What is the appropriate time frame for "custom" work

[buzzboy]

My family makes custom surfboards, completly from scratch. We usually tell people that it will be about a month for a board to get done. The first week it gets shaped(carved from a block of foam to a surfboard shape). Week two it gets art, if no art then fiberglassed. That is very little time per board then the long drying time. The next week it is fine sanded and sometimes polished. Thats it. There is usually only 3-5 hours of work done but it takes a month to get it out. Really it is because there is more than 1 going through at a time. That and we actually have lives.

The thing I hate are the people who ask for a custom and throughout the process they can't stop calling or coming in the shop to see how its coming. Then when it is done the person can't be found. Then we have to deal with holding it to our shops max limit. If a lot of people do it it really crowds the storage area.

I guess that had something to do with the topic. So yes. Custom work should be completed within a fair amount of time with all variables in respect.

[Ole Unka Phil]

I agree with Thordic on this.... the times these guys in this case are taking are totaly unacceptable. Delays are common. Months even. Years is rediculous. Someone is going to end up with an obsolete item once it gets over a year or so.

But that being said, I haven't seen my Cocker in like three years. For a simple black Anno job. I gave it up for lost long ago.

[Arstron]

So far I really cant complain about any custom work that I have had done. I have had custom work done by WWA and Luke I think the longest time either had parts was around a month and I always told them they had no time frame, that I wasnt in a hurry. Luke lets me know when there are a lot/big projects ahead of me. I am waiting on coolhands frame, but thats no big deal, with everyone having problems getting boards I understand completly the wait.

What bugs me is how long certain board mfg. have been working on a "new" board and hasnt bothered making any of the old boards...

[punkncat]

I am going to play Devil's advocate here for a moment. I had to wait a while for some custom mag work to be done. It was considerably longer than expected.

In the end not only was I very pleased with the work, as at the time what I ended up with was a one of a kind thing, but also happy in knowing that the time it took me to get it done pretty much assured that not too many others would. Certainly not anyone in my immediate area.

As has been stated there should be an open line of communication, but custom work is exactly that. If you want it today, go buy it off the shelf.

[Carbon Blue]

I am going to play Devil's advocate here for a moment. I had to wait a while for some custom mag work to be done. It was considerably longer than expected.

In the end not only was I very pleased with the work, as at the time what I ended up with was a one of a kind thing, but also happy in knowing that the time it took me to get it done pretty much assured that not too many others would. Certainly not anyone in my immediate area.

As has been stated there should be an open line of communication, but custom work is exactly that. If you want it today, go buy it off the shelf.

what he said. whenever i get put on the list for custom work i take there deadline and quadruple it but in the end it was DEFINITELY worth the wait

[Lohman446]

What about this. You pay $1200 for a completely custom marker, state of the art. At that point in time the DM4 has just come out, and is playing with the timmies in the $1200 price range. Your marker is as good as that +/-.

Two years later... the Ion has come out, the Rail is coming. The Proto has come out.

In two years, your initial investment has plumented in value, before you even have it. I understand the "what its worth to you" but that only goes so far.

And no, I am not in any circumstance right now, just stirring the pot so to speak

[Ole Unka Phil]

well... for example. I am having a custom holster made. I chose my vendor based some on his availability after I had narrowed it down to three or four that I liked thier work. This one can do it for me in 4 weeks. The worst case one could not get to it for 20 weeks! But he told me up front that. He is burried with Military orders. But he recomended the other one because he knew I could not wait that long.
But no one I have talked to is not up front on time. And more often than not they get close on that.

[warfinge]

How about some personal experience for color. A little over two years ago I was selling an eblade cocker on a forum. Punisher was there selling some stuff too. Milled spyders and such. I complimented him on his work and told him I was interested in buy a Tyrant (PGP conversion he does) and that when I sold the cocker, i'd be in touch. He said to just send him the cocker and he would make me one to my specs. We worked out what I wanted and we agreed to the deal. He said it might take up to a year but it would probably be sooner. I emailed for an update at 4 months, 8 months and a year. He answered emails reasonably fast but was not really making any progress. At 16 months he stopped answering emails so I started a thread in his forum. He updated that every few months for awhile but has stopped doing that.

http://punishers-customs.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=Open;action=display;num=1141314240

I think the only way to get him to answer is to bug him on the guild. I will wait another week before I try that because I just wrote this post-

http://punishers-customs.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=Open;action=display;num=1169158771

So how long is enough?


This is my cocker that I really miss. It had one hopper through it....



So gentlemen, advise me.

[neppo1345]

In my honest opinion, I would not wait more than a month for 'custom' work to be done.

However, my definition of 'custom work' is DC milling, a half block conversion, a mini conversion, anodizing, etc. 'Custom Work' is not creating a truly one-off marker.

If I was waiting on a one-off (like warfinge) I would probably be willing to wait up to a year.

If I was told something would take longer than a year, I simply wouldn't have it done.

At the rate I cycle through guns, I don't usually own a gun for more thatn three ot four months, so waiting anything over a month would be completely pointless. Unless of course I plan on keeping the gun (like the Sniper I have in the works).

It's not a classic car, it's not a Fokker DVII, it's not an 18th century victorian home; It's a paintball marker.

[turbo chicken]

To directly answer the question ... and it was stated several times ... what ever is agreed to should be the time frame ...

Money talks ... i've been wanting to test my theory of paying a more than what was quoted to get it done faster ... Why not ask this question after getting the quote ..."OK ... Now what is the ...I'll definately get this to you in a couple of week... price?" Or ... " How much would I need to add to get this put at the top of your to do list?"

and of course you wouldn't dare tell anyone that it only took a month for your project to be finished ... you'd just say look what finally came in from (insert custom shop here)

[wimag]

Whatever the initially agreed upon timeframe is.

yep that pretty much sums it up. Pretty simple to understand.

[warfinge]

yep that pretty much sums it up. Pretty simple to understand.

OK but when the deadline is a year out of date? I mean really...what can be done? How much have I lost with the Eblade. I was in it around $800 but it is worth around $300 now. He may have decided that since Eblades are down in value now that the deal changed. I think that an online reputation is all you have to work with in his line of work but somehow, punisher seems to get the "artist's exemption" on turnaround. For the record I asked for my cocker back 4 months ago. No answer. So what to do now?

[tyrion2323]

Of course, it all has to do with what is being done. That being said, I have a hard time accepting the idea that most jobs (anodizing, milling, etc.) are held for over 3 weeks or so. I can understand that in some cases, such as completely custom pneumatics and guns, there has to be research and design, and that can take a long time; however, for most custom work, it's really ridiculous when someone's gun is gone for half a year.

Part of me thinks that either the custom-worker either is delaying the work, or just doesn't know how to do it. A huge part of paintball's businesses are untrained in business ethics and practices, and are winging it as they go along. I find very few companies who actually are structured to (a) make money and (b) take care of their customers. I suppose this transfers into the custom world too - people do these things as a side project and are happy to accept the payment, but then put the work on the backburner.

That has been my experience, of course.

[wimag]

OK but when the deadline is a year out of date? I mean really...what can be done? How much have I lost with the Eblade. I was in it around $800 but it is worth around $300 now. He may have decided that since Eblades are down in value now that the deal changed. I think that an online reputation is all you have to work with in his line of work but somehow, punisher seems to get the "artist's exemption" on turnaround. For the record I asked for my cocker back 4 months ago. No answer. So what to do now?

you stay on him is what you do. Irregardless of the current market value that item is yours and may hold value to you beyond its worth.
My original post you quoted was in regards to Lohmans initial post. He asked to discuss timeframe, I was in agreeance with another poster that the timeframe is what is agreed upon with the buyer and provider.
Anything after that is a whole other realm to deal with as well as topic.

[Pneumagger]

A huge part of paintball's businesses are untrained in business ethics and practices, and are winging it as they go along.