What does factory certified technician mean???

[realkingcobra]

I always laugh when I hear someone say they're "factory certified", after all, what does that mean? Does that mean that if you're "Brunswick certified" you don't know how to work on Diamond pool tables? Or how about Valley or Global certified, does that mean anything? The following pictures are the before pictures I took of a couple of coin-op pool tables...and guess who recovered them? The balls hopped off the rails, and there was puckers all under the rails, and a ton of spray glue all over the slates...straight from the factory! The following "After" pictures is what I did to correct the factory and fix the tables right.

Someone please tell me what does "factory certified" mean exactly? And how long does it take to get so called "factory certified"

 

[realkingcobra]

I always laugh when I hear someone say they're "factory certified", after all, what does that mean? Does that mean that if you're "Brunswick certified" you don't know how to work on Diamond pool tables? Or how about Valley or Global certified, does that mean anything? The following pictures are the before pictures I took of a couple of coin-op pool tables...and guess who recovered them? The balls hopped off the rails, and there was puckers all under the rails, and a ton of spray glue all over the slates...straight from the factory! The following "After" pictures is what I did to correct the factory and fix the tables right.

Someone please tell me what does "factory certified" mean exactly? And how long does it take to get so called "factory certified"

These are the before pictures.

 

[realkingcobra]

These are the after pictures.

I was just wondering...would someone be willing to certify me as a technician?...LOL

Glen

 

[n10spool]

factory certified

I went to work for a local new billiard store to help them out and teach them a better way then what they were were doing. They couldnt level the slates right and when it came to a glue down they used spray glue on all of the slate sounded like railroad tracks. after a month i meet the Imperil rep for the store.
Imperial tables rep gave me a manual and an order form for supplies took 10 minuties and has long as i ordered shims and misc stuff from him i was certified. I soon quit working for them everyone would quit after 2 month's
Now i do it for myself again no headache and customers are a lot nicer and happier.

I guess to be diamond certified it takes a crane for the slate and a level a hand full of shims for the new smart tables.

just having fun but who is realy factory certified and how many brands are you certified for?????

 

[realkingcobra]

I went to work for a local new billiard store to help them out and teach them a better way then what they were were doing. They couldnt level the slates right and when it came to a glue down they used spray glue on all of the slate sounded like railroad tracks. after a month i meet the Imperil rep for the store.
Imperial tables rep gave me a manual and an order form for supplies took 10 minuties and has long as i ordered shims and misc stuff from him i was certified. I soon quit working for them everyone would quit after 2 month's
Now i do it for myself again no headache and customers are a lot nicer and happier.

I guess to be diamond certified it takes a crane for the slate and a level a hand full of shims for the new smart tables.

just having fun but who is realy factory certified and how many brands are you certified for?????

How many brands are there???...LOL, and that 9ft one piece slate ONLY weighs 309lbs at the first end to pick up...LOL all I need is for someone to put the boards underneath so I can set it down...LOL

 

[Scottster]

I was just wondering...would someone be willing to certify me as a technician?...LOL

Glen

You're "certifiable" alright...

Happy New Year

 

[Dead Money]

At one of my jobs I am a certified concrete hardness tester I can say for a fact that the concrete passed the test...the verdict is still out on my arm though

 

[OriontheHunter]

Interesting Question

I always laugh when I hear someone say they're "factory certified", after all, what does that mean? Does that mean that if you're "Brunswick certified" you don't know how to work on Diamond pool tables? Or how about Valley or Global certified, does that mean anything? The following pictures are the before pictures I took of a couple of coin-op pool tables...and guess who recovered them? The balls hopped off the rails, and there was puckers all under the rails, and a ton of spray glue all over the slates...straight from the factory! The following "After" pictures is what I did to correct the factory and fix the tables right.

Someone please tell me what does "factory certified" mean exactly? And how long does it take to get so called "factory certified"

I decided to do just a little research. My initial thought was that to be "certified" signified that a quality standard, consistency, repeatability and reliability among other things had to be met. Well then I found this article from Consumer Reports discussing this very subject as it relates to the Auto Industry.

http://autos.msn.com/advice/CRArt.aspx?contentid=4023242

"In addition, the term "certified" has no legal definition. Any dealer can call any used vehicle certified. Some programs offer little more than a few oil changes and a promise that the car has been looked over carefully by a mechanic. There have been some reports of dealers' offering damaged vehicles as pristine, certified used cars."

Go figure!!! The very industry that brought this trend to the forefront has trouble getting it right also.

So based on looking at the before and after shots, I would have to say IMHO your certified!! (And I need to let you know that "IMHO" is certified stamp of approval of course as defined by me ) LOL

 

[realkingcobra]

I decided to do just a little research. My initial thought was that to be "certified" signified that a quality standard, consistency, repeatability and reliability among other things had to be met. Well then I found this article from Consumer Reports discussing this very subject as it relates to the Auto Industry.

http://autos.msn.com/advice/CRArt.aspx?contentid=4023242

"In addition, the term "certified" has no legal definition. Any dealer can call any used vehicle certified. Some programs offer little more than a few oil changes and a promise that the car has been looked over carefully by a mechanic. There have been some reports of dealers' offering damaged vehicles as pristine, certified used cars."

Go figure!!! The very industry that brought this trend to the forefront has trouble getting it right also.

So based on looking at the before and after shots, I would have to say IMHO your certified!! (And I need to let you know that "IMHO" is certified stamp of approval of course as defined by me ) LOL

Well thank you sir...LOL

 

[no-sho]

Certified

At one of my jobs I am a certified concrete hardness tester I can say for a fact that the concrete passed the test...the verdict is still out on my arm though

Can you move it, It's hard to play pool if you can't move it.lmao

no-sho

 

[Dead Money]

Can you move it, It's hard to play pool if you can't move it.lmao

no-sho

Yes. I landed right on my shooting arm and happily nothing is broken. It still hurts like hell though and certain types of shots are "off limits" for now. For example I can't shoot jacked up over a ball and doing any type of shot that requires a short snap stroke is a no go. Can still break, just not really hard. Hopefully soon I'll be back to normal. Could have been worse

 

[Bishop]

I worked on and off for 12 years I consider myself a Billiard Mechanic. I've seen tons of table and recovered countless tables at pool halls across Texas. I worked for three very well known billiard shops in Texas. All tout the "certified" buzz word.

It means nothing. I hate to say it but working for Olhausen, Brunswick, Peter Vitale, Diamond and various other manufacturer dealers I've never been taught anything by any factory rep.

I learned from the billiard mechanics before me and trial and error.

I've seen some real shoddy work in my days its amazing the people that work on tables, no pride at all. I don't know the pay scale up north but down south the pay is poor. We're talking 14 bucks an hour or less for an experienced mechanic. Most dealers or shops like to keep their own guys in house rather sub contract out the work because its cheaper. So you end up with crap installs and college kids getting hired on to carry slate and half-ass install your new table.

I didn't make squat working for any business. The best money I made was when I worked on my own for myself for all the pool halls in town doing recover work. By word of mouth I started to get a lot of new pool table owners actually calling me to do the install rather than the dealer guys doing it.

Its hard to find someone thats really good and that takes pride in their work these days.....free-lance guys so to speak, just aren't a dime a dozen these days. I miss working on tables from time to time but my back doesn't.

 

[NoBull9]

Realkingcobra I did notice in the close up picture of the side pocket the slate is not in line with the pocket.Look at the fold in the cloth at the side pocket on both sides and follow it down to the slate.The slate is not centered in the frame.

 

[mechanic/player]

I'm not sure what it means, I think it sounds good but I think everyone that attends gets certified. So to me it's the same as saying everyone with a drivers license is a good driver.

I could have had that title and the certificates that come with it but the s.o.b. before me left me with so much b.s. that the dealer wanted me to sign a contract of some type to protect him from another so called expert. I cant blame him. That was in 2001 and I've done at least 400 tables for them now.

 

[realkingcobra]

Realkingcobra I did notice in the close up picture of the side pocket the slate is not in line with the pocket.Look at the fold in the cloth at the side pocket on both sides and follow it down to the slate.The slate is not centered in the frame.

Naaa...that's the angle of the camera, I wasn't centered on the pocket when I took the picture. But on some Global tables the slate can't quit hit center on the side pockets because the slate won't slide far enough one way or the other to center because sometimes the rail frame is in the way of centering the slate with the side pockets. Ya just do the best you can, and accept the fact that ya didn't build the tables, so rebuilding them is out of the question. I rebuild bar tables from the ground up...LOL...they look just like Diamonds when I'm done too....lmao

Glen

 

[realkingcobra]

I always laugh when I hear someone say they're "factory certified", after all, what does that mean? Does that mean that if you're "Brunswick certified" you don't know how to work on Diamond pool tables? Or how about Valley or Global certified, does that mean anything? The following pictures are the before pictures I took of a couple of coin-op pool tables...and guess who recovered them? The balls hopped off the rails, and there was puckers all under the rails, and a ton of spray glue all over the slates...straight from the factory! The following "After" pictures is what I did to correct the factory and fix the tables right.

Someone please tell me what does "factory certified" mean exactly? And how long does it take to get so called "factory certified"

Believe it or not, I had a specific reason for asking this question. I've actually been considering for several years now of opening a Billiards Academy School for the purpose of training new billiards technicians for the market place, as well as testing existing technicians for the purpose of creating a "Billiards License" so to speak. I think the market place would go nuts over "Licensed Billiards Technicians" because the work would be more of a mirror reflection of all Licensed Technicians. I think it would create more work for anyone licensed because the bar/pool-hall owners would know that their work is accredited, and therefore being a licensed technician would mean something. I think manufactures across the country would jump on board, because then they know for sure that their pool tables are being set up right, and serviced right as well. No manufacture likes to see, or hear of their pool tables being butchered by so called hacks, because it comes back on their pool table reputations.

Glen

 

[Bishop]

Believe it or not, I had a specific reason for asking this question. I've actually been considering for several years now of opening a Billiards Academy School for the purpose of training new billiards technicians for the market place, as well as testing existing technicians for the purpose of creating a "Billiards License" so to speak. I think the market place would go nuts over "Licensed Billiards Technicians" because the work would be more of a mirror reflection of all Licensed Technicians. I think it would create more work for anyone licensed because the bar/pool-hall owners would know that their work is accredited, and therefore being a licensed technician would mean something. I think manufactures across the country would jump on board, because then they know for sure that their pool tables are being set up right, and serviced right as well. No manufacture likes to see, or hear of their pool tables being butchered by so called hacks, because it comes back on their pool table reputations.

Glen

One thing to remember though money is the main issue here. If a dealership sells 1500 Brunswicks a year and that dealer would rather pay less for some College kid to set the table up I doubt you find the Manufacturer demanding much from that dealership. They won't bite the hand that feeds them, especially the smaller manufacturers.

I think you should test your idea and call or go to 10 pool halls in your area and ask if they would be interested in licensed work on thier tables. I'm will to bet the first thing they ask is cost.

I was making 12 bucks an hours setting up tables before I started to work on my own, I would do 3-5 tables or so a day. On my own I would change 100 bucks to set a table up if it was already on location. I was extremely cheap for a freelance worker. See the difference. Even an extremely well payed mechanic may make 18 an hour and he can do all kinds of other busy work for the dealership.

I think your idea is a great idea and maybe some upscale pool halls would be interested in this type of certification you're wanting to set up but most pool halls beat you to death on recover prices becuase of the frequency that the work needs to be done and also 70% or more of the consumers actually buying tables from dealerships are just casual users.

The majority of pool halls are interested in price before quality. I've worked in SA, Dallas, Houston and plenty of other cities across Texas and quality wasn't the number one thing they were concerned with. The Clicks in SA was one of the only places I ever worked for that demanded things be done properly and inspected the tables upon completion. Also they were the only place that called me out regularly to check the level of the tables. I wish quality was more in demand. I still be in the industry.

I've delivered and setup less than 100 tables out of the thousands that I've done to real players. People that really care how their table is set-up and really put in serious hours playing. You guys know most tables end up being the next hamper or storage table.

I don't know if the market is big enough to demand the better pay for someone certified since most of the market is a casual market.

I do think the idea in itself is a good idea.

How much would you charge for the certification. How long would it take? Renewals? Expand on your idea I'm interested.

 

[realkingcobra]

It's funny that this is the outlook of most billiards technicians. I just picked up 7 pool rooms to recover the tables in, because I recovered the coin-op pool tables in them better than they've ever seen done before. At TCs Billiards in Sacramento, CA. I recovered the 8ft Valley table for Terry on a one time basis for $200, fixed everything wrong with it, scraped off the glue build up, vacuumed out the inside of the table, replaced the missing facings on the rails, and leveled the table. The day, as I was about to leave, I got a call from Terry, asking me if I had time to recover one of his GC 4's, as he had found a rip of Simonis 860 cloth to do the table with, and how much would I charge him. I told him, okay, and that I'd do it for $150. I went there, recovered the table, replaced the facings that were all broke apart, re-leveled, re-seamed the slates, then turned in the bill to him for $250, then discounted it by $100 just to show him that I was still only charging him what I said I'd charge him. Even though he was still only paying $150, he asked me what the extra $100 was for. I told him that re-seaming/leveling the slates, and replacing the facings was a one time free charge, and that any other work like that on the other tables would be charged for, because you pay for what you get. I reminded him to take a look at the table I recovered, then to take a look at all the rest of the tables in his pool room. I told him he can either have all the rest of the tables looking like the one I recovered, or he can continue having the work done by who ever he wanted, but if he wanted my work, he'd be charged for what I had to do to fix his pool tables, I then left.

The next day, as I was driving back to Washington state, he called me on Friday, and asked me what I was doing on Monday-Tue of the following week...as he'd like to have his other 3 GC 4's recovered, and that my prices were just fine with him, as I had shown him that I was in deed, a master billiards technician.

I assure you I picked up 7 other pool rooms in just the exact same way, in that one week of recovering their coin-operated pool tables first.

The problem I have, is I can't keep up with the work that I can find to do.

There's more work in the commercial industry "repeat" than there is in the home table industry, for the most part, a one time set up.

I think that most pool room owners and bar owners a like have just given up on the quality of work being done...because no matter what price they pay, for the most part...the work is still the same. And until someone comes along and shows them that there is a difference in quality and workmanship, why should they believe that they're finally going to get something worthy of their investment in a billiards technician.

Glen

 

[realkingcobra]

I explain myself to bar/room owners as I'm like a stock broker, I invest their money in my work to yield them the highest possible return on there investment...of me! Because indirectly, they ARE investing their money in my quality of workmanship and trust, that's why I always go the extra mile so to speak on what ever tables I'm refinishing, so that the time I've invested in the bar/room owner does not go to waste.

Glen

 

[realkingcobra]

How much would you charge for the certification. How long would it take? Renewals? Expand on your idea I'm interested.[/QUOTE]

This would take a while to explain, so it would be better done on the phone. I already have an area in AZ state that would welcome a school, as I've spoken to several bar/room owners already that would be more than willing to have the Academy students refinishing their pool tables for field service training. The cost of recovering their pool tables would be billed by the academy with the profits going to the students, as a way of earning an income along with learning a new skill. I know lots of pool rooms as well around the country that would welcome the Academy students to recover their pool tables as well. Class room training only goes so far, you still have to get out into the field as to see just what the difference is between what is being learned vs what others have done in the past.


Glen