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REED JAMES - Hard time with him.

#21
being in a sort-of similar situation myself (folks asking me "how long til my re-fret is done?") i'm afraid i have to concur with the OP; if there's a big queue and something takes a long time then it takes a long time, that's OK (hell, it's almost a point of pride, it means you're in demand); promising then blowing a deadline is not OK, and then not responding to queries afterwords is very much worse than not OK.
 
#22
I absolutely love the tone of Jim's pickups. So do my clients. As good as they sound, I'm at a point to where I'm hesitant to recommend them on a build. I can build 8 basses in the time its taking him to deliver one set of pickups. That's no exaggeration either. That's a modest figure. As a result, I simply offer other great sounding options for pickups. I use Delano, Nordstrand, Kent Armstrong and Aguilar......all of which deliver on time or sooner than their estimated delivery date. I can't say enough good things about the tone of Jim's pickups. It's the wish-washy'ness on the business side of things that is a deal breaker for me.
 
#23
Totally disheartened to read this as I just ordered pickups one month ago, and was told they'd take one month. I'll keep my mind open on this one, but I truly hope that my pickups are done before my new bass gets finished. Going to be very upset if they aren't. He still has some time.....
 
#24
emjazz said:
Totally disheartened to read this as I just ordered pickups one month ago, and was told they'd take one month. I'll keep my mind open on this one, but I truly hope that my pickups are done before my new bass gets finished. Going to be very upset if they aren't. He still has some time.....
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new bass? you finally doing the semi hollow thing?
 
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#26
irbass said:
It could be a year to finish the pup's but i have the right to know the truth.
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This is the bottom line.

As a sole proprietor in a variety of music-related endeavors myself, I don't think it matters if you have employees or not.

That certainly doesn't preclude you being honest and upfront with a customer about what you are capable of delivering, and in what time period.

I agree with those who think that, too often, the owner/operator uses this as an excuse to mislead and string along customers. And it's flat-out wrong and unethical.
 
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#27
walterw said:
being in a sort-of similar situation myself (folks asking me "how long til my re-fret is done?") i'm afraid i have to concur with the OP; if there's a big queue and something takes a long time then it takes a long time, that's OK (hell, it's almost a point of pride, it means you're in demand); promising then blowing a deadline is not OK, and then not responding to queries afterwords is very much worse than not OK.
Click to expand...

So what do you tell your customers? I ask because clearly I'm in the same situation most of the time.

I feel obligated to give them an answer but I can't always meet that deadline.

I'm guessing James is going though the same thing. Deadlines are fine until issues arise and the whole schedule is backed up.
 
#28
Under promise and over deliver. Many successful businesses run with that model. It works surprisingly well.

Granted things can happen but if you don't start out with a promise based on the stars aligning you give yourself breathing room. Then if no problems arise you deliver early or on time. People rarely complain about faster service.

And honest communication is key. The truth is usually much easier to keep track of than multiple stories. Don't give estimates based on what you hope will happen. Nail down as much as you can. Flying by the seat of your pants is exhausting for everyone involved.

I've spent years employing this model and it has served me well. I give estimates, explain what they're based on, including any variables not under my direct control. I ANTICIPATE PROBLEMS. Then should a problem arise it doesn't seem like I'm making last minute excuses. I like nothing better than to get a job, do the job as expeditiously as I can and move on to the next one with predominantly happy customers in its wake.

I've seen what not doing it this way can do to a relationship. No thanks.
 
#29
SGD Lutherie said:
So what do you tell your customers? I ask because clearly I'm in the same situation most of the time.

I feel obligated to give them an answer but I can't always meet that deadline.

I'm guessing James is going though the same thing. Deadlines are fine until issues arise and the whole schedule is backed up.
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brad J has the right answer; i still mess up and estimate my turnaround times too optimistically sometimes
ashamed_smiley.png
but i'm fighting my way towards doing what he's saying, estimating worst-case, not best-case.

that's how scotty was always able to come off as a miracle worker on star trek!

it's little tougher for me because i'm based in a store, so i'm under constant "retail bombardment" from walk-up business as well as taking care of store stock instruments, but i'm getting better at saying "no" or at least "not for a while".
 
#30
Walter's right, often times it's not easy. I worked in the service industry for a long time and saw the stuff not following this golden rule can cause. Prompt honest communication is key. Empathy goes a long way. How would you like to be treated in that situation? Treat others the same way (barring any masochistic tendencies in your psyche profile) or better.

Some of my best customers were those that were in a jam and initially unhappy about some aspect of the service provided. Showing them how important their satisfaction was to me made all the difference. That's not always easy either but taking the hit short term usually pays off in the long run.
 
#31
Hi guys, just thought I should chime in. My pickups arrived yesterday from Jim and they are exceptional. Worth the wait. The workmanship is second to none.

Jim has had a bit of a rough go with his health and he really doesn't want to let anyone down, he's a good man. In my opinion, if you can't wait 6 months for the best you don't deserve the best. Patience.

Just my 2 cents.
 
#32
Montanamike said:
Hi guys, just thought I should chime in. My pickups arrived yesterday from Jim and they are exceptional. Worth the wait. The workmanship is second to none.

Jim has had a bit of a rough go with his health and he really doesn't want to let anyone down, he's a good man. In my opinion, if you can't wait 6 months for the best you don't deserve the best. Patience.

Just my 2 cents.
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Super glad you're happy! I think there are two different - and very worthy - lessons here. First: sometimes, quality takes time. That's perfectly fine, honestly. But this leads us to the second (as has been alluded to more than once): realistic promises avoid frustration. Let's all just be realistic...on all sides of every story.
 
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#33
I noticed the guy that said he got pickups was not the same fellow that posted he was waiting initially. So did IRBASS get his pickups? Did you cancel? Or are you also registered as Montanamike? I was drooling over Mr. Reed's website and was think of buying but I don't want to jump without looking.
 
#35
rubendlr said:
I noticed the guy that said he got pickups was not the same fellow that posted he was waiting initially. So did IRBASS get his pickups? Did you cancel? Or are you also registered as Montanamike? I was drooling over Mr. Reed's website and was think of buying but I don't want to jump without looking.
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I didn't get my pup's yet.
I called the bank to cancel it, and they say to call paypal
I called paypal and they doesn't cancel it, because it has more than 45 days.

Looks like I'm stuck.

I learned the lesson, Never pay 100% on a hand made stuff, unless the company has a really good feedback.

I got a email from Jim 10 ago ( reed james ) saying he's 90% covered and he asked for my address to send the pup's, but he already asked my address 4 times. I sent it but i don't believe he'll send it for now.
So still waiting...
 
#36
7-1/2 months waiting...

I'll keep posting until i get the pup's.

When i ordered it i looked for feedback and i found just a few of them saying the pup's are great, but nothing like this, so I'm trying to help others.
If you decided to get it, you need to wait it a lot.
When i ordered it if i had find something like that here, My second choice was Delanos,
I can't order Delano now and a few months later get the Reed james pup's. Too much money to loose.
The only thing i can do now is wait for it, and pray to get it otherwise I'm loosing $280.00
 
#37
Brad Johnson said:
Under promise and over deliver. Many successful businesses run with that model. It works surprisingly well.

Granted things can happen but if you don't start out with a promise based on the stars aligning you give yourself breathing room. Then if no problems arise you deliver early or on time. People rarely complain about faster service.

And honest communication is key. The truth is usually much easier to keep track of than multiple stories. Don't give estimates based on what you hope will happen. Nail down as much as you can. Flying by the seat of your pants is exhausting for everyone involved.

I've spent years employing this model and it has served me well. I give estimates, explain what they're based on, including any variables not under my direct control. I ANTICIPATE PROBLEMS. Then should a problem arise it doesn't seem like I'm making last minute excuses. I like nothing better than to get a job, do the job as expeditiously as I can and move on to the next one with predominantly happy customers in its wake.

I've seen what not doing it this way can do to a relationship. No thanks.
Click to expand...

People always ask why in the world anyone would order a Carl Thompson that takes 3+ years to receive.

When I ordered my bass, he told me it would take 'about a million years' and I believed him... no exact timeframe, but the precedent set is that they take 3-5 years to get. Mine took under 3 years and I was ecstatic. 3 years is a crazy long time to wait for something, but it's what I signed up for, so there was no issue whatsoever.

Another builder told me I'd have my bass in 30 weeks, and it's now been a year an a half- THAT is frustrating. It'll be done in 2 weeks, done in 2 weeks, done in 2 weeks for 9 months now.

I've had the same issues come up with other small operations too, but unfortunately the way I see it is- musicians are quirky. We're artists. Unfortunately, the best artists happen to be the ones who build the most amazing products, have the poorest customer service, worst business plans, make the least money, and put the most heart into what they do. I've found that the more positive, reassuring, thankful, and understanding I am in these situations, the quicker and more thoroughly finished my products come. Plainly, if you want something off the shelf- it's out there, but if you want something special, you really have no choice but to put up with all the other baggage that comes along with it.

To quote Carl 'Wanna know how to get somewhere fast? Go slow.' ;)
 
#40
I like hearing both side of the story but sorry, this is unacceptable. Small business or not you deserve honesty and if he has said he is sending them on Friday over and over again, he has proven to be a liar. Very poor business practice and yes I am a small business owner.
 

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