FWIW, I haven't had any issues out of my snake scoop, either. Maybe it's because I can't hit that shot to save my life. 
After about 600 games, my Tron scoop had issues with it hitting the right slingshot quite often. I tried the normal stuff; adjusting the scoop, making sure the plunger hit ball square, etc. The problem just kept coming back. What seems to have finally fixed it was cleaning the inside surface of the scoop that the ball rolls against. It was really not very dirty, but I could feel a small bump with my finger.
I agree with Markmon about the leveling. Most of us know to level our machines. It gets blamed for a lot of problems, but in my experience, it is not the real cause as often as it gets blamed.
Elgin, OK
