Tony Glover - Weird experience so far?

[thai_son22]

Hi Guys,

I don't mean to point to any conclusions or single the man out himself but something concerns me.

I placed an order with him early February but had inquired about purchasing a cue in late January.

Anyways, from the point of quotation to the point of sending my money over, communication wasn't a problem.

He requested a deposit as a gift and though that isn't the wisest idea on my behalf, these things are done in good faith and I have done so in the past with other reputable dealers without any problems.

Well, once I had sent the deposit over, I sent another email regarding a specification change and asked if he can confirm this along with the deposit.

He then confirmed he had received the deposit and that's it. He has gone completely quiet on me and I've sent him several emails but to no avail.

Once again, the gift was done in good faith as a deposit and could be argued against and the cue he quoted should be ready in 5 months but to go from being attentive to replies to completely silent doesn't sit well with me.

Should I be worried?

[thai_son22]

^^^ read the post. and find your answer

[j6uk]

iv spent time with tony and he's a solid fella. so no, don't be worried. if you really are give him a call on the phone

[thai_son22]

are you here simply to pick things out. once again re-read the post and ask your question once again. when did i say other cue makers have requested gifts.

[thai_son22]

iv spent time with tony and he's a solid fella. so no, don't be worried. if you really are give him a call on the phone

thanks for the words. i will contact him nearer the time when i am less tied up with work.

[old school]

Tony is a one man band who has other business concerns as well as cues . I know he is extremely busy as I was in his workshop last Tuesday . I shall be visiting again next week , perhaps you can PM me the details of your cue i.e. specs , design etc and I will ask him for you , regarding progress .

[Chappy5]

I was asked by a reputable Cue maker when i payed him for the funds to be sent as " Gift " form.....

I was skeptical and virtually if anything happens like it gets lost or does not arrive you do not have a leg to stand on from Pay Pal. I was told the "Gift" feature saves them money at the other end. If i chose not to use the " Gift" feature he wanted an extra 25 pound for the Cue which is double in Australian dollars so it was a fair whack!

In the end i did use the " Gift" feature but i was a nervous wreck until i got the Cue in my hands and it arrived no problems from the U.K to Australia in less than a week.

[mythman69]

Maybe they should offer 'gift' payment or add the extra costs for a non-gift payment. That way the buyer can chose what level of trust they want to put in the cue maker.

[jrc750]

If you don't pay by gift then it costs you 3.4% + 20p to get your money, so on a £500 cue that would be around £17, worth saving

[Geoff Large]

I can vouch for Tony he is 100% honest but as Old School says he is a one man band as I am really unless moving tables , and he is very popular and always busy so please be patient for your cue

He also makes cue's for overseas clients and anyone in the cues making industry will tell you , the good Chinese players do not buy their own cue's they crave for the British made ones .

I would also like anyone who orders from him to take note of the following , this is me talking not Tony as I also come up against this .

I know how you can get bogged down with precious time answering emails or telephone calls , I would advise when you have made your mind up about a cue and then send a deposit to not then bombard him with added alterations , get it right before you order as I know this winds me up about table work , so I Know where Tony would stand on that .

As a sole trader he will be working flat out to produce the cue's that have been on order , so the last thing he would want is to keep getting distracted from his work , I try to answer my telephone most of the day , but with moving tables or if I am on a time deadline and time is short I will avoid answering it until I am driving back home .
Tony works in a workshop so does not have the Luxury to return calls when driving like me , the same goes for Emails , he will get around to answering emails but sometimes he has to wind down and relax after work .

as for the request as a gift for the deposit

Did you use Pay pal or something similar ? if so it is not uncommon to get asked to send as a gift because he will then not get charged excessive percentage from the payment as commission , they do not charge for gifts , if you say goods they charge and it can amount from 2% up to 7% or even more .

[ghost121]

All my dealings with Tony have been 100%. I don't think you need to worry.

[ADR147]

the gift is to save you money not tony. I have known tony for decades he is a 100% genuine guy and as top class as you get. I will even push that so far as to say if you have a problem I will give you the money back myself, there is no chance he will do you!

[hendrykitty]

tony is a top bloke, if you had any loss, i would like to pay

[kev267]

Tony is an honest person as well as a being a top cue-maker. I have dealt with the man many a time and he is quite busy as one would expect. Just give him a call as someone suggested and as Geoff said, best to be absolute about the specs for the order being placed.

[CueAntW147]

I'd back up what everyone has said you'll have no problems with Tony he's one of the genuine good guys, he's also one of the very few cuemakers you can actually ring and speak to on the phone if you need to, great to deal with and top class work.