Did that Vinnie.....got not reply and I gave him 2 days. I would think if the guy wanted my business he would have said something by now. I originally nicely asked for an estimate, he in turn told me he wasn't going to be inexpensive and to go look for someone inexpensive. I wrote him back saying what I intended to expect from him, in the way of being at a reasonable cost and that I wanted to work with someone willing to give me options....then no reply. He doesn't intend on answering my request. That's the way I see it anyway. I haven't mailed this one to him, but I think it's in line with his mentality and I wanted him to know the extent of his actions for being rude.

Sweeet
Suz

He thinks that by using the e-mail route, he can be unseen and so he's rude without being caught. Well e-mails stand up in court and can be seen. I think like (I think it was Dawgdad that said it) was said earlier he doesn't want to take a beat up old Mauser and make a shooter out of it for nothing. Personally, it would be easy money in his pocket, I would think he'd be happy to. Some people don't like to work for a living unless their profit margins are way out of line, and he sounds like one of those to me. Yeah he'd be happy to do it if he had no limits. He's not telling me what he would put into it, what to expect for a price is my top priority, my bottom line. He doesn't like shoppers. He wants you to blindly take your project to him and just say fix it. I'm not going to let him think that ignoring the customer is the easy way out. I'm going to let him think that being rude is going to cost him in the end. It's not a threat, it's a thought that I want him to ponder.


SuperSweeet
Suz

Problem solved Suz...just be careful of what you write, because as you say, emails stand up in Court and if he were to take a mind to having at you for slander or defamation...well, if it is in writing it makes it that much easier for him. You can bet that some "bottom feeding" lawyer will be happy to "assist" him.

I would tone the proposed email down a little and view it as if it was being sent to you...how would you feel and react. If you think that you would want to sue, then you can bet your ba...oops bottom dollar... that he will as well.

Cheers, Vince

Suz please be wary, if you dont see him face to face you wont know where he stands and vice versa. yip hes pissed you off, yip you arent happy but please do be cautous. ANYTHING you put in a email can be put on the net and then its beyond your control. I still think face to face is your best option. ask for a face to face meating to see if you can work out an option thats mutually benifitial. IF hes still not interested wash your hands of the whole deal and go to one of the gunsmiths the guys have recomended. going off can be considered slander as Vince has pointed out.

Suz
What Vince said is true, if it was me I would take the high road and bring it to another smith. Its not worth the aggravation over the guys arrogance in his e-mail.

Suz, honestly I wouldn't waste the time to send him anything. You'll remember and pass on this experience, as you already have, and it sure won't help his business.

Buncha pansies......I really didn't think what I wrote will land me in a court room for slander. Please read it again. The worse part was that I told him I would let his referrals know what his standard of service is. He told me what his standard of service is and so should not be disputed. I also told him that his referrals might find it easy to not send him work by those standards. If you get on his website you will see what is listed as the work he does. Nothing extraordinary there and If I sent my gun to him without saying "inexpensive" I'm sure he would do it without qualm. For some reason he interpreted that as meaning shoddy, and cheap. I politely corrected his opinion of my use of the word inexpensive and he in turn decides he's already had enough of me and will not reply. I don't intend on sending him any work but I would get some satisfaction for setting him straight on his high opinion of himself. In order for me to get my job done, now I have to send out of town which is not convenient or "inexpensive" to me. I would love to have someone close to home to talk to about it and keep tabs on progress. I"m now SOL and I'm pissed about it. You guys are softening me up .....now cut it out!

By the way I'm not loosing sleep over this, It's fun as heck to set someone straight

extra swweeeet
Suz

I see it this way- if'n he really cared what you think about him? He'da sent ya a reply with his rough estimate for the EXACT work ya want done. If he aint yet? Move on cuz he's not interested in this job. And, ya can't set seomeone straight that don't wanna be. He may do great work. But, he may be ultra picky about what he does. There's plenty more Smith's out there that deserve yer busines that'll help you w/o any attitude (as per the one I suggested for example- he checks his e-mails twice a day & attitude aint in his vocab). Since he aint burned you for money, or, botched the job, it's coming down to principal and sour grapes.

Don't get yer Spirit in a bunch or lower yerself to someone else's level over someone/something that aint worth it, HoneyBear. (hugs )

Suzanne wrote:

Ok I haven't mailed this out yet. I want your input before I do. Some eloquent pros would be helpful. Here's the first draft; titled; No Reply? Well I assume you told me to take a hike. Sorry about that. I also assumed that you had professionalism, integrity, and as you put it in your web site ad "with our friendly shop you and your weapon will be treated special". I didn't ask for crappy work to be done but you assumed it. I didn't ask for you to use crappy parts, but you assumed it. Inexpensive means not expensive. Do you know what my idea of expensive is? Didn't think so. I guess I got the special treatment!! Ha! In turn I should also do you a favor. Your two local referrals may find it hard to do business with such special treatment served up. I suppose, since you are obviously in no need for new business and don't even want to think about the word inexpensive, I'll explain to them what your thoughts on the subject are. I'm sure they will find it worry free to send you only the crown jewels of the area.....well there aren't any, so it will be pretty easy. I won't be doing business with you or anyone that supports you. That goes for my friends as well. Your referrals will find this fascinating.

I kind of like the first draft, Suz. I certainly don't see anything slanderous in it. I would give this guy about 10 business days before sending it, though. He may be away on vacation - that is, unless you hear from one of the local shops that he has made his weekly pickup.
I don't know how a shop can do business like that "in the blind" so to speak.
Still think that the best way to handle this would be face-to-face. Maybe if you e-mail him a photo and suggest discussing this over coffee the next time he makes his rounds? Having a few potential and/or previous customers in the coffee shop to witness his likely arrogance would get the word out better than anything.
If instead it turns out to be a misunderstanding, and he is apologetic, you could get the work done locally after all.
Either way it could be a no-lose situation.

44marty wrote:

Suzanne wrote: Ok I haven't mailed this out yet. I want your input before I do. Some eloquent pros would be helpful. Here's the first draft; titled; No Reply? Well I assume you told me to take a hike. Sorry about that. I also assumed that you had professionalism, integrity, and as you put it in your web site ad "with our friendly shop you and your weapon will be treated special". I didn't ask for crappy work to be done but you assumed it. I didn't ask for you to use crappy parts, but you assumed it. Inexpensive means not expensive. Do you know what my idea of expensive is? Didn't think so. I guess I got the special treatment!! Ha! In turn I should also do you a favor. Your two local referrals may find it hard to do business with such special treatment served up. I suppose, since you are obviously in no need for new business and don't even want to think about the word inexpensive, I'll explain to them what your thoughts on the subject are. I'm sure they will find it worry free to send you only the crown jewels of the area.....well there aren't any, so it will be pretty easy. I won't be doing business with you or anyone that supports you. That goes for my friends as well. Your referrals will find this fascinating. I kind of like the first draft, Suz. I certainly don't see anything slanderous in it. I would give this guy about 10 business days before sending it, though. He may be away on vacation - that is, unless you hear from one of the local shops that he has made his weekly pickup. I don't know how a shop can do business like that "in the blind" so to speak. Still think that the best way to handle this would be face-to-face. Maybe if you e-mail him a photo and suggest discussing this over coffee the next time he makes his rounds? Having a few potential and/or previous customers in the coffee shop to witness his likely arrogance would get the word out better than anything. If instead it turns out to be a misunderstanding, and he is apologetic, you could get the work done locally after all. Either way it could be a no-lose situation.

THAT SOUNDS REASONABLE. THERE IS NO WAY BOTH OF YOU KNOW WHAT THE OTHER IS THINKING WITHOUT A FACE TO FACE.

Just move on Suz, that rude person is not worth the effort.

If he is a reasonable person that would heed your email,
he would be writing a reasonable reply to you in the first place.
Now you are attempting to educate him? forget it, he does not worth the electrons, period!

Move on, there are plenty other gunsmith around, and some of them may be a lot better than that guy.

better contact his wife and let her give him the full "Jon-treathment"...

Ok after stewing, I"m quite done and fork-tender, easily shredded and somewhat like pulled-pork on a tortilla. I'm letting him get away scott-free and easy, like a huge large mouthed bass I'm putting him back to let him spawn for another season. The majority consensus here says to let him be, so I'm gonna let him be (an *hole).

Like a rapist with no one making charges against him, he's free from prosecution, free from jail time, free to pass his vile degradation onto the next unsuspecting customer. His apparent contract work and other odd jobs will keep him in bread and soup, whiskey and steaks and the few satisfied victims can revel in their mistaken projects, made pure by a mistaken master gunsmith.

I shall salute (one finger) the shops (all of 2) that support him but do my shopping elsewhere. USPS says they will ship a long gun without paperwork. YEAH!! I am major disappointed in my fellow NUTS tho. No support for goin all the way. My better judgement says to go with the consensus of the group and so I'm unwillingly giving up my trip across stormy waters. It's fun to sail in high winds.....but I'm getting old.....I need a supporting hand to guide my way through......tottering on the brink of the edge, the NUTS said "don't go",...."don't go".....my teeth gritted, hair blown by the wind, I looked back and saw NUTS, all their bald heads shining, their vericose veined legs shaking with fear.....the wind blew in my eyes and tears started streaming down my face, the salty wind blew them and stung my eyes....I was loosing my grip on the main sheet and the tiller started pulling me around as if by some ancient force I started for home once again.

Going with the wind is easy, sails port and starboard, easily surfing over the swells and getting fetched up in the wallows and then gaining speed down the front of a swell it practically sails itself. The NUTS may be happy to see me home but my hard fought life has been quelled and I'll have to sleep for a long long time to find my hunger for it again.


Suz

good lass
sleep well

Rest easy Suz...I'm a firm believer in picking the fights you can win, and let the rest slide away. Saves on blood pressure that way too, although I do agree with your blurb above this...especially the way you put it mate.

Having said that, don't let this guy get away scot-free...let it be known to the two shops the response you got and this guy's attitude, and also let anybody and everybody that you know that he is not the nicest guy to deal with. He might start to wonder when his work load drops off...might make him think a bit.

Cheers, Vince