I was a little concerned about what made it a second, but I figured
this was going to be my regular use lockdown bar from here on out so
it was bound to get some wear on it anyway. My original one is pretty
sloppy looking after only a year of home use. I'm going to get it re-
chromed instead of forking out the $200+ that Stern charges for a
chrome lockdown bar with a tourney hole.
I was pleased to see that the second lockdown bar I ordered looked
great. I'm not saying it didn't have a minor scratch here or there,
but it was much better than I had expected. Whoever sorts these
lockdown bars into first and seconds must be a very particular person,
and I appreciate that. I'm sure the buyers on the firsts do even more.
That was the good of the order...the meh was that it took an extra
day or 2 to get the order than I expected. I ordered last weekend
(Sunday) and just received it today (Friday). Not bad but not as
snappy as I remember other orders from them before. The shipping was
also over charged by a mentionable margin. I was charged $9.75 and it
actually cost $5.86. Not a big deal and not as over inflated as many
other sellers, but if you are in the business of shipping parts and
are using a standard size USPO box I would think you (or your system)
would get the rate a little closer.
All and all, another good experience with Pinball Life. I'm extra
pleased with the "second" lockdown bar and I'm sure it will look great
when I get my tourney button moved and the hole-less lockdown bar
installed.
DugFreez
Yeah, I too have noticed that shipping times are not what they used to
be.... Not complaining but can no longer count on it parts being here
in a couple days through the post office..... A week is more likely.
Seems like its taking them longer to process orders.
yeah but shipping times are probably due to shipping companies
cutbacks, im sure terry got the order out as quick as he usually
would. Im in Canada so if i got something within a week id be
ecstatic. Im sure there is an overnight option, but that would be
ultra expensive
And you're complaining about $10 shipping fee and 1 week delivery
time? Try living in Canada. lol.
Sam
+1. Terry is terrific to buy from, and if you do catch him in that
extremely small window between placing an order and the time it's
shipped, and you've forgotten to add something to the order, he'll
bend over backwards to help you out. Recommended!
Michael
Jim
You must be one of those people that find fault in most everything. I
personally don't see any negative at all, and I suppose the $4 above
the USPS rate is an excessive amount for packaging, etc?
Geeze. Second the comment you should move to Canada, pay $25 or more
for shipping, add 13% sales tax plus an $8 flat customs fee. Oh, and
it can often take 2 weeks plus by the time it gets released by
customs.
Terry is the best in the business, ask around.
Would you perhaps like a foot massage as well?
I agree. I needed a small part that could fit in an envelope and
mailed Terry to ask if he would ship in an envelope. He mailed me back
and said he would put it in a padded envelope, this was $3 worth of
parts. The shipping cost like $2 and I got it in two days. I mean how
many businesses would do that knowing he probably made less than $1 on
the sale. Its too bad more people don't pay the attention to customer
service that Terry does.
Joe
Terry is always platinum with me . Was your order bubbe wrapped like
orders hes shipped me? Packing materials are not free.
> That was the good of the order...the meh was that it took an extra
> day or 2 to get the order than I expected. I ordered last weekend
> (Sunday) and just received it today (Friday). Not bad but not as
> snappy as I remember other orders from them before. The shipping was
> also over charged by a mentionable margin. I was charged $9.75 and it
> actually cost $5.86. Not a big deal and not as over inflated as many
> other sellers, but if you are in the business of shipping parts and
> are using a standard size USPO box I would think you (or your system)
> would get the rate a little closer.
>
yeah...
waiting an extra day or two for an order....
standing in line at the DMV...
minutes spent staring at your shoes while the wife uses the restroom
after the movie...
waiting to place your order for McNuggets...
Good news though....
You get all that time back when you kick the bucket and the hearse
races through all the red lights just to drop your cold ass off at the
cemetery.
one more thing.....
All those flowers dumped on your grave site are FREE - won't cost you
a dime, Pal
So much for shipping delays & a few extra bucks spent.
I'm also a bit puzzled by the original post. I ordered a replacement
neon tube for my CV from Pinball Life and the freakin' thing came in a
coffin sized box. And I'm only half kidding! I was really impressed by
the effort taken to get it to me in one piece and I don't remember
paying a lot for shipping either. Pinball Life is a class act.
Man, that's not even worth the effort you used to type that.
I usually pay Terry via PayPal and the slightly inflated shipping
prices over what they actually are I write off to the paypal fees he
has to absorb.
Plus the baggies he uses and peanuts, etc... that stuff isn't free.
He has the best prices and service out there and compared to Marco's
shipping, it's CHEAP.
Dan
I can't remember last time I paid actual shipping for online orders.
Four bucks is nothing to me. I do get a little irked when a product
costs $10 and you have to pay $20 bucks in shipping and the item
weighs nothing. That doesn't seem to be the case here. I've also
noticed USPS is taking a little longer and has screwed up two of my
shipments lately. Ordered something last week and it went to Texas
instead of Kalamazoo. It wasn't the shipper's fault it was clearly
USPS that screwed up.
I will also say I've never had one bad experience with Terry and
neither have my Nucore customers. One of the reasons we picked Terry
is he's had a pretty much flawless record of customer satisfaction and
that's pretty hard to find in this day and age.
Mark
Dug,
You've been around here for over a year.
You know that Terry is the best as witnessed by his vast number of
happy customers. I don't know anyone that Terry hasn't bent over
backwards to help.
He and his business are rare these days. He actually cares about
customer service. Other businesses would be well advised to learn
this.
I suppose you could just be having a bad day yourself. No one really
knows what another person is facing.
"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."
--
Chris Hibler - CARGPB #31
http://www.Team-EM.com
http://webpages.charter.net/chibler/Pinball/index.htm
But you can be bought for the price of a striped bass so your opinion
is worth BUPKIS!
;-)
Just kidding Dug. So MANY variables in the sell/shipping process.
If you haven't heard from the seller and no product in 2-3 weeks....
then you got a reason for being concerned. Just MHO.
- Don
Words cannot convey how out of touch you are. Go somewhere and try to
think about the difference between "important" and "trivial".
If you need help just call 1-800-I NEED A FUCKING CLUE.
Lets dissect my opinions from my original post:
I was pleased to see that the second lockdown bar I ordered looked
great
I appreciate that
Not bad but not as snappy as I remember
was also over charged by a mentionable margin (Ohh!!! That was a
harsh one!!!)
FOLLOWED BY:
All and all, another good experience with Pinball Life. I'm extra
pleased with the "second" lockdown bar and I'm sure it will look great
when I get my tourney button moved and the hole-less lockdown bar
installed.
It seems that the simple minded folks of RGP think everything needs
to be black or white, good or evil and can't comprehend an honest
assessment of someones purchasing experience. My post wasn't
slanderous and not overly harsh. I have ordered from Terry before and
I'm sure I will order from Pinball Life again. I have e-mailed and
called about parts questions. I have always been treated well and
continue to be a satisfied customer. Nothing in my original post
suggested otherwise. Go back and read it (for the first time) and tell
me again about what a shithead I am for being the most hateful, harsh
critic in the world. The last paragraph which summed up the whole post
was showing that I considered it a favorable experience. See the words
"good experience" and "'I'm extra pleased"? If you aren't smart enough
to understand that things are not always 100% or 0% than go about
twisting the original post anyway you see fit.
Dude you should have known better. Wait till next order and see if
things are back to fast and as usual.
As soon as I saw anything neg about Terry I knew you had stepped in
it! You couldn't see this coming?
Der...
:)
That being said this is all blown way our of proportion also but you
should have known better.
After all the good fast transactions one that is a little slower
shouldn't have warranted any post here.
And as for the shipping contact Terry don't post here he would have
looked into it and fixed it ya' bonehead!!!
:)
You're still cool, you just pulled a boner that's all!
:)
Tom
I originally decided to post when I got the "second" lockdown bar
and it was in such nice condition. I debated on getting a first or
second before I ordered. I did a search on RGP for "second lockdown
bar" hoping to get a review from someone that had ordered a
second....but I found nothing. I figured since I got mine in good
shape and was very pleased with it I would post so others that might
be on the fence could have an easier time deciding on a first or
second.
Then when I went to post I decided I would post my observations of
the entire order. I guess that was a mistake. Folks only want to hear
a HATE post or a LOVE post. They don't quite understand the idea of
giving something a 4 out of 5 stars.
On a side note: It always bothers me (and especially now) when people
make posts complaining about making trivial post. Isn't your post
complaining solely about the original post being trivial even more
trivial at that point? The way I look at it if a post is on topic (ex:
pinball related) it may be worth posting...at least to someone. It
isn't like it's hard to post or you are charged a per post fee or
anything. It isn't rocket science or philosophy...it's a pinball
newsgroup.
I can't say I'm having the best day either, judging by the partial
post I just fired off and the woeful lack of spell checking on my post
prior to that.
I think most people, myself included, actually DID read your post but
this part kinda sticks out:
"That was the good of the order...the meh was that it took an extra
day or 2 to get the order than I expected. I ordered last weekend
(Sunday) and just received it today (Friday). Not bad but not as
snappy as I remember other orders from them before. The shipping was
also over charged by a mentionable margin. I was charged $9.75 and it
actually cost $5.86. Not a big deal and not as over inflated as many
other sellers, but if you are in the business of shipping parts and
are using a standard size USPO box I would think you (or your system)
would get the rate a little closer."
Why didn't you throw in a part about how the taping used to seal the
box may not have been as professional as you expected, and you felt
you were shorted some packing peanuts?
I guess people, myself included, expect concerns posted about a
reputable seller to be kinda important. Or perhaps at least a teensy
bit important. Or perhaps I am just a "bitter Canadian".
I will at least thank you for giving an honest opinion of what to
expect from these lock down bar "2nds", it sounds like your heart is
in the right place.
Your post was at least more useful than a lot I've read recently:
e.g. "Tell me what game you think I should buy next; Even though I
appear to have tens of thousands of dollars already tied up in pins,
please oh please tell me what to purchase next 'cause making decisions
is tough." and similar posts.
Or I am sure everybody's favorite:
"I can get [insert desireable pin name here] for hundreds, perhaps
thousands, less than the usual asking price. Do you guys think I
should buy it?"
Thank you for at least giving some information that will provide help
in the future!
On Aug 20, 9:49 pm, DugFreez <dugfr...@live.com> wrote:
>
> Based on what you yourself wrote....yes you are being a shithead.
> This is the PERFECT example of thinking what you wrote on the internet
> will be perfectly understandable and reasonable to everyone else.
> Guess what, it isn't. The internet has quickly eroded peoples'
> abilities to communicate intelligently, precisely, and effectively.
> No matter what you may feel you wrote, it can and will be processed
> differently on the 'net.' Hell, I think I have at least 4 open slots
> for top 10 worst posts of the year and I am nominating yours
> for....let's see......number 6. Feel honored, this is a huge
> milestone. Or, realize that NOTHING anyone says on the internet
> matters and take your nomination in stride.
Damn you... now I'm wondering what the other six posts are. :)
--
Have a home video that's trapped on your camera? Want to share it on the
web or on DVD?
I'm in Toronto and would love to see Pinballlife anywhere in
Canada....
Franchise time !!
Congrats, Korn, you probably just bumped off one of them. Moving up
the charts rapidly and now #4 with a bullet!
- Don
On Aug 20, 5:09 pm, DugFreez <dugfr...@live.com> wrote:
> I ordered a chrome lockdown bar (no hole) for my Black Spider-Man
> along with a Tourney Button from Pinball Life. I ordered a
> "second" (flawed) lockdown bar because of the tempting price ($39 vs
> $85) compared to a regular "first" lockdown bar.
>
> I was a little concerned about what made it a second, but I figured
> this was going to be my regular use lockdown bar from here on out so
> it was bound to get some wear on it anyway. My original one is pretty
> sloppy looking after only a year of home use. I'm going to get it re-
> chromed instead of forking out the $200+ that Stern charges for a
> chrome lockdown bar with a tourney hole.
>
> I was pleased to see that the second lockdown bar I ordered looked
> great. I'm not saying it didn't have a minor scratch here or there,
> but it was much better than I had expected. Whoever sorts these
> lockdown bars into first and seconds must be a very particular person,
> and I appreciate that. I'm sure the buyers on the firsts do even more.
>
> That was the good of the order...the meh was that it took an extra
> day or 2 to get the order than I expected. I ordered last weekend
> (Sunday) and just received it today (Friday). Not bad but not as
> snappy as I remember other orders from them before. The shipping was
> also over charged by a mentionable margin. I was charged $9.75 and it
> actually cost $5.86. Not a big deal and not as over inflated as many
> other sellers, but if you are in the business of shipping parts and
> are using a standard size USPO box I would think you (or your system)
> would get the rate a little closer.
>
> All and all, another good experience with Pinball Life. I'm extra
> pleased with the "second" lockdown bar and I'm sure it will look great
> when I get my tourney button moved and the hole-less lockdown bar
> installed.
>
> DugFreez
> > Damn you... now I'm wondering what the other six posts are. :)
>
> Congrats, Korn, you probably just bumped off one of them. Moving up
> the charts rapidly and now #4 with a bullet!
Wow, talk about getting up on the wrong side of the bed. I don't
think that past came anywhere near the top ten worst posts of the
year.
I had a UPS package shipped from someone completely different the
other day, and UPS had it on the truck to deliver, but the deliver
guy, after working from 6am (when he scanned it on the truck) to 6pm
(when he scanned it again) didn't have time to get by my shop. And I
live in an urban area, so he was probably in the area but had too many
deliveries.
I think with the layoffs and things everythings slowing down a little
bit.
I have a great story. I was working for a route op in late 1979 and we
desperately needed the large Molex connectors and pins (Trifurcon
IIRC) for several Bally pins that were going on the kilt. The local
distributor (Empire in Livonia, Michigan) had them on back order.
Wico, Penn-Ray and The Great Amusement Emporium also had none. These
were the long (20 pin?) ones. I called a friend who worked in Bally's
parts dept in the small building on Rockwell & Bemont and told him my
predicament. This was on either Dec 23 or 24th IIRC. Get this, I kid
you not, on Christmas morning, around 11 am the doorbell rang. A
military Jeep was parked in front of the house and the samll box,
stamped "Special Delivery" from Bally was handed to my dad by a guy in
uniform. No charge, no nothin'.
Even though the Solid Stae pin production just moved from the two
disjointed buildings in Franklin Park (one on Melrose Avenue and the
other on Acorn Lane) to Bensenville, the service parts for all coin-op
Bally games (pins, slots, Bingos) building remained on Belmont in
Chicago until 1983.
That was Bally when they were firing on all cylinders. This was in
1979, before FedEx was very popular.
I just bought a bunch of Bolts from a Camaro Parts supplier last
saturday in CA & they charged double what the shipping cost really was
to get these to me faster & it still took 6 days as they showed up
yesterday ( friday ), kinda ticked me off that I wasted 10 bucks for
nothing, But that was UPS's fault, Oh well, At least I can put the
Int, back in my Car this coming week .
Pin-Del,
cargpb28
All I can say is that Terry has been outstanding in each and every
dealing I have had with him over the years.
To bitch and Meh over a few days delivery expectations is IMO simply
comical. Especially considering the deal he cut you.
After many years in my own business I have come to the realization
that you can not please them all.
And some of the all are not even worth having.
BC_Gambits response is spot on... "Clueless".
Read my original post and tell me what you think I would have rated
the transaction. Lets say I was going to rate the entire transaction
on a scale from 1 (worst transaction imaginable) to 10 (best
transaction imaginable). Take into consideration everything that was
said in the original post including the title, but don't interject
your own opinions and assumptions. Just read the original post and let
me know on a 1 to 10 scale how happy / unhappy I was with the order in
your opinion and how I would have rated it on this scale.
I can't speak for you because only you know how you would rate
something. You have shown that you certainly would not rate the
transaction a 10 though. Myself, well, I'm not big on rating sales
transactions from a vendor with a business because they are in
business to sell you stuff so they should sell it to you at a fair
price (they do need to make a fair profit), offer prompt service and,
where required, service after the sale. That said, since you asked,
I'd give it a 9.5 .
I'm not an anal leech, I don't go around praising sellers who have a
business selling things. I certainly give my business to the sellers
that I think treat me fairly as well as are friendlier than others.
Admittedly, I am one to suggest or actually post "A-HOLE ALERTS" when
they are deserved though. But I don't go around praising vendors whose
main business is selling parts, supplies etc. They are in business to
SELL products and make money themselves. The good ones will prosper
and grow and the bad ones won't.
I never understood all of the praise posts that go like this; (Edited
for an everyday transaction or two) Hey everyone, I just went to my
local Mobil station for gasoline. It was priced the lowest in the
area, 6¢ less than one of the other local stations, delivered promptly
into my car's tank, packaged well before the sale and is burning well
in my engine with no knocks or sputtering. A big shout out and hats
off to Yousef Beyodun who is the franchisee, I will buy from him
again!
Or how about this: Went to the Albertson's On Warm Springs and Eastern
Avenues for a gallon of milk. They had a deal where it was 30¢ less
per gallon than the Smith's located a mile or so away (Yes I have
loyalty disCOuNt cards for both stores) . They had the milk in stock,
packaged it well in a recyclable plastic jug along with a dozen grade
A large eggs I needed (hopefully not affected by the half billion egg
recall) which were shipped out of the store in my hand in a nice
plastic bag. It arrived home quickly thanks to the gas I bought
earlier (see detail above) and it was still icy cold and tasted great.
It was 1/2% if anyone is wondering. A big shout out to Albertson's
headquarteres (SuperValu Inc.) in Eden Prarie, Minnesota for having
the milk in stock and providing great packaging and customer service.
Now, let me go take my meds!
i didn't have to read past the title to come to the conclusion that if
you took the time to type the post, what your intent was. sometimes i
don't get 100% satisfaction from a vendor, but it doesn't warrent a
"meh" posting. dogging terry is like b*tching about santa claus
leaving reindeer tracks on your roof.
but i do like the other post you made just earlier about having "no
complaints" with terry (post on the amazing new cliffy item).
just my opinion, (You asked)
> Read my original post and tell me what you think I would have rated
> the transaction. Lets say I was going to rate the entire transaction
> on a scale from 1 (worst transaction imaginable) to 10 (best
> transaction imaginable). Take into consideration everything that was
> said in the original post including the title, but don't interject
> your own opinions and assumptions. Just read the original post and let
> me know on a 1 to 10 scale how happy / unhappy I was with the order in
> your opinion and how I would have rated it on this scale.
4 to 5
...and at least you are being honest about admitting that you didn't
read it. My point exactly.
My post ends with "All and all, another good experience with Pinball
Life. I'm extra
pleased with the "second" lockdown bar..." and you think I would be
giving it a 4 or 5 out of 10? OK.
You lost me when you complained about what $4-5 for handling?
Sheesh...don't ever order anything from Marcos...you'll have a heart
attack.
Yes...I mentioned the shipping charge and cost. I don't consider
it much of a complaint really...just an observation of the facts. That
was after the 3 paragraphs talking about how I was pleased with the
products I received and the last paragraph were I said I was happy
with my order. I have ordered from Marcos...but usually when I do I
wait for a big order.
First mistake you made was to make the post to start with. You were
more than happy with a transaction you had with Terry. Big deal.
Terry does that shit everyday. With as much stuff as I order, from as
many vendors as I do, if I did the same thing, I'd be posting this
same thing at least ten times a month about ten different vendors.
Second mistake you made, and this is the one that most are unhappy
with, is complaining that shipping took too long and you thought you
paid too much for said shipping. Again, big deal. Took a week to
get?? Big deal. Paid more than actual shipping charges?? Big deal.
Terry does not ship as fast as some. That's just the way it is, but
when I order from Terry, I know I'm getting the best deals around and
if I have any issue whatsoever with my order, I know he'll bend over
backwords to make it right.
Bryan (CARGPB 14)
http://usergallery.myhomegameroom.com/gallery/bspins
On Aug 22, 9:09 am, DugFreez <dugfr...@live.com> wrote:
>
> My post ends with "All and all, another good experience with Pinball
> Life. I'm extra
> pleased with the "second" lockdown bar..." and you think I would be
> giving it a 4 or 5 out of 10? OK.- Hide quoted text -
And you might be jumping the gun a bit by ASSuming (or not reading...)
that KY-pin did not read your post; he merely stated he did not have
to read past the title to discern the intent of your post.
I am sure that will come out in the wash soon enough...
My point was to let others know about the quality of the "second"
lockdown bars. I looked before I ordered mine and couldn't find any
information about them. I ordered mine and was very impressed with the
condition it was in to be considered a second.
Then I mentioned that the order didn't come quite as quickly as the
orders usually do from Pinball Life. Very little opinion here. I said
I ordered on Sunday and received on Friday. I have received orders
from them quicker than that. Those are facts. I even followed up and
said "Not bad but not as snappy as I remember other orders from them
before." Is that such a harsh thing to say? Is that really a
complaint?
Then I mentioned the shipping. How much I was charged and how much
it cost to ship. Those are facts. Then I said " Not a big deal and not
as over inflated as many other sellers". Is that such a slanderous
complaint? Is it even a complaint at all?
My only mistake here is believing that people would actually read
the post before jumping to any conclusions. People saw Pinball Life
and Meh (Meh....such a strong word of indifference) and started firing
off their guns and slinging their shit. They completely over looked
the word "Good" in the topic and the 80% of the post that was saying
good things about Pinball Life. They just jumped right on it saying I
was slamming / dogging / complaining. There was no real need for me to
write any of the post...people had already made up their minds before
even reading it.
This topic wasn't meant to be a review of the sale but it did end up
being just that. Even though doing a review wasn't my intention...I
still can't comprehend how some people have no understanding of a
middle ground. Not everything is either perfect or shit. I had a good
(not perfect...but more than acceptable) transaction with Terry from
Pinball Life and was very happy with the lockdown bar and I wanted
others to know about it since I couldn't find any info about them
before my purchase. I wrote about it and people are getting bent out
of shape. I WASN'T bent out of shape when I created the topic and I
can't understand why someone would think I was if they actually read
it.
I am now officially done with this. I would give the transaction a 8
out of 10. I said It was "another good experience with Pinball Life".
If anyone disagrees with this honest review...sit on it.
I think this thing got totally blown out of proportion...First of all
Terrry is a great guy, great business person, and secondly Dugfreez is
a great guy too, hes given me lots of advice on my spiderman, he took
his time to write a huge email on some tips for it but appears to have
taken a huge beating by RGPers. Anyway just my two cents
> My only mistake here is believing that people would actually read
> the post before jumping to any conclusions.
No, your mistake is that you didn't communicate clearly. Even reading this
post YOU DON'T SOUND HAPPY. You still sound pissed off and mad. You're
doing a terrible job at communicating, and then blaming the readers when
they're not omniscient.
If you write a message and nobody reads it the way you intended, then there
is a problem with the message.
Amen, Korn.
Jimmythekid,
I completely agree with you that Terry is as good as it gets in the
pinball parts and customer service side of our hobby, but Steve Young
(in my 20 years experience) at PBR is right up there with Terry, in my
opinion. They both go above and beyond to make their customers happy.
Both have extremely short delivery times and treat customers very
fairly if there is any problem with your order.
Larry W.
Any pinball guy that bends over backwards for other pinball guys has
probably got at least one screw loose.
Terry, Please feel free to "go the extra mile" before "bending over
backwards" on any future orders I place.
/s :-)
You have no idea if anyone read your post or jumped to any
conclusions. Your mistake is that you're crying because it took 5
days for the shipment to arrive and you were charged $4 over actual
shipping costs.
Jon
you are exactly right, Gambit. he totally misinterpreted my post.
i guess we ain't the only ones that do this?
:)
But Terry doesnt yell at you. ;) Kidding
I would pay an extra $4 to get my order in 5 days. But that would
never happen since we're all grumpy up north...
So recap:
OP sounds irritated he didn't get item in two days (damn you terry)
RGP users come to Terry's defense also feeling the need to say Terry
bends over backwards. (that's hot)
OP gets mad because he's getting called out on his "I'm irritated"
post and tries to clarify his intentions
RGP dog piles again - Terry bends over backwards (That's still hot)
Deadly steps in and posts something useless (hopefully mildly
entertaining)
PLEASE GOD LET THIS THREAD DIIIIEEEEEEEEE
and...
OP (Dug), in first post, forgets the cardinal rule of communicating
>>> One ahh-shit cancels 1000 atta-boy's.
His original post communicated his thoughts just fine. What we have
here is a bunch of people with nothing better to do than crucify
someone over basically nothing. Of course he's gonna get defensive
with all this OMG!! HOW CAN U CRITICIZE TERRY?!!?#$ crap. I think
Terry is the best vendor out there, but don't see any problem with
mentioning shipping took a little longer than normal, while also
complimenting the quality of the parts he received.