Mark the Racquets that You String for Customers❗

Youngheart

Semi-Pro
Should tennis shop stringers be required to put their initials on the racquets that they work on?
How many stringers already do that? Let's suppose that a customer picks up his newly strung racquet from a large shop.
Then four days later, he discovers one missed weave, or a knot coming loose, or completely wrong tension, etc, etc....
He would really like to know who did it, so that when he goes back to the shop, he can friendly ask for a different stringer.
------ So Be it ⚜ ------ :cool:
EDIT of line 1 〰️ The Initials would go on a small "racquet label," and not directly on the racquet surface.
 
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Irvin

Talk Tennis Guru
if I didn’t like the way a shop strung a racket, I’d talk to them about the service, or I’d go to another shop.
 

am1899

Legend
LOL, no a shop shouldn’t be required to do that. If a shop wants to do that for their own reasons, then that’s the shop’s prerogative.

We do keep track of who strings what. But that information is “internal” - it doesn’t go on the label on the racquet. If a customer asks nicely, and we can accommodate it, we will generally allow a customer request for a specific stringer.

Regardless, if I were to experience outcomes like you suggested in your OP…I would be looking for a new shop entirely. Any shop that lets work go out the door in that fashion is not one I would give my business to, regardless of who may be stringing there.
 

g4driver

Legend
As a stringer, wouldn't it be cool to see a frame with a dozen+ initials in rainbow-colored fat Sharpie ink all over it when I get to be the next guy to string a frame? Ugh, no, it wouldn't.
 

LHM

Rookie
Personally i dont place any sort of label or markings on my clients rackets. I have a spreadsheet of every restring i do, ie: Date strung, customer name, racket, string, gauge, tension.
 

Youngheart

Semi-Pro
FOUR COMMENTS 〰️ (1) Going to a different shop is okay in a Florida city, but what about a guy
who lives in a medium size town, with only one tennis shop?
(2) What happened to customers rights? Why should information be hidden "internally?"
(3) Sharpie pens are not needed, because of using small labels. (Modern achievement?)
(4) Great, if a shop keeps a private "diary," but that's not really helping the customer's knowledge.
------ So Be It ⚜ ------
 

kkm

Hall of Fame
Personally i dont place any sort of label or markings on my clients rackets. I have a spreadsheet of every restring i do, ie: Date strung, customer name, racket, string, gauge, tension.
I apply a label with the string type and tension and date of stringing. Most of my new customers come to me not knowing what string is in their racquet, when it was strung, or the tension it was strung at.
I also have some seasonal customers, and I want them to be able to go to local stringer in the places they normally live when it’s time to restring and be able to know what I put in their racquets and the tension.
 

Youngheart

Semi-Pro
I apply a label with the string type and tension and date of stringing. Most of my new customers come to me not knowing what string is in their racquet, when it was strung, or the tension it was strung at.
I also have some seasonal customers, and I want them to be able to go to local stringer in the places they normally live when it’s time to restring and be able to know what I put in their racquets and the tension.
You're on the good track, but if a shop has three stringers, the label still needs to say WHO did the work.
The customer shouldn't be kept in the dark. It's not for yelling at him, it's for asking for a different stringer.
 

Trinity110

Semi-Pro
FOUR COMMENTS 〰️ (1) Going to a different shop is okay in a Florida city, but what about a guy
who lives in a medium size town, with only one tennis shop?
(2) What happened to customers rights? Why should information be hidden "internally?"
(3) Sharpie pens are not needed, because of using small labels. (Modern achievement?)
(4) Great, if a shop keeps a private "diary," but that's not really helping the customer's knowledge.
------ So Be It ⚜ ------
I think you might not be hearing what others are saying. It is the shops fault, and that is how you address your complaint. Or you can aim to get on social media as you seek out that individual stringer, slash his tires, throw a racquet in his face, or stalk him. Like how "customer's rights" come into play when someone's burrito isn't quite right.

The shop is not going to want to put an employee in that situation, but will want to know about errors coming out of the shop. Then they can deal with it. They know if the guy's dog just died, or he found out he has cancer that morning. Or maybe they know if they put too much of a load on their stringer, and screwups are what they budget for and really don't even care about the customer. But that stringer, an employee, is not trying to run his own business, and a particular customer's dissatisfaction is not something that should be directed to him. That is the boss/owner/manager's job.

And you can still ask for a different stringer. The shop knows who did your racquet.
 

am1899

Legend
You're on the good track, but if a shop has three stringers, the label still needs to say WHO did the work.
The customer shouldn't be kept in the dark. It's not for yelling at him, it's for asking for a different stringer.

IME most retail shops don’t do that, and I doubt they will start because of your post here.

If you ask nicely though, some shops will tell you who strung your racquet, so you can get the information you seek anyway.
 

Trinity110

Semi-Pro
And I should say, I understand the OP isn't interested in harassing the employee, but businesses are all too aware that that type of behavior happens, and would want to protect their employee. It really isn't a case of who took your appendix out.
 

Rabbit

G.O.A.T.
@Youngheart - were it me, if any of the things in your list happened, I’d take it back to the shop and politely ask that the work be redone. I would trust them to address the problem internally as nobody likes free redos. They want your business, they need it and my guess is they’ll do whatever it takes to keep it.
 

kkm

Hall of Fame
You're on the good track, but if a shop has three stringers, the label still needs to say WHO did the work.
The customer shouldn't be kept in the dark. It's not for yelling at him, it's for asking for a different stringer.
My logo is on the labels I apply, and I string all the racquets that people give me - I don’t have anyone working with me.

IMHO good shops should tell their stringers what they expect and how they want the stringing done, so it doesn’t really matter who strings a customer’s racquet.
 

Youngheart

Semi-Pro
Everything that was said in the posts on this page are truthful and realistic. But still, all of the comments
seem to be coming from the perspective of a shop owner, and not from an individual tennis player. I now see
that the winds of change blow NOT in my direction, so I hearby surrender, and I return to my secret high Apine hut.
------ So Be It ⚜ ------
 
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am1899

Legend
Everything that was said in the posts on this page are truthful and realistic. But still, all of the comments
seem to be coming from the perspective of a shop owner, and not from an individual tennis player. I now see
that the winds of change blow NOT in my direction, so I hearby surrender, and I return to my secret high Apine hut.
------ So Be It ⚜ ------

That’s a reflection of the audience in this sub forum - most contributors here string at least for themselves if not for others as well. The Strings sub forum may be more to your liking in terms of perspective.
 

MaxSwing

New User
I think I will continue to echo what others have said, it is the shop you have a problem with and not an individual stringer. You explain the situation with the shop and ask for any alternative you may require. I am a player primarily but now also string for myself and others at my club so they already know who to contact. I think your expectations need resetting, I understand what your request is but ultimately you are being petty if you start to ask for other specific stringers unless there is an actual problem (misweave for example) in which case it doesnt matter on the stringer it is, as said many times by others as well, a shop problem - the stringer either made an honest mistake or needs more training and its your responsibility to highlight this to the shop.
 

Elrico

Rookie
Is anyone familiar with the system below? (y) (y) (y) (y)
For even more inconspicuousness, cut the QR code and stick it on the racket. Customer can view data, stringer can view additional data. QR code remains with racket and can be adjusted by the stringer. The stringer also receives an email when the QR code is consulted.

 

kkm

Hall of Fame
IMHO those labels sold by gamma Europe are not a bad deal.

Anyone else having a harder time on more racquets finding a place to put a 1/2” label? Because of weird beam profiles, even on the outer of some racquets these days.
 
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LOBALOT

Legend
I log racquets by Serial number and name and can look up the last time I restrung it, what string, how much I needed, how much I charged, etc. I am sure shops do similar but also log who strung the racquet and perhaps even what machine was used.

There is no need to mark anyones racquet unless they request it.
 
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Youngheart

Semi-Pro
I log racquets by Serial number and name and can look up the last time I restrung it, what string, how much I needed, how much I charged, etc. I am sure shops do similar but also log who strung the racquet and perhaps even what machine was used.

There is no need to mark anyones racquet unless they request it.

Thanks. You do a great service for YOUR shop, and you also prove my unfortunately hapless point. Most comments
here have been on behalf of, and in consort with, the tennis shop fraternity. Pure and simple. I see no words here from the
"Little Guy," the lonely anxious tennis player who loves his racquet, and desperately hopes it will be strung correctly.
Today I say to all thy timid hamlet dwellers, throughout the tennis provinces, "Speak up NOW, and ask for true transparency!!"
Yes, from every hut in thy mountain hamlet, I hear, "We only ask for thee stringer's initials to be included on thy racquet label."
------So Be It ⚜ ------ And so I return to my secret high Alpine hut.
 

Irvin

Talk Tennis Guru
Thanks. You do a great service for YOUR shop, and you also prove my unfortunately hapless point. Most comments
here have been on behalf of, and in consort with, the tennis shop fraternity. Pure and simple. I see no words here from the
"Little Guy," the lonely anxious tennis player who loves his racquet, and desperately hopes it will be strung correctly.
Today I say to all thy timid hamlet dwellers, throughout the tennis provinces, "Speak up NOW, and ask for true transparency!!"
Yes, from every hut in thy mountain hamlet, I hear, "We only ask for thee stringer's initials to be included on thy racquet label."
------So Be It ⚜ ------ And so I return to my secret high Alpine hut.
Why not string the racket yourself. It takes less time, energy, and costs to string it yourself. And you get the satisfaction of doing a good job, or not.
 

LocNetMonster

Professional
"Then four days later, he discovers one missed weave, or a knot coming loose, or completely wrong tension, etc, etc...."

Three choices:

1. Take it back to the shop and ask for it to be restrung. Almost every reputable shop will correct an error at no charge.

2. Never step foot in that shop again and take it to another stringer. If you live in a city with a dedicated string shop there are at least three other guys in town who string for themselves, a small group of people. After or before a match, or while waiting to play, ask other players who string their sticks and get the contact info.

3. Buy a stringer and learn to do it yourself. This is the best option, really, because you will deal with the same a-hole all the time ;-)
 

am1899

Legend
I have to admit this time @Irvin is correct, get a machine and learn to string your own.

Seems clear at this point OP doesn't want to do that and prefers instead to tell all stringers how they should do their job.

Maybe there's no room for a stringing machine in the "Alpine hut?"
 

LOBALOT

Legend
Thanks. You do a great service for YOUR shop, and you also prove my unfortunately hapless point. Most comments
here have been on behalf of, and in consort with, the tennis shop fraternity. Pure and simple. I see no words here from the
"Little Guy," the lonely anxious tennis player who loves his racquet, and desperately hopes it will be strung correctly.
Today I say to all thy timid hamlet dwellers, throughout the tennis provinces, "Speak up NOW, and ask for true transparency!!"
Yes, from every hut in thy mountain hamlet, I hear, "We only ask for thee stringer's initials to be included on thy racquet label."
------So Be It ⚜ ------ And so I return to my secret high Alpine hut.

Service to Shop?????

I string out of my basement in a corner of the laundry room I had to negotiate a portion of space from my wife fore. How more little guy can you get?????

What a goofball!
 

Youngheart

Semi-Pro
Seems clear at this point OP doesn't want to do that and prefers instead to tell all stringers how they should do their job.

Maybe there's no room for a stringing machine in the "Alpine hut?"
You, my friend, are understanding the problems of mountain life!! Some other unknown posters are "passing the buck,"
by saying that I should get my own stringing machine. That's fine for "them there city folks," but tell me, honestly,
since my mule Molisa is taking her summer vacation at yonder Green Fields Valley, how am I going to carry a machine
on my back, from the Hamlet at 3,000 feet, up to my Alpine hut at 13,000 feet? (that's very normal for Chamonix France.)
I've seen many mountain guide videos, I've learned the art of "crevasse jumping,"... but carrying a confounded machine???
------ So Be It ⚜ ------
 

Youngheart

Semi-Pro
Here's an example of my homemade label on an older RF97 racquet which I still occasionally use for combat.
First, I use a pen with good ink, and try to write small & steady, which sometimes can really be a "test of wills,"
with my ol' mule Molisa bumping my sitting log, because she wants to tell me that "Boris the Bear" is approaching!
I use a piece of white paper. It's easier to write first in the proper size, THEN cut it out, HALF INCH by ONE INCH.
With that size, it fits perfectly just above the frame's words... "graphite + kevlar," and I cover with scotch tape.
It appears square shaped here, but in writing, it comes out rectangular. Alright now! Back to making Varmit Stew!

KLIP LEGEND 17
M= 25.5 & X= 24
360 G & 31.3 BAL
340 SW & JUNE 8
 

mad dog1

G.O.A.T.
You, my friend, are understanding the problems of mountain life!! Some other unknown posters are "passing the buck,"
by saying that I should get my own stringing machine. That's fine for "them there city folks," but tell me, honestly,
since my mule Molisa is taking her summer vacation at yonder Green Fields Valley, how am I going to carry a machine
on my back, from the Hamlet at 3,000 feet, up to my Alpine hut at 13,000 feet? (that's very normal for Chamonix France.)
I've seen many mountain guide videos, I've learned the art of "crevasse jumping,"... but carrying a confounded machine???
------ So Be It ⚜ ------
Is there a tennis court at the summit of Mont Blanc?
 

LOBALOT

Legend
Here's an example of my homemade label on an older RF97 racquet which I still occasionally use for combat.
First, I use a pen with good ink, and try to write small & steady, which sometimes can really be a "test of wills,"
with my ol' mule Molisa bumping my sitting log, because she wants to tell me that "Boris the Bear" is approaching!
I use a piece of white paper. It's easier to write first in the proper size, THEN cut it out, HALF INCH by ONE INCH.
With that size, it fits perfectly just above the frame's words... "graphite + kevlar," and I cover with scotch tape.
It appears square shaped here, but in writing, it comes out rectangular. Alright now! Back to making Varmit Stew!

KLIP LEGEND 17
M= 25.5 & X= 24
360 G & 31.3 BAL
340 SW & JUNE 8

Why not write it down in a log when you string it along with the player name and serial number instead of plastering crap on their racquet they may not want, need, or peal off. I don't get the concept you are aiming for?

Moreover, what if they buy a new identical stick and give it to you and ask you for the same setup are you going to stare blankly at them with your mouth open and say... "I don't know". "Can you go home and look at the other racquet I strung for you?"
 

Youngheart

Semi-Pro
Is there a tennis court at the summit of Mont Blanc?
Ahhhhhh, said the bear to the trapped rabbit. You are beginning to discover my secret of tennis success!!
Some of the glaciers around my ol' hut are smooth and "almost" flat. When a city folk player wanders up here
because he heard of an amazing mountain player, I insist that he uses the lower half of the "ice-court," so he
can see if an avalanche might be approaching. Little does he know, that a ball hit uphill requires more power,
because it will travel slower, and land shorter. Meanwhile, from my higher side, I pound unbelievable winners!!
------ So Be It ⚜ ------
Why not write it down in a log when you string it along with the player name and serial number instead of plastering crap on their racquet they may not want, need, or peal off. I don't get the concept you are aiming for?

Moreover, what if they buy a new identical stick and give it to you and ask you for the same setup are you going to stare blankly at them with your mouth open and say... "I don't know". "Can you go home and look at the other racquet I strung for you?"

Sorry if I gave you the wrong idea. I don't work in a shop, so the homemade label is only for my own racquet.
Wait a minute, I have a question!... You said, "write it down in a log." Are you talking about a journal log book,
or a log in the forest?? Actually, it seems that I'm one step ahead of you! For the past 99 years (time goes fast),
I was writing all the precious info onto my favorite "sitting log" in yonder meadow. What a treasure of knowledge!!
Then on one fatefully horrific day, my jerk of a supposedly intelligent mule kicked the log into the blazing campfire!!
Needless to say, I DID have a frank discussion with her, and told her to remember that "Gustave the Goat" was available.
------ So Be It ⚜ ------
 

Youngheart

Semi-Pro
Someone has been drinking their mountain moonshine a little too much I think
Hey! Don't knock my homemade mountain moonshine!! You would be surprised how it seems stronger
up here in the high altitude. Mont Blanc is 15,800 feet, and my hut "was" at 15,000 feet. That is, until an
avalanche knocked my hut, with me inside, down to the edge of a cliff at a warmer elevation of 14,500 feet.
That dumb change in altitude popped the cork off my month's supply of moonshine! Actually, I didn't notice until
I saw that my mule Molisa and Gustave the Goat must have drunk some, because they were dancing like fools!
Like I always say to flatlanders, if you wander up this way, please bring me a resupply of those tasty Fruit Loops!!
Okay, excuse me, while I go out and fix my satellite TV dish. That pesky Boris the bear knocked it down AGAIN❗
------So Be It ⚜ ------
 
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