Am I being too sensitive?

[Bowenbuilt]

I sent you an email. I too was shocked at the reaction that I received. I don't post a whole lot and have been around guns since a very early age. My Great Grandfather and his Son, my Grandfather were the gunsmiths in the area for 80 years so I grew up in a gun Family. I certainly know the difference bewteen good work and bad. None of that mattered. You get people jumping out of airplanes when it comes to there favorite smith and he can do no wrong. If you post something negative, even if it is a fact, no one believes it and you are made to look like the trouble maker, you are the guilty party and the one that is shunned like a bad case of the clap.
You guys can bait all you like I'm not going there again. If you want to know who did the screwing you can PM me. That's about all I have to say about the subject.

[rigby]

I say post it. I have taken a hammering on here but I survived and so have others. Look how many have not so nice things to say about Reeder and their still around. The most disturbing part is increasing the price because of how long it took. That is totally unacceptable.

[albundy]

"If you post something negative, even if it is a fact, no one believes it and you are made to look like the trouble maker, you are the guilty party and the one that is shunned like a bad case of the clap."
Excellent analogy !!!! I agree. Every Forum has these so called "OLD BOYS" that will protect their favorite gunsmith like a threatened child.

[cj3a]

I understand what your going thru. I am having problems with a ACGG gunsmith. More like a former active member of the guild. When I start thinking about it I want to call him out but don't want to get in the name calling that happens on most forums. I feel my mistake on all of this was giving him time to do the job without me calling more often and asking for updates. SOB return the gun only after another guild member talked about going to there ethics committee. Now I am waiting for his holiness to return my money. Starting to get mad need to stop typing.

[Len]

Here is a suggestion after you receive the gun assuming it’s as it should be, write the gun smith a non threatening letter explain how you feel and see if he responds.
If he ignores you or hands you some BS I would post his name it’s a service to others that are considering his work and if it gets back to him and he has half a brain he may reconsider how he does business. You should not be afraid to post HONEST experiences both good and bad!

[foxtrapper]

Mar 16, 2012 9:52:22 GMT -5 ermont0825 said:

The finish I requested was included in the original estimate. I changed nothing from the original order.
Yup I'm pissed.

Why the post in the first place. You were wronged by a smith who may or not be well known. If your telling your tale of woe why leave off the most important fact? The transaction is over, no more variables why not complete the story? As for being afraid that you'll be dumped on, by who??? Faceless folks that you don't know or know you. Geezzz most places that I order online have "reviews" on the same page I 'm ordering from. On being ripped off by mail-order , granted I use it mainly for my shooting goods, I have been wronged twice both by touted holster makers. Money sent no holsters Don't let this transaction leave you so pissed that you won't order your next custom. ;D

[ermont0825]

I wanted to get some feedback from everyone before I gave the real topper. I sent this guy an old model SBH. One of the things I talked to him about and he wrote it up in the paperwork was a bisley hammer. When I talked to him last fall, a year and a half later, he tells me he can't do it. Said a bisley wouldn't fit an old model SBH. I have the agreement to show what he was going to do. At that point I just wanted my gun back and didn't argue. So the custom I paid dearly for, isn't as custom as I wanted. BTW the upcharge was $175.

[maxcactus]

Mar 17, 2012 8:49:56 GMT -5 Len said:

Here is a suggestion after you receive the gun assuming it’s as it should be, write the gun smith a non threatening letter explain how you feel and see if he responds.
If he ignores you or hands you some BS I would post his name it’s a service to others that are considering his work and if it gets back to him and he has half a brain he may reconsider how he does business. You should not be afraid to post HONEST experiences both good and bad!

I'm inclined to agree with Ben's statement above. I would suggest outlining the following items in the letter:

1) What work was originally requested (Bisley hammer, etc)
2) The price originally quoted for the work requested (including the refinish)
3) The approximate delivery date originally quoted by said smith.


After listing the work and price agreed upon, I would then outline what was actually delivered vs. the items above. Ask said smith if he would find this acceptable if he were the customer, especially given any communication failures on his part. I can't imagine any honest person agreeing that this is good customer service. I would then ask what he would find a reasonable adjustment given the aggravation you've been through. I would remind him that you truly WANT to be able to recommend his work to others, but if he isn't willing to compensate you in some way and if he doesn't respond within a reasonable time period (say 60 days) that you'll have no choice but to tell others to avoid using his services.

Max.

[Markbo]

ermont I have a question for you. Was your original post meant to:
A. Garner some feedback
B. Help someone else by your experience
C. Warn people about THIS smith

Or were you just venting? We all benefit by that sometimes and that is perfectly fine, if so. If it were me, I'd tell everyone here about my experience, like I have done with positive experiences. For ME.. .that is what is a great benefit of this place and other forums.

There are those here that don't seem to grasp the educational nature of the Internet and depise having to 'feed you like Pablum', (which by use of the term alone tells me how grumpy and unhappy they must be), and there are those that will defend them to no end - even with personal attacks. I look at this place and other forums leaning toward other things of interest as great places to learn from other's experiences. That is what separates us from apes after all.

That being said I don't share here near as much as I used to because of my opinions occassionally being against the grain and being attacked because of them by more than one of the... hmmm... let's say bigger collectors... here. People here like anywhere else can get real personal and real ugly, real quick.

It is not always easy for me to not respond to being attacked so a few hard lessons taught me keep most of my opinons here to myself. I now consider myself an outsider but think of this site in particular as THE source for all things custom sixgun, even though I cannot afford the sheer number that many here can. I didn't always have to love my teachers to learn something.

I recall that the biggest deer I have ever shot was delivered for Taxidermy to a shop where I live. A year later, it was not ready after being promised (as usual) in 6 months or less. Come to find out the owner closed shop and took my head and several dozen others! Pre-internet days, it took me months to hunt down some family of his. After much pestering of them, he finally showed up at my house one day (after 2 years) with my trophy, an attitude and not a hint of apology or even explanation. You better believe I told everyone I knew to stay away from him if he popped back up and several friends thanked me for that later. Would I have done different if he had explained - in good time - that he was having medical, family or other issues. You bet!

Been there, done that with a well known stock maker and I defended him to others because of that knowledge. What would you like to accomplish for you? Just food for thought.

edited to add: I have not had work done by all the famous smiths. Only by Alan Harton. He has always been patient, knowledgable, reasonable and timely and does incredible work. He will always be my first recommendation because he is truly a good guy in my book.

[bushog]

David Clements just updated his website to explain new policies regarding wait times, payments etc.

I know there are problems from time to time and long waits. I've had a few, but it seems a bit of a shame when a fellow has to spell everything out and hasn't any breathing room. I've always been able come to a happy agreement when things were less than perfect. I know it's a business but I'm hoping the "Smiths" can still have fun too! This also goes for the craftsmen of leather and grip makers too that I rely on for the very best. Some of them are getting older and it's going to be a shame when they're gone or pissed off.

[ermont0825]

All I was trying to find out is if my experience was unique or just par for the course. It sounded unreasonable to me, but I just wanted to know if this was par for the course from gunsmiths or if indeed I was getting jammed. When I emailed and talked to this guy it was always "no problem, I can do that, it will be a nice gun".

BTW I have no dealings with Harton, but I know Boge has and that's good enough for me.

[bigbores]

Mar 19, 2012 19:06:20 GMT -5 ermont0825 said:

All I was trying to find out is if my experience was unique or just par for the course. It sounded unreasonable to me, but I just wanted to know if this was par for the course from gunsmiths or if indeed I was getting jammed. When I emailed and talked to this guy it was always "no problem, I can do that, it will be a nice gun".

BTW I have no dealings with Harton, but I know Boge has and that's good enough for me.

From what you have said here, I think you got "Jammed" a bit.

Any time I ask for something unusual from what a given smith normally does I suspect the worst cost/time wise, so far I've been given more not less.

Jack Huntington threw in some finish work for free on one of my gun's and Gary Reeder has built 2 customs for me where he didn't charge me for options that he quoted $100 for, Gary also has re-crowned a BFR that I sent to him for a re-chamber,grips and some finish work, I wouldn't have even known he gave me free work had the crown not been a different design.

[indigowolf]

I too had a rather frustrating experience only it was with the Ruger repair center quite a few years ago now. I have since gotten over my being upset with them, but I'm still a little shy of buying any model until I read reports that there are no issues with said model. I've owned several Ruger guns since then including my LCP. Good guns for sure. Likely every manufacturer has had a few oops moments in one way or another. No, I don't think you are being too sensitive. You have a right to be steamed... I know I was.
My issue had more to do with the engineering/design teams lack of forethought when they came out with the Vaquero in 44-40WCF. Word had it that the problem was found and cleared up after the first lot of revolvers was already shipped. Unfortunately my Vaquero was from that first batch and was the first one returned to the factory for this repair. Tooling problems ensued. I received the revolver back in no better shape because they pulled parts off the production line after they buggered my cylinder up trying to fix it. The old tooling was still being used in production.

[CraigC]

I agree with Jeff's post, you were wronged, period. If you dwell on this aspect of it though, you will NOT be able to enjoy your sixgun. Believe me, I know.

Post the name. You do everyone here a disservice by not posting the name.

[indigowolf]

Mar 25, 2012 11:10:17 GMT -5 CraigC said:

I agree with Jeff's post, you were wronged, period. If you dwell on this aspect of it though, you will NOT be able to enjoy your sixgun. Believe me, I know.

Post the name. You do everyone here a disservice by not posting the name.

I know too... that 44-40 was gone in less than a month, and it was a sweet handler... likely the best balanced revolver I've owned thus far. (it just couldn't hit a 9" pie plate at 20 feet.. and no .. it wasn't me.)

+1 on you posting the name.