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AEROCOLOR - My compliments to you, sir. In a world full of people who can always find an excuse, it sounds like you find ways to conduct your business with the highest of ideals and dedication to your customer. There simply isnt enough of that attitude in the modern marketplace.

Some great looking old cars in your profile link, too!

Jim
 
AEROCOLOR - My compliments to you, sir. In a world full of people who can always find an excuse, it sounds like you find ways to conduct your business with the highest of ideals and dedication to your customer. There simply isnt enough of that attitude in the modern marketplace.

Some great looking old cars in your profile link, too!

Jim
Thanks Jim.

I had a tough time finding like minded employees and none of them are young.
I interview new prospects occasionally and the work ethic you describe is no longer there in todays youth.
They want to know what I can do for them...Pretty sobering really.

I`m retiring next year and hope I can slow down a bit and spend some time enjoying a few of those old cars.

Wish me luck.

Bill
 
My own personal experience with Joe after having 2 guns done by him recently is he's running around 3 months...and that's what he told me from the beginning. It's a frustrating wait, but definitely worth the wait...he does superb work. I agree that the communication could be better...seems to be the unfortunate norm with most smiths.
 
People tend to protect "Guru`s". Recently there was a thread here on R. L. Wilson. Also was another on Cilchone (spl?) Good gunsmiths, gun writers etc build up a big following because they are good. Then as time wears on it seems they slack off and start leaning on their reputation. I had custom work done on guns many years ago and never waited near as long as I read of now days. I wont do it anymore. I dont even buy green banana`s. I just went through a project ordeal that`s next to unbelievable that I am too embarrassed to give the details but never again! Once they have your property and probably money they shove you on the back burner and do walk in jobs that they can make good fast money on and the "projects" stack up.
 
I like seeing this feedback for artisan's. Businesses are judged and voted on by the consumer's dollars. Those that not only produce a quality product but also treat their customers best are the ones that gain the most customers. The quality of their product is just one metric. Being able to give an accurate lead time and communicating with the customer are in my opinion just as important.
 
No Craig. I have nine employees. Have to watch every one of them like a hawk.

I come in at 5:30 AM, never take lunch and leave around 6 PM. I paint big model airplanes and Harleys for a hobby and still make time to restore an old prewar Ford each year. I`m 61 years old and it`s getting tougher to keep the pace.Haven`t taken a week of vacation in 20 years.
Still have to keep the wife happy too.

Know why I spend that much time at my workplace?
Because that is what it takes to do everything necessary for the success of this business I`ve CHOSEN.
If a business owner can`t perform the work, including the steps required to keep customers informed of delays or issues, then they should quit.
Obviously the work/job isn`t important enough to devote the time necessary to make it viable. I`ve yet to figure out how to have a check sent to my house without performing a service for someone else.

I have no pity for someone that lets a customer down just because they don`t have time for that person.
Interacting with each customer, no matter how difficult, is part of the job. I`ve had the tough ones. I just accept them as a challenge I can overcome.

Any questions? Otherwise I`m done.
That's my point. Your business can support nine employees. You're not telling me anything I don't know. Yes, I know you have to keep an eye on your business but you are still not watching every one of them all day. There's a big difference between keeping an eye on nine employees and doing the jobs of nine employees, plus your own responsibilities. You know any rich gunsmiths or gripmakers? I don't. Like I said, most are one man shops because it's the only way to be profitable. Most work more than 8hrs a day, most work more than 5 days a week and most never pay off their equipment. You didn't answer my question. What if you didn't have those employees and had to do all those jobs yourself, while maintaining contact with customers?

Yes, I know all about working your ass off. I've worked 7 days a week for the last 10yrs and will continue to do so until I retire.

When you commission custom work, you have a choice to make. You can either be patient and be blissfully happy with the result, even if it takes longer than is quoted or you can decide to be pissed off when it runs late and NEVER be happy with the result. Which do you think is better in the long run? Personally, I don't remember the weeks or months I waited beyond the quoted times but I do have several treasured custom or engraved firearms that enrich my life every day. Which do you think is the more productive attitude?
 
Craig, I give up. I can`t seem to get thru that the size of the business or number of employees make no difference when it comes to doing the right things for customers.

To answer your question, if I had trouble keeping up with the workload I took on (remember the amount of work is a choice) then I would scale back my promise dates and not take any additional work until I was comfortable again. This guy isn`t doing the job of nine employees or he wouldn`t have the backlog.

None of this discussion has anything to do with the OP`s issue.

Let me make it as clear as I can.
CALL THE CUSTOMER with OCCASIONAL UPDATES. An email takes five minutes once a week. That would keep his down time to a minimum.
 
I would also factor in the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years holidays in your wait time. You could not have picked a worse time to send your stuff out for a quick (3 month) turn around....family duties, travel, etc, etc. With most artisans it's best to wait them out and not constantly bug them, it certainly will not make your end product turn out better or return faster.
 
Craig, I give up. I can`t seem to get thru that the size of the business or number of employees make no difference when it comes to doing the right things for customers.
It does make a difference. It makes a difference when you have too much for one person but not enough to justify hiring/training another.


This guy isn`t doing the job of nine employees or he wouldn`t have the backlog.
Neither are you, that's my point. You want to act as if your business is the same but it is not. There are several important differences and you refuse to even consider them or their significance.


CALL THE CUSTOMER with OCCASIONAL UPDATES. An email takes five minutes once a week. That would keep his down time to a minimum.
Now that is funny! Look, I answer emails every single day, 365 days a year, for TWO businesses. I only wish that five minutes a week is all that it took. Hell, five minutes a day would be a gift from God. How many customers do you work on at one time, with your 9 employee business? How far out do you schedule work, a few days, a few weeks at most? A gunsmith has to be able to estimate lead time for dozens of customers weeks and months out. If not years. Is he supposed to email or call dozens of customers every time his work is setback a week? Absolutely not. It would be pointless and exhausting. That's why we call them estimates! For example, John Linebaugh is one of the premier custom revolver builders. He runs a one man shop and has a backlog of three years. Do you think his customers start complaining at 3yrs 1 day? No. Why? Because it is understood that the job takes as long as it takes and that the estimate was exactly that. An estimate. The point is, he is not knocking dents out of your car. He does not have a dozen people working for him to do the actual work while he's on the phone telling every customer the details of every day and how that affects the schedule. No, he does the best he can to estimate the lead time and the customer is REQUIRED to be patient.


...if I had trouble keeping up with the workload I took on (remember the amount of work is a choice) then I would scale back my promise dates and not take any additional work until I was comfortable again....
You've obviously never dealt with a custom gunsmith. You would be stupid to stop taking orders. No, you push your lead time out and take whatever orders come in. If these guys didn't have a backlog of months and only took on the work they could finish in a few weeks, they'd be out of business. This is what I'm trying to tell you, your business and that of a custom gunsmith are fundamentally different.
 
It does make a difference. It makes a difference when you have too much for one person but not enough to justify hiring/training another.



Neither are you, that's my point. You want to act as if your business is the same but it is not. There are several important differences and you refuse to even consider them or their significance.



Now that is funny! Look, I answer emails every single day, 365 days a year, for TWO businesses. I only wish that five minutes a week is all that it took. Hell, five minutes a day would be a gift from God. How many customers do you work on at one time, with your 9 employee business? How far out do you schedule work, a few days, a few weeks at most? A gunsmith has to be able to estimate lead time for dozens of customers weeks and months out. If not years. Is he supposed to email or call dozens of customers every time his work is setback a week? Absolutely not. It would be pointless and exhausting. That's why we call them estimates! For example, John Linebaugh is one of the premier custom revolver builders. He runs a one man shop and has a backlog of three years. Do you think his customers start complaining at 3yrs 1 day? No. Why? Because it is understood that the job takes as long as it takes and that the estimate was exactly that. An estimate. The point is, he is not knocking dents out of your car. He does not have a dozen people working for him to do the actual work while he's on the phone telling every customer the details of every day and how that affects the schedule. No, he does the best he can to estimate the lead time and the customer is REQUIRED to be patient.



You've obviously never dealt with a custom gunsmith. You would be stupid to stop taking orders. No, you push your lead time out and take whatever orders come in. If these guys didn't have a backlog of months and only took on the work they could finish in a few weeks, they'd be out of business. This is what I'm trying to tell you, your business and that of a custom gunsmith are fundamentally different.
You win, Craig. I can`t keep going. I`d have to be paid to continue this conversation.
I will state that my painting business at home is exactly the same as his and I always keep those people aware of my progress.
 
Discussion starter · #31 · (Edited)
I wanted to give a quick update:

Joe Perkins called me yesterday and is sending my gun back Fed Ex, I should receive it by tomorrow. He seemed nice on the phone and said that he had a few calls to make to those people he was shipping guns back to.

I appreciate all the advice and feedback, I do think it was a few weeks overdue, but since it was a custom grip job, this length of time is fair, I just didn't know until yesterday if it was going to take another 3 months..Lol....I guess the only real complaint that I have at this point was the lack of communication. All that I wanted was perhaps an 8 week email, then maybe a 12 week email stating it would be at least a couple more weeks and then maybe a reason why would have been good, even though I did not necessarily need that, just wanted to be in the loop. This would not in my opinion have been too much to ask of someone, and I certainly didn't email everyday or every week for that matter. There was only 1 time that I emailed the same day and that was to ask for a timeline. I would not want to be a pest and email or call everyday. As a consumer, communication is what I will always look for when doing business with anyone in any field of work.
Basically if I had it to do all over again, I would have handled it the same way that I handled it.

I want to post 1 last time with pictures, just as soon as I get my gun back, that way I can give a review of sorts of the job that was done. I am the type of person that not only complains if a complaint is warranted, but I will talk about the good as well if that is warranted. I do anticipate that it will be a great job and will look awesome.
Give me a couple days for the review.

Thanks,

Cole
 
Cole - I have three sets of grips from Joe Perkins. They are all fantastic in fit and finish, and I think you will find it was worth the wait. Sorry that your communication experience with him was not good. He was actually kind enough to send me a couple work in progress photos on a set of ivory grips, and on two sets of mesquite (from a tree on my wife's family ranch) grips that he did for me. That was several years back - it sounds like he is busier now. I hope you enjoy your new grips. Brian
 
Craig, I give up. I can`t seem to get thru that the size of the business or number of employees make no difference when it comes to doing the right things for customers.

To answer your question, if I had trouble keeping up with the workload I took on (remember the amount of work is a choice) then I would scale back my promise dates and not take any additional work until I was comfortable again. This guy isn`t doing the job of nine employees or he wouldn`t have the backlog.

None of this discussion has anything to do with the OP`s issue.

Let me make it as clear as I can.
CALL THE CUSTOMER with OCCASIONAL UPDATES. An email takes five minutes once a week. That would keep his down time to a minimum.
I agree. That's why El Paso does all my leather work. They say 12 weeks and it's here by the time 13 weeks is over. If there is a delay, they let me know.

I have over a dozen grips from Patrick Grashorn. We have discussed every one as to how much bark, etc. I get photos before he ships. I recommend him without reservation. He CALLED me to tell me he had some sheep horns in and did I want some grips.

I ordered my SASS hat from O'Farrell Hatmakers in Durango. Said three months. They CALLED me to say the felt they ordered was off color and it would be an extra month or two. Best hat I own.

Dealing with a well-known maker of base pins. SUPPOSEDLY he sent my base pins last week. Several forums have threads questioning if he is still in business. Phone calls are not returned, e-mails returned as "refused". I don't even know if he's in business any more.

It's more than customer service-it's common human courtesy.
 
I just had Nutmeg Sports fit my Gen 3 5.5 inch Colt SAA with one piece ivory stocks and tuned the action. He quoted me 2 weeks. I had no trouble getting him on the phone when I called to place the order. It showed up under the 2 week time frame that he quoted. They look great and the action is smooth as can be. I am very impressed. I went with Nutmeg Sports due to his reputation and pictures of past work that I have seen on this website and what he displayed on his site. I would recommend him to anyone. I took a few pictures but am not satisfied with them so I will keep working on it. The grain in the ivory is just beautiful.
 
I wanted to give a quick update:

Joe Perkins called me yesterday and is sending my gun back Fed Ex, I should receive it by tomorrow. He seemed nice on the phone and said that he had a few calls to make to those people he was shipping guns back to.

I appreciate all the advice and feedback, I do think it was a few weeks overdue, but since it was a custom grip job, this length of time is fair, I just didn't know until yesterday if it was going to take another 3 months..Lol....I guess the only real complaint that I have at this point was the lack of communication. All that I wanted was perhaps an 8 week email, then maybe a 12 week email stating it would be at least a couple more weeks and then maybe a reason why would have been good, even though I did not necessarily need that, just wanted to be in the loop. This would not in my opinion have been too much to ask of someone, and I certainly didn't email everyday or every week for that matter. There was only 1 time that I emailed the same day and that was to ask for a timeline. I would not want to be a pest and email or call everyday. As a consumer, communication is what I will always look for when doing business with anyone in any field of work.
Basically if I had it to do all over again, I would have handled it the same way that I handled it.

I want to post 1 last time with pictures, just as soon as I get my gun back, that way I can give a review of sorts of the job that was done. I am the type of person that not only complains if a complaint is warranted, but I will talk about the good as well if that is warranted. I do anticipate that it will be a great job and will look awesome.
Give me a couple days for the review.

Thanks,

Cole
Do we still get a review/pics? Or is the gun not back yet???
 
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