Stern sold me an Avengers that was best described as "half baked" at best.
JJP sold me a WoZ that shut down and started to smoke after only a few games.
Heighway sold me a FT that had to go back too.
My buddy is having some issues with his AMH.

I'd still buy a pin from any of them because they've all been great with the support.
The point is, pinball machines are tough to build perfectly.
If you can't handle some troubles, get another hobby.

I suspect that we hear my issues about Stern pins because they sell far more than anyone else.

I can only shake my head, reading some of these "I know best. Here's what Stern ought to do differently" posts.
It's good to hear from the home-schooled crowd I suppose.
This isn't Toyota. Stern doesn't have multiple dealerships across the country. They don't make millions each quarter.
Considering the number of pins they sell compared to the number of Pinsiders who post threads of ACTUAL problems/issues they're having, I'd say it's safe to say Stern is doing fine.
Perfect? Clearly not. But the fact is, there are VERY FEW people on here who can say "I have an unresolved issue with a game I bought from Stern". Yes, there's a few -and that sucks, but compared to the total number of pins sold, I still feel that they are a solid company to deal with.
I will say this: if you've held off buying a NIB for multiple years because you're afraid it won't be perfect, that's probably the right choice. Go and buy a resale pin that you can see and play before buying.

The point is (and I'm sorry it was apparently over your head):
If you have a legit quality issue, post it and show some pics.
If you don't, then why bitch and slander?

I don't think anyone will defend Stern over having to swap a playfield. That's legit.
Bummer when screws are missing but a simple call to either Stern or your distributor should be an easy fix.
Peeling decals is something that would piss me off though.
Hard to fix that.
In all fairness though, minor issues that can be fixed easily have to be considered part of pinball.
I've had major issues with Stern, JJP, and Heighway so it's hardly isolated to one manufacturer.

Yeah. Iron Maiden. What a dud.
(sarcasm)

Guess who's been into the nog this season???