Though I tend to agree with better QC....I have to respect what they are trying to do.

I bought a METLE NIB and have not been disappointed with anything. Was it frustrating to not have EVERYTHING working perfect when I got it? Perhaps. But I swear, the excitement opening the game made up for ANY shortcomings that I knew would eventually get ironed out by Stern and Sheats.
I knew full well what I was getting into when I bought the machine. I was aware of how Stern did their business, I had played their games, read reviews, contacted Stern directly with any questions I had - I became an "educated" buyer - like test driving a car - I knew what I was getting.
Now if Stern was sitting on their hands and doing nothing to fix these issues, then there would be a problem. They have sent out parts to buyers in attempts to rectify issues. They are releasing code-updates at a frequently regular basis that is super exciting every-time just to see what is new and what Mr. Sheats brain is thinking.

The only way METLE is ever going to get singled out is for being one heck of a pin!!

did they fix after you reported the errors

Sorry to hear about your problems. I got lucky compared to many other METLE owners in that I had zero issues out of the box. Just got it a few weeks ago and upgraded to 1.2 before ever playing a game on it... was out of town. I hope everything gets fixed for you. It has quickly become my favorite pin. I'm sure some of the newness will wear off, but it's Stern's best pin to date IMO.

I've had Metallica money in hand since I heard it was coming out. Stern will get my money when the issues have been ironed out. If they're not fixed, I'll keep my money.

It sounds like the problems you're having with Metallica are similar to what I experienced with AC/DC, which were too many QC issues. After AC/DC, I vowed not to pre order a game. I want to play a new pinball, not fix it.