Why are some folks apologizing for their terrible written warranty?

Sure they might have an internal policy to replace certain parts or problems, but they aren't obligated to help you and can choose to not fix problems regardless of their cause. I have read many threads talking about issues regarding Stern's decals being problematic and they aren't covered under the warranty. They could paint directly onto the cabinet and avoid these problems, but apparently that doesn't suit their interests at the cost of the customer who may or may not get problems resolved.

Cosmetic issues are a big deal now. People collect pinball machines and Stern is cashing in on this phenomenon with the LE models. If they want to sell machines to collectors they need to address these issues.