User feedback
When ending a MarketPlace listing successfully, Pinsiders can invite user feedback from the other party. Marketplace feedback cannot be removed, but can be responded to by HowardR.
New! It is now possible for any Pinsider to leave feedback, without an invite. There are some checks in place to avoid abuse and "fake" feedback.
Pinsider Sbenedetto wrote a recommendation April 23rd, 2023.
Howardr is the reason why I am still here and will be here for many years to come. If I never ran into him, I never would have gained the skills to fix my first machine and resell it. Anyone in my similar situation with no prior knowledge of pinball maintenance would have given up quickly like I almost did. He has taught me everything that I know; from reading schematics, stepper units, relays, instruction manuals, etc. I am so grateful he responded to my first post I made suggesting I use the “alligator clip method” to help in repairing my first machine. I felt insecure and did not want to appear stupid, so I asked him if I could call him privately for further explanation. That led us to this friendship/ mentorship we have today. I wanted to pay him for his time but he was so humble and asked that I donate the money to a charity, which I gladly obliged. Then he helped me on another issue and this time I was persistent that I give HIM something in return, not to a charity. Finally, after some pushing and shoving, he asked that I help his friend instead of him. Which I was eagerly happy to help! He also asked that I write him a recommendation which I finally had a chance to complete.» Read moreAfter fixing 1 machine with Howardr, which took a while mainly because I didn't know anything and the machine was very messed up... I was able to pick up the second machine and fix it within an hour. I also know which machines not to get. I know I will make money in this and be able to maintain my machines.
Howardr is one of the very few people that I know who is happy and willing to give advice while receiving anything in return. I'm very fortunate to have run into him. I know, as long as he is around, there isn't a pinball machine I won't be able to fix and flip.
Today we were on the phone and we were talking about how we are going to send his friend my starpool machine. As we were finishing that discussion he asked me, so is there anything that we need to fix today?(referring to any of my pinball machines) and it felt great telling him no I have my machine all set. For the first time I actually was calling to help Howardr's friend. But I know if there was an issue we would have fixed it!
If you are willing to learn and have no prior knowledge of how pinball machines work and If Howardr is willing to teach... you will absolutely learn a lot.
Thank you Howardr for taking the time to teach me and make me feel comfortable buying and flipping pinball machines. I see how easily I could've given up and that would have been it. Everything happens for a reason and I'm certain that Howardr and I were meant to cross paths. Glad we did. Life is like pinball. Sometimes you tilt, sometimes you're special or sometimes you're like me and you get an extra Howardr.
Pinsider Jere603 wrote a recommendation February 6th, 2023.
“Howard was very helpful and solved the issue I had with my 1968 Bally Dixieland. I really appreciate his time and assistance!”
Pinsider NickNitro wrote a recommendation February 2nd, 2023.
“His vast knowledge and willingness to help makes him such a valuable member. The way he explains helps you learn for yourself overtime which I think is more important than anything else. Thanks again!”
Pinsider Astill wrote a recommendation December 15th, 2022.
“Super helpful and friendly. Thank you so much!!”
Pinsider iamdrunker wrote a recommendation December 10th, 2022.
“Such a valuable member of our Pinball community. Thank you Howard3.”
Pinsider djsolzs wrote a recommendation September 3rd, 2022.
“Really appreciate the assistance through my posts. Extremely knowledgeable. Huge asset to pinside. Reminds me of how these groups were 5-10 years ago helping others learn and troubleshoot games. Appreciate your time.”
Pinsider Pheron wrote a recommendation August 7th, 2022.
Howard is a great asset to the pinball community. His knowledge is impressive, but even more impressive is his willingness to help out complete strangers so they can can bring thier machines back to life.» Read moreHoward responded to a few of my posts, and then spent almost an hour on the phone walking me through the general considerations of EM pinball repair, safety, and a crash course on reading schematics. He was also able to identify my issue (he knew what it was even before we spoke) and get it resolved.
Thanks Howard!, I'm now able to play complete games and I'm more confident than ever that I'll be able to get this machine to 100%.
- And if I cant, I know who can help.
Pinsider PinballHammer wrote a recommendation May 26th, 2022.
“HowardR is Awesome with sharing his experience with EM games and helping beginners to understand the process to diagnose problems.
THANK YOU HOWARD.”
Pinsider Doomer wrote a recommendation March 17th, 2022.
“Howard was great. Very patient with helping me diagnose and fix the problem on my pin. Also in helping educate me reading the schematic and the thought process he uses in finding the problem and solution. This will certainly help me in trying to fix future problems.
Thanks Howard.”
Pinsider ibis wrote a recommendation January 25th, 2022.
“Very thorough and helpful, goes above and beyond to help the less knowledgable. A real asset to the community! Thank you Howard for all your help!”
Pinsider FrankieSoySauce wrote a recommendation July 28th, 2021.
“Howard is fantastic. I’m new to this and he was not only quick to respond to my post but also patient as I worked my way through the issue. Not only is the problem solved, but I learned a good deal from the experience. Thank you Howard!”
Pinsider fireball2 wrote a recommendation July 16th, 2021.
Howard is Da Man! "Patience, Grasshopper, do not skip anything. Do not overlook anything."» Read moreI revived a 4+ year old thread about a reset issue the OP never solved on his machine. Howard patiently reminded me of his advice to the OP, and kept hounding me to prove I'd followed it. And guess what? He was money!
BTW. Building on what I learned about reading schematics from Howard, I was actually able to resurrect a Mars Trek that has been dogging me for more than a year!
Once again, Howard is Da Man.
mark
Pinsider Sea_Wolf wrote a recommendation June 7th, 2021.
“Howard helped me fix a huge problem on my newly acquired Gottlieb Jumping Jack by phone. He is extremely helpful at not only diagnosing the problems that occur but shows you why they happened.
I learned a ton in that half hour call that will be invaluable down the road. Good guy and extremely knowledgeable.
Danny”
Pinsider AdamPDX wrote a recommendation May 15th, 2021.
I posted on Pinside looking for some help on an EM machine diagnosis and Howard was nice enough to reach out to me and schedule an in depth phone call to discuss. He gave me recommendations on necessary tools and guided my rookie eyes through understanding the schematics. I was able to pinpoint the problem by the end of our phone call» Read moreand it was a pleasure getting advice from a guy that really knows his stuff. I appreciate how Howard took his time to make sure I was understanding what he was saying and to really think about what I was doing and actually learn as I went. He is a valuable resource that I'm glad I found and a great teacher. Thanks Howard - I'm sure you'll be hearing from me again soon. :)
Pinsider Gnrwarkfc wrote a recommendation March 26th, 2021.
“This user was extremely helpful in helping me learn how to fix my newly acquired em pinball machine. Not only was this person helpful but they also didn’t make feel foolish as a result of trying to acquire a new skill. I highly recommend this person.”
Pinsider JeffThanksYou wrote a recommendation March 17th, 2021.
“Outstanding- thoughtful, personable and enjoyable detailed walk through of the troubleshooting process- had me up & running in short order. Thanks again!”
Pinsider Atariforever wrote a recommendation February 7th, 2021.
“Howard just helped me fix a problem with my Atlantis. He made it very clear to understand. Thank you for your help. He is an EM genius .. A very helpful person...Thanks again”
Pinsider Mikeymoo1957 wrote a recommendation January 22nd, 2021.
“VERY POSITIVE !! Howard is a wonderful man. He is knowledgeable and he has the patience to deal with a NOVICE like me. He doesn't try and talk over your head. He has spent hours helping me and for that I'm forever grateful. I'm so lucky that he wrote to me and offered his help. Thank You Howard.”
Pinsider Enron64 wrote a recommendation January 8th, 2021.
I made a post on pinside asking for some help on pinside. I was hoping at best to get someone to post something that could help me continue forward with my trouble shooting process. Howard left a message with some advice. I replied to it sharing some new discoveries and he replied and told me he could give me a phone call. I» Read morecalled him and wow, I couldn’t believe how nice and knowledgeable he was. He not only quickly diagnosed and solved my problem but taught me some trouble shooting techniques to make me be able to solve my own problems. Once I got off the phone and the machine going with his advice another problem arose right after, but because of the knowledge Howard showed me I was able to diagnose and solve that problem and now my machine is playing! Howard is a 10/10. The man has a passion for pinball and teaching others and it really shows. Highly recommend this pinsider!
Pinsider PeterPuck wrote a recommendation December 13th, 2020.
I joined Pinside today, and really was looking down a long road of wires and no clue what to do. My first post got me in touch with Howard. 2 hours of his time with me on the phone took away so much fear and unknown. What a wealth of knowledge he has. Well on my way to getting replays. Howard's help is off» Read morethe charts. Many thanks. Rob (PeterPuck) Canada
Pinsider Boslaw wrote a recommendation November 14th, 2020.
I give Howard my highest possible recommendation and thanks. He took literal hours of his own time to talk me through several problems with my machine, teaching me along the way. Howard is a fantastic teacher! He's calm, thoughtful, careful, and methodical. He doesn't over or under explain - he just figures out what your level of knowledge is, and explains to that level.» Read moreAgain - can't thank and recommend Howard enough!
Pinsider PinballHiro wrote a recommendation August 24th, 2020.
HowardR is an asset to our pinball community! He kindly spent nearly 6 hours via phone to educate me in electrical theory and diagnostics. Initially I sought him out to address a few specific issues on a ‘75 DOA Bally. Upon learning I was new to EM repair he insisted on sharing deeper knowledge. He helped me develop a foundation to better understand what» Read moremakes EMs tic. Now armed with a fraction of his skillset other electrical ghosts and WTF’s aren’t quite as daunting anymore. HowardR elevated my pin-fu level and I’m most grateful. Mahalo from Maui...
Pinsider Aper-caper wrote a recommendation April 23rd, 2020.
“HowardR has been an invaluable resource helping me with my introduction to EM pinball and restoring my first machine.
He has been extremely generous with his time and expertise in guiding me.
I can't speak highly enough about my experience dealing with HowardR. Great Pinsider!!”
Pinsider DashingDaryl wrote a recommendation February 19th, 2020.
“Though I haven't purchased anything from Howard, I do know he is customer Focused and knows his stuff. I asked a question and when he could tell I didn't quite understand the answer, he took the extra effort to explain it to me.
My experience with him was very positive!”
Pinsider Rudy18d wrote a recommendation October 6th, 2023.
“Howard is very patient with new members like me. Extremely knowledgeable. Never feel hesitant to ask him a question.”