(Topic ID: 148897)
This topic is closed.
Quoted from Pin_Guy:Actually, if the problem isn't with the boards, its 0 defective boards and something else that is taking out the boards. broken wire, screw shorting something out ... etc. Has a good visual inspection been done of all the components under the playfield?
This is a pinball machine, they are designed to be worked on because they do break ... a lot. If your friend is unwilling to do any troubleshooting on it, he should ask the distributor for a refund, and not ever get another pinball machine. Sorry if this sounds harsh, but its reality.
He has been working with Stern to troubleshoot it. They have asked him to try and do several things.
A whole lot of people here making excuses for a poor customer experience. I had the same experience myself.. Stern taking forever to send out replacement boards, and then sending the wrong part... weeks (months) later, STILL BROKEN! I'm still waiting on replacement parts from stern from a purchase made in November, same machine, MET.
Centerflank... "Any recent issues I've had I always drop Trent an email and the parts get sent out rather quickly, I don't even bother calling Stern tech support anymore. If your distributor blows you off on helping getting parts quickly, time to find a new one."
Trent WAS my distributor, and besides zero communication, he's failed me in every attempt to rectify this problem, so far. He never confirmed receipt of payment for many days, took for requests to get a receipt from him, etc, etc. I'd give him a 4/10 rating, and hes the number one Stern dealer?!!
This talk about gas is stupid. Nobody ever said they had to pay for my gas to the post office to return it... flamers!
TP: what took you so long to put FF on ignore? I had him (and three others) on ignore my very first post here... buncha pansies for sure.
MS: "Maybe we can help get this chap up and running?" <-THIS, exactly, how about some support rather than defending the crap support from the vendor? If they cant take care of us, then who?
Boston, MA
My collection goes up and down. Currently I have 14 games, and out of them, at one point or another 13 of them have broken. And the only reason the 14th hasn't broken is that I haven't owned it long enough. Most of the time it's something minor, but other times it is worse.
It is just part of the hobby. My games are between a month old to over 35 years old. They are a box with a steel ball smashing around inside, and they have been moved all over the country. I hope your friend gets this resolved soon, but he should accept it as part of the game just as much as playing is.
And seriously, every one of is that have been doing it a while know that sinking feeling when a ball goes up, and a bunch of other parts slide down the playfield.
Quoted from DaveH:My collection goes up and down. Currently I have 14 games, and out of them, at one point or another 13 of them have broken.
13? You're a lucky guy. Unless the 14th is a Pinball Arcade game... 
Quoted from scheiny:A whole lot of people here making excuses for a poor customer experience. I had the same experience myself.. Stern taking forever to send out replacement boards, and then sending the wrong part... weeks (months) later, STILL BROKEN! I'm still waiting on replacement parts from stern from a purchase made in November, same machine, MET.
Centerflank... "Any recent issues I've had I always drop Trent an email and the parts get sent out rather quickly, I don't even bother calling Stern tech support anymore. If your distributor blows you off on helping getting parts quickly, time to find a new one."
Trent WAS my distributor, and besides zero communication, he's failed me in every attempt to rectify this problem, so far. He never confirmed receipt of payment for many days, took for requests to get a receipt from him, etc, etc. I'd give him a 4/10 rating, and hes the number one Stern dealer?!!
This talk about gas is stupid. Nobody ever said they had to pay for my gas to the post office to return it... flamers!
TP: what took you so long to put FF on ignore? I had him (and three others) on ignore my very first post here... buncha pansies for sure.
MS: "Maybe we can help get this chap up and running?" <-THIS, exactly, how about some support rather than defending the crap support from the vendor? If they cant take care of us, then who?
He must like me more than you, sorry.
Quoted from pintechev:Throughout all of this, I feel like the spirit of Pinside is missing a little. Sure, Pinball breaks, etc. but this is someone's first game. Bought brand new. And it's not working. Maybe we can help get this chap up and running?
Marc
This "chap" didn't ask for help. It's his friends game. He is just here to complain. Worthless.
Sana'a
Sadly, there are many Pinsiders from MA.
Your friend might consider making a post himself (to disentangle you from the stress of this entire thread), and ask for someone local to assist with the repair.
This way, rather than kill another circuit board, an experienced Pinsider could quickly determine if the problem is in the playfield or on the board.
The game would be back running, your friend would gain some hands-on, in-person tech experience (He's going to need it), and he will gain a Pinhead friend or two that knows how to troubleshoot modern Sterns (he's going to need that too).
You can never have too many Pinhead friends that know how to fix games.
Quoted from vid1900:You can never have too many Pinhead friends that know how to fix games.
Wanna be my friend? 
Quoted from vid1900:We already are.
Great. I'll PM you my address since I think you're not too far from me. I've got shit needs fixin'.
Quoted from beelzeboob:13? You're a lucky guy. Unless the 14th is a Pinball Arcade game...
Harlem Globetrotters (my second HG). It came in a few months ago and a friend that does repair had just finished it. So it came in working perfectly. But I play it, so eventually it will break a wire, or a switch will go out. I love the old SS games, which just leaves me a bit more suseptable to minor issues like that.
Quoted from vid1900:Sadly, there are many Pinsiders from MA.
Your friend might consider making a post himself (to disentangle you from the stress of this entire thread), and ask for someone local to assist with the repair.
This way, rather than kill another circuit board, an experienced Pinsider could quickly determine if the problem is in the playfield or on the board.
The game would be back running, your friend would gain some hands-on, in-person tech experience (He's going to need it), and he will gain a Pinhead friend or two that knows how to troubleshoot modern Sterns (he's going to need that too).
You can never have too many Pinhead friends that know how to fix games.
He is not on pinside and he's not much into forums either. As I have reiterated several times already, he is dealing with Stern.
Asking for assistance with the repair wasn't the topic of this thread. He can do that with Stern. I am sure there are a bunch of great people here who would like a crack at the repair though.
I guess I wouldn't want someone on a forum telling me how to fix my car's computer either. I would rather let the manufacturer figure it out to keep the warranty 100% valid.
Then your presence here is meaningless since nothing you are saying is going to help Stern fix your friends game. Despite lots of strangers offering up support.
Marc
Quoted from Pins4me:I guess I wouldn't want someone on a forum telling me how to fix my car's computer either. I would rather let the manufacturer figure it out to keep the warranty 100% valid.
He would learn a heck of a lot more here than he will ever learn from Stern. Some guys here have been fixing pins for decades. If someone tells you to do something dumb or out of your skills, don't. But almost exclusively repair questions and work have no political leanings on Pinside. It doesn't matter if someone hates the game, that gets put aside to help people.
Learning doesn't void your warrantee.
Quoted from Pins4me:I would rather let the manufacturer figure it out to keep the warranty 100% valid.
Every time I see this, it puzzles me why people feel working on something that was made to be worked on would void the warranty. They give you the wire diagrams, schematics, and on board diagnostics testing that tell you what fuse, what wires colors you are looking for, everything you need to work on it.
I skimmed over this thread but the reality is these are coin operated commercial machines purchased by people that are supposed to fix and maintain them without somebody holding their hand.
Whether they send out a remanufactured board or repair the existing one, what's the difference? A reman. will usually get it back up and running sooner. But fixing it yourself will get it running even faster.
And if you really want to compare getting this fixed to a car that you recently drove off the lot, then why don't you just wheel it back down to the dealership you bought it from and see how soon you get it back.
Quoted from Pins4me:He is not on pinside and he's not much into forums either. As I have reiterated several times already, he is dealing with Stern.
Asking for assistance with the repair wasn't the topic of this thread. He can do that with Stern. I am sure there are a bunch of great people here who would like a crack at the repair though.
I guess I wouldn't want someone on a forum telling me how to fix my car's computer either. I would rather let the manufacturer figure it out to keep the warranty 100% valid.
When he's ready to dump the project I may reluctantly take on the basket case.
Quoted from Pins4me:I don't know about you, but neither myself nor my friends have $4-$5k laying around. Buying a pinball is an expensive investment.
Unfortunately, you may not be in the hobby long.
Plugging new PDB into amachine without diagnostics is trouble. You already did it TWICE. It is like sticking you finger in a light socket and praying. Most like you other issues based a symptoms.
Pinball machines should never be considered investments, they are a luxury. Even NIB have problems. Pinball machines consist of thousands of working parts. More than many devices that a person may have ever owned in their lifetime.
Old saying:
"Anything can go wrong in a a pinball machine at any time".
Work with your distributor, and begin the art of learning how to repair. Eventually you might enjoy it. If not sell it to another collector, and am sure they can fix it.
Quoted from xTheBlackKnightx:Pinball machines should never be considered investments, the are a luxury.
Wrong! They are money making commercial machines that can be depreciated come tax time. That is what they are and have always been. If you don't use them for what they were meant for then that is your own choice.
Quoted from o-din:Wrong! They are money making commercial machines that can be depreciated come tax time. That is what they are and have always been. If you don't use them for what they were meant for then that is your own choice.
If you own then in your own home for no operation than your own enjoyment, they are a luxury.
If you are routing machines for commercial business, that is operational stock for income.
I have done both for those purposes.
The market has changed.
Pinball machines have not EXCLUSIVELY been designed for commercial use since the early 00s.
The split right now is 60% operator, 40% home market roughly.
Stern does not make LE machines for operators, although an occasional fluke shows up on a route.
TAF Gold was not made for operators.
Neither was WoZ ECLE.
Quoted from xTheBlackKnightx:If you are routing machines for commercial business, that is operational stock for income.
Wouldn't that be considered a business investment?
That's beside the point. Anybody that is not using it for a business is not depending on it for anything. But should be able to repair it. Or know somebody that can.
Quoted from o-din:Wouldn't that be considered a business investment?
That's beside the point. Anybody that is not using it for a business is not depending on it for anything. But should be able to repair it. Or know somebody that can.
Not exactly.
Pinball machines were considered "throw away" devices after their useful life period was up, after income was gained beyond base cost was recouped, based on the limits of interest and tech maintenance cost to keep them operational. Paying a tech $35/hour for a game that makes $25/week is a tipping point.
The private market revival in the late 80s started to change that with operators starting to sell used machines directly to private owners for the extra income much more often after the arcade explosion, instead of trading them up for new games from distributors or dumping them in an "old warehouse". This was a new opportunity not widely recognized previously, especially with the illegalization pinball in the 1970s. Their was really no such thing as a "pinball broker" (not a game distributor)until the early 00s after "Black Friday" when it REALLY took off.
I agree any collector should learn to do basic maintenance like changing the oil in your car. Advanced tech repair comes with time, training, experience, and interest. It is one of the predominant problems right now in the hobby.
Many more people interested than feasible for maintenance. If a person owns more than 10 machines, and no basic maintenance skills there is trouble brewing.
I feel your pain. This is a unique industry that does not play by the "rules" of modern business with A+ customer service. It's hard to compare them to washer machines when they are a dime a dozen.
But I really think Stern and the distributors should get on the same page with this.
Quoted from xTheBlackKnightx:Not exactly.
Pinball machines were considered "throw away" devices after their useful life period was up, after income was gained beyond base cost was recouped, based on the limits of interest and tech maintenance cost.
Throwaway or not, if they are making you money, I would consider it an investment. Not thinking it is going to gain some kind of value in the future, but an investment just the same. I invested in a lot of tools when I was a mechanic, but they are not worth as much now as when they were new. But part of that investment was that I was able to depreciate them as if they were losing value with time.
Quoted from pintechev:Then your presence here is meaningless since nothing you are saying is going to help Stern fix your friends game. Despite lots of strangers offering up support.
Marc
Quoted from DaveH:He would learn a heck of a lot more here than he will ever learn from Stern. Some guys here have been fixing pins for decades. If someone tells you to do something dumb or out of your skills, don't. But almost exclusively repair questions and work have no political leanings on Pinside. It doesn't matter if someone hates the game, that gets put aside to help people.
Learning doesn't void your warrantee.
Quoted from Pin_Guy:Every time I see this, it puzzles me why people feel working on something that was made to be worked on would void the warranty. They give you the wire diagrams, schematics, and on board diagnostics testing that tell you what fuse, what wires colors you are looking for, everything you need to work on it.
Quoted from xTheBlackKnightx:Unfortunately, you may not be in the hobby long.
Plugging new PDB into amachine without diagnostics is trouble. You already did it TWICE. It is like sticking you finger in a light socket and praying. Most like you other issues based a symptoms.
Pinball machines should never be considered investments, they are a luxury. Even NIB have problems. Pinball machines consist of thousands of working parts. More than many devices that a person may have ever owned in their lifetime.
Old saying:
"Anything can go wrong in a a pinball machine at any time".
Work with your distributor, and begin the art of learning how to repair. Eventually you might enjoy it. If not sell it to another collector, and am sure they can fix it.
One more time let me repeat, the topic of this thread isn't can someone help my friend fix his machine.
The topic pertains to getting it exchanged for another one.
I mean no offence guys, but the people at Stern know what the heck they are talking about. They troubleshot the game with him.
Some of you mention it wont void the warranty to troubleshoot. Well, yes and no. Lets just say a coil was suspected of being the issue and he goes and gets out his soldering iron and removes the wires from a coil. Well, that's voiding the warranty. If Stern told him to do that, then that's a whole another story. I totally get that you folks want to help, and if the machine were out of warrantee, then lets troubleshot this puppy together. His concern is this is the 3rd board the STERN, you know the manufacturer of the machine, will be trying.
And Marc, who the hell said he isn't working with Stern to fix the problem. Please go back and read all the posts again. I have said it a bunch of times. He is working with Stern to resolve the problem. What do you want him to do, start cutting wires and desoldering stuff on machine that worked for 10 days.
And xTheBlackKnightx, why would he sell a 10 day old machine to another collector. I swear some people here say stuff just to stir the pot and piss others off.
Quoted from Hougie:When he's ready to dump the project I may reluctantly take on the basket case.
Ok, I will tell him you will have $5000 ready for him. Whats the address you want it shipped to?
Quoted from Pins4me:Lets just say a coil was suspected of being the issue and he goes and gets out his soldering iron and removes the wires from a coil. Well, that's voiding the warranty.
Not true.
You have a lot to learn about pins.
Coils blow all the time. 99.99% of owners would never call the manufacturer. Who wants to wait 2 weeks for a common part like a coil?
Even if you wanted to wait 2 weeks, coils are not covered by warranty .
-
Ford does not void your warranty if you replace a blown tire. Just like a coil, it is a common failure point.
You would be an idiot to wait for 2 hours at the dealer for a tire repair any service station could fix in 10 minutes.
STERN PINBALL INC. FACTORY LIMITED WARRANTY :
STERN PINBALL INC. SELLER WARRANTS ONLY TO THE INITIAL PURCHASER OF ITS
PRODUCTS THAT THE ITEMS LISTED BELOW ARE FREE FROM DEFECTS IN MATERIAL
AND WORKMANSHIP UNDER NORMAL USE AND SERVICE FOR THE WARRANTY PERIOD
SPECIFIED; WARRANTY PERIODS ARE EFFECTIVE FROM THE INITIAL DATE OF SHIPMENT
FROM SELLER TO DISTRIBUTOR.
1. PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS AND GAME LOGIC : TWO (2) MONTHS (60 DAYS)
2. DOT MATRIX DISPLAY BOARDS: NINE (9) MONTHS
NO OTHER PARTS OF SELLER'S PRODUCT ARE WARRANTED. SELLER'S SOLE LIABILITY
SHALL BE AT ITS OPTION TO REPAIR OR REPLACE PRODUCTS WHICH ARE RETURNED
TO SELLER DURING THE WARRANTY PERIODS SPECIFIED PROVIDED:
1. SELLER IS NOTIFIED PROMPTLY UPON DISCOVERY BY PURCHASER THAT STATED
PRODUCTS ARE DEFECTIVE.
2. SUCH PRODUCTS ARE PROPERLY PACKAGED AND THEN RETURNED FREIGHT
PREPAID TO SELLER'S PLANT.
THIS WARRANTY DOES NOT APPLY TO ANY PARTS DAMAGED DURING SHIPMENT AND
OR DUE TO IMPROPER HANDLING OR DUE TO IMPROPER INSTALLATION OR USAGE
OR ALTERATION.
IN NO EVENT SHALL THE SELLER BE LIABLE FOR ANY ANTICIPATED PROFITS LOSS OF
PROFITS LOSS OF USE ACCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR ANY OTHER
LOSSES INCURRED BY THE CUSTOMER IN CONNECTION WITH THE PURCHASE OF A
STERN PINBALL INC. PRODUCT.
WARRANTY DISCLAIMER : EXCEPT AS SPECIFICALLY PROVIDED IN A WRITTEN CONTRACT
BETWEEN SELLER AND PURCHASER THERE ARE NO OTHER WARRANTIES EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR
A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
THANK YOU - STERN PINBALL INC
Oh no what ever am I to do??? 
Blocked? TP (=Toilet Paper)
Boy, I love it when the trash takes itself out. 
Quoted from Pins4me:Some of you mention it wont void the warranty to troubleshoot. Well, yes and no. Lets just say a coil was suspected of being the issue and he goes and gets out his soldering iron and removes the wires from a coil. Well, that's voiding the warranty.
False. Proves only how clueless you are.
Quoted from Pins4me:One more time let me repeat, the topic of this thread isn't can someone help my friend fix his machine.
The topic pertains to getting it exchanged for another one.
Quoted from Pins4me:I mean no offence guys, but the people at Stern know what the heck they are talking about. They troubleshot the game with him.
Quoted from Pins4me:His concern is this is the 3rd board the STERN, you know the manufacturer of the machine, will be trying.
Did you ever think to tell your friend to ask the place he bought it from if they will exchange it...even if someone gives you an answer to your question...it means nothing as every distro is different.........Joey
To me this is a case of short-sighted "dead right" behavior. Sure, like the jet ski example, Stern has no moral obligation to hand hold warranty repairs. And true, these are machines that have historically been built for a commercial application with a smaller buyer base of private collectors.
But where is the biggest growth potential moving forward? IMHO, encouraging new people to get machines increases both the interest in routed machines AND grows the private collector market. And at a $6-7K price point most consumers have an expectation of a higher level of service than the Walmart model of "bring it back on your own dime". I've known more than one person who've had a technician sent at manufacturer's expense to get a large appliance (fridge, washing machine, etc.) up and running, so I'm not surprised that there would be a similar expectation among noob buyers purchasing a NIB pinball machine.
How much extra would Stern truly have to charge to provide a "60 days up and running" guarantee? It doesn't sound like all that many buyers have major issues like board failures, and experienced owners are just going to pop their machines open and fix it themselves rather than wait for a service appointment. If 10% of buyers have issues that require in home support to resolve, and the average in home support call cost $100 (outsourced to private contractors to reduce overhead), they'd only need to add $10 to each machine to offer peace of mind. Is it really worth the $10/$20/$30 in savings on a $6500 machine when you make a bad buying experience for a brand new consumer?
Stern has no obligation to cater to the inexperienced pinball owner, but from the outside, it seems like it would be a smart way to grow a relatively stagnant buyer base.
Quoted from Breaking_Dad:You know what it's time for...!!!.............Joey
image_(resized).jpgimage_(resized).jpgimage_(resized).jpgimage_(resized).jpg
Some pussy? 
Your friend bought it from a local distributor or had it drop shipped? If he is local, didn't he offer a warranty?
Quoted from NYP:Your friend bought it from a local distributor or had it drop shipped? If he is local, didn't he offer a warranty?
Hum, I bought one from Automated and one from Cointaker. Neither time was I offered a "warranty" other than what comes with the machine.
I tried to locate Stern's official posting of their warranty, but it only asks you to fill in your personal information.
I did locate the warranty I pasted below, but that came from someone web page.
I am sure Stern will make things right. I know it sucks to get a new machine and have issues with it right away.
STERN PINBALL INC. FACTORY LIMITED WARRANTY :
STERN PINBALL INC. SELLER WARRANTS ONLY TO THE INITIAL PURCHASER OF ITS
PRODUCTS THAT THE ITEMS LISTED BELOW ARE FREE FROM DEFECTS IN MATERIAL
AND WORKMANSHIP UNDER NORMAL USE AND SERVICE FOR THE WARRANTY PERIOD
SPECIFIED; WARRANTY PERIODS ARE EFFECTIVE FROM THE INITIAL DATE OF SHIPMENT
FROM SELLER TO DISTRIBUTOR.
1. PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS AND GAME LOGIC : TWO (2) MONTHS (60 DAYS)
2. DOT MATRIX DISPLAY BOARDS: NINE (9) MONTHS
NO OTHER PARTS OF SELLER'S PRODUCT ARE WARRANTED. SELLER'S SOLE LIABILITY
SHALL BE AT ITS OPTION TO REPAIR OR REPLACE PRODUCTS WHICH ARE RETURNED
TO SELLER DURING THE WARRANTY PERIODS SPECIFIED PROVIDED:
1. SELLER IS NOTIFIED PROMPTLY UPON DISCOVERY BY PURCHASER THAT STATED
PRODUCTS ARE DEFECTIVE.
2. SUCH PRODUCTS ARE PROPERLY PACKAGED AND THEN RETURNED FREIGHT
PREPAID TO SELLER'S PLANT.
THIS WARRANTY DOES NOT APPLY TO ANY PARTS DAMAGED DURING SHIPMENT AND
OR DUE TO IMPROPER HANDLING OR DUE TO IMPROPER INSTALLATION OR USAGE
OR ALTERATION.
IN NO EVENT SHALL THE SELLER BE LIABLE FOR ANY ANTICIPATED PROFITS LOSS OF
PROFITS LOSS OF USE ACCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR ANY OTHER
LOSSES INCURRED BY THE CUSTOMER IN CONNECTION WITH THE PURCHASE OF A
STERN PINBALL INC. PRODUCT.
WARRANTY DISCLAIMER : EXCEPT AS SPECIFICALLY PROVIDED IN A WRITTEN CONTRACT
BETWEEN SELLER AND PURCHASER THERE ARE NO OTHER WARRANTIES EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR
A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
THANK YOU - STERN ? PINBALL INC.
Quoted from Pins4me:He has been working with Stern to troubleshoot it. They have asked him to try and do several things.
If your guy really wants it fixed.. call your distributor and say either send someone to troubleshoot it (with parts in hand), or you'll hire someone local and they'll pay the bill.
I know you've been spoiled by the 'return for any reason' retail model the big shops have established in the market -- but that's not how big ticket, commercial items really are. The units are EXPECTED to need fixes and the world is setup to repair in place... not exchange/return. These are not simple boxed consumer items that are not field serviceable - They are large commercial items expected to be serviced in place by experienced technicians.
If you and your friend were not pin-savvy, you should have bought from a retailer who offered in-home services and warranty. That's what you're paying for with local presence. If you bought from a distributor long distance because they were the best price -- they are offering that price for those that are self-sufficent.
If you pay ebay prices, you won't get Cadillac service.
Quoted from Breaking_Dad:You know what it's time for.
Some pussy?
Ooop boob beat me to it.
Quoted from o-din:Some pussy?
Ooop boob beat me to it.
Only because you're three hours behind me.
If your friend was my customer I would take the game back, issue a full refund and never sell him another game.
Quoted from vid1900:If you had a problem with your car, the dealer does not give you brand new one off the lot; they fix your existing car. (If it's a BMW M5, you can count on it being at the dealer more time than it is in your garage.)
If your new washer/ dryer breaks, they don't bring out a new washer and take your old one to the dump; they fix your existing washer.A pinball machine is a piece of commercial vending equipment, not ceiling fan with a 70% mark up.
There are plenty of items you buy, that you can't return for a cash refund:
You can't return a diamond ring.
You can't return a new car (you loose $3000 just driving it off the lot).
You can't return a firearm.
You can't return liquor.
You can't return a Jetski.
-
Pinball machines require constant repair. You'll get used to it.
This is generally true, but I know of cars/pins getting swapped with new replacements in extreme cases.
Quoted from inhomearcades:If your friend was my customer I would take the game back, issue a full refund and never sell him another game.
Why wouldn't you just fix it?
Good distributors or brokers help new pinball owners (especially those will little experience) "above and beyond" the purchase warranty and conditions of Stern.
This does not even consider any additional cost of a "maintenance contract".
This way they build that loyal purchase base.
Some are REALLY EXCELLENT.
That is why it was mentioned this consideration up front, versus trying to call Stern technical services direct.
It still requires a baseline of some sort of electronic experience with pinball specific preferred (terminology and such).
It is really hard for someone on a phone to determine what is wrong if words like "the thingy does not work".
That is not meant as a slap in the face.
My bottom line is have your friend find a local pinball collector, they most likely can get the problem fixed, or at least identified to know what is wrong.
Even old technicians need help sometimes, we do not have a "crystal ball" and know everything, but tend to be more methodical than pure "trial and error".
Quoted from Boondocker:Why wouldn't you just fix it?
I'd rather fix it and sell it to someone who understands what they are purchasing. You fix this problem and every single other problem that comes up with be the end of the world. The fastest way to remedy that circle is to stop it before it starts.
It sucks that nib either break right away or even arrive broken, but it happens. Doesn't make it right but it does happen and people can argue all day about bad qc but until these problems stop happening you know that the possibility of the game being broken is there, if you can't accept that then you have no business buying a pin.
Quoted from beelzeboob:Only because you're three hours behind me.
I guess that means I'm stuck with sloppy seconds.
Quoted from DaWezl:How much extra would Stern truly have to charge to provide a "60 days up and running" guarantee?
A fortune.
Major appliances are in every home. So even a crappile of a town will have an Appliance Repair company, that has all the common replacement parts in stock.
Pins, on the other hand, are rarely in people's homes. So there is no existing repair network of techs who are suitable (and bonded) to enter people's homes.
If you have ever seen what the pintechs look like that Ops use to service their games, you would not let them enter your home (let alone ask them to take their boots off).
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