whitewolf airsmithing...

[FooTemps]

Simple and tedious when people ask for updates every day. [sarcasm]I'm sure people are waiting a while between emails to see if they get a response...[/sarcasm]

[Pain For Pleasure]

Huh. I was going to get a custom anno'd Phantom from him, but seeing how I want it for Christmas and he hasn't responded to my emails, I'll go to CCI instead. Thanks for this thread. When he meant no timeframe I figured it would only take 2-3 months, but with a custom anno, I guess Christmas is unreasonable. Oh well, not my money, but I did want that custom anno . I am still young and need everything FAST!!!! No patience for me . So now the question is acid wash blue, or acid wash green......

[tmnothing]

Ok it makes sense that it may be annoying when many people are e-mailing but who wouldnt when our stuff/money has been missing for months and months? I'm almost sure now that he has skipped out on us and we're not going to hear from him, has ANYONE heard a word from him at all recently? This guy is rediculous. Does anyone know his web site or maybe a contact number?

[Tunaman]

I cant speak for other customizers, but waiting a year...or even 1/2 a year is utterly rediculous. Granted I dont do some of the work that these guys do, but I use shops that do. I suggest getting your money back if you can, then email me and I will try to accomodate you all as best I can. Sometimes it takes me a few hours each night, but I DO try to answer all emails concerning your orders. After all...it's YOUR money! And you are MY customers! And YOU DO have the right to know the status or any other questions asked of me. You deserve to be answered.

[Macpaintballer]

I just posted this in the friendly section regarding Doc. I think it relates pretty well. This is not a flame or anything of that nature... Basically, sure, sometimes their service isn't what we'd all like, but you have to consider being in their shoes every once in a while.

find it very amusing how all so many people (no one in particular, just saying in general) get all weird when they suspect people. They get suspicious, and the word "fishy" pops up every other word. The problem is that 99% of the peope here have no idea what owning a business is like, and they just assume it's all of their ideals. Ideals are great, but when it comes down to it, some of those things must be sacrificed by the REAL businessmen to offer you something that isn't so common, QUALITY. This industry is choked with crappy manafacturers with terrible tolerance consistancy because they'd rather flood the market with their product. You're waiting and paying for a hand-made, often custom piece. As for answering e-mails, tell me how someone should schedule their work day? If they're answering e-mails, they're not working on your project, and if they're working on your project, then they're not replying you e-mails. I've witnessed one person posting on one particular machinist's forum every other day or so asking for his work... for 11 months. Obviously his order required a lot of work, and if I was the machinist, I'd be thinking to myself "Screw this guy... he's lucky I have to send him his parts back by laws."

Give them a break.

Bad business, maybe... but no one can say they aren't doing the best they can. It's a lot of stress and work. Plus how should they have social lives? Don't expect them to have the same kind of business you're used to dealing with, when there are multiple people with specific jobs. These folks are doing it all by themselves.

[Aliens-8-MyDad]

im not asking for something custom as in a new gun that has never been made before! anodozing has been done before and there is no excuse for it taking as long as it does, I really wish i woulda gone with another anodizer who doenst take this LONG! and guess what, i cant change that descion because HE WONT RESPOND TO MY E-MAIL'S! I asked for the gun back but NO REPLY... WOW this sucks.

[Muzikman]

Are you getting a special ano? Very well what he might be doing is waiting for more orders with the same ano that the it will be cheaper, for him and you.

[ShortStrokeTX]

WW does good work but the no response thing is what pisses people off. And he needs to tell people no, that he has too much work and they'll need to wait a while or go to somebody else.

And to all the people saying "Stop *****ing". Why should people stop *****ing when they haven't heard about their beloved gun for so long? Complaining might not help but it's better than being all bottled up inside, they might go and run WW over with their car... by "accident".

[Aliens-8-MyDad]

musikman I got a red base with platinum splashes. i doubt he is waiting for a group ano job. I dont get why he cant just do the prep work then send it to a company... this is taking too long.

edit

and foo, not sure if you were talking to me or not but you are kind of exagerating, no one wants there gun done in 5 days, and I dont think everyone was e-mailing every day. Also I was not talking about getting a custom gun built, or even an exsiting one milled, i wasnt talking about getting anything else done to my gun except anodizing. If he has to plan out a speacial and "efficiant" way to strip my ano and remove scratches or worry about breaking some machine tool I will be scared because it doesnt involve any of that. he doesnt even do ano him self, he just preps the parts... unless he is filling in gashes by brazing aluminum then grinding it down I dont get why it takes him SO LONG!

[MindJob]

I have been in jobs where I had to deal very closely with the Customer Service aspects of the business. There are a couple of things to keep in mind when you are dealing with the public. You are there to 'service' your customers. They choose YOU to give their business too. They CHOOSE you to send their money too, and TRUST you, mostly on blind faith in paintballs case, to do what they are paying you for correctly, and in a timely manner.

YES, I know how annoying it can get to deal with 300 e-mails a day from people asking when their gun will be finished. Unfortunatly, it is part of the deal when you open to the public.

It's a shame, because Paintball is such a niche business, especially the kind of work guys like WhiteWolf and Doc Nickel provide - they have you by the short hairs. But having dealt with both of them in the past, I can honestly say there is no malice involved.

Obviously, it would be great for someone like Whitewolf to expand to the point of being able to provide first-class customer service, but that just isnt likely. Even the bigger paintball companies have MAJOR customer service issues. Ever try to deal with Smart Parts on the retail level? How about trying to get an accurate timeframe when something will be back in stock at 888paintball? Sometimes, in some cases, if your not placing an order for 300 of something, you just cant get any respect.


If having to deal with long waits is unacceptable, then either find someone else, or figure how to do it yourself. I know there are places that can do a complete top-to-bottom anno job, including dissasembly and reassembly.

Bottome line is - Sometimes.. you just gotta have patience. (and maybe a little faith)

[tyrion2323]

I cant speak for other customizers, but waiting a year...or even 1/2 a year is utterly rediculous. Granted I dont do some of the work that these guys do, but I use shops that do. I suggest getting your money back if you can, then email me and I will try to accomodate you all as best I can. Sometimes it takes me a few hours each night, but I DO try to answer all emails concerning your orders. After all...it's YOUR money! And you are MY customers! And YOU DO have the right to know the status or any other questions asked of me. You deserve to be answered.

Thank Goodness that someone here thinks with their head. If you can't take the time to answer emails regarding your services, you shouldn't offer them. Period. I'm not saying that they should bang out custom markers like a machine, but staying in contact with the customer is vital. Email, forums, whatever...let 'em know at least once a week.

Jacob

[magmonkey]

just my input,

I see both sides to this. I feel sorry for you guys with crazy long waits. and I know that isn't right,

however I belive most of the customs shops in the country work a bit like ours.

Destructive Customs (Jared, Gecko (part time) and myself, do our best to keep up with things coming in to the shop.

heres the problem
we cannot make a living on custom guns alone so we all have "real" jobs

I am an anodizer, jared is a fireman and a machinist, and gecko.... well he is a student

but here is my average work week

4:45 get up get ready for work
check email for DC
go to work
go to lunch
check voicemail for dc
drive home
check email for DC
check for ups pacakges for DC
go to the shop
start miling
work at the shop untill ungodly hours
drive home
check emails for dc again
bed
get up and do it again

I will also add that somewhere up there I need to add room for planning a tournament
and teching for local shops

I have a wedding in one month and I have not had a decent conversation with my bride to be in three weeks, she is asleep when I leave the house and she is asleep when I get home



jared is in the same boat

if I am going to complain about it why do we do it? Becasue we enjoy it, and think we can do a good job so mabye somday it can be our "real job"

but it is so easy to get behind, we have been there and it is not a good feeling on the shop persons part to let the customer down. but there are only a set amount of hours in the day

[Empyreal Rogue]

For those of you complaining about a timeframe, check out www.maxanodizing.com . Most people get their ano job back within 2 weeks.

Now, grant it it's not as good as WW nor as cheap but it's fast.

I'm still deciding who I want to anodize my marker but I need to get the money for a Rogue Rail first so I have plenty of time to decide. I might have it done during the Fall/Winter/Spring months since I don't play then. Too darn cold. :\

[PissedGodzilla]

I cant speak for other customizers, but waiting a year...or even 1/2 a year is utterly rediculous. Granted I dont do some of the work that these guys do, but I use shops that do. I suggest getting your money back if you can, then email me and I will try to accomodate you all as best I can. Sometimes it takes me a few hours each night, but I DO try to answer all emails concerning your orders. After all...it's YOUR money! And you are MY customers! And YOU DO have the right to know the status or any other questions asked of me. You deserve to be answered.

And this is why Tuna is god!

= Tunaman

[Macpaintballer]

No offense Tunaman and those who supported what he said, because he has a point... BUT.. Tuna isn't making the parts AND selling them. He's recieving the parts from someone else and then selling them. He's got an awful lot more time to respond to e-mails and such, so he can say "I will respond to e-mail, vote for me." They're working different kinds of jobs and schedules.

I wish idealistic people's ideas could become reality all the time, but it's not. Good luck to anyone trying to get their stuff back.. just note that when you get it back finished, you'll certainly stop complaining!