I just cancelled my LE order. Screw this, I'm just not willing to take this kind of risk on an $8,200 purchase. I'm so disappointed right now, but I'm not going to just 'hope' I don't get screwed.

FML

I have had this information relayed to me from a contact who is at the Stern factory almost weekly, I'm taking it on face value as I personally am not familiar with any of this myself.

Earlier this year there was a large staff walk-out at the company that has been doing Stern's PFs for years now which left everyone in a bad place. When those people left they took a significant amount of knowledge with them. The management have been re-staffing but of course finding people with decades of hands on (not just theory) PF making knowledge is near impossible. This is where the delays have been coming from, unable to fulfill volume due to staff shortages and Stern rejecting obviously unacceptable PFs from them.

I don't know if they have isolated the root of the problem in the production process yet.

Stern are aware of the issue and are deciding what to do for the people who have been effected by this. You can guarantee they wont make an announcement about it, they will deal with each case personally, and anyone with an ounce of business smarts will see why. They have been burned by the issues arising out of the problems experienced by the PF supplier and now have to find a way to fix it and make it right for the effected people.

This really is a shitty situation for everyone involved. As disappointed as I am to have to back out of my purchase, I do have sympathy for everyone that is trying to navigate this situation and I'm certainly not going to demonize Stern for this, it's a complex knock-on problem that is hurting them, their distributors and their customers.

Hopefully they can track down and kill the problems in the PF process, make things right with the effected buyers and distributors and get back to full volume with solid PFs in the future.

I have no skin in this game as I cancelled my LE this week, I'm neither a Fan or a troll for Stern. I was told this information in good faith, and I'm relaying it in the same sentiment, take or leave what you will from this.

Cancelled my GBLE and bought this HUO MMRLE in perfect condition from a fellow pinsider instead, couldn't be happier.

I'll consider a premium when I see they have corrected all these problems.

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It's like a frikkin' DIY lick-n-stick $8000 pinball machine!!

Only requires several pieces of plastic, stickers, washers, zip ties and chewing gum to work almost perfectly most of the time.

Jeebus Christo, did I ever dodge a bullet on this one.