his reaction
the reaction was what i expected
he proceeded to tell me that the wood costs less than $10 and so forth
this guy cleans carpets for a living, so i told him to come clean my 5 rooms of carpet and it HAS to be done for the new standard shaft
oh my god, the tune sure did change then :rolleyes:
he won't be getting any shaft from me and i won't be getting my carpet cleaned ;)
 
You're much better off not doing any kind of business with those type of people. But they are amusing sometimes............Dave
 
BHQ said:
you guys ever run into a people like this weenie?
this weenie comes up to me tonight
we've talked before
it didn't take more than a couple minutes to figure out what a tightass he is
the first time we talked , he wanted to add an ivory joint and ivory ferrule and a moori tip and told me it HAD to be done for $90
i laughed at him and walked away

tonight he says, he needs a new predator shaft and tells me that it HAS to be done for less than $150
i told him no way, of course
i said go buy one on ebay for $180
then he asks about a standard shaft and i told him $100 , just to get his reaction
the reaction was what i expected
he proceeded to tell me that the wood costs less than $10 and so forth
this guy cleans carpets for a living, so i told him to come clean my 5 rooms of carpet and it HAS to be done for the new standard shaft
oh my god, the tune sure did change then :rolleyes:
he won't be getting any shaft from me and i won't be getting my carpet cleaned ;)
Click to expand...

I know exactly who you are talking about. He came into my shop Christmas week and wanted a Moori tip. When I told him the price he ended up getting a W/B tip as that one was 10.00 and I cleaned and polished his shaft steaming up a couple of dents. He then had me weigh a cue for him and he wanted the weight changed. I told him that a weight change was a minimum of 10.00 depending on how much time it took. He said to take out the weight bolt as he wanted the cue to weigh 17.5 oz. I took out the weight bolt which was pretty long but the cue still weighed over 18oz. and I told him it needed boring out to get it any lighter so he said he didn't want to do that. He then handed me 2 more shafts and asked if I minded cleaning them also. I cleaned them both and he then pulls out 2 5 dollar bills and handed them to me. I told him that he owed me more than that and he said well you didn't get the cue down to the 17.5 so he didn't think he owed me for that. I then said that cleaning and polishing a shaft was 8.00 each and he said he thought I was just doing him a favor and wouldn't of had them done if he knew that I was going to charge him. I told him that I charged 10.00 for a standard tip and polish but that the tip only cost around a quarter and takes less than two minutes to install, all the time is spent cleaning and polishing and that's why a c/p is 8.00 and the tip is only 2.00 extra. He then said that he had no more money. He then said he had some other Chinese cues and that he would bring them in at a later date and have work done on them. I told him no thanks and to just take them to you. I guess he listened to me.

Dick
 
> I had a similar customer once. My dad brought me a Meucci shaft with a cracked ferrule,and told me who it belonged to. I changed the ferrule,and was able to get the shaft clean enough that it looked unplayed. I took the shaft to him and told him the bill was 25 bucks. His response was this. "Well I wasn't wanting you to change it,I just wanted you to cut it down,and all I have is 5 bucks". I promptly told him "look,I don't do hack-job work,the bill is 25 bucks,if you don't pay me I'm sure even a Meucci shaft is still worth 25 bucks to someone at the poolroom,so I'll offer it to everyone there for 25 bucks because you refused to pay me for perfect work". He came right up off the hip too. Tommy D.
 
JUST ASK HIM IF HE WORKS FOR FREE. AND TELL HIM YOU DONT EITHER, IT SHUTS THEM UP 100% OF THE TIME AND 90% OF THE TIME THEY DONT GET PISSED IT PUTS IN PERSPECTIVE, WE MUST BE KIND TO THE MENTALLY CHALLANGED. or you could just say blow me. j/k ;)
 
I have a hard time writing this:

We must demand respect for our profession. Heaven knows the skill level that most of you have is amazing. The more I learn about making cues, the more I see that I need to develop even more skills and buy more tooling. We ALL need to be compensated for our time spent not only doing a job, but learning the trade, and setting up all our machines and jigs.We need to get what we and our skills and equipment are worth. Not what some cheapskate is willing to part with.
I remember well the last guy that was complaining to me that I should not charge him anything close to what I asked for to do a clean and polish on his shaft. No matter that I removed at least six dents. No matter that the grime I took out was horrendous and showed years of neglect. No mention that the shaft now felt like silk in his hands, and looked unplayed. No matter that the time I used to listen to what he needed, and the stories of his playing prowess when he brought me the shaft. The time I had to use to do the work. The time I had to spend listening to his complaint about what I charged. All added up to more than that shaft was worth before my bringing it back to life by using skill with my hands that shows the love of my craft. I remember him well indeed as I smiled at him and said: I wish I had five customers like you! He smiled back and said really? I said yes, the problem is I have two dozen customers like you!
Will he be back? Yeah, after several years of grime are on his shaft and he experiences dealing with his local pool hall, that charges ten for a LePro tip, and is not bashfull to demand the ten, though the ferrule is left grimy, and they charge nothing extra for the generous glue stains on it. Only this time he will want me to work magic on that shaft AND change the tip for a ten!! Man I could not sleep, I woke up with a horrible nightmare of a line forming out my door with 25 of those customers with their blue stained shafts! Kind of like a Dr Seuss book I read to my kids many years ago!
 
that's nothing but disrespectful, what's wrong with people these days nobody wants to pay for work they need sone. it sounds like he didn't respect what you do nearly as much as he respected the work he did. you should have told him to do it himself if it was that big a deal to him
 
rhncue said:
I know exactly who you are talking about. He came into my shop Christmas week and wanted a Moori tip. When I told him the price he ended up getting a W/B tip as that one was 10.00 and I cleaned and polished his shaft steaming up a couple of dents. He then had me weigh a cue for him and he wanted the weight changed. I told him that a weight change was a minimum of 10.00 depending on how much time it took. He said to take out the weight bolt as he wanted the cue to weigh 17.5 oz. I took out the weight bolt which was pretty long but the cue still weighed over 18oz. and I told him it needed boring out to get it any lighter so he said he didn't want to do that. He then handed me 2 more shafts and asked if I minded cleaning them also. I cleaned them both and he then pulls out 2 5 dollar bills and handed them to me. I told him that he owed me more than that and he said well you didn't get the cue down to the 17.5 so he didn't think he owed me for that. I then said that cleaning and polishing a shaft was 8.00 each and he said he thought I was just doing him a favor and wouldn't of had them done if he knew that I was going to charge him. I told him that I charged 10.00 for a standard tip and polish but that the tip only cost around a quarter and takes less than two minutes to install, all the time is spent cleaning and polishing and that's why a c/p is 8.00 and the tip is only 2.00 extra. He then said that he had no more money. He then said he had some other Chinese cues and that he would bring them in at a later date and have work done on them. I told him no thanks and to just take them to you. I guess he listened to me.

Dick
Click to expand...
gee thanks dickie. :D i'll send him to dale , haha .
i'd like to send him to the moon
 
some people

Welcome to the real world guys. When 1 in every 10 guys seems to have a cue repair lathe, what do you think is going to happen to perceived pricing. Heck when old what's his name down the street does it for $2.00, why would someone expect to pay more. The customer rarely knows the difference between a professional and an amateur. Thru the proliferation of cuemaking equipment, the market has been flooded. We now have to live with that environment and adapt. I've been trying to stress quality and professionalism in the industry for years, but we have a long way to go. Putting on a tip doesn't make you a repairman, and making a cue doesn't make you a cue maker. The sooner we realize that and start letting the public know it, the better off we will be.
 
Arnot Wadsworth said:
When are you cuemakers going to come to your senses. I was paying $10.00 for a LePro tip 20 years ago. I charge $20.00 to put on a regular tip; $30.00 for a Layered tip plus the price of the tip. I charge $20.00 to clean a shaft and at least $50.00 for a Saber-T ferrule. An Ivory ferrule costs $90.00.

When you start acting like a professional you will get professional pay. Until then you will be paying the electric bill out of your own pocket.

Doing the job right takes a huge investment in your time, experience, equipment and ovehead.

Good Cuemaking,
Click to expand...

Something like that would require a cuemaker's union. Everyone would have to agree to charge the same price and I don't see that happening.

My market dictates my price. (I have no problems paying my electric bill)
 
The availability of the machinery might have something to do with it, but without the information on "how to", in many instances, having the machinery might not matter.
 
Just so you all don't feel so bad, this kind of chit happens to professional custom golf club makers too. A good friend of mine has been recognized several times as one of the "Top 100 Clubmakers in the World" and this happens to him all the time. Folks come in and want a shaft changed, and freak at the price because they've seen the retail price on the raw shaft and think his markup is rediculous. They have no clue as to the process and quality control that this guy applies to the work (match, trim, spline, etc.), not to mention his after-service support if needed. He certainly sends some customers away with a "go ahead and do it yourself" ... some of these guys come back to have him fix their clubs after they've messed it up ... and they're OK by him (they've lived and learned). The ones that don't come back are not worth a lot in business anyway. You'll never get the proper compensation from someone who doesn't appreciate your worth, stand your ground !

Dave
 
Arnot Wadsworth said:
When are you cuemakers going to come to your senses. I was paying $10.00 for a LePro tip 20 years ago. I charge $20.00 to put on a regular tip; $30.00 for a Layered tip plus the price of the tip. I charge $20.00 to clean a shaft and at least $50.00 for a Saber-T ferrule. An Ivory ferrule costs $90.00.

When you start acting like a professional you will get professional pay. Until then you will be paying the electric bill out of your own pocket.

Doing the job right takes a huge investment in your time, experience, equipment and ovehead.

Good Cuemaking,
Click to expand...
The market in my area dictates my pricing. If I charged $50 for a ferrule, there is 2 other guys in my area that will do it for $25. Do I think they do that same work, no, but the typical customer does not know the difference, nor cares. I charge the same price as all of the repairman in my area, and I am twice as busy as them, so charge what you like, but I cannot get $50 for a ferrule.
 
BHQ said:
you guys ever run into a people like this weenie?
this weenie comes up to me tonight
we've talked before
it didn't take more than a couple minutes to figure out what a tightass he is
the first time we talked , he wanted to add an ivory joint and ivory ferrule and a moori tip and told me it HAD to be done for $90
i laughed at him and walked away

tonight he says, he needs a new predator shaft and tells me that it HAS to be done for less than $150
i told him no way, of course
i said go buy one on ebay for $180
then he asks about a standard shaft and i told him $100 , just to get his reaction
the reaction was what i expected
he proceeded to tell me that the wood costs less than $10 and so forth
this guy cleans carpets for a living, so i told him to come clean my 5 rooms of carpet and it HAS to be done for the new standard shaft
oh my god, the tune sure did change then :rolleyes:
he won't be getting any shaft from me and i won't be getting my carpet cleaned ;)
Click to expand...
Brent, tell them what I tell them - Good Luck with that, and remember you pay for what you get. Even some posting on here seem to think you are supposed to work for nothing ;)
 
Great thread. I would have told the guy, " I can buy a gallon of carpet shampoo at Walmart for $6.95." So do each of my 5 rooms for $10.00 a room!
 
Raildriver said:
Great thread. I would have told the guy, " I can buy a gallon of carpet shampoo at Walmart for $6.95." So do each of my 5 rooms for $10.00 a room!
Click to expand...


SR 71's Rule!!
 
billiardbum said:
Brent, tell them what I tell them - Good Luck with that, and remember you pay for what you get. Even some posting on here seem to think you are supposed to work for nothing ;)
Click to expand...
hello there jimmy. i gave that guy directions to your place.
he oughta be there any minute now!!! :D
 
jodamit said:
Man thats cold- but funny!!!
Click to expand...
that's all you can do, is laugh about guys like that. i'm going out to shoot tonight and i just cannot wait to see him again. he's always there. i'll think of something good to mess with him. :p
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top