new bib le

[goodolddays]

I don't understand why you are sticking up for Stern so much Brett .

As Nick said , there would be a lot of buyers who aren't forum members so it seems the incident rate of problems/faults is way too high .

Personally I am glad I haven't got $$ tied up in this mess

[Caveoftreasures]

To answer your question I have tried to put things into perspective.  It would be very easy for me to bag the living shit out of Stern for everything and anything but I see the positive in things, not the negative the majority of the time.

When u run your own business like I have for 15 years, and u are on commission/performance pay only, u wake up every day and look for reasons to make things happen and stay positive, not reasons to not make things not happen and see the bad in everything.  So when i see a few hundred people get pinball machines new, I look at the 97 percent of machines that are fine, not look only at the 3 percent that are not fine.

To judge Stern on the 3 percent that are not fine would be narrow minded to me, and not take in the big picture. If I had a machine that wasnt perfect I would get on with the job of having it fixed, I certainly wouldnt dwell for very long on the issues. Life is far too short to complain about everything and everyone.  Bagging people is easy, giving people a big pat on the back for the great things they do is alot harder.

Stern should be very proud of the games they produce, and at the same time continue to do more for quality control ofcourse, but Stern already know this.

Some people bag Stern so much it makes me think that some people honestly think Stern does this on purpose. We all know its not the case.
I just try n focus on the 97 percent good that Stern does. Easier for me to be thankful for the 97 percent good then to focus on the 3 percent mistakes.
Look for the gold, not the dirt. lol

[pinnies4me]

3%, 5% seems to be a moving target, but I'm not going to apologise for thinking that aiming for 100% should be the goal, not relying on people putting up with "near enough is good enough".

Really pity the dealers here, they are right in the firing line unfortunately.

[Caveoftreasures]

Aiming for 100 percent is probably their goal already. That is correct.
I think all Stern dealers realise realistically that there will be a 3 to 5 percent warranty rate. For the several hundred dollars they make per machine it is simply part of another day at the office. Anyone who works in electronics accepts that.
Its water off a ducks back for the dealers. They understand people are very fussy and want everything to be right with home market buyers. Nothing new to anyone in the Stern team in Australia. They have been doing this for years.

When you listen to Steve Ritchie or Gary Stern talk, I have never heard them say anything less than 100 percent is acceptable. Gary always says our customers deserve the best. Cant knock a man for trying.

[pinnies4me]

Lets see how good there warranty service is.hummmmm?

Any progress studley?

[Retropin]

But its not 3- 5% is it?

200 games sold to australia maximum... then at 5% we expect 10 machines with faults.

So far on this forum we have 3 machines that are complete duds... not small faults but completely not working.
There are only about 10 machines sold to forum members so that makes a staggering 30% complete shite and another 60% or so with issues that should have been sorted at factory.

From memory you are the only person that hasnt had some issue, be it minor or major.

I honestly feel for any ACDC owner that has had problems... FFS.. Stern are relying on the fact that us pinnie owners can fix such minor issues... people are sorting it out for themselves.

This title should have been so much and Stern have failed to deliver to the hype... its bloody simple facts. I look for the positives too, but at the end of the day facts are facts and confidence in Stern is sliding in one direction right now, and it aint sliding upwards.

The ACDC thread is huge.. but the people who actually have this title is very small... there was so much riding on this game.
We knew that this title could really MAKE Stern... could also break them at the same time... great anticipated title... great designer... great game play.... should have been an iconic machine for a long time.

[Retropin]

Put it this way...

I make lights.. thats what i was trained to do 27 years ago. I buy raw glass tubing... bend and blow it to a design... process it and then sell it. I make my product, not buy it. In the 6 years i have been out on my own i have had a ZERO failure rate. Every now and again i may get a faulty electrode.. it is removed and the product is reprocessed. It does NOT leave my shop until i know that it will last 10+ years of continous use 24/7.
I buy transformers... electronic ones i can expect 2% failure rate due to variations in resistor values etc.. its a fact of life which i warranty against. I cant control this. If i get more than this rate i drop the product and source another.. simple.
My customers need to know that i sell the best quality there is and i pride myself on this fact.
Im sorry, but the product leaving Stern does not have the quality control it should... buying NIB should never be a gamble, its should be its own guarantee

[Caveoftreasures]

I think if the prechecks were done by the Stern dealers here in OZ and people said yes to them, the percentages would be very low cause they would have headed off these issues at the pass. (probably). Only AMD will know the real percentages, but it may be higher than i have suggested ofcourse ?

Stern should be looking hard at the guy who signed the LE DOA machines off for sure. 

But we still get back to the prechecks and this is why they are performed and whilst it is so important to let the OZ Stern agents do them.
I certainly will not be saying NO to the free precheck next new Stern i buy, no way, I have learnt something from this.

* I think you will find the Stern guys in OZ might make them mandatory next time round. 

[Olivia_jason]

I think if the prechecks were done by the Stern dealers here in OZ and people said yes to them, the percentages would be very low cause they would have headed off these issues at the pass. (probably). Only AMD will know the real percentages, but it may be higher than i have suggested ofcourse ?

Stern should be looking hard at the guy who signed the LE DOA machines off for sure. 

But we still get back to the prechecks and this is why they are performed and whilst it is so important to let the OZ Stern agents do them.
I certainly will not be saying NO to the free precheck next new Stern i buy, no way, I have learnt something from this.

* I think you will find the Stern guys in OZ might make them mandatory next time round. 

that is a fair point.
I dont think its fair to give some one the option of precheck and not allow normal warrenty, but mandatory and repacked would cover their arses. im sure they can be repacked to look like they coame out of stern after all they are still new just checked over.
i think thats fair if a seller does mandatory prechecks, to see they came out of the cantainer in good working new condition and repacked.

[Caveoftreasures]

Obviously Stern and its dealers in Australia give a 6 month warranty no matter what.  Prechecked or not prechecked u still get the same warranty.
You would probaly not even know if the game was even pulled out by the Stern agent for a check over preceeding its delivery.

Hey Damo(Studley) have u got a response back yet ?

[pinmadd]

Sorry to hear Studley,
I  have read that a Euro AC/DC le got shipped with a USA cpu, of course it won't work as wrong voltage/hertz, unfortunately I think the pin's need to be checked a the dealer before final delivery,
I was gutted when my TSSP was checked over (as I wanted the box opening party + 1st game) but the pin came home with no fault's,
Family Guy NIB ........ no problems
My LOTR le came NIB, 2 games in ...... switch problems,ring magnet fuse.........

Any item with moving parts needs to be re-checked when shipped IMO,

Hope it all get's sorted (quickly) for you  

How's the lexen window? Foggy or clear? There have been clear coat issue's also

[Cow Corner]

I now have little or no confidence in Stern to bring a Avengers pin to full fruition and not be riddled with issues. I doubt they could even get the full and decent game together that it deserves let alone all the Quality control issuses that are going on.
Avengers would be a much bigger title than ACDC and I can't afford to have them to stuff it up, so I won't be buying one new if they announce it. 
Stern will just rush it out, like they did with this title and leave buyers pissed off and disapointed.
I bet if it was JJP doing a super-hero theme it would be pretty amazing and not some rush job to cash in.

[Retropin]

I now have little or no confidence in Stern to bring a Avengers pin to full fruition and not be riddled with issues. I doubt they could even get the full and decent game together that it deserves let alone all the Quality control issuses that are going on.
Avengers would be a much bigger title than ACDC and I can't afford to have them to stuff it up, so I won't be buying one new if they announce it. 
Stern will just rush it out, like they did with this title and leave buyers pissed off and disapointed.
I bet if it was JJP doing a super-hero theme it would be pretty amazing and not some rush job to cash in.

Seems to me that the problem is NIB and Sterns inability to send out 100% games. No reason why you can buy AVENGERS or any other title, but i wouldnt be going for the NIB experience, it would make sense to buy one relatively new or prechecked... having the pleasure of being the first to play your game is fraught with issues

[Cow Corner]

I now have little or no confidence in Stern to bring a Avengers pin to full fruition and not be riddled with issues. I doubt they could even get the full and decent game together that it deserves let alone all the Quality control issuses that are going on.
Avengers would be a much bigger title than ACDC and I can't afford to have them to stuff it up, so I won't be buying one new if they announce it. 
Stern will just rush it out, like they did with this title and leave buyers pissed off and disapointed.
I bet if it was JJP doing a super-hero theme it would be pretty amazing and not some rush job to cash in.

Seems to me that the problem is NIB and Sterns inability to send out 100% games. No reason why you can buy AVENGERS or any other title, but i wouldnt be going for the NIB experience, it would make sense to buy one relatively new or prechecked... having the pleasure of being the first to play your game is fraught with issues

It has me a little scared Gav, I am super keen on a Avengers pin and would love one NIB but if I bought one and got it home and it was DOA or whatever I reckon I would go right off the deep end...yep 2nd hand or next to new would be the only way to go for me. I just can't trust them though, I sorta hope they don't do one then I won't have the worry of it.

[GORGAR 1]

Just for the record there are alot of AC/DC pinballs out there that have been great with no issues and thousands of other stern titles to.

Peter