Ultimately this isn't about the playfield defect. Shit happens and production problems occur. It's about how they are remediating it, which is to say not at all. Well that's not true, they revised the warranty to address this issue, from this (GnR Manual Nov 2020):

What is covered on the game?
Our Bumper to Post“ Limited Warranty” covers every part in your new Jersey Jack Pinball Machine for 90 days from the date of purchase written on your invoice. The LCD monitor will be covered for 1 year from the date of purchase written on your invoice.

To this (GnR Manual May 2021):

What is covered on the game?
Our Limited Warranty covers only the items listed below (“Covered Parts”) from the date the machine is shipped to JJP’s authorized distributors
(or directly to the original owner), for the period of time indicated (the “Warranty Period”):
1. Printed circuit boards (game logic). Warranty Period – Sixty (60) Days.
2. LCD monitor. Warranty Period - Two Hundred Seventy (270) Days.

The optimist in me hopes they are discussing another, less customer-hostile, solution. Also, that JJP won't apply the letter of the law in most cases.

JJP will survive this, no doubt. If it was all about survival, you're right, guessing owners/mgmt want to do more than survive though. Regarding the Stern comparison didn't they send out fully popped GB playfields to put that one behind them?

I'm in the same boat. I had a JJPOTC with pooling, it never chipped and I installed my post kit and didn't complain like a good boy. Because there was no damage. And I'll open my GnR, which is on the way from JJP now, and play it.

I'd just feel better about it if I knew the company had my back if, worst case, I do have those issues you've seen in the pics. That doesn't seem unreasonable.

Agreed Jim, for me and I expect most of us, there are levels of poor quality. And we all have our own tolerances and expectations of quality. If a stitch or three come undone on a piece of furniture, or a small area of orange peel is noticed in a coat of paint, well for me, meh. If the stuffing starts to show or that orange peel starts to expose raw material in the first 100 uses, well then help me out.

Once I installed those posts I had no further issue and you couldn't see the bubbling. And outside that issue JJP was very helpful with other issues I had; sticky action button, misaligned LCD, and another issue or two. They took care of it. Which was only ++customerLove.

So I'm a bit discouraged, and I do mean just a bit, because I think it's a move to insulate from the truly un-appeasable, that they find it necessary to revise the warranty to basically 1992 Sega pinball standards. Because who the F ever wants to compare to what might have been the darkest hour of pinball history, 90's Sega.

Ha, thanks for that, nearly a legit spit take.

I bet, when I got into pinball I wanted a South Park so bad. It was around 2000/1 and there was one on eBay for ~$3500. Didn't have the funds or I woulda thought hard about it.

Agreed, but I think the trick is JJP wants to fix this. Even if this currently costs them negligible sales, it still costs them grief and diminished reputation, and who wants that? Hopefully this is bottom, and they look seriously at a new supplier or other steps; better QC, supplier testing, etc to not have this happen on the next one.

The owners of JJP Inc. want to own the competition, believe it. At least I hope they do as any red blooded capitalist should.

There was someone or someone's at WMS that made this all work, that's what the current players are missing. That prodigal influence who brought magic into the meeting room, which translated into magic in to games, in to the process. I think we attribute that to designers of yester yore, but I'm less sure that's who it was. Was it Kaminkow? Probably not him alone of course, but the team. The designers needed the editing, but equally they need the engineering prowess and budget. It's that recipe that is different (worse?) today.

2021 Stern are money making experts, which exhibits it's own beauty. If not on the playfield, then on the balance sheet and will net longevity if not notability.

This hobby sorta kinda went to shit when it went collectible. F U BBB! For the rest of us, play till tired, then sell and buy something else.

I have literally had people get angry at me for selling some jank-beater 90's WMS DMD for too little because I "coulda got more". Who cares?! I want this shit outta my garage so I can make room for the next game I'll tire of in 2 months.

That's the shit-wagon not-secret of this whole hobby. Deep games are shallow by current vid-game entertainment standards. So play till you tire and move on, 99% of the time that will be before playfield (k-man sez) disintegration.