This is a rant and is going to be harsh and long...


For years I have been in the hobby and helped create this group in order to help others, but for a while now, all I seem to get is slammed. I have had it. The last straw being another goddamn machine I sold (Firepower) which was working perfectly when I sold it and it seemed to have developed a problem. Now, I am stuck buying back a goddamn machine again. Money I don't have, again.

I hate to say it but this hobby is giving me more trouble than anything. Every time I sell a machine, people complain, even though most machines I deal with are over 25 years old and it seems that some don't understand that these machines are not factory fresh, and that mess happens. It really pisses me off that I get accused of non-disclosure, when I spend a better part of an hour showing the machine and even playing it before I sell it.

So I have decided that I will no longer participate to any more activities due to the headaches and hardship I have to deal with constantly. This to me has become a job that I pay for ... not a hobby... I no longer get any pleasure out of it. Sorry to say so, but it's true. So I am out. I am not even going to sell what I have. Believe it or not, it will all be trashed tonight. All of it. And for the one that I have to buy back a machine, I will raise your money shortly to buy it back, and I will gladly "take care" of the machine when I get it back. I can use the firewood anyways.


Good bye.

Ian, signing out.

Wasn't it sold few months ago ???? , that a long warranty for old used stuff !!!!

Quoted from Sparky

This is a rant and is going to be harsh and long...

Now, I am stuck buying back a goddamn machine again.

Actually it was a pretty short rant..  Hopefully you'll cool off somewhat in the next hours/days.  

Buy back a machine???  I'd tell the guy to go stuff the machine where the sun don't shine..  It was working when you sold it..  So f*** it..   Why the hell are you buying it back??  Do you think the guy who sold you your house felt obligated to buy back his house when the pipes broke???  Would you feel you had to buy back a vehicle you sold because the transmission quits 2 months down the road???  WTF???  

You've been had if this was turned around against you..  This sucks.  Now I'M pissed off..

Mike

I don't know the specifics of the deal but I gotta say, if something on the machine broke after the user had the machine then tough mess welcome to pinball the hobby where mess breaks.

Sounds toe me like you did everything you could for the sale and I see no reason why you feel obligated to buy the machine back.  You sold it in good faith, gave the person a chance to check everything out after that your hands are clean.  

I really wouldn't quit the hobby over this I would just not be buying back the machine and would tell the seller that there is nothing you can do.  Sounds like at the time the machine was in perfect working order, you disclosed everything and did you due dillegance.

I think I've sold mabye3 or 4 machines now and mabye I'm jsut lucky but I've never had any one come back to me with a complaint ever.  But I know if they had I would not be buying the machine back but I might be willing to give them a hand depending on how the approach the problem.  If they try to call me a crook, I'm not going to be willing to help them out.

Anyway I guess I hope you don't end up destroying your collection, it seems like a rash decision in a moment of anger and I think you would regret it in the long run.

Holly f***.
Ian personally I do not warranty any machines never ever if i did would be 30 days at most.
You cannot guarantee a 25 year old machine at all its impossible anything can happen!!
I feel really bad I hope you dont leave us I always like talking to you at the meets and your great a person I find and a great personality of Maaca.
You even helped me with A4A it kept it up for year another because of you and I really did appreciate it I only closed it because was not used but you are on this forum every day and are very involved.
I know you have had tough times but the grass will get green.
If you need help Ian I will help you just ask but don’t leave would be ashamed to loose you bud  

WTF

Quoted from mark

Educate the buyer. You shouldn't be buying back a machine. That's just insane. I would explain how it works with a used car -- you buy it, it's yours. Same deal w/ a pinball. Perhaps put him in touch with Bruno for board work, maybe help him sell it via MAACA -- at a loss as it isn't working, give him some options, etc. Buy it back? Not unless it's cheap.

Hopefully you cool down, take a deep breath, and look at the situation with new eyes.

Duane

Yeah I've never heard of someone doing what you're doing, some people expect the world of things. Just cool off and come back don't throw all your mess out either.

Mark

I had to go back to a buyer's house once because he couldnt put the connectors back togheter and fucked up the ground, ended out blowing fuses and getting weak coils etc... thats as far as i went in a sale.

Buying back the game.. NO ! It is a used machine, hell even Startburst/Stern only give 90 days warranty on a BRAND SPANKING NEW GAME ! And i doubt they will be taking it back without a lost, they will fix/change it but not take it back i'm pretty sure.

Sold a broken satellite receiver once, my ad was mentionning it, it is BROKEN ! Guy picked it up, and called me 4 days later telling me it could not be fixed and wanted his money back. No.. then his pissed wife called me and told me the same thing.. No !! I told him he took the risk when he bought it, everything was disclosed. It should be the same for ANY pinball machines.

Hey, Ian. I agree with most of what people are saying. We have never met, but you are the personality of MAACA. You say "all I seem to get is slammed", but we here in MAACA are not slamming you. I have sold many pins, and like you I try to be honest and yes every once in a while something happens, mess hits the fan, but that does not mean you are a bad, all you can do is educate the guy and connect him with who can help him.

Hopefully you will look at the situation differently after a few days, Enzo  

As someone who was intimately involved with this deal
(... it was a colleague from my work place who bought the game based on my recommendation ... ),
I thought I would shed just a bit of light in the hopes of diffusing the situation...

The fellow who bought it was new to pins.
He'd looked around a bit and waited for a game he liked for a price he could justify.

Sparky's Firepower seem to fit the bill , and I told my buddy I thoughit it was a decent deal.

So he drove to MTL to pick it up.

When he got the game home,  it worked for ONE day , then crapped out on him.

So I went over to see what I could do and replaced a bad fuse.

The game worked for a few balls, then crapped out again.
I checked to see if I could find any kind of short, did not find any, so put a new fuse.

Now the game simply wouldn't boot.
The GI would come on, but nothing else.

I tried to re-seat the infamous 40-pin connector, and the game came back to life.

It again played OK for one day, and was dead the next time my buddy powered it on.

Since I know that my pin repair skills aren't that strong yet, I went looking for help.
MrMikeMan graciously offered, but before I took him up on it,
Marty (aka SpaceCadet) said he had some spare time and could look at it right away.

So I took the game to Marty's, ...where he's been working on it for 4 weeks now !

He replaced everything ( all connectors, caps, sockets, resistors, everything, ),
and the game "still" craps out.  In Marty's respected opinion, he believes the
problem lies with the watchdog section which appears to have some acid damage .

Now.., I'm trying not to take sides here,
but my buddy, who's out $800 for the pin + whatever parts and many many  hours of labor is going to cost him,
only had the game in his house 1 week and played 10 games at most ,
and is now understandibly disappointed in the whole deal.

On the other side of the coin, I know Sparky would never knowingly misrepresent a game,
and I don't question that the game was working when he had it at his place.

It's just a very unfortunate situation that the game no longer worked at my buddy's place,
...and for reasons that can not be explained by merely moving the pin.
( ie. it's not a loose connection or bad socket... )

[ It's not, as many of you were quick to assume,  that my buddy played the game non-stop
for 6 weeks then wanted a refund because something broke... ]

That said, in talking with my buddy, I don't think he ever expected Sparky to take the pin back.
I don't know what was said between them, but I know my buddy sent Sparky an PM
explaining the situation and his disappointment.

It's no doubt unfortuante for both parties, but before people start to jump to conclusions (as many seem to...)
and take sides, let's try to get this resolved "amicably" .  Although disappointed, I know my buddy
is very reasonable , and I'm sure he, and everyone else,  doesn't want Sparky to pack it up.

[ BTW : Although my buddy would still ultimately like to have the game to play at his house,
he's not averse to selling it for what he's got invested in it.  The cosmetics are very very nice,
the boards are 95% fully-shopped/fixed, and if the remaining issue can be resolved,
it will be a very very nice pin ]

Cheers,
Steph