(Topic ID: 298696)

What is on the line at Stern Pinball / Production Schedule

By beltking

2 years ago


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    You're currently viewing posts by Pinsider zmeny.
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    17
    #371 2 years ago

    Sorry for the confusion y’all. So there was supposed to be a run of DP Prem at the end of December 2021. They bumped them all to 2022 but said there’s no month ETA in that run. They tentatively have DP on schedule for July 2022 for Pros and August 2022 for Prems. Now with them saying no ETA that could mean a run between now and the summer run OR that could mean no run until summer and they will combine the Prems in the August run

    #374 2 years ago
    Quoted from KSP1138:

    Is the February Mando Premium run still on as you reported on your podcast? Someone over in the Mando thread is saying their distro just told them March.

    As of right now I am being told February for Mando Pro and Prem, with the remainder Prems of what wasn’t made Dec 2021 built into the February run. Godzillas back on the line in March maybe that’s what they were thinking.

    Then again, they may know something I don’t. I’m simply going off of the most up to date formal schedule sent to us dealers (which often changes no doubt)

    2 months later
    59
    #1038 2 years ago

    Hey all, thanks to those of you with kind words and continued support for Flip N Out Pinball, LLC. To those with strong and/or harsh words regarding our business practices or pricing, Nicole and I apologize for any delays with responding or any mistakes we have made. I assure you, we are doing every possible thing we can to make your enjoyment of the pinball hobby the absolute best it can be. While I can be a bit perfectionistic, I do make mistakes and will continue to make mistakes here and there. We do everything to limit the frequency and magnitude of those mistakes. And looking at the industry and other distribution companies, we are exceedingly happy with our level of support and ethical business practices.

    I'm a pinball guy. It's why I'm responding on Pinside. As a hobbyist, some dealers frustrated me in the past, so I worked my ass off to become one. And my goal is to be the best damn pinball distributor there is, anything else means I have not succeeded.

    - We continue to offer Free Shipping (w/insurance) on all new Sterns, even when our peers have given up on the practice and even as we see shipping quotes go through the roof.

    - We ship fast. That's because I'm impatient and as a hobbyist, I want my games in my gameroom as fast as possible.

    - We troubleshoot with customers and we submit for warranty requests, even if it's past the window of warranties. If something is rejected by a manufacturer for replacement, we often pay for the repair and/or the part ourselves. I would like to think a vast amount of customers can and would attest to this. If there is an issue, WE WILL MAKE IT RIGHT. Example, customer last week had his Rush LE damaged in shipment. Instead of waiting a couple of months for Stern to repair, we sent him our own NIB Rush LE and he received it the very next day. We will wait on the repairs.

    - We attempt to provide full transparency to our customers or potential customers, even if it costs us a sale. I personally would rather receive truth I don't want to hear than someone blowing smoke up my ass telling me what I want to hear.

    - We relay information to our customers and to many non-customers via emails, texts, calls, and the podcast that I produce, giving weekly updates on Manufacturer timelines and changes to production lines.

    - We maintain competitive pricing. We sell customers pinball machines for MSRP and often provide free shipping on top. For those manufacturers that we do charge shipping, we often cap the shipping costs to the customers and we pay for the rest ourselves. What many do not understand is that when are receiving 25% or less of the number of products we were expecting this year, then yes, we have to figure out creative ways to fill that void. We have chosen a couple of different avenues, one of which is increasing our preowned sales efforts. So when you see a game listed at Market Price, that's why. I will purchase games on the secondary market for way above MSRP if my market analysis suggests there's still some profit to be made. This isn't easy work and it's risky, but again, we've got to do what we've got to do to run this business. And if that means purchasing a Star Wars Premium Comic Edition for 10k used and hoping to sell it between 10500-11000, then so be it, it's better than not making sales to support our business and ultimately our family.

    - We spend countless hours and money supporting the pinball community. Tens of thousands of dollars are spent toward charities, tourney sponsorships, giveaways, etc., much of which isn't aired publicly.

    At the end of the day, there are plenty of great dealers you can work with. While we would love to earn and maintain your business at Flip N Out Pinball, we know the reality is that some of you do not want to support our business for whatever reason or maybe you already have a great relationship with your dealer. Absolutely nothing wrong with that, we support your decision and still see you as a pinball friend and fellow hobbyist.

    Sorry for the long thesis, but wanted to chime in to express our continued support to you and to the rest of the industry. Please come and chat/BS with us at the next show! We are in Texas in one week woohoo!

    Oh...and we do have some exciting additions coming soon at Flip N Out Pinball, such as a revamped website, a new showroom, and a new employee to expedite troubleshooting/tech. and warranty claims.

    Zach Meny
    Flip N Out Pinball
    [email protected]

    1 month later
    #2026 1 year ago
    Quoted from JackG:

    No idea why. Zach said Mando Premiums would be running on TPN podcast, but no mention of Pros, so I just report what I hear. But now that a new page has begun on this thread. Here's the list of what's currently scheduled on the line:
    Apr 2022 - Rush Pro & Premium
    May 2022 - Deadpool Pro & Premium
    May 2022 - Godzilla Pro & Premium
    June 2022 - Mando Premium
    June 2022 - Rush Pro & Premium
    July 2022 - JP Pro & Premium
    July 2022 - Godzilla Pro & Premium
    Aug 2022 - Star Wars Pro & Premium (original art package)
    Aug 2022 - NEW STERN CORNERSTONE
    Sep 2022 - Star Wars the pin (original & comic art)
    Nov 2022 - JP the pin
    Nov 2022 - Elvira Premium
    Dec 2022 - TMNT Pro & Premium

    Mando Pros are in May, I would assume end of May, hence it falling in that month while the Prems fall into June.

    1 month later
    29
    #2768 1 year ago
    Quoted from amhpensfan:

    and this is why this thread is helpful to me. Seems I picked the one place that does things differently. If you go on their website now you will see there is no option for placing a deposit. It is simply says "preorder" click it and you have no option other to pay in full. Easy to verify.

    Our apologies buddy, we are working on clarification for the website. We would happily refund your money until your game is ready to ship if you'd like, just message or email me and let me know. As people have stated above, we are one of the only dealers that you can message or email an order to and you don't pay a penny until your game is close to shipping. But the website management and modification is messy and we are working on it, so yes I agree and do apologize.

    22
    #2772 1 year ago
    Quoted from amhpensfan:

    That money is long gone lol. The benefit I realize in not paying in full is some communication as far as knowing a little in advance. Would be nice to get an invoice just so that I would know the game was shipping soon! It is confusing when some people know how many games their distributer has on order and what number they are on that list. Sterns way of poke and hope is turning people off for sure to the process. First time buyers (that their seems to be a lot of)
    from what I have seen are not going to look back on the process of getting a NIB machine as a good experience. And the last thing you want to do is piss off who you purchased from because with the lack of transparancy they could say F this guy I am going to skip him and ship to a friend etc... and you hope that if you have an issue when you finally get it they will be responsive.
    ugh

    Agree, and that is why getting a game from a respectable, great dealer is important. The good ones will not leave you hanging. And sometimes us dealers not having information/updates is as transparent and honest as possible. There are some dealers that will tell you what you want to hear just to hang on to the sale and buy time. Many of us would rather be honest and tell you that we do not know, even if it means the sale is lost.

    Truth is that Stern Pinball is making a ton of games and they are making them quick. Production issues cause many changes in the production schedule, some very abruptly. They want to sell and ship games. Dealers want to sell and ship games. The second half of the production year for Stern Pinball products is not as clear as the first half, it's an ever-changing type of thing. The other truth is that while us dealers know what runs are scheduled for the remainder of the year, we have not been given allotment numbers for those runs. So if a dealer is telling you they know how many they are getting of a game in September or December, etc. then they are likely not being honest with you. Dealers hope to receive an update with allotment numbers for the second half of the year here in the coming month or so.

    Hopefully this helps you and everyone in the thread here. Thanks again for the feedback and we will continue to do what we can for all of us pinheads here on the forums.

    P.S. Stern, let's just run Godzilla Premium for the next two months straight please hahaha

    11 months later
    24
    #6092 10 months ago
    Quoted from Svenop:

    Not sure why they are posting that! I paid the full 9k+ and they told me it wouldn't be until end of 2023 or potentially 2024 to get one. Lost $350 to get it refunded. Bad business practices taking full payment when they aren't readily available anytime soon according to Zach.
    Now 2 weeks later they have extras? Bummer.

    We would be happy to get you one now and reimburse you for the loss, just message me. We found out last minute that we were going to be able to secure more from our total order. The last thing Flip N Out Pinball is going to do is to lie to customers about getting them a game when we know our allotment is full for said runs. We would have loved for you to reach out with this frustration instead of us stumbling upon it here, but I am glad to have seen it because we would be happy to help in any way we can! Thanks again.

    1 week later
    #6227 10 months ago

    FF Prem should be rolling out any time now. Us dealers were told three weeks ago that they would be coming. Every time we ask it seems like it’s pushed another couple of days. Because we dealers spend countless hours just responding to customers about timelines or lack of knowledge about timelines, we try to spare Stern the same inefficiencies answering us because it slows down the process. Many of us dealers asked for payment weeks back because that was the info we had at the time. Stern wants to sell games, which is why they are the best at building them like they do. Dealers want to sell games, so we work as fast as we can to get them to us enthusiasts.

    Looks like some Bond Premiums are rolling out too right now, we received a notice for some of ours. Hope everyone has one hell of a great weekend! Play a Stern this weekend, right now I’m all into some Bond 60th and trying to get through all of the modes.

    2 weeks later
    #6541 9 months ago
    Quoted from JackG:

    According to Zach in the last TPS podcast, there will be. But he could be wrong. I’m not on his patreon so not sure what he’s putting behind a paywall now.

    That’s just what Stern Pinball told me.

    1 week later
    36
    #6610 9 months ago

    I can only speak for myself and my business of course, but figured I would chime in regarding the frustrations with Foo Fighters Premium delay from April/May. It's my understanding that getting parts for that title have been hit and miss, which is the main reason for the delay. This type of delay is not typical for Stern Pinball. What I mean by that is that when Stern Pinball sees a significant delay coming, they tell us dealers something like "Game X Pro is being bumped a month at this time" or "We have to push back Game X Pro run to September at this time" rather than this weekly push that Foo Premium run is being given.

    For the past month, we (and many other dealers) have requested updates for the Foo Prem run and were told 'later this week is the plan' or 'bumped to next week', etc. Now typically, Stern Pinball is the most accurate with their scheduling and with their communication to dealers, compared to the other manufacturers. Dealers are given allotments and Stern Pinball fulfills those allotments. So if a dealer says at the eleventh hour "dang, they shorted me" or "we didn't get what we were supposed to get this run", well, that's just bullshit and them being dishonest to you.

    I bust my ass being open to our customers, even if the truth is not what they want to hear. In this situation for Foo Prem, we legit were told a month ago it would be shipping, so we sent out invoices and started collecting funds, just like we dealers have successfully and smoothing done for years. They even did squeeze out some a month ago, further suggesting the typical cadence of production and planning. If we would have known of a larger delay, instead of 'next week' then absolutely we could have simply returned everyone's payments until they were pushing them out again. Returning money isn't a big problem for us, it's just sitting there until it goes to Stern Pinball. However, it's not always ideal, given the payment fees associated with returning funds only to retake them again, etc.

    We at Flip N Out Pinball would be more than happy to return payment of any of our customers until the game is ready to ship should they wish, but again, I am told that we are finally seeing some Foo Prem being produced slowly and leaving the factory this week (THANK GOD). I can tell it is a parts delay too because Stern Pinball typically will ship all of ours at once (to help with shipping costs of course) OR they will split up our allotment into two shipping days spread apart maybe by a week or so. For the trickling Foo Prem that we finally may see this week, shipping is being chopped much smaller, that is, 10% of the allotment shipping at a time, compared to 100% or 50%. So I am paying more for shipping, but Stern Pinball knows that I am willing to pay more just to get them out as they come off the line.

    Sorry for the amount of info and likely more than you care to know about the sausage, but wanted to update many on here patiently waiting for their games from us or from other dealers. It is frustrating, we are with ya, and Stern Pinball is with ya as well.

    Zach Meny
    Flip N Out Pinball
    [email protected]

    #6617 9 months ago
    Quoted from Sorokyl:

    Zach, appreciate the insight. And not trying to pit dealers against each other, I think you're one of the most respected in the biz (You're just too popular and never have allocation left for the hot stuff!), but am curious to why even take full payment before you have the game?
    When does Stern invoice dealers and what are they payment terms? I guess that could be one factor
    I also assume that once you invoice a customer, it might take some days to get paid (they may have to liquidize stuff / transfer money around, and then the time to transfer that money to you), so maybe that is also a factor.
    I assume that 99%(99.9%?) of the time you send an invoice, you're getting the game very soon, no issue. Which I also figure is probably better than some others, but from a customer perspective, and due to potential for "unforseen circumstances" on the production line, seems like 'I should pay once my dealer has it in hand' is ideal... if that's viable (which seems like it is for at least 1 dealer).

    Yes, oftentimes I have to ask a time or two for payment, then it can take 10 days for it to clear, then if someone waits two days and says “nah, I don’t want it anymore” then I need to go down the line for the next person. All the while, Stern Pinball will be sending a large bill that will need to be paid. We could wait to receive games, then wait for funds, and then have them clear before we ship, but that’s adding a lot of time for customers to get their games. As an enthusiast, I hate waiting for my games and many customers tell us the same. Our method of processing and asking for payments I believe is the best for all parties involved…until something rare like this occurs. For us to maintain having the fastest shipping in the industry, we attempt to coordinate all of this for our customers. I am very happy with the process and with Stern Pinball’s way of coordinating everything as well. If one of our customers wants to wait to pay in full for us to get their game they can message us and we will accommodate as well, but it will arrive later than most other games that leave the factory at the same time.

    #6618 9 months ago
    Quoted from ZMeny:

    Yes, oftentimes I have to ask a time or two for payment, then it can take 10 days for it to clear, then if someone waits two days and says “nah, I don’t want it anymore” then I need to go down the line for the next person. All the while, Stern Pinball will be sending a large bill that will need to be paid. We could wait to receive games, then wait for funds, and then have them clear before we ship, but that’s adding a lot of time for customers to get their games. As an enthusiast, I hate waiting for my games and many customers tell us the same. Our method of processing and asking for payments I believe is the best for all parties involved…until something rare like this occurs. For us to maintain having the fastest shipping in the industry, we attempt to coordinate all of this for our customers. I am very happy with the process and with Stern Pinball’s way of coordinating everything as well. If one of our customers wants to wait to pay in full for us to get their game they can message us and we will accommodate as well, but it will arrive later than most other games that leave the factory at the same time.

    And to be fair, on several occasions with customers we’ve worked with for years, we have shipped games before we have even been paid. Smart business? No. But, I sometimes make decisions as an enthusiast by accident haha.

    #6631 9 months ago
    Quoted from Gubbin:

    I'm still new to all this. What was this hobby like when you could just call ole Zach up and get a game asap?

    You still can We have over 20 different pinball titles right now NEW IN BOX - Ready To Ship AND plenty of preowned games.

    (Slaps glass) What’s it gonna take to get you in to one of these preowned Certified Sterns?

    [email protected]

    #6637 9 months ago
    Quoted from Desmodromic:

    "I'm gonna need ya to knock $100 off that TruCoat..."

    E80CA485-9AAB-4642-9DA4-178DCDF8A5FE (resized).pngE80CA485-9AAB-4642-9DA4-178DCDF8A5FE (resized).png
    1 week later
    #6794 9 months ago
    Quoted from seenev:

    I have the same problem with Flip n Out. Ordered GZ a long time ago. No deposit. Just an invoice. Never heard from them again. Could have gotten the game from a smaller distro before the price increase. At this point, I wouldn't do business with Flip n Out, cointaker, or automated. I guess they don't really need our business anyways as they all seem to have more than they can handle.

    Sorry about your dissatisfaction with us at Flip N Out Pinball That sucks to hear and for everyone to read. I went back to check your order and we still have you down for this coming run. I did not see any messages via email or text. Our apologies if we missed it. I see we were able to help you with another purchase before and had it to you within 5 days and also was there to assist with troubleshooting as well. Again, my apologies for not sending you an update or for not seeing a message if you sent me one. We are always striving to do better every day and are proud with the amount of work and support we put in.

    But on the plus side, we got your GZ Prem about ready and you haven’t paid a penny yet woohoo! That counts for something hopefully

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