manwon said:
I think some of these people, should send their cues to the Guy who advertises cue repair on eBay, where you send him you cue and he repairs and returns it. Everybody wants something for nothing, and they complain about what they get because many times it is not what they want. WAKE-UP YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR, SO IF YOU GO WITH THE CHEAPEST DEAL YOU MAY NOT GET THE BEST WORK OR THE BEST PRICE IN THE LONG RUN, BUT YOU STILL GOT WHAT YOU PAID FOR.
I was prompted to make my response when one poster said from $100. to $150.00. $150. to install a $15.00 ferrule and a $10.00 tip? I just questioned how he thought the labor and material cost broke down. I think the price I quoted was based on logic and not a number picked out of thin air based on nothing other then what one thinks the biggest sucker may be willing to pay.
I recently had a new water pump put in my car. It was about $200. so I told the mechanic to change the timing belt while he was at it. The total came to $235. If I just had the belt put in it would also have been around $200. but the both jobs done at the same time don't add up the what the jobs would be if done independently because of the overlapping labor, that's how things work. Cost has to have a basis and I just questioned how the cost of the tip and ferrule was arrived at. Has nothing to do with being cheap just. Suckers say, "What do I owe you here my wallet". Over paying does not guarantee you good work just you are dealing with a thief. I would be more prone to stay away from someone charging $150.00 to put on a tip and ferrule then one with a price that makes sense?
I'll tell you another story, I picked up a car with a blown engine and put it on the back of the property till I could find an engine. I found one at a salvage yard from a rear end crash that had low mileage and bought it for $500. When I started called around I was getting quotes of over a thousand to drop in the engine. I was about to do it myself and a guy at the pool room gave me the number of a small shop in town so I gave him a call. He gave me a price of $500 plus add on's like belts filters, fluids and so on.
I took a ride over there and found a small neat as a pin two man shop with a two week plus waiting list for their work. After talking to the owner and making an appointment, I told him, his price was about half what some of the others quoted me for the job, I asked why they worked so cheap? The guy looked at me and said, "Who said we work cheap"? The fact was they didn't work cheap but were very efficient and for the true labor for them to do the job it was pretty much book labor, they just work faster and know what they are doing.
They are so busy they have no reason to rip anyone off or invent jobs, they already have more work then they can do. That was like six or sever years ago and the shop is always like that. Honest work done right. If they say it will be ready on Tuesday it will. People who know their business and are good at what they do, don't have to rip you off.
I always laugh when I think of his comment when I first met him, "Who says we work cheap", he can buy and sell all the thieves in town with his well run business.