Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Gunsmithing Gunsmithing gone bad: Rifle held hostage

Bingo!

Technical skill at a trade or profession, and ability to deal with people (including communication), are not always found in the same individual. I believe that is the downfall of many who decide to hang out their own shingle.

It may be not so much a matter of finding a different profession as it is about finding a job where a person can do the technical work while somebody else deals with customers. It applies to gunsmiths, as well as building trades, engineering, and even some medical doctors and lawyers.

Paul

Apropos this topic, I doubt that anybody really believes that "the customer is always right". However, there is another version that is universally true:

The customer may not always be right but he's always the customer.

All of this said, I believe there are times when it's appropriate for a business to "fire the customer". Some customers are so much trouble and so unreasonable that the relationship is a losing proposition for the business.

Paul

Notice how Jambo comes a bashin on Mr. Pederson and then as soon as someone points out that there is another side to the story, he's no where to be found. Who do you suppose is telling the truth???

I think his conspicuous absence speaks for itself. Yep, I think Danny went above and beyond on this one- especially for a guy who wasn't even his customer!

I believe both parties are at fault with this deal and should take 50 % of the blame, because neither party used good business
judgement in this project.

[quote=ColdBore] It was then sent to Penrod Precision where it was recontoured and installed on a Montana action. From there, it was sent to Bansner for sight installation,and stocking.[quote=ColdBore]

Seeing that the barrel was recontoured, I have no idea in hell how Dan is remotely responsible for the sights not being regulated as spinning a finished tube can certainly screw up bore dimensions. [quote=ColdBore]

Jambo, if I were you I'd be KISSING Danny's ass and THANKING him profusely for all that he's doing for you, cause the way I see it he doesn't owe you JACK SQUAT!

I've had Dan do a few different projects, and while he isn't the easiest to get ahold of, he's always bent over backwards to help me out and assure my satisfaction.

So, grow a set, cowboy up, whatever you want to call it and make a couple of public apologies on the web. It's the least you can do and I'd pen Dan a long apology and thank you note and send that certified mail to make sure he gets it.

I hope your new tube shoots lights out!

Goose

My friend Dennis (dennisinaz) alerted me to this thread.

I Danny pretty darn well, and have had him do several barrels for me, both new barrels and rebores. All have been excellent--as have been the barrels of people I referred to Danny. He never promised mine by a certain date, and I just let them arrive when they did, never calling him. They all arived within 6 months, often well inside.

I have worked with a lot of gunsmiths, and know that the good ones will get it done right, as soon as they can. I also know that just about ALL of them are indeed constantly pestered by customers. Most not only ask the same question ("When will my rifle be done?") but many just want to BS for an hour--and often call after-hours.

Gunsmiths deal with this in several ways, but they normally do NOT hire somebody to answer the phone. This is because there just isn't enough money in the business to do that, AND because only the gunsmith himself can truly answer most calls.

I do know one smith who only RETURNED calls during the last two hours of the day. I also know another (a one-man shop, like Danny's) whose phone message was: "Thanks for calling. If you have a job you'd like me to do, please leave a number and I'll call you back. If you're calling to find out about the progess of your firearm, I'll call you when it's done."

I don't know the guy who originally bitched about all this, but it sounds like he got a great deal. It also sounds to me like he's one of those customers who wants to receive a minute-by-minute description of all progress, while the gunsmith is hunched over the lathe. He just might also be one of those people a friend classifies as a Master Of The Universe, who expects everybody else to recognize his special status.

Mule Deer +1. I value gunsmiths for their tool room skills, not for their small talk.

This discussion reminds me of a line from that old Paul Newman movie - cool hand luke. "What we have here gentlemen is a failure to communicate."

Yep, from the road captain in Cool Hand Luke:

"What we've got here is... failure to communicate. Some men you just can't reach."

Grin! (hey, this thread could use one!)

MtnHtr

I just used a new "smith" that I will not return to. I took in a 1896 6.5 x 55 Swede with a near perfect exterior. In my verbal and written instructions, I wanted 1 inch cut off the 29 inch barrel and a new crown(which would have left me with about a 27+ inch barrel), a butter knife bolt handle installed, and drilling and tapping for scope rings.

As the job is a 4 hour drive away, I had a nearby buddy pick it up to the tune of $289. He got it down to me about 3 weeks ago. I got the bolt handle (nice job there, the barrel cut down to 24 inches and recrowned, the rear sight and its mounting sleeve sweated off of the barrel leaving an extremely unsightly 4-inch section of bare metal in front of the receiver (it will have to be reblued), and the requested drill/tap for scope rings. I was not happy about the lost barrel length and the recently bared metal.

The work took a full nine months longer than the estimated 3 months, and it was my initiative that eventually found out the job was finished. I truly wish I had been on the phone more often to reinforce my desires. I will obviously be looking elsewhere to either acquire a new barrel or get this one blued.
An unhappy camper! 1Minute

I don't understand all this hacking at a man who simply wants his rifle finished correctly.

I wonder, how much time does it take smith to make a phone call at the end of his day??? It is called �Simple Customer Courtesy�. Take too much time out of the smiths day? Maybe he needs to hire an assistant, or, perhaps cut back on the work he takes in, but make the damm call.

I for one, appreciate this airing of the problems communicating with this smith, and certainly will not be using his services in the future.

Regardless of how well he does his work, if he can�t take to time to make a simple phone call to a customer, he is not the guy for me.

Take this as you will,

Richard

Meatco, obiviously you don't have a job that serves the public directly. One has to make a living and that can't be done on the phone.Rick.

You are just the kind of customer that Danny doesn't want! I think he agrees this wasn't handled properly but is not happy about the slanderous lies that this joker has spread on several forums as well as to the AZ attorney general's office.

There is a reason he hasn't resurfaced in all this!!

Turns out, he hasn't paid his bill at Bansner's either!!

Yep- two sides to every story!