My Pro shop has recently started charging $65.00 to drill balls not bought at his shop. Now this does include grips and a slug. Does this seem high to everybody else or would you say it's reasonable?

                                  Regards,
                                  Mike E
--------------------
Did you know that you can't see pigs in a windstorm?

I would say, that unless I had absolutely no choice in the matter, I would not have a ball drilled at this shop.

There are actually ball drillers, like our own Doug Stern here at BR.com, who can do an excellent job, when you send him your exact specifications. Even with sending him the ball, his drilling it, and my paying for the shipping back, it is still significantly less than $65 per ball. It would be even less if you bought the ball from him, I believe.

FYI
My own driller is more than happy when people bring him balls to drill because he does not have to stock the ball, let it sit idle for X months, he does not have to hassle with the distributor to get exact pin, top weight and other bizarre permutations of bowler's requests and so forth.

I can  understand some minor extra charge when someone comes to a driller for the first time because of all the measurements and possible bowling watching and fine tuning that may have to go that first time.

I have to believe that $65 is a little on the high side unless that Pro Shop is in NYC/Manhattan or Honolulu, Hawaii in the United States, anyway.

--------------------
"Just because you can do something does not mean you should do it."

If I bring a ball to my shop I am out the door with grips, custom oval thumb slug (cut and shaped for my weird digit) and ready to go for $40. This also includes any surface alterations, etc.
--------------------
The Older We Get, The Better We Were
www.MTFD.com - a NY State Vol. Fire Department
www.BowlWNY.com - local & national stories by Joe Ciccone

$65 is outrageous!! I would go somewhere else. I pay $15 to have a blank ball drilled and have my own grips and slug that he installs for free. I also send him some business so he treats me right.

My drillers attitude is he charges $25 (plus grips and slug) to drill a blank ball for a walk in and thats for about 20 minutes of work, thats $75 bucks a hour in profit. Plus the money he makes off the grips and slug. Thats not bad money. He also doesn't give you an attitude about buying the ball of the net.

I understand running a pro shop is a business but please stop ripping people off charging ridiculous prices ($65) to drill a blank ball.

jkiser01

Yeah, there are always discounts with quantity.  But if you'll notice, most shops that include drilling, or drill the ball for "free" if you buy it from them usually add the fee they charge for blank drilling to the wholesale price of the ball.  That's where the profit comes from.  There is so much more that goes into the price of drilling and other miscellaneous operating materials that people don't realize.  Like plugging a ball.  People usually just think plug material.  Add dams, mixing cups, mixing sticks, a resurface job (either by resurfacing maching, or a bevel knife combined with a scotch brite pad to do it on a spinner), and plug dye.  That's just to plug it.  Then we have to drill it.  Drilling machine, drill bits (which need to be sharpened occasionally, which is EXPENSIVE), grease pencils (or a scoring machine), small flexible ruler, quarter scale, vacuum . . .  This stuff needs to be maintained and kept up.  Also, you're paying for time and a skill.  Besides ALL THAT, there MUST be profit.  I know some of you that would go anal if your job asked you to work for a discounted rate.  Rick Benoit used to own a pro shop.  He says it's definitely not a business to be in if you want to make money.  It's pretty thankless work.
--------------------
I'm BETTER than you because . .

1) I've met the DNL leprechaun
2) I get paid to watch tv.
3) My dad's friend's brother knows Chris Barnes' stepdad.  
4) Kristi's my buuuuuddy
5) I get to witness a man with the speed and revs of Robert Smith combined with the accuracy of the guards in the lobby scene of the Matrix average 240
6) I can throw a better fit over nothing than you can.

Lol, nope.  We charge 15 to plug the fingers, and 15 for the thumb.
--------------------
I'm BETTER than you because . .

1) I've met the DNL leprechaun
2) I get paid to watch tv.
3) My dad's friend's brother knows Chris Barnes' stepdad.  
4) Kristi's my buuuuuddy
5) I get to witness a man with the speed and revs of Robert Smith combined with the accuracy of the guards in the lobby scene of the Matrix average 240
6) I can throw a better fit over nothing than you can.

drilling, slug, grips, out the door $50.
--------------------
You can always hit em hard when you've got the balls

no1bucsfan

Here in FL, $65 also....$40 for drill, $12 for thumb slug, $5 apiece for finger grips and then tax...I think it's outrageous....Doug Sterner will do a great job for a much better price.