You get what you pay for…….

It seems you just can’t get away from bad service? We get rid of (Or so I thought) one bad tech in SD only to have another move in from Texas. When you hire a service like billiard repair or billiard moving, your winning choice should entail when and how much but these should not be the deciding factors. Yes there are cheaper services than us…KEY word “CHEAPER”. Yes there are services that can come out today…only because they are chasing the jobs and probably weren’t working anyhow. What you really should be asking is: “Am I going to need to call you for anything after you are done?”….our answer….only if you need to schedule another service! In other words, we don’t have callbacks, ie. problems with our set ups or materials. In the last 12 years since starting ABS I can only recall one callback! And it was not like the table was loose or unlevel… I simple forgot to staple a pocket. But if for any reason there is a problem, we will come out and rectify it ASAP no charge! I have not worked 25 years in  San Diego and remained here by having problems. So beware of companies from other counties and that have just moved to San Diego for a “Fresh start”. This usually means they have destroyed many tables and their reputation in there original town. So beware the guy on the phone who tells you all the things you want to hear, promises they often can’t deliver on. We do not tell you “what you want to hear”, we give you honest straight answers. Here is what are customers have to say about it. www.Ikarma.com/user/A_B_S an independent review site. Unlike YELP (ABS has 20+ positive reviews on yelp. All but 1 are filtered? To keep it real?) this site (Ikarma) does not remove ANY reviews.

Honesty in todays economy.

It’s really all you have left. If you aren’t honest with all you do you will not survive (the market)! Or maybe you will through BS, but is it right? You may think it is as long as you make money I guess? It seems talk is really cheap these days. With the internet anyone can say or promote things that just aren’t true or they don’t back. And yet if it is on your computer it must be!? We all know the term “Walk the Talk” right. Well my challenge is for all my competitors who claim knowledge and “warranty” of the pool tables they service to BACK THAT !! Plain and simple. You say you will come back as many times to fix any mistakes,  yet you won’t make one trip out to remove a staple under the cloth??? That is not a warranty!

The BCA show was desolate this year. I assume that either most vendors have gone under or simply can’t afford the costs (why we only drive to the Vegas show every other year, my only vaca time). But again, Honesty is the key to being successful in the business. I talked with a handful of people there from service companies like us to retailers and suppliers and the one thing I was looking for was honesty. Tell me the economy has you down and show me you want business by adjusting prices to help us out in dropping ours. It is tuff right now for all, we have dropped our prices to special “summer” prices. I hear through the “grapevine” other seem to raise theirs to compensate for lost work? This is not honesty……………

End of an Era…….Family Billiards closes it’s doors for the last time.

                It is official. Family Billiards of Oceanside is CLOSED! As of 4/29 it is no more. Buddy and his family are all ok,  as is Matt and the rest of the staff. The problem is the mall owner getting greedy in tough times. Shame to see years of hard work to build a reputable business gone in an instant, due to one persons greed. So Buddy can now retire I suppose………

The tables have been disassembled and move to a warehouse in San Marcos for sale. If you are interested in buying a piece of the history here, contact Gary at 760-497-5531. The tables ALL need new cloth and most need new bumpers also. But otherwise it is a great deal for a classic pool hall table, the 9′ Brunswick Gold Crown III.

Touching on the bumper issue for a moment. I’d like to explain how this is not a proccess to be done on-site by ANY tech ! First you strip the rails as normal, but then you must remove old rubber. Which in some cases is so solid you need special tools to remove, not to mention the powdery dust it turns into and gets all over. Then you must prep the rail face for new rubber, best done on sander of some style. Again dust issue. Next is glue….need I say more. The smell and it should dry at least an hour or more before cutting !!! I like to dry it for 24 hours. Then cutting pocket angles, more sanding, glueing and cutting. This is NOT A JOB TO BE RUSHED THROUGH. Some of the tables had the rubber done by another local company…..not good. They were almost ALL coming off the rails. The facings were all cut wrong, it was simply a horrible job! I should have some photos to follow soon…………