Hi
Yes many ops out there don't care so long as a coin is dropped inside....
WE hovever put all of our really nice, fully functional machines out on location, even more scarce titles....
There are a handful of ops in the Michigan, about half of them are pretty much the same as the guy with the RFM. I've sometimes tried to contact the Ops with the blown out games asking if they'd sell them, just so they can at least play right! Barely working, and with a price higher than that of a restored one

Turn it off everytime you go in? Maybe he will get the hint. My gut said jam screws into the coin slots, but that's extra evil... Haha...

Sorry. Games earn better when they're clean, but he sees it earning as is. I called an op on a Dirty Harry and a Fastbreak here, both had dmds out. He said they're still making money so he didn't want to fix them. I guess kids dropping quarters in them at the laundromat is good enough.

Quality is relative,
but expecting quality out of Operator operators is illogical.
Now,
Collector operators should have their butts to the flames.

All the ops in my area don't take care of shit everything is junk on route!!!

Here's one of our locations that we have a league at. Tomorrow we are bringing up a stern stingray, just got a pf strip down, a zodiac, and a fully restored WCS
All games of course have flipper rebuilds/high tapped/etc
image.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpgimage.jpg

Once road show gets off the rotisserie, that will be going out to!
It's awesome because my house is already filled to the top with machines, it's basically
Like storage that pays!

Yeah by me there are some of the best Operators (They actually are there during leauge nights and will fix something easy or free a stuck ball) and then we have some of the worst operators that don't ever fix anything and some machines are the dirtiest i've seen.

Many ops don't have a single pintech left in the company.

The collector kid will come out and take the cash and unstick a ball - but he has no idea how the pin should play.

Yep, especially true for the operators with a big company
Bigger the business, the less they care

Tri Zone on location! Awesome! I had one in my location for about 2.5 years, I doubt there are many out there for public play. Mine is taking a break now but it will be back eventually.

As I see it, you've got a few options:

1) Stop putting quarters in it. As long as it earns money, the op has no reason to fix it.

2) Explain to the bar owner that pins that are in good shape will bring in business. His bar will become a destination for people that want to play pinball. It doesn't take a huge lineup to become a destination.

3) Take matters into your own hands. Find someone who will put in good quality games and maintain them, hook them up with the bar owner.

This.

Pick the lock, fix the game, lock it back up.

Smile every time you play it.

Modern padlocks are made so sloppy, they are just as easy to pick as the coin door locks.

To make it more interesting; change the padlock.

My boss in coin op once said a cardboard box with a coin door will earn the same as a pinball machine...

I'm pretty sure he is right. No reason to leave the game like that and we keep our pinz in great shape most of the time.

Chris Kruger

Find a new bar

It is obviously making enough money that he has not had any incentive to maintain it... heck even you are contributing to it!

Basically yes, some ops suck (broken ass games), some locations suck (breaking into games), and some players suck (punching through the glass, etc...).

But compared to 10 years ago, the pinball location scene is actually thriving, as close as I can tell. I live in a pin desert

Agreed. Hold both parties to the operators agreement accountable by no longer patronizing the establishment, and let the bar owner know that you are taking your business elsewhere.

That's so mean.

Seriously, the padlocks made today are so "loose" that I can't believe they are allowed to sell them as locks.

I would bet 95% chance the route guy would not even notice that the game had been re-rubbered and the bulbs were all working.

I might not be able to restrain myself from changing the marque message to:

"This game was vigilante serviced on 5/17/2015 by SUPERCOCK™ "

Lol
I'd say to take out all of the balls, that'd be the only way to make them take the glass off.......
Actually I don't know if that'd even make the Op take the glass off

Gee that's to bad, our operators in the MPLS/SP area are all top notch.

If you own a nice RFM why do you go play a shiesty one on route?

That's what happens when you start drinking.

Jam the coin slots with notes that say "please fix me, or no soup for you!"

I live near Jungle Jim's - kind of a cross between a grocery store, mall and theme park. The store is so big, with so many departments that the staff at the customer service desk isn't even aware that there are pins on the premises. It's a shame, because the machines would be great if they were serviced every once in a while.

When a service tech isn't on site, the staff should at least have keys and know how to free a stuck ball.

Never happen. Owner or operator will never go for it.

Great idea though.

LTG : )™

There were a couple of bars back in the day that were staffed by the owner, and I'd give them keys to unstick balls.

The coinbox of course had a separate lock, lol.

To me, a game playing that bad is almost like stealing money! That is totally unacceptable and it would probably only take 30 minutes to get it playing at least to a playable, fun state!

I have about 25 pinballs on location, and I feel bad when I have a burnt out light bulb on a machine!

So if you're ever in Vancouver, check out my stuffs!

www.eastvanamusements.ca

The good ops out here far outweigh the bad ones. Good at rotating machines, buying the latest releases...and keeping them in great shape.

We are blessed..

Found a Pirates of the Caribbean in a bowling alley outside of Ft. Meyers when my family was vacationing in Florida. Had never played one before, but it was in immaculate shape! Looked like it had just come out of a Stern box. That op was doing his job! I played several games because it played so great.

It is.

But as long as players support it, it won't change.

LTG : )™

Maybe? I've got the keys to the tables of a local op here - I'm not working for the location though, just a customer.

RFM has a special lock that only allows the glass to come out, not the coin door to open. It was done that way so locations could retrieve stuck balls IIRC.

Chris

I have no issues with this whatsoever.

I wish I had a picture or video of the Medieval Madness I described from Brintle's Travel Plaza: https://pinside.com/pinball/map/where-to-play/brintles-travel-plaza-mount-airy-nc

It's probably been on route for almost 20 years straight and it looks like the glass has never even been removed. The op won't sell it because he has delusions of wealth from the dozen offers I'm sure he receives every month trying to rescue it. I'm sure he still gets plenty of quarters from suckers trying to play it too.

Why don't people ever read the manual, clean games earn more!

Just tape an 'out of order' note over the coin slot. Do it every time you go in and the game still hasn't been fixed. Attacking the operator's profits is the only way he'll take the hint.