A note to anyone who currently has buisness with Lee "Punisher" Kinney
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Many people here and all across the internet have had dealings with Lee Kinney, AKA Punisher of Punisher’s Customs. Many have had good experiences, and received fine work.
However, many more are waiting for equipment, refunds or even just communication on projects. Recently a private discussion turned up some info, but lets start here.
IN response to a customer inquiring on a project –
Still here but maybe not for long. I'm not taking new custom work for the foreseeable future. I tried guys, I've put everything I have into this, all my money, all my time, all my heart and there's nothing left to give. I've given up time off, weekends, evenings, social events, family gatherings, holidays, vacations, watching TV, going for a hike, dating consistently and a miriad of other things that you all take for granted in your important little lives, for this. I've had to take a job to keep my job open and that's pretty rough on the ol' spirit.
Everyone will get thier stuff, I'm sorry for the delays but there's nothing I can do about it. I love the guys who aren't even involved who jump at the first chance to start a **** storm, it's a need to 'be important' and I understand where that comes from. I really do, but it doesn't make this any easier. Even worse, it's only the few guys who's projects go long or have a beef for one reason or another that you hear from. I've built and shipped out 92 guns and a fair pile of bit and pieces thus far this year, the vast majority of which go to happy guys who send me an email saying how pleased they are...then not a peep. One guys however can start a pissfest with a few simple words because everyone wants to be one of the injured. Nice....
I'm going to attempt to revive and build my retail offerings but frankly there's so many losers that'll **** out some piece of crap copy, rectum load after rectum load that it's pretty disheartening to even consider doing that. I had some kid email me recently demanding the difference in cost be refunded him from an undercocking kit her got a couple years back....because of Wevo's cheap crap. How cool is that? Happens a little mroe often than I would have ever conceived.
After all of this I still can't bring myself to just shut the doors, funny huh?
All of the old guard are gone, I'm it. Yeah Doc's still around but he's selling teeshirts and comics books these days....can't really blame him.
Now I'll address this one only since he's the thread starter:
Smiley, you've already recieved more in dollar value than your deposit by a goodly amount. I've got the last two pieces of raw barrel brass in my posession that are slated to go to you for those side tubes. At that point you'll be approximately $180 AHEAD. Good enough for you?
Anyone else that has stuff here....your **** is coming. This is the last time I'll answer one of these posts, I just don't care anymore, and that stings but it's also kind of a relief. I'm not out yet but it's >< close......
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Have a great day!
Punisher's Customs
'Because the Dead-Box is a lonely place!'
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Hi guys, hope this finds everyone well and functional.
As usual, there're people who are up in arms regarding work here in the shop, my reticence toward the 'friendly' emails etc etc.
Let me say once again, I haven't run off to anywhere sunnier than here. I'm not living off the ill gotten profits from selling all your gear to Albanian gypsies. I'm working.
That's all I'm doing. I've said it a thousand times if I've said it once.....I'm going to work on these stupid toys and get them done and out the friggin' door rather than spend time on emails that are largely geared toward how much I suck. Sorry kids, that's just the way it is.
The more observant of you out there floating about the net may have noticed that I just don't post online any longer. There's a reason for that......I'M F***ING WORKING! The greatest thing is, I stopped taking new work before the first of the year in an effort to cut the backlog into manageable pile. It's working. I have however had to take a day job. So I have a job to pay for my job. That unfortunately means that there's a bit less time to spend here in the shop. I'm limiting myself to a total of 14 hour days just to protect my health is nothing more since I don't have insurance at this point. How many of you would be willing to work 14 hours a day? How many would do it when there's this much crap floating around? Not many I'm thinking.
I only ever wanted to make cool guns for people that'd like them. That was it. I'm absolutely guilty of trying to make people happy, to the point that I simply couldn't keep up. Add to that the fact that there's just no profit in this gig. None. I've put the last ten or so years of my life into what amount to a bottomless hole where I throw my time and money and heart...every day.
My business is changing. It has to if it (and I) am to survive. I'll not be taking any more custom work for the foreseeable future, the intent of that is to move into a more wholesale manufacturing oriented operation. Frankly I don't want to deal with the end user anymore. This is a market where some rich 17 year old kid will haggle and ***** and whine, in every venue available, to anyone who'll listen. The greatest thing is...all I wanted to do was make cool guns that's make people happy.
So, once again....I'm not going anywhere, I haven't absconded with anyone's toys, I'm not living it up on some tropical island. I'm working. That's it. No, I won't bump your project (no matter how deserving) to the front of the list to be finished. No you probably won't get a specific response from me via E-mail for the time being though I hope that'll change sooner rather than later. No, threatening me won't do any good either, there's nothing you can do to me that can measure up to things that have already happened. If it weren't for Wellbutrin I might be tempted to say that being dead would be a decent alternative to this, so here's to better living thru chemistry!
One last thing before I close this little piece of love. To the 'kids' who email me three of four times a week wanting to know how to become and airsmith: Don't. Just don't.
Now, I can hear a whole herd of guys out there spooling up the flame machines but stick with me for a minute. The fact is, there's just no way to do it and live. Brad at PBMaxx figured it out, Doc has figured it out, there've been tons of guys who've given it a shot and all have figured it out.....I guess it just took me the longest to come to my senses. The only way to do this kind of work is as a hobby, part time. Get a day job. Everyone who's tried this as a full time has gotten thier *** kicked.
mama's don't let your babies grow up to be Airsmiths...
make'm be doctor and lawyers and such.......
I'm not going anywhere, I'm STILL working on your stuff, I've no intentions of running off. I'm not going to be available for emails for a while longer as there's even less time for it now than before.
But whatever you do...trust me on the sunscreen!
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Lets take a minute to point out that many people have received similar news, news of physical illness, news of accidents, runs of bad luck and now news of mental illness and a main job to support Lee while he digs out of a hole. Honorable, no? man working on the side while his business sits, trying to make things right. Its what I would do, and hopefully what you would do too. The right thing.
That’s what many optimistic customers said until a few started to look around, and connect the dots.
It looks as if Mr. Kinney is not putting the money into the debts (projects and money owed) he has built, but instead taken those monies and sunk them into his new hobby, car racing / customization.
http://forums.neons.org/viewtopic.php?t=201666&highlight – this link in particular shows the cash he has put into 1 car, 2 engines and the time placed in custom work for a toy of his own. Speculate cost if you will, but estimates have been in the 5 to 10 thousand dollar range worth of work on that car.
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I don't think the major problem is people sending IN the work... it's the custom dude (whoever it may be in this case) SPENDING all of the money on "other" crap, and then finding out he has no money to customize the gun.
Priorities are askew.
Sure I don't blame them for riding on the edge once in a while as a perk. Why the hell not.
But let's look at Punisher. I know nothing about any of this, so I won't criticize, but from an economic point of view.
Let's say:
9 Crowd Busters @ $800 each = $7,200.00
10 Random Project @ $400 each = $4,000.00
Probably more, but let's be conservative on this since we don't have a freaking clue right?
So that's $11,200.00 total that he has received.
Assume a 40% profit ratio
That makes his COST to build/make these guns at:
$6,720.00
Now if he doesn't have a penny to his name and needed to get a second job. Where do you think he's getting the money? It's spent already.
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Now take that info.. process the train of though, and take this post from another person into account –
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I thought - Okay ***** is overreacting. Take a chill and I will check out that Neon Board post.
DEAR GOD - the MONEY that went into that NEON!
Okay - so here is the refrain that we heard from Punisher for YEARS!
1) I have no time. I work 8,000 jobs and have no time to get to the 2,000 projects I took money and parts and guns to fix.
2) I have no money.
3) I have ROTTEN luck.
4) I am sick (The man has had more infections, colds, and general ailments than I have ever even heard of).
Then I see THIS?!?!?
THOUSANDS of dollars in two engines (he dropped one of them off a trailer - okay so maybe his luck really does suck) and hundreds of hours taking pictures, working on parts (he spends time building a custom GEAR SHIFT KNOB!!!!) and other things.
He posts consistently, he communicates well, he takes lots of pictures, he orders THOUSANDS in parts, he takes all the time in the world in a really clean looking shop to make all this stuff for a fucking NEON but cannot make parts/guns/projects he is behind on for years?!?!
Are you kidding me?
How many thousands of dollars in money and guns have simply been given up upon? Owners just wrote it off as a stupid tax. To see this?
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These are just 2 posts in a sea of speculation, and sitting off to the side of an ocean of complaints. Just do a search online and you can find tons of complaints, and maybe even a bit of praise.. but mostly complaints.
Many will whine and cry about waiting and custom work… but the consensus is as follows. The man took paintballer’s money to sink into a few other paintballer’s projects, and then a bunch of it to sink into his own race car. When you are that far in the hole, you don’t start buying and showing off toys. Heck, even Doc Nickel shows us some of his things from time to time, and can reasonably say that he needs it, or even just wanted something. But he doesn’t hide it and give out stories of woes. Mr. Kinney has been saying one thing, and acting out another where he most likely wont be known for his cheery personality and schedule keeping.
Life shoots at everyone fast, and we all work hard.. those aren’t excuses for poor support, poor communication and possible contracts that will never be filled even though they are paid in full. Does the border on theft? The author of this is not a lawyer, so they wouldn’t know. Only speculation is contained here.
But it is speculation that all his current customers and debtors need to see with their own eyes.
As of this writing, we have seen very few resolutions. 1 comes to mind as of late, and it was still soured by a poor business to customer attitude.
Make your own decisions. For the time being, we are seeking contact from those who are owed equipment or services. This wont be used for nefarious reason, only to tally up and straighten out the info on the customer front.
Fill in this, and email it to punishedbycustom@gmail.com
Name:
Forum name:
Equipment shipped:
Description of work requested:
Funds sent in advance:
Extra funds sent during scope of work:
Number of tries to contact:
Number of responses:
Verbal / email Resolution? (Y/N)
Resolution honored (Y/N)
