What would you do ?

[Trex]

You have an old ball drilled by the guy on the PBA truck, can't remember his name, anyway the ball fits perfect. It has a 3 & 38ths leverage stacked layout with a 1 inch by 2.1/2 inch deep balance hole drilled into the side of the ball on the mid line where it intersects with the VAL.

This ball works really great for you, but you want Ridonculous to drill your new ball so that you can say that you have a ball drilled by Ridonculous.

You make it very simple by giving Ridonculous the old ball, Then hand him the new ball, and you say to him...I want you to drill this ball so that it has the same fit and layout as this old ball. (The Pin to cg distance is the same on both and all should be fine).

(1) An hour later Ridonculous hands you your new ball and the span is one inch shorter than the old ball.

(2) Then you look at the layout and the Pin is on the VAL, there is a one inch by three inch deep hole drilled through the front of the ball through the cg towards the back of the ball.

(3) The thumb hole is drilled through the mass bias.

So Ridonculous has drilled out the cg and the mass bias!! And the span is so short there is no way to get any lift on the ball. The finger pitches are such that the ball falls off your hand so you cannot put any speed on the ball even if you threw it straight.

Ridonculous has charged you for the ball, and for his expertise which came out to over $250.

What would your reaction be??

The new ball you just spent over $250 on.... is now a useless piece of junk!!

[DanielMareina]

I would bring both balls back to Ridonculous, show him that the two are not even close to the same. Tell him that you asked for them to be identical and he didn't accomplish that. Most pro shop guys would offer to make it up to you. The span difference should be enough to prove that it is his/her fault. Good luck!

[Trex]

Daniel, The Pro shop owner Paid Ridonculous to come to his Pro shop and hold a seminar...where you buy a ball and have it drilled by Ridonculous.

They as Pro's have this real talent of brain washing people into thinking that they as "Pro's" know what they are doing, but of coarse it did not work on me as I know better as I am trained how to drill bowling balls, and I am also a trained lane man, and Pin setter mechanic.

For the sake of the crowd and my wife, I did not make a scene even though I was very angry at the ignorance of these two people.... the Pro shop owner and Ridonculous!!

I was just wondering what others who know better....How would you have handled this??

As for me...I left angry and disgusted!! I put my new ball in the trash, and walked away!!

But.... I learned to never trust anyone who owns or operates a Pro shop!! ....I will never let some other know it all who knows nothing waste my time and money. ...I will drill my own equipment and that way I know it is done right!!

I learned the hard way, but how many bowlers out there get taken and don't even know it??

Way too many!!

The point I am trying to make here is that all serious bowlers should learn how to drill there own equipment, even if they cannot afford to buy there own drill press and other tools. That way they can never have some jerk who claims to know what they are doing waste there time and money.

It may cost you some money and time to learn this, but it is well worth it if you invest as much in bowling equipment as I have in the past.

I hope that no one ever has this happen to them, But sadly I see it happen all the time.

[The Mayor]

There are very good pro shop operators and there are very bad ones as well. I also drill bowling balls and have been for many years, but there are guys out there who are much more knowledgeable than I am. It's all about finding someone who works for you.

That being said, it's not cool what happened to you. I hope this person rectifies the situation so you can have the ball drilled the way you intended!

[DanielMareina]

I too am a pro shop operator. I do agree that good bowlers need to know why their holes are where they are. Some pro shop operators will ask you a couple questions and then put holes in wherever they want. I try to give bowlers as much information as they will understand while I drill.
Not trusting anyone when you are hurt by two people's work is the wrong response. You start your original conversation saying that you wanted to get this ball drilled by Ridonculous just because you could say you had a ball drilled by him. That is the problem. You assumed that this person is one of the best of what they do, and that assumption was wrong. Finding the right pro shop guy is about forming a relationship with someone and making sure that they know what you want and care if they give it to you. I run the center that my pro shop is in. Therefore, if I drill a ball for one of my league bowlers and it doesn't work well for them, I have to see them after that. I do my best to find people's PAP, look at their current equipment, talk to them about what they want from their new ball.
As the pro shop operator that hypothetically invited Ridonculous to my pro shop to do my work for me, I would take your ball back, drill a new one the right way, plug your ball and sell it at cost, so I don't lose anything as a business. I doubt many pro shop operators would do this though. But I also know that there are more pro shop operators like me out there.

[Trex]

Whiskey & Daniel,
It is good to know that there are some good people out there who know what I am talking about, and feel the same as I do. I too would have made it right with the customer, but around here it just isn't that way.

Thanks for your reply as it is very much appreciated!!

[Trex]

There are very good pro shop operators and there are very bad ones as well. I also drill bowling balls and have been for many years, but there are guys out there who are much more knowledgeable than I am. It's all about finding someone who works for you.

That being said, it's not cool what happened to you. I hope this person rectifies the situation so you can have the ball drilled the way you intended!

As far the rectification, that will never happen. They were so arrogant they argued that they knew what they were doing and that I was just a league bowler that did not understand what they were talking about. I could have made a scene but I did try to tell them in a nice way for the sake of my wife standing there.....What exactly they had done wrong in and in detail, and they insisted they were right and I was wrong. I had to leave to keep from making a scene and to keep my temper under control so as not to embarrass my wife.

[chad_k]

you paid them for a service, they didnt provide the service that was expected of them. they need to rectify the problem that they have caused. saying that you arent satified with the service and wanting it corrected is not causing a scene, if the pro shop operator viewed it as such, then i dont think he will have a business much longer.

as for me, i dont know jack about drilling, but i wont go to pro shop where all they talk is "technical jargon" and not try to explain it in simple english.

[Trex]

you paid them for a service, they didnt provide the service that was expected of them. they need to rectify the problem that they have caused. saying that you arent satified with the service and wanting it corrected is not causing a scene, if the pro shop operator viewed it as such, then i dont think he will have a business much longer.

as for me, i dont know jack about drilling, but i wont go to pro shop where all they talk is "technical jargon" and not try to explain it in simple english.

I don't do business with that Pro shop after that experience, and yeah they seem to be struggling now. Still in business but I don't really see how they can continue as there sales have fallen off really bad....I can't imagine why... LOL

I understand the technical jargon, but when talking with a fellow bowler who does not understand it, that is when I try to make it more simple english such as relating the Pin and cg placement in relation to the finger holes ( which most Pro shop operators hate with a passion, but most bowlers who do not understand this technical stuff has no clue what a PAP or a VAL is.

And to be honest....It don't matter what my Positive axis Point is!! ...I have experimented with every layout you can put on a ball, and drilling the ball with the Pin above the bridge and cg below gives me a ball that I can play any part of the lane I want right handed or left handed, and the ball will react just the way I want it too!!

So for me....Why limit what I can do with the ball?? ... At the time this Pro ruined my new ball I did want that particular layout but for a particular reason and that was because that setup worked for me on a certain oil pattern better than anything else at the time. Since then I have learned how to change my release and make my new favorite layout work on just about any lane condition/oil pattern that I have to deal with.

[J Anderson]

You can throw the same ball with either hand?
I might be able to throw my right hand stuff lefty, but mt left-handed ball would just hang up and refuse to come off.