Took some of  my equipment to a local pro shop to have a few balls cleaned and polished/dulled when the operator began to berate my equipment and driller. Here are  just a few tidbits from the conversation.

About my Crossroad "I hope you didn't pay much for that, it's drilled wrong. The MB is on the track".

I have been practicing a 2handed release for the last 2-3 weeks so I let him know that the track will differ greatly from when the ball was originally drilled right now.

"I have never seen a Crossroad drilled this weak, don't know why your driller did that"

I responded in kind letting the operator know that I worked with my driller to make my Crossroad fit in between my Roto Outlaw and Roto Bandit, which it does. Also, the pin was just kicked out a bit, a very normal standard drill.

Have you all ever encountered a pro shop owner like this one? When I told him who my driller was, he recognized the driller as a mutual associate and immediately stopped trying to tear down my equipment. I wrote it off as a ploy to get me to panic and say by golly can you drill me a new piece correctly but still felt the overall experience was awful. I only stop in to get things restored back to OOB surfaces on occasion but don't even want to do that going forward. Really rubbed me the wrong way.

How would you or how have you responded to operators like this guy?

Nope, never encountered one who said such things, but I know they exist.
Until he knows how you throw the ball, and on what conditions you bowl, he shouldn't say a thing to criticize or even to suggest changes. Heck, he shouldn't suggest changes until you ask him for input. He might ask if you'd like an opinion or say something like, "How does this react for you?" or "Where do you use this?"

True professionals don't put down other professionals, in any profession. It's cheap and unprofessional.

Unfortunately yes.  I recall quite well the time I took my balls to the only local pro shop that had interchangeable thumb inserts.  The individual IMMEDIATELY told me my pitches were all wrong.  He had never seen me throw a ball, nor had I even put my fingers in the ball.   

I probably would have grabbed everything and walked out. I have heard guys ask why a ball was drilled that way. Just to get some inside knowledge. But to cut someone else down over a lay out no. Now I have heard guys ripping other shops for stuff being drilled with wrong pitches, span, or weight out of specs.

Yeah, I know an operator like that and I've been using him for the past two years. In this case, the operator was right. For example, a lefty on my team had a Dimension which was drilled for a righty - at a prior shop. The operator spotted the problem and explained it to my teammate. He had been disappointed in the ball up to then, as you can imagine. Needless to say, the original driller was "let go" at the center he worked at - due to lack of business.

I haven't had this problem as I've gone to the same pro shop operator for the last 17 years but his professionalism is definitely in question.

I drill, rejuvinate and resurface all my own stuff.  Problem solved. 

Sorry for your bad experience, maybe if he loses your business he will have the sense to figure out why before he's out of business.

@NoseofRI, 4months ago I moved 3 hours away from my home so for general maintenance, accessories, etc I have to go to local shops. When I need something drilled, I drive back home or have it shipped by my proshop guy. I basically worked with the same driller for 6 years while I bowled on and off and just recently, about a year ago, began working with the new operator on the recommendation of many friends. It's been a great experience thus far and I plan to get a few coaching lessons by him going forward. His name is Kurt Pilon btw. There's another pro shop in the area that I will give my business to going forward.

I moved from Metro Detroit to a smaller area (Benton Harbor, MI) and bowling is nowhere near as popular as it is in Metro Detroit. I just think the guy was really hurting for sales.