Here is the deal, I hate GAP ads, but Mike seems like a decent guy who is just trying to make a living. As long as he donates to Pinside and is not directly screwing pinsiders, everyone should shut up. As long as you are supporting pinside, you have the right to muddy up the for-sale threads as much as you want in my opinion. Robin has built us an amazing site and I want him to benefit from it. I do like the idea for an ignore feature and unfortunately, I would use it on GAP and other retail sellers as I suspect many other would as well. This may or may not cause him to adapt his strategy.

I’ve bought from and also traded with Mike at GAP on various occasions. He is fair with his prices if you contact him, and he is always willing to share Pinball info . A good guy in the Pinball Community.

Mike has been a good guy to me! I admit i have only purchased one pin from him but have thought about buying a couple others and he was competitive on the prices. The only reason i wasnt driving to Chicago was because i was pinball poor at that moment. As others have said, he has to make a living as a retailer. Dont fault him for that. If he isnt where you want to buy just move on. No reason to call him out!!!

You noticed the OP that’s bitching hasn’t supported the site lately.

Ok Pinside moderators, wasn't there talk or consideration of moving these "retail" sellers to a new separate location so casual buyers/sellers would not have to wade through a ton of ads for overpriced pins from their stores???

I really hate this thread, it's because of pure jealousy and spite by some. Mike has taken the passion of pinball, a hobby that we all love, and turned it into a successful retail business. He did what many of us would like to do, drop the daily grind of working for someone else and do your own thing.

You think he is overpriced? Don't buy it, but don't bad mouth him because he has a RETAIL business. Pinball needs retailers because not everyone in this hobby are deal seekers willing to comb CL, Mr.Pinball, or eBay for the best deal and drive hours to get it. People who want machines in their homes and businesses with white glove service are exactly the opposite buyers than most of us are, and there is a retail market for it. They only want to know how to turn it on and turn it off, and if something goes wrong they have GAP to service it for them. Yes, his prices are higher than someone selling out of their garage or basement, but he has to be in order to survive. On top of that, being able to provide proper customer service is not free, it costs money. I would lay the line that most bitching about GAP wouldn't have the 1st clue as to what it take to operate a brick & mortar retail store of ANY kind. Not manage, not run, not oversee, but own it and pay for it.

All you pinball "saviors" should be trying to protect the little guys and newbies from the REAL crooks in this business like Mad Amusements and the Choggards in this hobby. I don't ever remember any threads about GAP holding a $9 grand refund for months, or shipping off a machine that was not as described or completely different than what was pictured. I don't remember GAP ever openly threatening a customer with a lawsuit for badmouthing him or claiming inflammatory statements.

Oh, the(single) playfield thread that Hilton wishes everyone to read, please do. I saw this High Speed playfield personally and I was on the side of GAP's customer. It was a terrible job, it did not turn out well, GAP knew it AND the customer was completely made whole. Not every transaction is going to go perfect, it's how it's handled after the fact. That's what makes a reputation.

Well said! And don't forget...EVERY pinball retail store I've shopped in had better prices when I showed up with cash!

So agree with you on this post. This is probably the Only thing I dislike about Pinside. Mike is Good people and one of several Great people to do business with. Period! In all honesty he is probably TOO nice and supportive in most cases!! I would Bet he Looses money on many deals to ensure his customer is happy! Add to that, these how do I block retail adds stuff.... Want to block it, Make your own forum and make your own rules! Reminder this is FREE Open forum and Advertisers/Sponsors/Supporters like GAP are what help Fund this Awesome resource for us All! This forum gives everyone the Voluntary right to donate/support this Valuable resource yet I Bet not even 25% donate a dollar to give back. Guys like Mike pay (look it up!) handsomely to throw out an occasional add. I have lots of Free apps on my phone that Google bill boards me every 10 minutes. Do I care, yes! But I got what I paid for! Shame to those that want to tear down Valuable supporters of our Hobby and Contributors to continued growth because they are don't think its a great deal for Them! I paid 9$ for a roll of toilet paper at 7-11, do I think its fair NO. I could get 50 rolls on Amazon for 2$ but I need to crap Now! lol Some won't be happy until they derail and push away Every valuable contributor to this hobby so they can feel better about their Opinion. Bravo to Mike and GAP for staying the coarse and overlooking these personal attacks. You are a Great person (Friend) and a valuable resources for those that don't Like to know Every history detail of repairing a game. Some people just want to Play. I have Mike, Mr Lloyd (The Great!!!), cliffy, etc etc to contribute to my lacking knowledge. Plus you don't get an As-Is deal with them! They Earn your business!!

While I completely agree with this statement, I feel it is necessary to point out that Mike still does the daily grind of working for someone else. Why? the truth is there just isn't enough business/profit to be made to make a living completely selling pinball machines. Technically I do the same thing as Mike (resell, wholesale, retail, service, etc), but pinball only makes up about 10% of the total sales for the year. The rest is made up from many other items. Cranes, arcades, hunting games, gambling games, etc, etc. On the flip side, selling pinball probably takes up 50% of my time. Why do it then? Simple... I ENJOY IT. I (along with most of the other retail stores) enjoy interacting with people, going to shows, bringing new people into this cool hobby. Next time you go to a show look and see if it is the manufacturer behind the booth of the local "Retail / Distributor." These are the guys that need to be supported if you want to see this hobby keep growing.
I have bought countless items from mike over the years. I have sent many customers directly to him when i knew he had an item they were looking for. Mike does a service that many people wish they could. Don't judge what you don't understand. Like others have said in this thread, show up with cash (and without an air of superiority) and the price will come down.

The voice of Another Awesome hobby supporter and stand up Guy! Keep up the great work!

Anyone in here got in touch with GAP? Recently or had strange feedback with their customer service?-

I try and want to buy product currently for sale on their website and they are ignoring my email and not responding. I just ask if it was in stock and it seems to be impossible to get an answer.

I think I’ve been nice and polite in my emails but it’s frustrating to be treated this way. I guess they should have happy customers to continue business but I don’t get why putting priduct for sale and not being able to answer basic questions. Do we need to live in the US to have a proper customer service?
Not cool.