(Topic ID: 186581)

Centaur with undisclosed issues purchased from Pinside seller/s

By KHL

6 years ago


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  • 115 posts
  • 61 Pinsiders participating
  • Latest reply 6 years ago by spfxted
  • Topic is favorited by 9 Pinsiders

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#40 6 years ago

I must admit just hearing the word Rockland gets my hair up. Every experience I've had with Rob was unpleasant. The 1st time I agreed to drop off a pin at his shop that was going to be shipped with 3 other pins to someone across the country. I spoke with him and told him the reason why I had agreed to help deliver the pin was to make it easier to group ship and that I was interested in his Congo and wanted to see it in person. I drove a beautiful Gilligan's Island up to Rockland only to find out that Rob didn't have the Congo at the shop after all. He didn't have the time or couldn't be bothered to bring it from his warehouse up in NY. He told me he thought I be much more interested in his No Fear?! When we took the pin out of the car he commented "Oh this IS a nice G. Island!" The best part of the whole experience was meeting Greg and his daughter as he was shopping a Scared Stiff. I drove home upset only to find out from the guy across the country that Rob tried to sell him a beat up Gilligan's for cheaper when he heard he was buying mine. This was after I spoke with him and told him I sold the game and was going to deliver to his shop?!!

A couple of months pass and one Friday afternoon I get a message from Rob that he has that Congo ready at the shop and there's a bunch of interest in it, if I want it I have to act now. I looked at the few pics he sent and told him ok I'll hold her with a 300 deposit and I'll pick her up Sunday. I paypal him and then decide after I talked with him to let him know I sent the deposit that I need better pics. He started describing cabinet separation and if I remember correctly some kind of plate attached on the side of the pin. When I received more detailed pics I realized that for the price he was charging I would want a nicer example of the game. I asked for the deposit back and although he wasn't pleased he refunded me the cash. I apologized for wasting his time.

You think I would have figured by now to just steer clear of Rob but the desire to own that next target pin got the best of me again. I contacted him for a RBION he had for a good price and wanted to know if he would accept my Roadshow for trade. I had a nice example with no fish wear or cabinet fade, just missing a shaker motor and slight outgassing in the dmd. He told me he could only offer 2k for the condition it was in. I was upset but wanted the RBION more than having the Roadshow in the house so I agreed and told him I would meet him that weekend at his shop. After mulling it over the next day I decided the Roadshow was worth more than the 2k he was offering and called him but he wouldn't budge so I told him forget about the trade I'll pay full price. I get to his shop that Saturday and speak with his employee that shops his games. Here is the only part where I can honestly say I should have done my due diligence and inspected the pin properly. I was in a rush to get back home on Long Island for a family get together and it was my 1st time buying from a shop so I figured if anything was wrong I had some recourse. I would have saved myself a lot of grief if I would have been a bit more diligent when inspecting the pin. Rob's employee pointed out the hole in the bottom of the cab which I was told about. We lifted the playfield and he pointed out some of the shiny mechs and the cleanliness of the bottom of the cab. I played a couple of balls and after a cash transaction we loaded her up. Well in the open space of Rob's shop you couldn't detect the smell of mold but once I started driving an hour I realized I'm smelling mold?! I set the game up when I got home and started a game. After a minute or 2 I realize all the balls are leaving trails all over the playfield. I remove them to find they were never cleaned up before putting them in the game. I also noticed the magnet under the shrunken head is way to far above the playfield to have the ball pass through. I lifted the playfield to adjust the magnet and surprise there's mold and rust all over the middle to bottom half of the playfield?! The guy showing the pin went out of his way to point out he new shiny stuff under the playfield but didn't disclose the rest. I now had that same feeling as the Congo shuffle and called Rob and told him I didn't want the pin and was going to return it. His response was to curse me out and promptly hung up. My wife saw the look on my face and asked what happened. I told her this F#@$ just hung up on me? I called him back immediately and asked if this is how he treats everyone he deals with or did I just get lucky today. He apologized and explained it was a hectic day but then proceeded to tell me that I was mistaken and there was no mold or rust anywhere on the machine. I asked him if he was calling me a liar I'm looking at it right now. I took some pics let me send them to you. He complained that I blew up a bunch of other deals from Friday to Saturday while he held the pin and now what is he going to do with the machine? I explained that if he had a bunch of interest clean it up or disclose it to the next buyer. You shouldn't have a problem if there was a bunch of interest. After continually telling me I was wrong about what was right in front of my face he told me fine bring it back to the shop and I'll give you your money back. I returned the pin the next day and now got to experience the pleasure of being told to my face that I was wrong in front of Greg and his daughter who looked fully embarrassed to be associated with him. I asked again if he wanted to see it 1st hand. I had wrapped the game properly for transit but told him lets open her up and I'll point it out for you so you can stop calling me a liar. He continued to tell me I was wrong and he remembered the game perfectly and there was nothing of the sort under the playfield. I then reminded him that I have pics of the mold and rust that he keeps denying. Again I was told that I was wrong and that there was nothing wrong with the game. I was so fed up trying to argue with him and wanted my cash in hand now that he has the game back in his shop. I feel he was trying to escalate the argument to the point where he would have just kicked me out of his shop. Since I paid in cash it would have been my word against his that I returned the game in the 1st place. I tell him ok you believe what you need to believe just give me my cash. He then looks at me and says it's Sunday where am I gonna get that kind of cash? We have a winner!! The only reason why I took a check was because it was a company check. He then declares " I'm done with you, I want you out of my life, you're dead to me. Wish it could have been that easy...

After being screwed by 2 people that showed up at a home and impersonated me while swiping a Dr Dude out from under me guess who just happened to post the DR Dude at their shop the next day just like the one in my pics?
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/pinball-karma-helps-me-score-a-congo
For a long time I kept this shit quiet because like a rape victim I was ashamed to speak out. At this point I feel that as a fellow pinsider I would want to know who to steer clear of.
If you do not have the ability to go see the game in person you better ask for a ton of pics. The only other person in pinball I ever had a similar experience with is Barrynwj from the jersey shore and if you know who he is nuff said. There's a difference between someone who sells a game and shows or discloses all the bad with pics of the exact areas. The pics I received from Rob were taken to hide the issues. Guess what guys, your customers actually talk to each other. Everyone else I have met in this hobby has been fantastic to deal with. Sorry you have to deal with Rob on a daily basis Greg, you were nothing but nice to me each time we interacted.

#52 6 years ago
Quoted from Gwaxt72:

Remember this there are always 2 sides to every story. someone comes to my shop buys and inspects a game leaves with it and calls me 2 days later tells me he changes his mind and we still take it back

I don't like being called a liar and being dishonest and that's exactly what you did on the phone and to my face when I dropped the game off. You're doing it again now. You can keep telling yourself I changed my mind because I didn't like the game play itself. I didn't like the game's condition and I asked for my money back. You told me that you couldn't be responsible because the game left your shop and anything that was wrong with it was done by me in transit and set up. I remember asking you if I grew the mold and the rust on the way home. The treatment I received throughout the process was disturbing. You told me in the 10 years you have been doing business I was the 1st person who wanted to return a game back. I find that hard to believe. In my case there was no shipping involved so it was easier for me to load the game up and drive her back. I didn't call days later I called the night I brought it home and set it up.

Quoted from Gwaxt72:

and Crispin only half of your info is accurate, thanks for the great post. great to trash someones business that they break their balls to get going. Also making false accusations that you have no proof if. congo or dr dude whatever IT NEVER HAPPENED.

The only info that was wrong were the days of the week. I paid for the pin on a Sunday before New years, picked it up on Wed. I received texts on Thursday that you had to discuss it with your partners. Had to worry through new years eve and new years day I was going to get stuck with this pin. Just a quick text could have eased my mind but you left it unresolved. You finally agreed to take the pin back on Saturday and told me to bring it by on Sunday. Other than that there's not a single thing that was not accurate. I was upset not to see a Congo I drove up for. I was pissed that you tried to step on a deal that I had already made for a Gilligan's Island. I changed my mind after inspecting pics more closely of a Congo and asked for my $ back. I was really pissed when I was cursed at and got hung up on the phone for the RBION. I was then berated in front of your partner and daughter and was told not to believe my lying eyes and that I just didn't like the game play and was not an honest person. Yes there could be a possibility that you just happened to post a Dr. Dude that looked exactly like the game that was swiped out from under me by 2 impersonators and it wasn't the same machine. I wasn't the only one that noticed you posted in your shop right after my thread the day before, a couple of people emailed me and told me that was fu@#ed up. I'm sure you've sold a ton of games but you sir need to work on your bedside manner. Like you I've dealt with a number of people on pinside and try finding someone that has something bad to say about me. You question my integrity by saying half of my info was wrong. The only thing I can't prove is Dr.Dude. Everything else I had to experience 1st hand and if I can help someone else not go through this unfortunate experience I will. I treat everyone with respect and as a business owner you should go out of your way to do the same.

2 weeks later
#96 6 years ago

Yes robotron it was a douche move to accuse someone without concrete proof. I apologize to Rockland pinball for the accusation. I should have stopped my rant at describing the treatment I received from Rob. When I gave the deposit to hold the Congo over the phone I asked beforehand if it was refundable if I showed up and didn't like the game's condition. I was told of course, he stands by all of his machines that he sells and my deposit was refundable. So no robotron I don't lose my deposit. Also if a business owner tells me this I expect some civility if an issue arises. This wasn't buying a game out of someone's garage. Yes as a business grows sometimes things fall through the cracks, but you treat your fellow man,(let alone your customer,) with respect. I expect to be treated with the same respect I gave him, I didn't call screaming and cursing. When agreeing to a refund he explained that he and his crew must have missed the mold and rust just like I did when I picked the game up. When I returned the game I was then called a liar and untrustworthy and that there was no mold or rust. I truly wish I was one of the pinsiders who have had no problem with Rob. To the people that enjoyed his business and miss him it was not my intention to have him leave pinside but to share my experiences with others so that he would change.

#106 6 years ago

Robotron you say that I still don't really take responsibility for the fact that I personally inspected a game. I stated so in the 1st thread. It was the treatment I received immediately after that was the issue. This came from my 1st post;

Quoted from Crispin:

Here is the only part where I can honestly say I should have done my due diligence and inspected the pin properly. I was in a rush to get back home on Long Island for a family get together and it was my 1st time buying from a shop so I figured if anything was wrong I had some recourse. I would have saved myself a lot of grief if I would have been a bit more diligent when inspecting the pin.

I never stated that Rob was trying to pull a fast one on me or some scam. Don't put words into my mouth. When I called Rob I didn't accuse him of trying to scam me, I simply asked to return the game.
I also did not take possession and sit on it for a few days. I called as soon as I got home with the pin and set it up. If you read my reply to Rob it stated;
"The only info that was wrong were the days of the week. I paid for the pin on a Sunday before New years, picked it up on Wed. I received texts on Thursday that you had to discuss it with your partners. Had to worry through new years eve and new years day I was going to get stuck with this pin. Just a quick text could have eased my mind but you left it unresolved. You finally agreed to take the pin back on Saturday and told me to bring it by on Sunday."
I took responsibility for my shortcomings in the 1st post. Does this give Rob the right to treat me like sh@#? If so then thanks for the heads up I wont be dealing with you either.

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