Alkar Billiards & Bar Stools

I have ordered over $ 2000 worth of custom bar stools from Alkar in the past and was very happy with the quality of the stools. Two years later they were still perfect but our new home had no need for counter height stools. I first went to look for new styles on the internet and found a few styles that I could order but would take 6 – 8 weeks to arrive. I decided to go back to Alkar and found a set that I liked although with tax was going to be more than the online chairs. I was told it would take 8 weeks for my barstools to arrive. I asked why I should order through them versus online. The response I got was that they offer personalized customer service that I could not get online and a little pitch on why the internet is putting strain on small businesses. Even though I would have to wait 8 weeks I decided to buy local and I put my deposit down. After 8 weeks I called Alkar asking about the status of my stool and the response I got was that it would be 10 – 12 weeks. When I asked why they told me 8 weeks they said they were not sure why since it is always between 10 – 12. I called back at 10 weeks and was told that the stools would likely be in May 6^th. I called today and was told that they are back ordered and it would be 4 – 6 more weeks. The only solution they gave me was to cancel my order and get my deposit back or to wait. What bothers me is that I would never have chosen to wait 4 – 5 months to receive my bar stools. Giving me back my deposit at this point to go elsewhere will set me back another 2 – 3 months making this a 6 month process. I asked why no one has called me through out this process. I thought this was supposed to be the customer service that small businesses provide. I think they just figure they have you once you have waited this long. I would have also thought they would have offered me something for my inconvenience whether that would be free delivery, a discount on my next payment or even a store credit perhaps to prove to me again that I should keep my business local. Instead I got an «oh well» kind of feeling.

They are good at installing and maintaining pool tables, and they have a decent selection of accessories for darts and billiards and just about every other bar-​type game you can think off (foos, air hockey, shuffleboard, etc). However, I did have a less than positive experience with buying a new shaft for one of my upper-​end pool cues.
I wanted to get a Predator shaft, and Alkar talked me into buying one that does not fit properly. I expressed my doubts about the tightness of the joint (5÷16×14) and he insisted me it was the correct joint with the specialty ring made exactly for my type of cue. Well, after talking to Evan Clarke at Schon cues (the maker of my cue), he informed me that Predator does not manufacture a tight enough thread for his cues, so he orders partial shafts directly from Predator (with no joint at all), and he installs the joint himself to be a perfect tight fit. If you own a Schon cue and you want a Predator shaft, that is how you are supposed to acquire one. That is what I should have purchased, and that’s what Alkar should have told me I needed.
The shaft I was sold does still work, it does screw together, but the joint is just not as strong because the threads are not as tight. Alkar sells Schon cues, so they should have known better. Instead, I was sold something that was in stock that is not what it should be. I would have been happy to go through Alkar to make this purchase, but it would have required a special order, and I guess they were not willing to do that. I paid roughly $ 300 for a shaft that does not fit properly, when I could have paid the same amount (maybe less) for the correct shaft from Schon.
Obviously I do not feel too good about this, because I now have a shaft that I cannot return (it has been chalked and used), but I still want to order one that fits properly. I am basically out at least $ 200, and there is not much I can do with this used shaft except sell it to someone privately. Alkar needs to do a better job of assessing what the customer actually needs, especially when dealing with items in excess of $ 100.