doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Not so happy with Mike Orlen

Three years is a little long even for a craftsman. IMO a little communication goes a long ways towards customer service. I have sent Mike barrel work and they have been exemplary examples of craftsmanship. Return of items varied between 5 days door to door to 3 months for essentially the same type of work.

Boys:

We all want "craftsman" quality with "McDonald's" drive-in window speed. Sometimes that actually happens. Not very often, though, as that is a very, very, very rare combination.

Next, we expect talented craftsmen to have Madison Avenue skill-sets for dealing with the public. Guys, if that were the norm, all the craftsmen would be on Madison Avenue, working for some corporation, filling your brain with "BS" jargon about how great their brand of product and customer service is - and you wouldn't have any craftsmen. They'd be making a hell of a lot more money on Madison Avenue, blowing smoke up your "arse".

How behind schedule do you think Michaelangelo was in painting the Cistine Chapel ceiling? Oh, he probably whipped it out in about three days. Unfortunately, history probably does not record his actual tardiness - at least not that I know of. But, it was years.....

And Mike doesn't like bluing barrels!?! Tell me guys..... do you equally like every aspect of your jobs? Do you jump on each and every aspect with equal enthusiam and promptness? Yeah? Hmmmm! Put your hand on the Bible and repeat that, please..... Um-hum. Just what I thought.

Even the top-brass in major corporations procrastinate on the dreaded "annual performance review". They hate it, and they put it off as long as they can.

Should Mike have done a better job of customer contact? Sure. But, he probably lacks talent in that field.

Should you be able to blue your own barrels? Sure. But, you probably lack talent in that field.

While we're at it, tell me - who among you is remarkably talented in all fields - and not flawed in any area whatsoever????

Craftsmen generally do not enjoy being in the limelight and dealing with the public. They like being left alone to do what they love and do best. That is why, despite their rare talents, they usually never die wealthy. In fact, they usually die over their work bench..... still trying to make a living - doing what they love most.

"Work with your hands; be poor. Work with your brain; be rich." - Stuart Wellington Montegard Drew

Thank God for talented, but flawed, men who, regardless, choose to be craftsmen.

Mike

Well said, Mike.

Rebel did you notice the last post on this thread was January 22, 2011 until you posted on it and brought it to the top?

Gotta wonder about Rebel's motivation, to go digging through all the threads on this site, almost two years worth, and find exactly this thread and to bring it up.

On to the main point, I've used Mr. Orlen's services and been quite satisfied with them and the speed in completion and return. I've recommended him to friends for the work they needed, and they were quite satisfied with them and his speed in completion and return. The price has been right, too.

Rebel's post is the most irrelevant post I have read in months. Don't tell me to respect someone who holds guns hostage for years and if they are some day returned, they are left undone. I have had similar experiences with local supposed craftsmen. The end result is that after a bad experience, you are not welcome in their business. How did this situation become the fault of the customer?

I sent Mike a barrel from a 16 gauge Model 12 earlier this summer. Asked that the ridiculous full choke be opened up to .007. Got the barrel back in 8 days, measured the choke, dead on the nuts .007. Total cost, $45. Probably the 10th barrel job he's done for me, same results. He'll get my barrel work everytime.

Maybe it's just me, but I really don't need to be paying someone the big buck to turn my duck guns into quail guns when I already have more quail guns than I need. Mike Orlen really doesn't do anything that I will ever need to have done.

Maybe its just me...but $45 isn't what most consider the big bucks, especially when considering excellent choke work and shipping back to you. And im just the opposite of you...I have more duck guns than I do quail guns, Hun guns, and chukar guns. And here's something novel....I actually use them!

Then don't retain him and, similarly, don't knock him for the work he does.

I don't knock a particular gunsmith in my area who, while reputed to do excellent custom work for many people, took forever and a day to get around to replacing a broken hammer spring on my Simson. As it was, if I hadn't gone out to find the spring (Merkel USA) and have it shipped directly to the smith and then made a couple pestering calls, I'd probably still be waiting on the gun b/c they were doing absolutely nothing for over a month in the "finding a spring" department. I don't know whether I'll use that smith again, but that experience will be in my mind (and my personal recommendations) for the foreseeable future.