Rod Repair Experience

[Raymond Adams]

Questions about repairs and opinions expressed on www.rodbuilding.org reminded me of a story I heard about 2 yrs ago.

My Dad accepted a repair job where the client asked for a few guides replaced. The rod was in well used condition to say the least. A price was agreed upon and the client left the rod and went on his way. Later, Dad decided that the other guides were in bad shape so he stripped them off too. After that he decided that since all the guides were off he would clean up & refinish the blank. Not paint or anything like that just a fresh varnish or poly coat. He even cleaned & polished up the grips & seat and as the rod didn't have the correct number of guides to begin with he add what was needed. Dad loves to do rebuilds/restorations and also this client was a local in the small town where Dad lives. He wanted to really do this guy good and hopefully he would talk all over town and bring more work in. All the extra work was grattus of course.

Well, the guy comes in to pick up his rod is @#$%& when he see's it! He accuses Dad of making a switch and where is HIS rod! That can't be my rod he says.
Dad finally is able to calm the guy down and prove to him that the rod in fact was his and all the extra work to bring it back to glory was a pleasure and no extra charge.The client leaves apparently happy but teases Dad every so often when they run into each other by saying he still thinks he got a different rod. At least Dad says it's teasing but I often wonder.

Do you see any lessons here? I did!

[kshredking]

I think some people are just ignorant Raymond and don't appreciate anything.

[Owen]

Always two ways of looking at something.
"My way & the wrong way"

No actually, if that rod had strong emotional value to the man. Like it was his recently deceased fathers rod or something then I am not surprised if he was pissed because it had been significantly altered without his permission.
There may have been a scratch, gouge or whatever that reminded him of a particular trip he enjoyed with a loved one.
Many of us cherish anything that reminds us of such moments, rather than the circumstances and trauma often associated with our loss.
Ask anyone who has lost someone through cancer what they choose to remember.
It's rarely the recent times.

I have no doubt your father was absolutely being altruistic in his intentions.
"Going the extra mile" is a trait that is admired and rightly so.

It's a double edged sword on rare occasions though.

[Neptune]

Two years ago, my neighbor's father, a retired Assistance Orange County Sheriff, asked me to replace a broken tip top on an old beat up rod, which used to belong to his father. He said it was a keepsake and he uses it all of the time.

Just like Raymond Adam's Dad, I completely stripped the rod and permaglossed it, and polished all of the old dingy S.S. guides, fine sanded the dirty & pitted blue front & rear grips to like new. I also put the Sheriff's name on it in Script and he was absolutely blown away and could not believe that his old rod could looks so good!

When the he asked "How much do I owe you"?, I told him $20.00 for the carbide tip top and the permagloss, and no charge for the Labor. He would not hear of this and insisted that I give him a price for my labor. I told him that I once also had an old rod which belonged to my father, so I could appreciate what his rod meant to him.

He kept pressing me for a price for several minutes, and when I did not respond, he shoved a $100.00 bill in my shirt pocket and bolted back across the street.

This guy is a BIG time fisherman and goes all the time and he has given me a batch of tuna or yellowtail fillets, which I appreciated as much as getting the money.

Neptune

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[DenisB]

Been around a while and done a few pro-bono jobs , rarely didn't get asked how much
..........its proforma courtesy in the situation .......isn't it.
I simply refuse to give a price and identify why.
On one occasion the friend was very insistent , and simply put some money on the table & did the 'runner'.
My approach was to give said money to his wife to buy him something he would appreciate . To this day only his wife & I know where that little gift came from.
As far as I'm concerned thats the way a pro-bono job should be.
It does depend on the situation at hand tho.