Howdy from a brand new member!  
New to the hobby, but a long time enthusiast looking to find the right pin for my first purchase.  Still learning "the language", and this site has been a great resource so far.  Saw some of you t-shirted members at the recent Starburst / Playdium auction - I came away empty-handed, but undeterred.

My very first question:  Does anyone here know of or have feedback on SRG Enterprises, doing business in Toronto?  
They list several machines, new and used, on Mr. Pinball, but no idea what they may be like to deal with.  
Looking to the experts here, as I have no interest in getting burned or wasting my time right out of the gate.

Cheers!
YYZDavid

You should already know, you dealt with them at the Canadian Pinball Championship

My understanding is SRG Enterprises is Starburst/Playdium.

Welcome to the group.

Really? So they have 3 names now? Starburst Coin Machines, Playdium Store, and SRG Enterprises? That not confusing!  

Add Davis Skill Games to the list too if you like since Starburst bought them as well

Thanks guys.

Hmmmmm, that does sound a little fishy.  Maybe a marketing experiment - how much more will people pay for the same stuff in a "nice" showroom vs. a hole in the wall.  The "showroom" depicted on the website just looks like it is in a small storefront.  

Maybe a little scouting mission is in order to check them out.

Are you talking about these guys:

http://www.pinballoutlet.com/fr_main.html

That is pinball outlet.

There stuff is ok, they are a little overpriced but you are paying retail prices so it's expected.  I bought a Junkyard off them many years ago, price was inflated but the machine was in decent shape and at the time I really wanted a JY so I paid it.  

As long as we're on this topic...

Does anybody know what's with Gilcrest games.... are they part of Starburst Coin as well???

A pub by my place has an Stern Elvis pin in there - the telephone number on it is a 416 area code... I just assumed it was Starburst supplied as well. No?

Yep, that's the place.  

They have a High Speed offered at $1950 - strikes me as way high unless it is really, really nice (they say 9/10).  

Were they open to haggling on the JY you got?

Not really, only thing I got out of them was to get them to knock the tax off if I paid cash.  

$2K for a high speed is way too much money and I can guarntee that it won't be as nice as a $2000 High speed should be.  That is what I mean by retail prices.  You are paying a premium because they keep a store front.  If you want a decent deal you are going to have to deal with private collectors.

That's what I figured.  
Thanks for the speedy replies!  I'm feelin' the MAACA love already.

Pinball Outlet is a separate company, Andre i believe is the guy to talk to there.

Glichrist is also a separate company, Tom Gilchrist is the owner.

Neither currently has any affiliation with Playdium/Starburst,

If i remeber correct Regent is also part of them in ottawa

Quoted from jonny_eh

Really? So they have 3 names now? Starburst Coin Machines, Playdium Store, and SRG Enterprises? That not confusing!  

So, for the record, SRG Enterprises is NOT Starburst?

Quoted from jonny_eh

So, for the record, SRG Enterprises is NOT Starburst?

Yes, they are not affliated.

Makes sense now since their NIB prices are lower than Starburst's.

Quoted from HP5P

Pinball Outlet is a separate company, Andre i believe is the guy to talk to there.

Glichrist is also a separate company, Tom Gilchrist is the owner.

Neither currently has any affiliation with Playdium/Starburst,

Most of the operators have been absorbed by Starburst but Gilcrest and SRG run their own shops.

As far as distribution I believe Stern will sell to anyone who wants to buy a certain number of machines and does not provide a protected territory. Having said that I wouldn't doubt that Starburst gets a deeper discount for volume making it difficult for anyone to compete. As for the used stuff. Starburst used to sell to route operators (before absorbing most of them, a few still are around) and therefore had the ability to take in more used games. As for the other two I think they just ran their own routes. In fact SRG has on occaison been at Starburst's auctions.

There seem to be very few responses to the original question of what it's like to deal with SRG Enterprises. Here's a summary of my experience.

Years ago when I lived in Toronto, I met the owner (?) Andre at the Toronto Gameroom Show. Told him I was looking for an Indiana Jones, and gave him my contact info. He said he didn't have one at the moment, but would keep an eye open. Two weeks later I get a call saying he's found one and I can come see it any time.

I go check it out: re-import machine from France, not perfect, some playfield wear, very dirty, plays alright. Some issues are immediately obvious to me: fighter plane missing from playfield, slingshot plastics are from a "Congo" machine, lockdown bar is trashed and repaired with screws and solder. I point out the issues, and we agree (verbally) on a price assuming game will be cleaned and these issues addressed. I pay for the game in full.

Two weeks later, I'm still waiting to hear when the game will be ready. I phone and am told any time, so I make arrangements (rent truck) to pick up the next day. I show up at the shop in northern Etobicoke, and find the game looks a bit cleaner but my other issues have not been fixed. I take the game anyway (mistake) since I'd already made transport arrangements, and ask Andre to find a better lockdodwn bar, plastics and a plane and let me know when he's got them.

Get the game home. Find that nothing has been removed to do the cleaning, just a quick job on the visible playfield areas. A week later I get the call about the sling plastics and pick them up. Never hear back on the plane or lockdown bar.

The good: when I was looking for something specific, SRG went to work immediately and called me first.

The bad: once the sale was made, interest in satisfying the customer became non-existent. This isn't that surprising, I think most people would make minimal effort once the sale is made, but this attitude has stopped me from ever considering buying from him again.

My advice: Buy your first game from a collector, not a business. Never buy a game from SRG sight unseen. If you're new to the hobby, don't go alone to look at a game (talk to the Toronto Pinball League). Make sure everything, even small things, is done to your satisfaction before taking the game. Might be difficult to do this, since most games won't get "shopped" without a deposit, and there is no contract drawn up specifying exactly what needs to be done.

Hope that's helpful info.

Great information and valuable advice nasti, many thanks.