Geez Nino you must come across some real dodgy games people have bought from importers-if I buy a game with a receipt I assume I have the same protection as I would like buying a car with a roadworthy am I right? But if I buy off eBay or the bloke down the road with no receipt I'm on my own? Surly people selling through a company name have a duty of care and are ultimately responsible if someone hurts themselves! Do I live in a dream world?
I do 2 days worth of repairs a week. These are games imported and bought locally. Twenty years ago, you can understand the hacks keep the games on location - so you can forgive these - and some have been ingenious. In the last 5 years, I've seen some "lethal" problems - literally. Almost every game that I've seen has been a deliberate attempt to "not repair" the game, or a badly butchered repair because the sellers simply don't have the technical expertise, or the employees are not technically proficient. I do remember visiting a "state of the art" workshop, and the soldering irons were the same ones used to solder battery terminals. Really "back yard" attitude to repairs.
I don't do onsite work unless I know the full history of the machine - ie - I sold it, or I've worked on it. But on occasions, I really feel "sorry" for buyers and I try to help out. The BIGGEST problems are that an owner presents the game with one minor issue, and when I view the game, it has several issues and I feel compelled to help them - even though I'm the LAST in a long line of attempted repairs - and every single "tech" has ripped them off. Our industry will never be regulated, so reputations are important. Some simply don't care - after they sell the game - they won't help.
I will find more pictures - and some of them will be very interesting - and I'm not referring to rubber bands being used in the place of rubbers..
