They just raise prices, not warranties. People can bag on stern all they want but I've received free parts from them 4 years out or more on multiple occasions. JJP gives gives you the finger and hopes people keep buying.

Counterpoint: toys!!!! And world under glass!!! And MECHS!!

Also coils

OP, I'm sorry for your issues you've experienced. I will say this should come as a surprise to nobody, however. Their quality and support have gone down big time.

It really looks like Spooky is now solidly in second place.

Well said Matt JJP quality went down hill big time my play field looks like shit. Also after a few plays half of there junk rubbers are snapping apart. First and last JJP game for me as well.

My NIB DI was built like a tank. I loved that game and played it constantly. When the phone part died (such a cheap product...) they ignored my emails and phone calls repeatedly. I forgot how I finally got someone to help me. It was about 8 months in. To their credit, they charged me for the phone and gave me a refund upon receiving my dead one.

I never forgot the lack of support though, and that's what made me stop buying from them and start buying from Spooky. Customer service is so important these days.

I was on the fence with GnR. If that was a Stern or Spooky game, I would have purchased it day one. JJP made me hesitate, and then when they raised their prices mid-sale, that was an obvious "no" from me.

Sorry to hear about your troubles. I hope it all works out.

A broken world under glass apparently.

I love Wonka, one of my favorite games but you have to spend countless hours dialing that thing so it even plays.

So a board died after 8 months and they denied your claim , Stern Boards are only warrantied for 60 days .
People have have said the same thing about Stearn's warranty as well .

IMG_20210722_011854 (resized).jpg

I was a pretty huge JJP fanboy and bought their first three games. Anytime I needed customer support I received it but it was certainly a janky process at times. You never knew if using the website, an e-mail, or a phone call would get you the help you needed. Usually a phone call worked.

I think, as with most hobby communities, there's a super vocal minority that has had a bad experience and wants to make sure the whole world knows about it. This can make it seem like there are no happy customers but the happy ones just don't share their feelings that often.

That's not to say those with faulty products shouldn't be compensated but there's definitely an echo-chamber on PinSide.

I'm no longer a fanboy and sold everything except WOZ however I would still buy another one of their games if I liked the theme/layout regardless of PinSide's opinion of things.

Dang...All these stories about JJP has got me reconsidering Toy Story.

I've purchased several Stern machines and have never had an issue with customer support. They've always gone above and beyond. One time, I even got a call from Gary.

Are you implying that two wongs DO make a right? Sten has had big snafus in the past, too. This doesn't diminish how JJP has taken the crown in crapulence, however. JJP at their worst is definitely more poor than Stern at theirs.

I'm not saying anyone's better or worse than anyone , some people have had good and bad experiences with both companies .

It's a shame what happened to their customer service. When I bought my Dialed In,Frank and Steve were great when I had problems with my game. My phone was replaced four times,and I probably had to replace "Bobs Trap Door" at least five times. They also sent me some replacement drones. I also received a new video card,if I remember correctly.
After hearing about there recent playfield problems,and their lack of customer service,I'd never buy another game from them.
I was considering a Toy Story,if that was their next game,but that's not gonna happen now.
It's a shame because my "Dialed In" was well built,and I expected a few bugs with a NIB game.

Yes, but don't you understand GNR is a grail theme and is not only the best pinball machine ever created, but is also probably the best coin-operated amusement device in history?

I mean, if you are genuinely committed to the GAME, you'd understand that its relentless awesomeness transcends any trivial concerns about mundane stuff THAT DOESN'T EVEN IMPACT GAMEPLAY and stop being so nitpicky (this stuff is hand-made, dontcha know).

Why bite the hand of the company that finally made all of your pinball dreams come true? You should be thanking them instead, ungrateful jerks!

In all seriousness, the situation is terrible for all involved and I really hope you guys can find some semblance of an acceptable resolution. Few things are more deflating than the fiasco some of you have gone through with this, and I am sorry that the euphoria of cracking open a NIB game was almost immediately throttled for some of you.

At the end of the day, paying $450 for a new board may be "an acceptable resolution."

Spooky rules!

Stern has been great to me, haven’t needed anything recently on my two new Sterns so that’s just as well but I don’t know how they do stand behind it lately.

Are you serious or sarcastic about GnR because I don’t care for it personally.

I agree the possible use of sarcasm was just too subtle!

The JJP support team has been responsive for me in the past (w/in the last year or so), but it's never been a warranty situation. I'm sure "old" JJP would've taken care of you...Too bad that with their new leadership they are now putting their bottom line in front of customer satisfaction/loyalty. Things are good now, but eventually this behavior will catch up with them.

Problems come up in every line of business but it’s how the company handles it that truly matters. Solving issues can solidify a customer for life. It’s a shame that they don’t appear to have much respect for the end user.

Legendary JJP quality!!

Their bricked games are WAY heavier than a bricked Stern game. The "build quality" and pure heft makes it a much better paperweight. More innovative too.

OP should change the title of this thread to "Pile on JJP"

Well it's starting on many threads and spreading by day. JJP had fun, seems liek their bubble might be....

Seems like their CS changed after the move to Chicago. Beforehand, I was able to get parts for free on games where I was not the original owner and past the warranty period.

My Hobbit is rock solid, reliable and beautiful.

I'm sure that fills the OP with joy.

Did you buy it recently? Because that seems to be the problem if you haven't figured that out.

It's comical that this post isn't even about the playfield issues

I will say this. Barry, on his own from my experience, is a good dude. It's the shit company above him and their terrible policies that are the problem.

Also if JJP is a 0/10 Stern is a 3/10 at best- still unbelievably awful support.

Edit: Would you geniuses mind explaining why you are downvoting me? Do you lack reading comprehension?

Customer Service Is Everything!
Take Care Of Customers & They Take Care Of You

Could not care less what the theme is .... JJP is not for me

At my company, we always do what ever we reasonably can to make customers happy, so you don't find internet threads like this that can been searched and found online forever.

Come on dude, even Stones fans are tired of hearing them play "Satisfaction" at every show.

I guess its nice that you got refunded after they got your old one but that seems pretty dumb tbh. Why not just send a replacement? Thats what Stern did when my Lil Deadpool head fell off. Didn't even have to ship the old one back. At the VERY least, they could have not charged you unless you didn't send the old one back. Especially after all the screwing around you had to do for months. I would consider that below average customer service at best.

This is of course ignoring the horrendous playfield problems they are having, and instead of helping anyone out, they simply changed their warranty to cover basically nothing. Shameful behavior from JJP

Playfields are a problem, not "the" problem. The issue that has a lot of folks upset is JJP's reaction to customer issues.
They aren't answering the phone. The voicemail box is full. If you get through to voicemail, they don't call you back. If you email, you don't get a reply.

Playfield, boards, motors, it doesn't matter. JJP needs to address their customers while they still have customers to address.

My intention was not to do so, but to counter the broad statement that JJP quality is "legendary" in a bad way.

No, I never buy new games. I am the second owner on mine. The former statement is because I do understand that the new products are often flawed, JJP or Stern. I do not have it in me to gamble $10k on anything unseen.

I know dude

I'm so mad about it because I want a GnR, I've got a line on a gently used one in decent shape. But I'm so so nervous. I don't trust it. Might as well be buying an 80's Gottlieb. Same level of support. I don't think I'm ready for that for a $10,000 machine.

Hopefully you'd knock about $450 off the Pinside average price?

What’s that now? They have PF issues, I wasn’t aware of that. I’m sure people will stop paying mad money for their games unless they’re sending out populated PF replacements.

Wow. To me the playfield thing is one thing... but if you're telling me they are not standing behind their boards and electronics... that's another!

Agreed. A metal ball smashing around and causing some chips on a poorly done clear coat is one thing... and it's valid to complain about. But the power driver board failing and not being replaced while under warrant... WTF???

If their profit margins are so poor they have to reduce customer support to the absolute minimum it's definitely a bad sign.

If they are making plenty of money and still don't want to improve the customer experience... also a bad sign.

It’s just garbage support all the way around. I feel bad for the op . However, they are betting that everyone will line up and purchase the next big thing without even a video or play through. Which we/they will most certainly do. I’ll take bets right now that says the next announced pin will sell out within hours.

I am sorry to hear about your GNR, that really sucks! I do appreciate you making this post as well as others who have shared their problems with JJP quality and support. I just recently put money down on my second NIB and as much as I wanted to go with JJP for Guns N’ Roses their crap support caused me to look for a different pin. I am going with Spooky for an Ultraman. We all have different expectations for quality and tolerance for risk, but I will vote with my wallet and only support companies that will support me if I need it.

Send some pictures of the playfield with the flaking issues. Thank you!