This is a bad business practice. Period. It's an opinion, but it's an opinion shared by many. Seriously, if I have to explain this (which I know I don't) then there's nothing more to say between us. If you think it's acceptable, we have differing opinions on integrity.

Yep, I'm looking forward to picking up a loaded LE for $6300 in two years.

It'll have finished code, someone else will have done all the work dialing it in and installing accessories, and I'll save a shitload of money.

Picked my LE up today built this week

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That's absolutely ridiculous.

It'll be $3,000. What with the bubble bursting and all.

Hey Dr. Dude, you have ZERO credibility lecturing ANYONE on how to conduct their business and treat customers! LOL

LOL man you guys are so fiercely "on brand" once the hate train starts rolling!

I have good news for you, that wasn't actually Season 4, it's just 40 seconds of footage for what they call a "teaser." The actual season will have about 10 shows which are all 45 minutes or so long. So they may actually have "better" to offer than that brief footage of some dudes laying railroad track in the snow.

No, I just don't like the offer - I'm not going to make up tales to try to justify my opinion and I'll question those who spin doctor something to try to justify theirs.

I think it should have been part of the normal game offer instead of as an accessory. But that's because I think the game was pretty barren and deserved something like it - not because "LEs are supposed to have everything!" or "they knew they were going to do it!!" postulations. I think the game was in need of more.

The idea Stern wants to sell more parts as accessories vs including them in the base games... it's a simple productization question/choice. Not some twist on 'benefit the customer' etc non-sense. It is a simple product strategy. You either like it... or you don't. There is no need to try to make this into some nefarious thing. All the high drama about 'there was something in the game...' that they planned ahead and/or didn't tell you about is all just crap people use to help justify their emotional response to being asked to pay for something instead of getting it included. That's what it really boils down to.

I think the strategy leads to an interesting question... if they would move towards modular sales. In the sense of instead of something being an 'exclusive' that had to be bought with the game... if pro/prem just become 'bundles' of things.. and the things you can buy a la carte afterwards if you want. Main reason not to do this I think is economies of scale and 'locked in' sales. By forcing someone to buy a premium instead of a bunch of accessories they can better forecast inventory, economies of scale, and force people to buy things they may not have bought if given the choice. Stern is probably doing better forcing you to overpay for 5 things to get the 2 you want... vs the markup they could make just selling you the two items you wanted.

Note to self: Don't sell to these cheap bastards.

While the handful of Stern defenders stays exactly the same day after day.....the number of Stern defectors grows day after day. The tide has finally turned on Stern pinball. Their disrespect for their customers is starting to make them lose more and more of them.

People been spouting this nonsense for years. The "stern defectors" are growing?

It's the same "defenders" and "defectors" every day, "day after day," saying the same horseshit!

Welcome to Pinside.

Unfortunately, I don’t agree CL. I love Stern. Love my AC/DC and Walking Dead and Jurassic. But they are having too many mis-steps here recently and it will cost them heavily in sales.

Well, let's quantify this. Any predictions? Layoffs? Bankruptcy? Tits up in a year?

How do you think these ongoing scandals and the mass "defections" are going to tangibly harm Stern in the near future?

Not asking for any bets, I'm not the type, but may be fun to revisit these predictions in a year or so, a la "A Dark Night for Stern."

I mean, even YOU didn't say you are "defecting," you just said how much you love your three Stern games.

It all depends on the next two titles. If TNMT and Led Zepplin have the same reaction / sales results as Stranger Things, they could be for some difficult times. But if you think the decisions behind Stranger Things and the sales results that came from them don't drive decisions on future titles you are wrong. They will adapt if the numbers tell them they were stupid.

Stranger Things is selling just fine. They seem to be everywhere.

They are probably selling tons of those kits whilst laughing uncontrollably at this thread

And yet somehow Stern keeps selling the shit out of pinball machines!

Can’t fight the FACTS people!

These same handful of fickle FOMO geniuses WILL be right back at the Stern feeding trough soon enough. We all know it!

So I’ll grab my popcorn, play my great games, and pop a top for ongoing show

Says who? You? And these other random whiners on here. This argument is still going on?

If you guys really think this is a big deal how do you make it through on a daily basis

I don't doubt this at all, but don't they force distributors to hold stock? This means they can keep the line moving at a steady pace... but it may not mean end users are buying at 2016-2018 rates.

They certainly have had some missteps lately - Beatles were discounted to $6800 on one website recently, there were a lot of issues with STH that have certainly cut into some sales, they didn't sell out the STH LE's, they didn't sell out the Elvira Signature Editions, BM66 Catwoman was supposedly a dud, they're obviously (re)vaulting IM again for a reason, and there's a lot of pinball dollars going to R&M/MBr/Wonka. On top of that, SW Home Edition looks like a complete failure. Though not the best data, SW Home Ed. has 8 owners on Pinside, while something like MET Pro (the gold standard for the longest time for "bang for your buck") has almost 900 owners.

I don't think the sky is falling in the slightest, but there are some easily visible indicators that hint they may not be hitting their projections. They could have even better growth during this economy if they didn't piss off a fair amount of customers. They really need to be more of a consumer-connected company than touting "lifestyle brand" B.S. and nickle and diming the customers that got them to where they are now. It just seems in this hobby, for every defector they create, a newbie enters the hobby... which is fine for the hobby, but doesn't mean Stern hasn't lost out on a lot of potential sales in 2019-2020 from repeat customers, and it's all because of choices they made.

Anyone else experience this before?

Literally typing this in front of the machine. STHLE. 36 hours new.

I was shooting to knock down the default 130 mil GC... I had just finished MB and completed all lanes to start Isolation mode. I then shot all isolation shots and right as the next part of the mode was starting I shot the center scoop shot and immediately the entire machine shut down and did a hard reset.

If not experienced I imagine someone would want the logs right?

Probably a hidden feature they haven't revealed yet.

sorry..couldn't resist.

[email protected]
[email protected]

Occasional hard resets aren’t uncommon on Spike games. If it keeps happening regularly take it up with Stern.

Don't hate! Enjoy the NIB experience. I've got money into NIB LEs that tanked...there's no shame in waiting it out.

In any case, I don't think there will be a problem finding premiums/LEs on the second-hand market. Unless they sell so few that only diehards buy them, then I could be in trouble.

The new .84 code seems to have reset issues. As others have said, report this ASAP.

I think what is funniest is someone calling people who don't want to pay 9k for a pinball machine cheap bastards.

Latest accessory posted on the Stern store

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im not going to be surprised if stern releases an edition of STH that will include the UV lighting kit. they can call it the 'greed is good' SLE and replace the bash toy with the demo-gordon-gecko.
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Well at least you admit what you say is horseshit...........that’s progress in my book.

Hey guys, JP is a GOAT candidate, Elvira is freaking fantastic and STH is so cool and the UV mod is awesome, yes THEME matters and STH will prob outsell em all.

Stern is on such a roll that I’ve decided I’m in on the next game sight unseen!!!

Yeehaw!!!!! Bring it on baby

So no predictions then, just vague foreboding warnings of undefined doom for Stern?

Glad we all got our horseshit in order.

He didn’t pay for it, so that can’t be it.

Updating code on Elvira right now

Hitting some Nebular escape next

Don’t you guys have anything to play yet?

Giddy up

I've decided i'm gonna rearrange the room this weekend to create my Hall of Fame Row that will have....

JP, Elvira, STH and TWD side by side!

When you are giddy you gotta giddy up!!!

So it's less of a Baseball Hall of Fame, and more of a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?

I don't know Yoko, I'm just getting a tingle up my leg watching all these un boxings of STHLE and mine is coming next week.

Wife is bitching at me right now for some V day action BUT my Elvira code update is going painfully slow so she has to wait!

Wait a second! How can this be numbered 464 if they only sold 200 premium/LEs?

uv kit, delivery, topper, taxes. brings LE up to Ten Thousand Dollars. what about other misc mod shooter rod etc?
thats alot of money for average person to pay for an average game.

Gotta pay $129 for the full version of Isolation mode.

Hey coming from someone who posts on this site 24 hours a day that means a lot. And you know what I've bought sold and traded tons of games. I own several amusement attractions with google ratings, facebook ratings of nearly 5.0. I've built attractions sold MILLIONS AND MILLIONS of dollars of attractions and my customers all get 5.0 brother. Don't lecture me about customer service when all you do is sit on this site and whine all day long.

Go get another drink from the bar brother as I hear that is all you do all day long drink yourself to death! Have fun! You don't know me and honestly I could care less what you think. I have bought and sold over $400,000.0 worth of pinball games and that is a fact. Not one person whom I have bought a game from or sold a game too would agree with what you just said.

Stern is trying to cash in on people's passion for pinball and I think they've gone to far. My opinion you stick to your opinions and everything will be fine. I'll see you at TPF and I'll make sure I bring you a bottle of JACK to make up for it. LOL

Don’t know. Was built 2-7-2020

Nobody gives a shit about you two knuckleheads having a dick measuring contest. Take it to PM.

Wasn’t directed at you, brother. Hilton tried to claim that Stern has only sold around 200 premiums/LEs total. Not that anybody believed his numbers, but you pin gives proof otherwise.

I'm happy to report that the company I bought my Stranger Things from came by my location and worked on the game for HOURS, and fixed the game so the ball no longer gets stuck. I hope everyone else's games work.

But wait there's more...…. for a one off price of $49.99 you can get your Vagina on a stick to vibrate!
Send no money now and with four easy payment of $12.25..
Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied.

I think the scientific term is "Gelgamek Vagina". Actually, maybe that feature should be called the Gelga-mech.

Who knows why I’m on the projector?!

This isn’t Bricks Robo. Check yourself.

No tax, no delivery fee, no crappy topper

Boom boom

You realize these come from distros right? The plaque numbers don't reflect sales numbers.

When you repeatedly brick the DemoGorgon shot make sure you assure her :
"the next code update will make that unnecessary, honey. Happy Valentine's Day.".

Hey numb nuts. That’s chump change. I’ll be at TPF. Come find me. I’ll happily straighten your ass out. Lol. And I will buy because you can’t afford it coin pusher

I’m the best multi tasker you have ever seen! Takes me a few minutes to answer stupid BS

Keep dicking people around and see how that goes

Ever paid a Pinside fee selling a game? Nope. Pathetic