Z Hat lost a customer

[eka]

I was ready to send a rifle off to Z Hat for some work. Heard good things about them. I had a technical question prior to having the work done. They don't list a phone number and explain on their site that they don't have the time to talk to customers and get their work done too. Ok, no biggie, I sent them an email on Oct. 13 asking a simple question. No reply. Well, maybe it got lost somewhere in outerspace. On Oct. 19, I sent another email. Again no response. Man business must be really good, apparently they just don't need anymore. I guess customers are supposed to send their rifle and money halfway across the country to someone who lists no telephone number and won't answer your email. I'll get right on that after I send some money to Nigeria and call those people back with the Irish lottery. :mrgreen:

Keith

[GP100man]

I agree hard to do business with no communication at all!!!!

[madcaster]

Keith,is this the .375/06 you wanted to build?[smilie=s:

[abunaitoo]

How can you run a business without answering questions?????

[blazin.45acp]

Try ordering anything firearm related right now and you'll get about the same response from most companies. In fact, most have it posted on their websites.

I called a company recently asking about primers. How many different types of primers are there (I'm new at reloading)? Here's the conversation:

"Do you have primers?"

"That depends. Well, what are you looking for?"

"I need large and small pistol and small rifle."

"No, no and no!" I can hear him snickering in the background.

.........click.........

Are these companies making so much money and they don't need new customers?


Blazin.45acp

[Dutch4122]

Man business must be really good, apparently they just don't need anymore. I guess customers are supposed to send their rifle and money halfway across the country to someone who lists no telephone number and won't answer your email.
Keith

It's not just a recent problem. I sent them an email back in 2002 with a question about a rebore project I was considering. Still waiting for a response..........................:roll:

[stubshaft]

Then there's the other side of the coin...

Called Bullberry to order a barrel and after about 40 minutes I got through. The woman was pleasant and I told her what I wanted to order. I then asked her what type of lead time I was looking at. She went on to say that if the barrel was for an Encore it would be about 4 months. I told her that I was interested in a Tender barrel. "Oh, that'll take longer", About how long do you think? "Lot longer than 4 months?". Explained to her that I wasn't going to pin her down on the exact date but I was interested in a time frame of when I could expect it. Her reply was "probably by this time next year".

[HollandNut]

ZHat's been that way for years .. Same thing with me a long time back ..

[PatMarlin]

.........click.........

Are these companies making so much money and they don't need new customers?


Blazin.45acp

What's the saying? ..."Be careful who you step on whilst on your way up, as you meet the same customers on your way back down" ...:mrgreen: :roll:

[Bullshop]

Rude and over priced! Not too many repeat customers that way. On the other hand it leaves a lot more time to go shooting. I must confess to wanting a 375 Hawk for some long time now but just refuse to pay the asking price.
BIC/BS

[monadnock#5]

I worked in a service industry job some years ago where the owner had two types of customers.

There were "good customers". Those whom the owner would bend over backwards for. No demand was too trivial or outrageous. The owner would cheerfully grant their every request. This treatment was reserved for only a few.

Then there were "bad customers". ("Good" and "Bad" are my characterizations and only refer to the way they were treated.) Those customers got nothing more for their money than basic service. No complaints or add-ons were tolerated. This included most customers.

If there was any rhyme or reason, or any distinguishing characteristics to identify how customers were categorized, I never discovered what they were. And I very much wanted to. If I had a vote in the choice between being put in the "THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT" category, or "tell the customer to get lost, we're all done with him" camp, well, the choice is obvious. All I can tell you is that when the owner retired, it was as a millionaire, and his new hobby was local politics.

[Nazgul]

I am in a service industry. Our survival is built on all our customers. Good, bad, easy, difficult
it doesn't matter. All are treated with respect, all questions are answered, all calls taken, all problems addressed.

They really need to work at it.

Don

[Hardcast416taylor]

A few months back ZHat posted a thread that he wanted .300 Sav. brass. I had some extra so I replied the conditions I had for selling some to him. He came back telling me how HE wanted to pay for it or the deal was off. Since I`m an easy guy to deal with I went along with him and the deal was completed. The condition I had was for a postal m.o. His reply was since he had some bad times with the P.O. people he would never darken their door again, seems he had to wait in line. Still and all he should have a better contact system to land new customers and answer queries on work.Robert

[wiljen]

Might I suggest http://www.deltagunshop.com/clearwater_reboring/rebore_prices.html

These guys are the successors to Labounty Precision.

[leftiye]

They's more than a few eccentric (and/or just plain hard to handle or offensive) people working in the custom gun world. And then there is the majority who are the best people around.

Around here all the gunsmiths I know know everything and won't tolerate anyone else knowing anything (not to mention not having a clue as to people skills). Let them reap their just deserts.

[iron mule]

who or what is ZHAT never heard of it/them before but then again i do most of my own work
mule

[waksupi]

They's more than a few eccentric (and/or just plain hard to handle or offensive) people working in the custom gun world. And then there is the majority who are the best people around.

Around here all the gunsmiths I know know everything and won't tolerate anyone else knowing anything (not to mention not having a clue as to people skills). Let them reap their just deserts.

Most of the good gun builders I know, ARE eccentric!

And if you find someone who claims they know everything about every firearm, get far away from them. They will no doubt botch the simplest of jobs.

[Idaho Sharpshooter]

zhat is consistent, I'll say that for them. How they stay in business; that I can't say. I strongly suggest staying far, far away from anyone who doesn't have a minute or two to discuss a project beforehand. Imagine how having your firearm and a chunk of you money will help his disposition and communication skills..."

I have a couple gunsmith friend locally, and the coffee is always on, both places. I have several more who are half the continent away. One has me on the list for a rifle he will not start for eighteen months. I try to stay out from underfoot and not just "visit" the one here, and the other one talks like someone that was locked in a closet for six months; all the while working away and commenting on various projects underway in his shop.

I am NOT a mushroom; don't try and keep me in the dark and feed me Bull Poop!


Rich

[eka]

Keith,is this the .375/06 you wanted to build?[smilie=s:

Yep, sure is Jeff. It's gotten pushed around on the back burner long enough, so with colder weather coming on, I figured no time better than the present to try and get it finished. But...

I was going to get ZHat to do a ream and my simple question was this. They recommend a setback prior to the new chamber being cut so as to insure you are out into good clean rifling. Well I'm going from a .375 Winchester to the .375-06. That's quiet a bit longer and I'm pretty sure it would be just fine without the setback. Don't mind paying for it at all, but the stock fits pretty nicely and if it's not needed, I'd just as soon keep the stock fit like it is.

Thanks for the suggestion, Wiljen. Bye the way Wiljen, I hear of a gunsmith down toward Blountville named Jessie Patrick that is supposed to be really good on precision rifles. Any experience with him? I don't think this is a terribly difficult job and the reamer could be rented somewhere, I would think.

Anyway, after hearing what everyone else had to say about ZHat, I'm glad I didn't get tangled up with that bunch.

Keith

[Heavy lead]

Never had a custom gun built, always wanted to though, but have a good story about Hamilton Bowen. I've always lusted after his 5 and 6 shooters, but couldn't afford one, but needed a take off 5.5 inch barrel for a SBH, on a whim I called his shop, he answered the phone, very polite, said he had three and he would check them out and call back. He did, sold it to me for thirty five bucks plus shipping and was very pleasant to boot.
Can't say much more than that, if I ever have something built, you know where I'll go.

[TCLouis]

Crotchety O. F. gunsmiths????

I thought they all were.

Have not seen his work, but a guy at Eagle Machining ABQ NM (toomany tools on Accurate Reloading forum site) is apparently pretty good.

[scb]

I had Z hat build a 338 Ultracat for me. It's very close to a 338 Lapua, ballisticly speaking, with reasonably priced brass. The rifle shoots great. The only problem I had was that it was damaged by UPS on it's way to me, they busted up the trigger guard. It took longer to get that straightened out then it did to have the original work done in the first place, and it was just a 700 bdl guard, nothing that was hard to find.

[20nickels]

I've been in retail 1/2 my life. I do not know their situation but sometimes people are just plain busy and cannot take on another project and give it the attention that it deserves. Only so many hours in the day. Gunsmithing is not a "good enough" profession.
Hopefully with the world's greatest gun salesman in office many more talented gunsmiths will emerge.

[dakotashooter2]

Sounds like they cater to millionaires who don't know squat about guns. Easy money. Why be bothered by the middle class who might actually question your work??:brokenima