Dynamike I don't know whats up with your order. I have ordered three coin sets from him this year and one set today.some orders have took longer than others. he has been busy with shop work and conventions. I always call him to place and discuss my order with him. quality has always been excellent.i hope you get yours soon.

Go back to the first page and read his post on this thread.

Aside from that, unlike many other custom coin makers, Roy deals with many different aspects of the market, making items for dealers to carry/sell, making props for the effects of many performers and their signature products, custom orders for everybody else, on top of going to conventions to meet and greet, having to travel quite a distance to gather the needed materials for his work and things like that. Putting in 14 hours a day, sometimes for all 7 days of the week, is not easy. Sometimes he has to look hard for certain things that are requested by people, and that can take time too. Once any raw materials are gathered (especially coins), they all have to be measured and sorted. All that leaves little to no time to reply to every single e-mail that he receives, which is why phone calls are much better. He also does not have any assistants and does it all by himself. Everyone needs to realize that once something leaves his shop through the mail or shipping company (such as UPS or FedEx), he has no control over it. No dealer in this industry does. If the shipping company screws up, that is their fault.

I hope this answers some questions people may be asking themselves about Roy.

Hey Doc... Your post is almost a copy of the last post you made right after a post by Dynamike. I think that all or most understand that Roy is a busy man and usually considered very trustworthy. However Dynamike's order was placed in April of this year - almost five months ago - and he claims that after repeated communications he finally asked for a refund if the last promised date was missed. Sorry but the "busy, busy, busy" excuse just doesn’t cut it in this case. Roy should ship the order or refund the purchase immediately to repair his reputation. If this was someone posting that we don’t know it might be overstated, but Dynamike is pretty well-known. I don’t think he is exaggerating his claim.

Jim

Jim, I agree with your entire post, and I thank you for pointing out the similarity. I posted this, perhaps un-necessarily, to merely re-iterate what was said in the other, similar post - especially for those readers that would just as soon skip over the first page.

There is no intent to make excuses for him in any way, nor would I for any other supplier in this industry, but it is what it is. Things do happen, including miscommunication, misinterpretation and poor customer relations, but if things were really as bad as some people make them sound, he would not be in business today. Nor would some of the other suppliers that have given customers the same issues. Hopefully, it is a live and learn way of life.

I ordered a wand case 2/11/11. After months or no responses to my emails/calls,it finally arrived 8/26/11, with the postmark 3/5/11. Sometimes I forget that customs also has a huge role in delays.

I finally received my order today. I can understand Roy being a busy man. But it is best for a good business person to be honest. If Roy would have told me from the start he is busy and it might be a few months to complete my order, I would have been more relaxed. But each repeat phone calls I gave him, he mentioned he would send out my order the end of the week, which he did not do. That is what made me frustrated. One of the times I told him if my order is not shipped by the end of the week, I want a refund.

Since he is so busy, why doesn't he get any help? That will help please his customers. It seems like after he receives his customers money, he has no concern when his customers receive what they pay for.

Since some orders took longer because of customs, it seems better to place an order with a manufacture within the country you are in.

Doc, I understand you taking over for Roy to support him. But why not try to support us by speaking to Roy about those who never received their order?

I appreciate that, and I would like to take the opportunity to say that I do, in fact, relate the issues that I see on here to him. It gets hard to be specific for him because I do not have names or other pertinent information about the customers in order to do so. I am going to try and see if he is willing to work out a way with me to help prevent things like the issues stated in this thread from happening, as much as possible. There are many different avenues to go with that idea, and it may take some time to work out details, but Roy really does care about things like this and he appreciates anyone telling him. He does feel bad when these things happen, and it does upset him too - especially when it is something beyond his control, such as the shipping company and their issues/problems, or customs.

NOW, what I would like from anyone here is suggestions on how they would like something to be handled, other than what has already been stated or getting refunds? What ideas can you give me to pass on that would help customers feel better informed? Would you be okay with talking to a middle man, so to speak, in order to get information? Of course, timing and promptness is an issue and that should be observed and respected.

All suggestions/comments are welcome, and feel free to PM me with any of those if you do not feel it should be posted openly. Thank you.

Dynamike: I am glad to hear that you got your order, even though it took this long!

I think most people would like to know, up front, what the turnaround will be. Unfortunately, in magic props, as in home remodeling, time frames are too often left fuzzy. The reason for this is many people would not order if they are given a long wait time, which, of course, is bad for business. The manufacturer wants/needs people to order, and will often leave turnaround dates fuzzy. There were times I was pretty unhappy with our kitchen remodeler. I ended up with a good product, but a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. Sounds like the experience of some here on this topic.

People who send money are perfectly within their right to ask for a reasonably accurate turnaround time.

As long as business (income) remains good, a manufacturer will do what is necessary to optimize clients and money. Only when being overdue with their services begins to cost $$$, things will change.

I have a few suggestions that can help:

1. Roy mentioning to his prospects (before they become a paid customer) orders can take longer because of the out of country postage and Canada's customs.

2. Roy being honest with his prospects and customers about when he will have their order finished.

3. Roy issuing a discount to a customer if the order is not finished more than 30 days after the deadline he provides to his customers.

4. Roy emailing/calling a customer if he finds out he is going to be late (30 days or more) with an order.

5. Roy hiring a secretary to keep his customers updated if an order is going to be late if he has little time to do it himself.

6. Roy hiring and training a machinist to help keep his customer's orders up to date.

7. Roy mailing back the items to those who orders he never finished. (Doc, I will be more specific about a certain member I am talking about by sending you a PM. The member contacted me by sending me a PM).

I know how those feel that were treated unfairly because it has happened to me too. Doc, I surely hope you can help Roy with his business. If he is a professional business person, he will listen to you about those who are complaining. I want to see everyone with smiles on their faces.

I received a coin today from roy k. that I had him make for me. ike on 1 side and a copper artifact on the other side.i wanted something different. all I can say is ''wow'' I love it.

Dynamike - I am very happy that you finally received your order. - John Luka

Thank you John. I will show you my coins at the 15th Annual Motor City Close-Up Convention November 4-5 2011 held at the Knights Of Columbus Hall located at 24900 Brest Rd., Taylor, MI 48180. I understand David Roth is one of the magicians giving a lecture and having a workshop at the convention this year.

So is it even worth ordering from Mr Keupers? I don't want to spend my hard earned money if I will never get my coin gaffs...I've been trying to choose someone to purchase my coin gaffs from, but I am not sure...I emailed Lassen, never got a response...I emailed Schoolcraft, didn't get a response...I don't know what to do!

Patience is a necessity when dealing with our gaffers. They all get busy, and it does depend on what you want. If you want something that they already have laying around, the turnaround time is bound to be much quicker. If they are currently working on the item you want to buy - (For Lassen, I read that he is currently working on very high quality slippery sam dollars) - you have a good chance to get them fairly quick. If you want something unusual or that will take time to set up - well, it could take quite a bit longer, perhaps years for him to get back to an item he is known for. For example, there was a long (multi-year) gap where Lassen was not making any Cerberus sets. Now, I think he is finishing up on his last run for a while and it could be years before he gets back to it - but if the past is any guide, there will be significant improvements when he does.

The following advice has been given repeatedly by a bunch of Lassen's customers here on the Café: Call him! I can attest that he is honest, fairly prices his work and stands by his creations - which are first rate. We live in a great age with amazing new gaffs being created every year. Just remember that all of these guys are one man shops and they will remember you if you act like a jerk. If you want a more mass produced option - you could go to Tango, Johnson or Mark Mason/Bob Swadling - all quality makers of gaffs with good turnaround times. And with regard to Tango, no one else makes a TUC.

Regards,

Alan

Trooper
I have had no problem ordering from mr kuepper myself. he has made me 3 sets of coins this year.and is in the process of making me a set right now.i always call him and go over what I want from him.waiting time usally runs 1 to 2 months for order to ship.i have been very pleased with his work and his price.

My experience with Roy is 100% positive.
Nice coins and great service.

Ok I think price wise, I am going to try Mr. Keupper. If the quality is the same as the other 2 gaffers, I'll give it a shot...All I want is a walking liberty gravity flipper and a shell...I am not looking for anything to crazy...

If that is all you are looking for, you might want to talk to Mark Mason. He has the Next Generation Flipper in Walking Liberty in stock for $125 (you will almost never have to replace the band - and if you do, it is easy - I watched Mark do it). I believe he also has the M******c shell that goes with it in stock. See here: http://www.jbtvusa.com/p0/JB-COIN-LINE/76.htm

His phone number is on his site and he has always answered my call or quickly returned my call (if he is not on tour).

Regards,

Alan

Regards,

Alan

Is his quality as good as the rest?

His quality is excellent also. and like banzaimagic said the band hardly ever needs changing.and if you ever have to you can do it in about 2 minutes.