Apparently. To follow through, imagine being involved in a dispute where the independent, third-party mediator entered the negotiations with that starting position?

ARA is a CM and not in the pinball industry so they would rightfully be a bit suspicious of the neutrality of any mediator from the pinball industry. If I were ARA, the above statement by the 'independent' mediator would most certainly preclude that person from consideration for the role. Perhaps people would be better served by having someone who is actually experienced in mediation. Are there organizations like the American Arbitration Association in the Netherlands?

3) In order to ramp up production and release the completed games, we regret to inform our supporters that we must increase the price of the machine by $1500. We understand that some may choose to opt out of the game due to the increased cost; however, we still believe TBL is competitively priced and will see significant appreciation.