They stopped using USPS a little into the pandemic because they lost a lot of packages in transit. If I remember correctly.

Marco has really stepped up their game in regards to shipping with the 10$ flat fee, and often orders over 100$ can be shipped free if you find a code. But their prices are often higher for the same items, and sometimes even with the higher shipping it ends up being cheaper at PBL.

Where marco really shines is the speed with which they pick and ship orders as I dont think there is a site that does it faster, and often on the weekends.

Not had a bad experience with Pinball Life. Always a happy crew.

Can’t please everyone sadly

oh boy, They are only the BEST parts provider around. Why is it their fault you live in CA? Over halfway across the country and you want it immediatly. I guess you should have shipped it next day air.

Pinball Life is my favorite parts vendor. Terry has gone out of his way many times to help customize a part or add things to orders before they ship.
They have thrown free parties at their shop during expo and having met them in person I can tell you that they are awesome, down to earth folks.
It isn't their fault shipping is expensive, that sounds like your main axe to grind.
I am a PBL customer for life.

15$ for shipping? Try living up here!

I just placed an order late Thursday and it shipped on Friday.... quick turn around.... always been there for me when needed... I will be ordering again from them....

I have been ordering from pinball life for years, most of us have, never a bad experience. In fact, quite the opposite. Nicest people in the world. I’d give them a second chance.

On shipping, I know people want to try to save a few dollars, but USPS is a complete disaster. selecting priority shipping means absolutely nothing and there is no guarantee you get it in 2-3 days. I’ve had 1st class stuff show up faster sometimes. UPS is way more reliable and you can actually reach someone if there is an issue. I believe pinball life stopped using usps because of pandemic related issues.

As for posting negative things on their Facebook page and having it removed, companies have every right to filter what they want shown.

I paid $4.50 through Marco for a 2-inch super band. When a 2-inch piece of rubber costs that much, your shipping costs don't look so bad. Just wait until you see what a chicken will run you in the next year. And a chicken delivered? You might as well hand over the keys to your house.

Never had a problem using Pinball Life, even when covid was raging!
PS Woody, love the new avatar.

Just be happy you can get the parts you need.I currently have 3 machine {not pinball}out of service waiting on parts for several months now which we not know when they will arrive

It's hard to believe anyone can disparage Pinball Life!

I've NEVER had a problem with them, other than some slow shipping times back when they were still using USPS and those were not their fault. The $15 minimum shipping is kind of an annoyance when you need just a few small parts, but let's face it, in this hobby one can always put together a list of other things to order just to have on hand. Terry has always been very responsive to me, even when I send him idiotic questions. It's too bad that for whatever reason your experience was different... but I would not let this sour you on one of the best companies in this hobby!

Pinball Life is my go-to every time. I have always had awesome customer service and they have worked with me multiple times when I forget a part in an order or need something a little off the beaten path.

I only have upvotes turned on but I imagine you are getting lambasted with downvotes.

Or over here

Not gonna find a lot of sympathy when bashing Pinball Life on here........

Terry and Margaret have been propping up our games for years and are both stand up people.

Didn't you get an email that it had shipped w tracking? Maybe that's why they didn't reply -

My last order from Pinball Life I placed on a Friday and it arrived Saturday afternoon. Yeah PBL sucks.

With all the shortages, logistics issues and increased overhead businesses are facing you'd think people would be a little more understanding. Thank you terry and company for everything you do.

The OP issue with PBL shipping cost is valid.
They only ship UPS ground.
When ordering 1 item it’s expensive.
Example for fun I just went to PBL to see what cost would be to ship a plastic washer to same area code 60142 as they reside in.
Shipping cost was $13.
I would never order 1 washer,
Best prices on parts and shipping is Pinball Resource hands done.
Delivery time are really out of suppliers hands. If I order a part on Saturday don’t expect it to ship out till Monday earliest.

I always go to PL first for parts. Marco is second because their parts are more expensive but they seem to have a better selection.
I never had any problems in many years dealing with PL. USPS sucks. Even shipping priority has taken longer than it should.
I will only ship USPS as a last resort.

It seems like such a minor issue to start a thread about a company so many people love .

Terry is the man. Case closed. Margaret I think is his mom and she gets back within hours with shipping tracking info.

I ordered from them recently. Shipped the same day. I had a question after receiving the order and Margaret responded very promptly. While I agree you should have received a response, it is such a small issue when there is so much worse customer service out there these days.

Even the best retailers aren’t perfect.

I have had great experience with pinball life for both home and arcade. Terry and Margaret have been very responsive.

If you never got a shipment notification, how do you know they "waited" for 2 days to ship? I'm confused.

Sprayed my coffee on that one. Sorry, I understand you don't know that was pretty funny for me...

Jaz

I've been ordering from Pinball Life since they first opened and they are a great supplier. They are a small family business and super busy, so rarely I've had them take an extra day to get something in the mail or to answer an email. Based on my dozens and dozens of previous orders, it is not a problem in the grand scheme! Marco and PBR are bigger operations, and yes, I have ordered dozens and dozens of times from each of them and they always seem to get my packages out the next morning after the order.

That said, I'm familiar with the OP from many threads regarding older games and EMs. He is a good and helpful person and this is his first order from Pinball Life, so I will cut him some slack. I suggest we let this thread fade away and die.

Bummer that OP went through a little frustration here; no one is perfect, and PBL has long established themselves as “good guys”, but even the good guys can have a “off” day now and then.

I have found recently that UPS or FedEX next day delivery is really the only option at this point if you want to avoid hassles. Too much of a crapshoot these days with ground or USPS. On the other hand, I ordered a watch bracelet from a seller in Rotterdam, Netherlands last Sunday evening and it was delivered via DHL just before lunchtime Wednesday, so at least some carriers seem to have their shit together!

Ah, right. Duh. As others have mentioned they stopped using USPS a while back. Here is the announcement they made a while back.

https://www.facebook.com/pinballlife/posts/3271188126237992

Pinball Life has generally been great for me, although like you I have recently sent an email that never got a response. Mine was asking if they knew if a certain part would be restocked any time soon. I wanted an idea if I should place my order now or wait a bit until that part got back in stock to combine the shipping. I never got a reply so I just ended up just buying it elsewhere. If this was your first order and things didn't go well I can understand the frustration, but they are generally very helpful and responsive in my experience.

They used to offer USPS priority mail, but last year when the service got fouled up with priority taking weeks instead of days and the tracking system was unreliable they discontinued it.

You need to give them another shot!!! Pinball Life is amazing. They typically get your items shipped out same day, if not the next day. They have not used USPS since last year when the post office was in turmoil. If people remember from last year...people were getting stuff from USPS months later, items lost, rerouted numerous times throughout the country. We all need to be a bit more patient today.

I’ve had great experiences with pinball life like all the others here have said.

If you don’t like that he deleted your FB complaint, just hope he doesn’t ban you from ordering after this ridiculous post here. No soup for you!!

The ridiculous fast shipping from Amazon has everyone spoiled.

You didn’t need life saving medication shipped, it was pinball parts. Be patient or plan ahead and order your parts well in advance.

I remember sending away for stuff as a kid and everything took 6-8 weeks for delivery. That felt like an eternity when you are a kid.

I have dealt with the folks at Pinball Life for years. I have been thinking for a while now about adjectives that describe their company, their staff and their products and I still cannot find one that is negative.

Wishing Pinball Life continued success!

Yeah but now it looks like 34 people disagree that PinballLife is great.

I’ve emailed Margaret and their team several times over the years with questions, special requests, etc and always received a very quick response. I assume the timing on this coincided with a big annual sale fatigue from a couple weeks ago. I know I probably ran them through the ringer with my big ass order. It arrived 100% accurate, fast, and packed expertly. Maybe Margaret was taking a deserved break.

What a joke of a thread.

Wish people would let things play out instead of diving head first into PMSing.

I just read this topic for the first time and couldn’t understand why people hate pinball life (33 DVs)

So Yeah really confusion haha

They also answer the phone if u call them.
Ive ordered a ton from them.
Zero issues.

There is such a thing as problem customers too. Picked up a sheet of glass for my Twilight Zone there 2 weeks ago, $15.

I have found that Pinball Life is much better priced than Marco. Especially on coils.

Pinball Life is excellent. The people are very nice and the service is terrific.
So many of you girls need to stop whining about shipping. If you need it immediately, pay for express shipping, you cheap bastard.

There’s nothing better than going to PBL to pickup parts and play some awesome pins while they get your order together. Best in the business hands down.

Just wanted to add my support. The OP did the right thing by changing the thread title. Sorry the first experience wasn’t great, but every other one will be!

Knew I missed something ... made no sense that a positive review from the op would get so many downvotes ...
Pinballlife is definitely a great service provider.
Sadly the shipping and supply chain issues have hampered everyone's expectations of a quick delivery ..