Repair service and help.

[oldslotman]

MESSAGE DELETED.

[ken b]

Oldslotman has a great idea, I for one have general skills and usually figure
out a problem with the help of some very nice fully timers in the business/
hobby. I am in Phoenix Az. and would be willing to help some one if
possible.
I am new to the form ,I have collected and restored/repaired off and on
for 25 years, It does make me sad to think the hobby is waning . It
also makes me wonder when I read so much negative posting about some
dealers. cant" comment, but agree with some one that wrote if I were
new to the hobby I might wonder if this is the hobby I really want to be
in.
ken b

[marsonion]

I'm more than happy to help anybody in the Portland, Oregon area. I prefer having collectors bring their unhappy machines to my lab near Beaverton, but I have also traveled to locations with a bag of tools before too-- last time it was an Extraordinary Console which sat for years with three things wrong with it: a loose coin detector rod, a dime jammed in the nickel escalator, and two nickels stuck sideways in the coin tube... got it all up and running in about 20 minutes. Just don't ask me how all that badness can happen at once!

I don't charge any money for this; I just like seeing the machines come back to life. Parts are on you, though. I also make my own repro reel strips because some of the catalog items are so lousy. I've done a few custom reel strip jobs for people with unique or unusual machines.

PM me for details.

There seems to be alot of people who are joining the forum who need repair or help with their machines. I think it would be nice if we had a list of people who are willing to help and where they are located. I don't believe it should be an endorsement of services but just an idea of who and where help is available. Help may be just around the corner or near by. I,for one, am willing to help anyone who is in the Omaha Nebraska area.

[SLOT DYNASTY]

The comments in this tread, are a good example of why I brought up a subject in another thread, about
why members of this Forum should list their Location when registering. There are many of us that are
willing to help other collectors whenever we can, by answering here, but it is hard to offer hands-on
services if you are near-by, if we don't know where you are at. I have noticed that a few of our latest
members are listing their location, and others have gone back to fill the void, but there are many to go.

[TheFatman]

I agree with that. I am i the Philadelphia area and have worked on machines for over 30 years not. Not full time but as a love hobby. I was in the amusement business back when Pacman came out and was in it for more than 25 years. I always loved coin ops and started when I was 12 years old with a Challenger Hot Nut machine and a Duplex bulk vendor. I am willing to help others who have stuck or machines that need some tweaking. Would be a help if there was a forum for people that are willing to help, but I feel there would be those who would abuse this to exploit others and take advantage. Hard to control this unless it was part of COPS with a commitment agreement. I dont know what would work .... just poking ideas out there.
Dave F.

[oldslotman]

MESSAGE DELETED.

[TheFatman]

I would agree with you. I have too much respect for these machines and the genuine people who collect them.
Dave

[terick2104]

Tell these new collectors to join COCA, then they will receive the list of COCA members, their locations and phone #'s. Then they can contact slot people in their area for assistance, plus receive a great magazine on coin-op 3 times a year.

[marsonion]

Would be a help if there was a forum for people that are willing to help, but I feel there would be those who would abuse this to exploit others and take advantage.

I would hope that all those willing to help would do so in a professional manner and in a manner to promote coin-op collecting.

I guess my mind just isn't evil enough to comprehend what is being implied or insinuated here. If somebody local gets in touch with me, saying they've got a machine that hasn't operated since they were a child, but we can't suss it out over the phone or via email, so I ask them to bring it over so we can look it over together-- where exactly is the opportunity for abuse or exploitation in this scenario?!? We all know that there are a lot of machines out there that are tagged-out as if they were total wrecks because of coin jams and other trivial mechanical problems, and we all know the thrill of getting that first creaky cycle in decades to commence as that single, sad buffalo nickel pops out and rolls across the floor after only five minutes of fiddling. The owner of the machine is inevitably thrilled by this, and thankful as all get-out, and I've made another friend. Now, please expain how any of this sort of activity can be bent into something somehow unethical???

[Midcoast Vintage]

Because, as can be evidenced by discussions on / in other threads on this site, there are "vultures, fraudsters, liars, and cheats" in our hobby, just as there are in other hobbies, and... life itself.
i am referring to the people who are making reproduction slot machines, those that sell reproduction slots as original / restored / re-manufactured, those that are butchering original machines by creating "machines" that never existed, and other atrocities.
these are the type that would go to a newbies house, charge an arm and a leg for a simple repair, or sell them some crap they don't need, and a newbie would not know the difference. another scam they could pull is the newbie may very possibly have some very rare machine... unbeknownst to the newbie, and the unscrupulous "friendly repair man", could tell his what a piece of excrement he has, but since he just wants a good rec-room machine, offer to swap him that nice shiny repro... or modern glass front casino machine... for his supposed junker.
believe me.... things like this have happened... TOO MANY TIMES!
I WOULD SUGGEST THAT IF THE GUY IS NOT A MEMBER OF COPS... DON'T LET HIM TOUCH YOUR MACHINE... IN FACT... DON'T CALL HIM. PLAY IT SAFE.
another suggestion would be to send a pic of the machine to this site, or via a pm to dave, the site owner, who will give you an honest evaluation of your machine as to it's rarity and an approximate value in the shape it's in, so you don't get screwed out of it by an unscrupulous dealer of the ilk mentioned above.