Winooski, VT
Quoted from snyper2099:Then you probably need to learn how to use a smart phone for communication/business and not rely on 50 year old, slow technology [email]
Your concept of "slow email" cracks me up!
(Topic ID: 306172)
Quoted from Ty-Arnold:The problem is a lot of these people kiss ass on here talking good about distributors, thinking the distributors will read the comments and maybe give them better service. You are right the service most of these distributors give is not good. I'm having problems with them also.
You need to find a better distributor then. Many of us pride ourselves on service quality AFTER the sale. There are many good distributors out there that do this for a living and our reputation is our life. If you are dealing with someone that does this as a side hustle then find a new distributor.
Quoted from arcyallen:Your concept of "slow email" cracks me up!
You fail to understand the concepts, not I.
Glad you got someone to take care of you. I can tell you this, i generally answer emails within an hour, but usually within minutes. Regardless of time of day, I cant tell you how many times ive answered emails at 2 or 3 in the morning.
I have this philosophy that If i dont answer right away, that you will go and email the next distributor, so i want to answer right away to earn the business. When we are all selling the exact same game, its the service that set one apart. Now in this case, i couldnt have helped you anyway as i dont have a godzilla pro in stock, but i cant tell you how many people that have paid me and the game shipped within 24 hours. These are not cheap toys, and i want to get games to customers as quick as i can
Quoted from CrazyLevi:It seems like you can count the people in this hobby who are actually content and enjoying themselves on one hand.
I am content and enjoying myself 
I'm not saying there isn't value in distributors but for myself I can't see any. To me they're just gatekeepers hooking up buddies that scratch each other's back with LEs and whatnot.
If distributors had mantiance shops like car dealers I could see some value, but as a new guy to the business I don't personally see any.
I'm sure this post puts me on a few peoples shitlist but all I know is of LEs were on a lottery from the manufacturer I'd have a shot. As it stands I'll never get one if I wanted it
Quoted from greenhoody:I'm not saying there isn't value in distributors but for myself I can't see any. To me they're just gatekeepers hooking up buddies that scratch each other's back with LEs and whatnot.
If distributors had mantiance shops like car dealers I could see some value, but as a new guy to the business I don't personally see any.
I'm sure this post puts me on a few peoples shitlist but all I know is of LEs were on a lottery from the manufacturer I'd have a shot. As it stands I'll never get one if I wanted it
I wish the distributor system would end. My limited experience is that the distributor only adds problems to the process and/or adds markup to the price to take their cut for the privilege of giving them business. In normal times, it's a headache checking with a lot of distributors to get their price, stock availability, shipping info, etc... And then deciding which is the best option. Right not, they're just a bunch of websites with "sold out" by each game.
Stern and JJP have proven time and time again they're terrible at dealing with end use consumers.
Most distributors I've dealt with have been great. FlipNOut, Tilt, Cointaker. I've gotten LEs from most just by being a good customer.
If they cut out distributors it's not like your games will be cheaper. You'll just be dealing direct with companies with shit customer service.
Plus it allows great entrepreneurs and small businesses and ability to earn an honest living doing what they love.
Quoted from schudel5:Buying NIB pinballs is hard.
You can't overstate this. I know you are 'joking', but you are really correct. If you aren't early, you're late.
Prague
Quoted from Ryguy80:+1 for Pinball Pirate. Bought a Namco arcade machine from Chris and his associates. Had an issue with the PCB (it died) a couple months after purchase and he was very helpful at getting the issue resolved, and his shop was halfway across the country from me.
Chris is the best.
Quoted from seenev:I wish the distributor system would end. My limited experience is that the distributor only adds problems to the process and/or adds markup to the price to take their cut for the privilege of giving them business. In normal times, it's a headache checking with a lot of distributors to get their price, stock availability, shipping info, etc... And then deciding which is the best option. Right not, they're just a bunch of websites with "sold out" by each game.
This is crap. Find a decent distro, a good distro adds value to the game and the community. New buyers should have someone to help walk them through the process, help set up and fix any issues that come up.
Develop a relationship with a distributor and you won't have the problems you describe.
Be decent, have patience and deal with a reputable distro, no problems.
B
Quoted from Strummy:It's crazy that I just called Cointaker for a part and even during this busy week Melissa was right there to help.
It's crazy that at this time of year, people are 'me me me' and expect people to be around. I'm not saying 'you' necessarily were that way, but I've seen a lot of that in threads lately.
Quoted from Zablon:It's crazy that at this time of year, people are 'me me me' and expect people to be around. I'm not saying 'you' necessarily were that way, but I've seen a lot of that in threads lately.
I hear you. I made the call expecting to leave a message and she picked up.
Quoted from ZooDude:This is crap. Find a decent distro, a good distro adds value to the game and the community. New buyers should have someone to help walk them through the process, help set up and fix any issues that come up.
Develop a relationship with a distributor and you won't have the problems you describe.
Be decent, have patience and deal with a reputable distro, no problems.
B
Thinking that the distributor model is a completely antiquated system is not a crap opinion. There are plenty out there, myself including, that would be happy to just order a machine directly and the additional transparency that process *should* have.
There absolutely are great distributors out there that don't do the things in the original complaint, for sure. But that this system is necessary heading into the year 2022 speaks more to the failures of the manufacturers rather than sings the praises of the distributors to me.
Quoted from Blake:Get a couple project pin restorations started and you won't believe how easy the money flies. It will feel like your CC has wings!
I have four playfields I'm building pins from scratch, the cash has been flying out at warp speed.
Quoted from rue_:just spent a week almost emailing Pinballs.com for a machine
For what it's worth, you can just call Mike at pinballs. He has been super helpful to me whenever I have called. Even spending his time just shooting the shit about pinball on occasion.
Stern is something like 50 thousand units behind on orders (ridiculous) so you might not like the answers he gives you about availability, though.
Quoted from Wicked-Flip:For what it's worth, you can just call Mike at pinballs. He has been super helpful to me whenever I have called. Even spending his time just shooting the shit about pinball on occasion.
Stern is something like 50 thousand units behind on orders (ridiculous) so you might not like the answers he gives you about availability, though.
50k behind... are you sure about that? I have no idea what their production capacity really is but if they made 500 machines a week that would put them about 2 years behind?
Quoted from pcprogrammer:50k behind... are you sure about that?
Pretty sure it's at least that. The number I was told was 60k behind on orders. That was in Oct. I can't say who told me but my response was shock.
Take it with a grain of salt. It's unofficial hearsay. I don't doubt it for a second though.
Maybe someone else can unofficially confirm
Quoted from snyper2099:Outside of a receipt, these days, it’s too slow and inefficient when buying and selling. Messaging apps and texting are way easier to use, more secure, and more widely used as well.
Let’s just say that most people are not hovering over their email inbox anymore waiting to respond to a potential customer. In my industry, you are much more likely to get a sale finalized in minutes if you are using texting and phone calls instead of emailing back and forth, waiting for hours or sometimes days for responses on both ends. We certainly still use emails but it’s quickly being lapped by sales reps in my industry that use those other “faster” tools.
I disagree. Most people had a smart phone and receive emails on their phones. I certainly do and have for half a decade. When I worked as a cop it was also widely utilized. I could radio dispatch and have a no contact order, mug shot, parenting plan, whatever in seconds via email to my phone.
You don’t like my method of contact yet another company emailed me back and we got the deal done. Obviously it works fine.
Quoted from The_Pump_House:So the first distributor didn’t respond to emails fast enough so you used a phone for the next distributor?
Jesus did you even read my post? No, I emailed them back and forth like I did for the first place and called them the next day to give them my credit card over the phone. Same thing I would have done for the first place if they replied.
Quoted from Tilt:Glad you got someone to take care of you. I can tell you this, i generally answer emails within an hour, but usually within minutes. Regardless of time of day, I cant tell you how many times ive answered emails at 2 or 3 in the morning.
I have this philosophy that If i dont answer right away, that you will go and email the next distributor, so i want to answer right away to earn the business. When we are all selling the exact same game, its the service that set one apart. Now in this case, i couldnt have helped you anyway as i dont have a godzilla pro in stock, but i cant tell you how many people that have paid me and the game shipped within 24 hours. These are not cheap toys, and i want to get games to customers as quick as i can
You sir get it.
Quoted from lifefloat:What I don't understand about this whole thing is the OP said he used to run a 40+ machine route a decade ago and now he doesn't know who or how to buy a machine without it being an issue.
read my reply for the first guy that asked what you did. Different state, different time. I called to buy several soda machines last month and the company stopped selling them. Things change over time
Quoted from Beechwood:I 'literally' hope that truck didn't encounter any low bridges...
I don’t know what you’re trying to say but the machine arrived today and it’s excellent
Quoted from rue_:I disagree. Most people had a smart phone and receive emails on their phones. I certainly do and have for half a decade. When I worked as a cop it was also widely utilized. I could radio dispatch and have a no contact order, mug shot, parenting plan, whatever in seconds via email to my phone.
You don’t like my method of contact yet another company emailed me back and we got the deal done. Obviously it works fine.
I played Mike's CCr at Pintastic. where else would I get the chance to do that? Nothing but good things to say about him from me and others here based on actual transactions that happened.
Quoted from Zablon:In case people haven't been keeping up with current events, buying used games sucks as well!
Haha plus one to this comment.
Quoted from manadams:Some distributors are more motivated than others so they will check all modes of communication. Right now there is so much demand with such low stock of most NIB games it's mostly just answering an email with a depressing "out of stock and don't know when there will be any available", not much motivation when they have no product to sell at the moment.
The distributors that are staying motivated and positive will be more successful than the lazy ones once machines are back in stock and the demand goes back to normal.
Bought my first pinball in May from Hemispheres Amusements in Illinois. Now I have 5 with 2 more on order. Yes they're extremely busy, they're a small family run shop. However, their service is first rate and they are honest. They tell you what they know and more important tell you that they don't know which properly sets expectations. They are fairly priced, no they are probably NOT the cheapest, but they have literally done everything they said they would and in todays world that is a rarity. I highly recommend them.
Quoted from rue_:I disagree. Most people had a smart phone and receive emails on their phones. I certainly do and have for half a decade. When I worked as a cop it was also widely utilized. I could radio dispatch and have a no contact order, mug shot, parenting plan, whatever in seconds via email to my phone.
You don’t like my method of contact yet another company emailed me back and we got the deal done. Obviously it works fine.
Lots of pinball nerds don’t even have a smartphone let alone have email on their phone.
There are distros that are the same way. Not saying that’s how I would do it, but that’s the reality of the situation.
Quoted from rue_:I disagree. Most people had a smart phone and receive emails on their phones. I certainly do and have for half a decade. When I worked as a cop it was also widely utilized. I could radio dispatch and have a no contact order, mug shot, parenting plan, whatever in seconds via email to my phone.
You don’t like my method of contact yet another company emailed me back and we got the deal done. Obviously it works fine.
It only works fine when it does. No one is criticizing how you get things done. Email is slower. If our sales team relied solely on emails, they would loose millions in sales to another supplier. Some customers demand more and for a lot of those customers, if an email sits in an inbox for 20 minutes, they just order the products we sell from somewhere else and we lose the sale….
(We have about 30K regular customers.). So you see, we can’t afford to rely on email for our sales because it’s too slow and we would lose out on a ton of business. People need time off and to eat lunch. That is why texting and phone calls are more productive (and faster) for some businesses. Also, in response to someone else, we don’t need an email trail of what’s ordered. If someone says they didn’t order it or it was a mistake, they can pay the shipping and simply return it to us, no problem. Likewise, texts are retained in the cloud... We have needed to refer to them but, not often enough to worry about it much.
Quoted from seenev:Pinball.com/Automated are terrible. The only reason they sometimes have more stock than others is because they price gouge, and their customer service is terrible.
Spot on.
Quoted from JBtheAVguy:Spot on.
Spot off. He's old school. He likes to haggle
Quoted from Strummy:Spot off. He's old school. He likes to haggle
I can tell you definitively he will not haggle. I can tell you definitively he will lie to you. I can tell you definitively he will not follow through. I can tell you definitively he will not treat you like he respects your buisness. If this is all "old school" it's time to re school. Can you tell I've had a really bad experience with them?
Quoted from JBtheAVguy:I can tell you definitively he will not haggle. I can tell you definitively he will lie to you. I can tell you definitively he will not follow through. I can tell you definitively he will not treat you like he respects your buisness. If this is all "old school" it's time to re school. Can you tell I've had a really bad experience with them?
He haggled with me. He also came through and was respectful. I have only bought one game from him and it was a good experience. My usual distro happened to be sold out of a particular game.
Quoted from rue_:I just spent a week almost emailing Pinballs.com for a machine. I get people are busy and it's the time of year but seriously I don't get why people can't communicate more than once or twice a day. I was a cop for awhile and it's like interrogating a suspect. Hey what do you have in stock, hours later...this stuff. Cool what's the diff. between the pro and premium? hours later...Stern flyer attachment. Like come on man I finally sent and email just saying I'm looking elsewhere this is taking too long THEN dude starts emailing me just to tell me good luck. I've never had to work so hard to spend money in my life.
Try buying a new 2022 Corvette
Quoted from JBtheAVguy:I can tell you definitively he will not haggle. I can tell you definitively he will lie to you. I can tell you definitively he will not follow through. I can tell you definitively he will not treat you like he respects your buisness. If this is all "old school" it's time to re school. Can you tell I've had a really bad experience with them?
I am sorry that your experience sucked. Even the best people drop the ball on occasion though.
Quoted from Strummy:I am sorry that your experience sucked. Even the best people drop the ball on occasion though.
Define “on occasion”…
Quoted from brainmegaphone:Define “on occasion”…
No one is perfect.
Some may think that they or others are but there is a diagnosis for that.
Quoted from Strummy:No one is perfect.
Some may think that they or others are but there is a diagnosis for that.
I just think its unfair to write off bad experiences of others as a fluke so quickly. Keep in mind that a lot of people just wont complain in public openly.
That aside, I'll state that I'm not defending the OP but I think you and others should be open to the possibility that more than a handful of people have had negative experiences with the distributor in question and it may not just be an occasional dropping of the ball.
Quoted from brainmegaphone:more than a handful of people have had negative experiences with the distributor in question
Mike?
Reply
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