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Check out the blog we did about our trip to the Blue Table Painting workshop!
http://stylexhobby.com/blog/a-trip-to-the-blue-table-painting-workshop/#.UqpVsPRDv0c

The studio is fairly impressive, though I wish the same quality control existed within their business side of it. The paint and conversion work is always good quality, but I have had so many frustrations with their communications and handling of projects that I have given up on them.

 curran12 wrote:
The paint and conversion work is always good quality

The conversion work is definitely strong, but their paint work? For the price they charge for level 3-5 work you can get a lot more done from other commission services. I honestly don't understand how BTP has remained in business over the years with their pricing structure.

I know, I know, opinions are like donkey caves, but BTP charges high end prices for middle to low end paint work. Their customer service was always their saving grace but if that is dropping off then I am even more confused by their popularity.

 DarkTraveler777 wrote:


The conversion work is definitely strong, but their paint work? For the price they charge for level 3-5 work you can get a lot more done from other commission services. I honestly don't understand how BTP has remained in business over the years with their pricing structure.

I know, I know, opinions are like donkey caves, but BTP charges high end prices for middle to low end paint work. Their customer service was always their saving grace but if that is dropping off then I am even more confused by their popularity.

Well, I fully admit that I don't have particularly high standards when it comes to painting. I always found the work to be decent. But, as I said, I don't have huge requirements for what I consider 'good' quality painting. But I do have high standards when it comes to customer service.

First a little background. I have nerve damage in my dominant arm. Painting an army is something that is comfortable out of my reach on a physical basis, so if I am to have painted armies, I need to rely on commissioned painters and studios. I've done several projects through BTP over the past...hmm, I'd say 2-3 years. Early on, their customer service was spot on, really a high mark. I got fast updates, and I never felt as if my project was just 'another one on the pile', even when it was small, individual projects for single models. However, the last two projects of mine have proven the severe backwards step their service has taken.

I'm a generally patient and forgiving guy. When I learned that my first project (2000 points worth of SoB, no less) had not even started for months after they received my models, sent early on their urging. I was told actually, that if I sent them quickly, I could get them done very quickly as they had an opening. It then transpired that my project had, more or less, fallen into a void and was never even started until I began raising a stink. And that stink rose because when I asked about the status of the project, I was constantly being given promised dates for updates and beginning, only to have that date come and go with nothing. In short, I was being given the run around and I let them know it. Eventually, the project was finished and I got my models.

And the thing of it was that I kinda understood. It was the holidays and I know they are a big operation. Things like this happen. I gave them a pass on it. I was satisfied, all was well.

A few months later, I had another project for them. In addition to the project nearly disappearing in the same way, my emails requesting confirmation on the basing size (it needed a specific base) were ignored, and I got a model with the exact wrong base for its purpose, rendering it useless for my initial use. And it, too, was delivered late.

This time, I'm less forgiving about the service. It is unacceptable as it is. I originally chose them based more out of distrust for sending such large numbers of models to one guy who could go flake at any moment. Makes sense, right? They're a business, they carry themselves with professional heft, naturally they appear more reliable. But this is very much not the case anymore. And I don't want to just rail on BTP, because hey, it was a bold move and they put a lot into it. But, as it stands, their customer service is tanking and tanking hard.

One word. Australia.

Just kidding... Although I wouldn't doubt that a lot of Australians use BTP as a dodge for their own model prices. Who could blame them?

There are a lot of issues at play here. The first is the marketing. How are you to know what "tabletop quality" means to someone else? Especially if all you ever see is what is presumably their best work. Also, they advertise that most of their business is with repeat clients. That implies a standard of satisfaction, which is a half truth. No doubt it's true that those repeat clients are satisfied---why else would they be coming back? Oh, right. Because they don't want to, or more importantly can't paint their own models. I imagine these clients are the sort that were too put off or intimidated at the notion of buying all the starting paints and materials and decided to just opt for a painting service from the get-go. I suspect this is Bluetablepainting's primary clientele (if it's not Australia). A group that would consider their painting flaws to be a miniscule concern.

The second is their customer involvement. They're big on Youtube, and put on a great image there. They certainly don't let on to their...flaws. And yet, once you actually decide to try a commission with them, you end up with "We're very sorry about [x], we know [x] is [y], [insert excuse here]." Standard customer service procedure with a twist of "So what do you think of [insert the latest news of your army here]?" while you're waiting on them to do any given thing.


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 DarkTraveler777 wrote:


This time, I'm less forgiving about the service. It is unacceptable as it is. I originally chose them based more out of distrust for sending such large numbers of models to one guy who could go flake at any moment. Makes sense, right? They're a business, they carry themselves with professional heft, naturally they appear more reliable. But this is very much not the case anymore. And I don't want to just rail on BTP, because hey, it was a bold move and they put a lot into it. But, as it stands, their customer service is tanking and tanking hard.

I was wondering if it was just some sort of problem with my order, but the same thing happened to me. In fact, I asked them to buy the models themselves as they had advertised on their youtube channel. So that I didn't need to ship anything straight to them. I had filled out the final request for instructions, and made sure they received my email. They told me that ordering the models through them would take longer, but I wisely decided that if they couldn't even manage to acquire the models then I wouldn't have to suffer any major loss.

Turns out that's exactly what happened. I waited six months. Six months after they gave me my order confirmation. Of course before the end of the first one I knew they'd forgotten but wanted to see how long it took before they noticed my project had slipped through the cracks. They never noticed. So finally I emailed them reminding them of my order to find that they had never ordered the models and had forgotten all about me. So at that point I cancelled my $900 project and decided to send them 6 models to paint, and ordered 1 model from their online store to see how well they assembled, too. At this point I was going on a venture to see exactly how bad they were at this. I just received the models today, and my dissatisfaction with them is exactly what led me to this thread today.

It's hard to find anything positive about BTP on the internet these days, save for their pals at Miniwargaming. Commission painting seems to be full of dirtbags and unprofessional behavior in general though.

 curran12 wrote:
First a little background. I have nerve damage in my dominant arm. Painting an army is something that is comfortable out of my reach on a physical basis, so if I am to have painted armies, I need to rely on commissioned painters and studios. I've done several projects through BTP over the past...hmm, I'd say 2-3 years. Early on, their customer service was spot on, really a high mark. I got fast updates, and I never felt as if my project was just 'another one on the pile', even when it was small, individual projects for single models. However, the last two projects of mine have proven the severe backwards step their service has taken.

I was a customer of BTP from 2004-2006 and my experience was similar to yours. My initial project was handled well, and I became an instant fan. Prior to using their service I was used to conducting commissions with individuals, usually out of their home, and using a new painter was always an anxiety filled endeavor (will this guy be the one who rips me off?) so BTP's large set up and web presence (even back then they had a really professional looking site) was very reassuring. The second commission followed on the heels of the first and had some problems but they were quickly fixed and I was generally satisfied. After those first two the quality and the customer service dropped and I began anew my search for a reliable painter.

orkybenji wrote:
It's hard to find anything positive about BTP on the internet these days, save for their pals at Miniwargaming. Commission painting seems to be full of dirtbags and unprofessional behavior in general though.

Well, despite my grievances, there are some things that they do well.

I think the professional businesslike way they carry themselves publicly is a big asset. They put out a very reliable and polished image, and for a pretty good while, they lived up to it. But, as was said in this thread, that image tends to go only skin deep. In communications, things tend to be brief and to the point (not entirely a BAD thing, mind you) but it does very little to make you feel welcome to their business. It's something of a trade off. Obviously (or at least we assume), they have so much volume of business that it is not cost-effective to buddy-buddy with everyone who comes in. And I get that. You don't get that in most businesses. But at the same time, when communication breaks down, the fact they have chosen not to establish anything deeper than the most crisp and cold of relationship with the customer means that it is VERY difficult on the customer to get what they want done.

Plus, I also admire the fact that they are growing. I really do. I think it is a good thing that they are not treating this like some kind of little halfass studio. It's clear that they care about it as a business. Which is what makes it so tragic that their customer service has been on such a plunge.

In short, I -want- to like BTP. I -want- to be able to point to them as the first choice in commission painted. I -want- to have a service that I can rely on to help me with my own personal injury/inability to paint. But right now, BTP cannot fill that role. Whether by accident or design, they have this two-faced business. On the public/youtube front, it is this great group of professional friends who are all to happy to see you. But once you walk in and begin doing business, there is none of that. It is all 'you are just another one in the stack and if we screw it up, too bad.'

If anyone from BTP is keeping an eye on these boards, I implore you to step up your customer service.

 curran12 wrote:

If anyone from BTP is keeping an eye on these boards, I implore you to step up your customer service.

Well even if they say they do, I'm not going to give them the benefit of the doubt.

 Quarterdime wrote:


Well even if they say they do, I'm not going to give them the benefit of the doubt.

True enough, I'm not going to run back to them at their word, but I don't want them to die off either.

 curran12 wrote:

orkybenji wrote:
It's hard to find anything positive about BTP on the internet these days, save for their pals at Miniwargaming. Commission painting seems to be full of dirtbags and unprofessional behavior in general though.

Well, despite my grievances, there are some things that they do well.

I think the professional businesslike way they carry themselves publicly is a big asset. They put out a very reliable and polished image, and for a pretty good while, they lived up to it. But, as was said in this thread, that image tends to go only skin deep. In communications, things tend to be brief and to the point (not entirely a BAD thing, mind you) but it does very little to make you feel welcome to their business. It's something of a trade off. Obviously (or at least we assume), they have so much volume of business that it is not cost-effective to buddy-buddy with everyone who comes in. And I get that. You don't get that in most businesses. But at the same time, when communication breaks down, the fact they have chosen not to establish anything deeper than the most crisp and cold of relationship with the customer means that it is VERY difficult on the customer to get what they want done.

Plus, I also admire the fact that they are growing. I really do. I think it is a good thing that they are not treating this like some kind of little halfass studio. It's clear that they care about it as a business. Which is what makes it so tragic that their customer service has been on such a plunge.

In short, I -want- to like BTP. I -want- to be able to point to them as the first choice in commission painted. I -want- to have a service that I can rely on to help me with my own personal injury/inability to paint. But right now, BTP cannot fill that role. Whether by accident or design, they have this two-faced business. On the public/youtube front, it is this great group of professional friends who are all to happy to see you. But once you walk in and begin doing business, there is none of that. It is all 'you are just another one in the stack and if we screw it up, too bad.'

If anyone from BTP is keeping an eye on these boards, I implore you to step up your customer service.

judging by how many customers and projects they have, you are just another one. if you want to banter with someone call a hotline. or pay to go to Valhalla and im sure Shawn will have a deep conversation with you.

people seem to use them because theyre an affordable way to get some paint on their toys. you want certain things done a certain way open up the wallet.

edit: i am in no way associated with BTP. i do watch their youtube vids from time to time.

kb305 wrote:


people seem to use them because theyre an affordable way to get some paint on their toys. you want certain things done well you have to do them yourself.

Fixed that for you.

BTP gives you the option of opening up your wallet, and it doesn't change anything on their end except how much money they make, as far as customer service goes. You can pay anyone anything you like, there are no guarantees.


Also, they're not affordable so much as easy.... er.

I think it's just an example of when art and business clash, particularly once business picks up. I'm a freelance illustrator and am constantly guilty of taking on more work than I can handle. Hell, I've got three contracts on the go, now. Usually, a few late nights and cutting social activities can help get back on track, but there are times when life intrudes and you just get inundated.

There's really no excuse for not keeping you in the loop, but I'm assuming they hoped to catch up on whatever backlog they had before anyone started to notice. Stuff like this happens fairly regularly with creative endeavors, and it does reflect poorly on them and can hurt future business. Did they end up doing anything to smooth the transaction (reduced priced, free models, etc.)?

I never understood why people buy BTP either. There was one guy at my LGS who traded in 5000 points of his old stuff and got about 1000 points back fully painted in trade. The paintjob was average. I was shocked he would trade that much and get back so little.

Their paint-jobs are average and incredibly overpriced compared to the other commission painters I've used. It would be one thing if BTP had fast turnaround with large volume, but apparently they can't do that either?

Cool pictures and blog! Looks like it would be a fun place to visit or even work!