Hi all, first post actually and thought I’d share todays preorder experience to get reactions.

Of course, like others experienced many dealers/distributors sold out of their LEs in minutes. Others simply didn’t post the LE machines to their shops due to the amount of early interest from members exceeding their allocations.

So…after working my way from West to East across Sterns distributor contact map I found a shop willing to take a preorder.

Here’s the catch…
Their asking price was $14999, $3900 over MSRP and when I asked why they told me “it’s because we paid Stern extra to ensure their seat at the top of the manufacturing distribution list”, “allowing us to guarantee the earliest availability and delivery to buyers”.

Curious if this is inline with authorized sales practices or if it’s something I should report to Stern? Or simply shut-up and suck it up…

Any thoughts, reactions, banter??

It’s a pretty big operation in the Midwest. Well known and they have multiple physical store fronts… I’m reluctant to share their name just yet for a few reasons. 1, I don’t want to falsely smear their name/reputation, 2, I want to follow up with Stern directly to confirm, and 3, if it turns out to be fraudulent I want to follow up with the police first before they get any heads up that they’ve been reported.

I can share this though, if you are asked to put down a 50% deposit for a $14999 price then you’ve likely run into the same shop.

They are indeed listed on the official Stern website and distributor page.

<EDITEd> posted late, after the above replies.

Well either way this plays out, DeathHimself is proving authorized Stern Dealers are selling for a mark up. $11999 is $900 over.

Well thanks for sharing the link TheGunnett . I should have worked my way further across the dealer map before jumping on the $15k deal. I honestly thought it was hopeless cause at that point of finding an LE.

BTW, now there is only ONE LE left at the ICE shop (homearcadegames.com) don’t ask me how I know… LOL, FML ‍♂️

They could still be working the system and I want to double check with Stern first. An employee could also be taking advantage and pocketing money against the companies will or awareness. This happens a lot in the automobile aftermarket performance parts industry. Who knows…I’ll reveal the dealer as soon as I speak with a Stern rep tomorrow.

Also, I agreed to the price so if there isn’t any foul play going on it’s ultimately on me. I don’t want to blast a business I’m willfully purchasing from that’s operating within the rules.

Oh good catch, I updated the post to credit the proper source. Thanks to both!
Fingers crossed I can get my $7500 deposit back but doubtful…will most likely have to keep one in the box for a future sale/trade.

Same here. Great game! Bought from the parent company site though, (icegame.com).

Will definitely give it a shot. Hoping Stern reacts unfavorably so that I can leverage something against their reputation. Otherwise, it’s just another salesman hustle for the record books.

Thanks ZMeny , Maybe I use their false claim against them as a way to get my deposit back.
Ironic you chimed in on my thread, I’m also in the process of buying one of your old pins

No that’s not the dealer that gouged me. ICE was a dealer TheGunnett posted to share that there was actually some remaining LEs available. I bought (a second) one from them before they ran out.

I was holding back on disclosing the price gouging dealers name until I could confirm whether or not it was against Stern’s selling practices.

Between you and a few others, I’d say I got my answer but I’m still going to call a Stern rep tomorrow to see what they say about it.

Totally agreed, which is why I refrained from revealing their name.

I only mentioned the police in the case that the sales agent was pocketing or commuting some kind of fraud with unauthorized pricing and sales.

Remember, at first I wasn’t sure what to make of the situation and after providing a deposit was made aware that this was nonstandard. Very shady claims by the dealer which prompts a lot of assumptions.

Thanks! Good to know.

Thanks for the negative criticism, I suppose you’re just as much an “idiot” for assuming the situation I was in.

Again, I was told the pricing had increased based on dealer costs and availability by an “authorized dealer sales agent”.

I’m glad your more knowledgeable than me but I chose to trust the “authorized dealer” in this case and do t think that qualifies me as an idiot.

Yes indeed I was based on the dealers claims. $15k is nothing compared to what some CEs and LEs have been going for on the retail and aftermarket.

I’m obviously a Rush fan and value the theme but not ok with over paying simply based on a dealer mark up when other dealers are selling for less.

Like I said, I went left to right on the national map calling every dealer/distributor in Sterns authorized network. When LEs sell out in minutes it’s kinda hard to “shop around” without completely missing out. I took the dealers word on pricing justification. This was the whole point in posting to the forums to get some verification.

Lesson learned.

Exactly Zach.

Update for all that care:

Spoke with a Stern sales rep today who verified that the dealers sales agent claim was completely false and unjustified.

Called and left a message with Erik Gilly, director of consumer sales to report the experience. We’ll see if I get a response.

I followed up with the dealer and explained to one of their managers what was presented to me at the time of purchase and what I had learned after the fact. They were extremely apologetic about the situation and said the sales agent who sold me the LE was new and was misinformed about the reason behind the pricing. It was indeed a dealer markup, nothing more, nothing less. The dealer ultimately made up for the confusion with additional discounts and credits. I was fine with this because I’m buying quite a few pins and arcade machines for a new game room remodel.

Thanks to all the informative and positive Pinsider responses! I could not have come to this same resolution or understanding without your help.

As for the A-H@/3s in this thread. You completely missed the original intent and inquiry of the post. I did ask for the banter though so thanks for the entertainment

Cheers!

Alright I had to fact check this one…

She actually is new, just looked her up on LinkedIn. But yeah, I laughed when the manager said it as well.

Oh the irony of it all…

The lyrics flow like gospel, so glad they put this song on the machine. The screen animations are pretty damn good as well. Can’t wait to play that multi-ball.