Quoted from vid1900:You are missing the bigger picture.
No one would have ever known about the warranty length and how rigidly it is interpreted.
No one would have ever known about the repair advice given when you call for assistance.
No one would have ever known the warranty only applies to the first owner.
(sure you can say "well they could read the warranty", but what a company puts on paper, and what they actually do when you call for help - are two very different things)
Everyone has owned a few Stern or JJP games, so we have tons of data points and know what happens when we call for guidance.
AP is totally new, so 99% of Pinsiders have no experience with their tech help or warranty.
This thread is SUPER valuable to everyone on Pinside.
I agree that its valuable information. Whether it prevents myself or another buddy from buying a Houdini remains to be seen. That being said I think it be valuable if AP just admitted that they made a big mistake in how they handled this situation (maybe they did and I missed it). We all make mistakes, and in my mind this was a big mistake on their part. What they should have done is sent them a new board at a reduced price with the expectation that the owner returns the failed board that they can have repaired. Its pretty simple .. a board should never fail in three months....ever