potential problem with well respected local gunsmith

[11Charlie]

I just got a call from them, (secretary manybe) she said that he had stepped out for the day but would reply to me this evening.

W. T. F.

Hes either going to do it or he isnt.

Dude take it to John!! I wouldn't let that douch nozzle touch my gun!

 

[Ura-Ki]

Ditto what Skrueger says, don't waste any more of your time dealing with this dude! I bet ( know)Jon takes care of you real nice, why bother your self with any thing else

 

[NWCustomFirearms]

Ditto what Skrueger says, don't waste any more of your time dealing with this dude! I bet ( know)Jon takes care of you real nice, why bother your self with any thing else

Ditto ura-ki and skruger

 

[easy-e]

Now, 30 years later, I use that same tactic in my own business dealings. If I, or a worker I supervise, makes a mistake, I own up to it and I make sure we make it right, to the customer's satisfaction. It sometimes comes at a temporary loss, but my customers come back, time after time, because they know they will be treated right. People make mistakes, it happens, but the folks you want to work with are not the ones that don't make mistakes (they don't exist) but those that own up to it and will make it right by you.

As for that incident with my father, that customer became a regular customer for the company he worked for. The next jobs, they went straight to them and continued on with them for years.

That is a fantastic story. I've been hanging around my dad's warehouse since junior high. My dad's adage has always been to deliver bad news early. If our customer knows what's going on they can respond and plan accordingly. I had another job after graduating high school but I'm now 29 and have worked for him full time for over 9 years. Every time we've shipped something wrong or forgotten part of an order he's paid out of pocket do get it fixed without hesitation.

 

[Mygrainman]

My dad's adage has always been to deliver bad news early.

This is another multi-application life lesson learned many times over....
Especially with the wife... She is like a volcano. she gets really upset blows her top... then 5 minutes later she over it and feels bad for over reacting.
I've learned to always deliver bad news, or tell her about my latest FA investment via cell phone before I get home.

 

[etrain16]

That is a fantastic story. I've been hanging around my dad's warehouse since junior high. My dad's adage has always been to deliver bad news early. If our customer knows what's going on they can respond and plan accordingly. I had another job after graduating high school but I'm now 29 and have worked for him full time for over 9 years. Every time we've shipped something wrong or forgotten part of an order he's paid out of pocket do get it fixed without hesitation.

Glad to hear you are getting such great experiences. I didn't necessarily appreciate the lesson at the time, but it has paid back more times than I can count. When I was younger, sometimes pride or temper would get in the way, and I always ended up losing. It's really a great thing when parents, mentors, teachers, etc. can really get those lessons through our heads. I do my best to pay that back to the next generation now.

 

[Member 34319]

Damn sad story.

Sorry to hear about the crap the OP had to go through.

Moral of this story.

Make sure @Velzey services your weapons.

I've had repeated success in working with him.

 

[GOG]

This breaks my gun guy heart.

 

[Tully Mars]

Wow! Open 3 days a week and operating out of somebody's residence?

Wait a sec. I work out of my residence and have for a number of years. My welding/fabrication is done here (except for the mobile service) and my firearm building/refinishing is done in a building on the back portion of my property. Not picking a fight, but just because someone chooses to have their shops on the same property that their home is on doesn't mean they are fly by night.

 

[Misteramax]

Wait a sec. I work out of my residence and have for a number of years. My welding/fabrication is done here (except for the mobile service) and my firearm building/refinishing is done in a building on the back portion of my property. Not picking a fight, but just because someone chooses to have their shops on the same property that their home is on doesn't mean they are fly by night.

Yeah, it's what I want to do sometime.

 

[Mygrainman]

Wait a sec. I work out of my residence and have for a number of years. My welding/fabrication is done here (except for the mobile service) and my firearm building/refinishing is done in a building on the back portion of my property. Not picking a fight, but just because someone chooses to have their shops on the same property that their home is on doesn't mean they are fly by night.

Actually, I would think it would be much harder to fly by night working from your home. Hard to hide from them when all of your customers literally know where you live.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Wait a sec. I work out of my residence and have for a number of years. My welding/fabrication is done here (except for the mobile service) and my firearm building/refinishing is done in a building on the back portion of my property. Not picking a fight, but just because someone chooses to have their shops on the same property that their home is on doesn't mean they are fly by night.

No kidding. I think @IronMonster "works out of his house".. more like an iron foundry/steel fabrication compound.. if I'm not mistaken.

 

[Mygrainman]

This has been a great exercise in community bonding and life lessons learned... unfortunately at the expense of one man's rifle, and another man's reputation... I think "well respected" no longer applies. with to this point over 130 replies over 7 pages, we can all agree that our group does not tolerate shotty work, poor ethics, or lack of accountability. I do hope for his sake that he can learn from this, and adjust his policies. It is his livelihood, and he like the rest of us has bills to pay. Although if it were me and I read what everyone on this thread has written, I would consider a fresh start in another time zone.

 

[11Charlie]

Is this guy a member here? Cuz if he is and he reads this I won't feel sad one bit!

 

[Velzey]

Wait a sec. I work out of my residence and have for a number of years. My welding/fabrication is done here (except for the mobile service) and my firearm building/refinishing is done in a building on the back portion of my property. Not picking a fight, but just because someone chooses to have their shops on the same property that their home is on doesn't mean they are fly by night.

Actually, I would think it would be much harder to fly by night working from your home. Hard to hide from them when all of your customers literally know where you live.

The best part of working from home is,

 

[v0lcom13sn0w]

Part of the marina business in which I was a partner, and where I worked as the GM included a rental houseboat fleet. A family was coming 600 miles for a houseboat they had reserved for 2 pm that day, and at 10 am the previous renter calls and says he's blown up the engine. The family is due to pick up the boat for a week of vacation. We are booked solid. I have no boat to give them. I did some quick footwork and when they arrived I explained the situation. I told them I didn't have a boat for them, but I did have a free deluxe hotel suite at a nearby resort. I handed them a week's worth of tickets to the local theme park, and evening shows. I told them I was comping their meals at the hotel, and that they would have use of one of our rental ski boats every day from noon to 8 pm. Their jaws hit the pavement. We lost $1000 in rental fees, and we spent about $3000 for the free vacation, but the next season they were back and their friends and neighbors reserved boats as well. We got probably $30,000 in advertising and good will out of what some people would have counted as a loss. It pays to do right by your customers.

thats what im talkin bout!!

 

[IronMonster]

No kidding. I think @IronMonster "works out of his house".. more like an iron foundry/steel fabrication compound.. if I'm not mistaken.

My current "shop" consists of 6 buildings I own that total about 17,000 sq feet and two more I am renting that add another 10,000

It would take a while to list all the equipment that I have so I'll just say the power bill runs about $800-$1000 a month

 

[Mygrainman]

I had a King's 2 piece guide rod, and a trigger installed in one of my 1911's, got the call, picked it up, bushing face was bent to bubblegum, looked like work was done with a hammer and chisel. I was told that I would have to take it up with the owner (who wasn't there at the time). My repeated calls were ignored, he was always "unavailable" when I went back to discuss the problem. I finally cornered him at a gun show, I started to show him the problem and he interrupted me and told me, "Don't bother me at the gun show, call me at the shop!"
I kept calling, and was always avoided. Finally had a competent gunsmith repair the damage. I never went back, and he never got another dime from me, that was 20 years ago.
When you treat people right, they remember. When you do them wrong, they never forget!

Was this the same guy?

 

[Alexx1401]

Dude take it to John!! I wouldn't let that douch nozzle touch my gun!

Have to totally agree here. I know it's a PITA that you laid out the cash already. The guy has proved he is NOT willing to make this right. At this point to me it's like sending food back to the kitchen after the cook has already told you he is fine and you're the problem. Would you eat what comes back? At this point if the guy was offering to do stuff free I would be afraid to trust him. If he is this sloppy at best, or incompetent at worst, what if something was done wrong? Take it to the Smith others speak up for who is in your area anyway. Use the money lost as one of those life lessons. As mentioned post a review of this so called smith with pics of what he did. Get the job done right, in time you will be glad you did. Write off the loss and get your gun done right.

 

[ZigZagZeke]

Wait a sec. I work out of my residence and have for a number of years. My welding/fabrication is done here (except for the mobile service) and my firearm building/refinishing is done in a building on the back portion of my property. Not picking a fight, but just because someone chooses to have their shops on the same property that their home is on doesn't mean they are fly by night.

What I meant was, if you take everything together, this guy seems like he isn't very serious about his business. If he doesn't have a business location, and is only open 3 days a week that would go right along with not having the proper tools and half-a$$ing the job.