Family Guy - What Should I Do? (please vote)

[pinballtoys]

according to the paper work they fitted a new mains lead & PAT tested it!
is that a standard UK mains plug with flex connected directly or a travel plug adaptor?
Cheers Bob

 

[Crewey]

Standard UK plug and flex

 

[AlanJ]

Ok, Sorry, i just saw the pic and your description of “blackening” so concluded it was dirty. But anyway: so if it’s melted then question is : Was it like this when you received the machine? If so then probably nowt to worry about.

If not then what’s caused it to melt? Is it internal to the plug, ie overheating, or is it external, ie something has touched it and melted it.

If the mains lead plugs into the machine, then just swap it for another lead. If it’s hard wired in, then investigate further-I’d cut the plug off and put on a new one.

pinball machines don’t normally use that much power, so the plug shouldn’t get hot at all. if the plug is getting hot, then clearly there is a major problem.

 

[Crewey]

Cheers @AlanJ my bad on the sh#t explanation and photo, it's definitely happened since the pin has been here as it did look like a brand new plug when it arrived. I'll check if it feels hot after being on for a while via an extension cord. Thank you

 

[Crewey]

She was on via extension cord for at least 6 hours last night, nothing felt at all warm when turning off. Will do similar today, and see.
Starting to think it was probably the donkeys old fairy lights my wife insists on plugging in every free socket around the house, they were in the adjoining socket over xmas and new year so they could have been the cause of the chrome plate getting hot

 

[Pick Holder]

I do warranty work for Pinball Heaven.

I have also been approached to do warranty work for other companies as well.

I also get called out to fix a lot of pinballs that Home Leisure Direct have sold.

They simply buy a machine, and sell it on. No workshopping.

Barry is a great guy and a great engineer. But I would not of touched a thing. Let HLD sort out the issues or return it.

 

[myPinballs]

She was on via extension cord for at least 6 hours last night, nothing felt at all warm when turning off. Will do similar today, and see.
Starting to think it was probably the donkeys old fairy lights my wife insists on plugging in every free socket around the house, they were in the adjoining socket over xmas and new year so they could have been the cause of the chrome plate getting hot

If the fairy lights were the old series type that were direct 240vac (20 or 40 set) then that would explain the mark. Those things could be problematic!! Run from a seperate trip/surge extension lead etc and make sure there’s a few fuse bulbs in the chain and the bulbs are the correct type for the number in the chain

 

[Crewey]

If the fairy lights were the old series type that were direct 240vac (20 or 40 set) then that would explain the mark. Those things could be problematic!! Run from a seperate trip/surge extension lead etc and make sure there’s a few fuse bulbs in the chain and the bulbs are the correct type for the number in the chain

Yup, these are a small 20 set must be 20-25yrs old! I'll chuck them out when she's at work, replace them with some battery LED's if she kicks off

 

[Crewey]

Understandably Barry must be incredibly busy, he has not been in touch yet HLD have supposedly tried a few times to reach him with my details.
So I've pathetically had to go down the guilt route to see if this can be resolved in some way quicker (a refund is not the answer as my wife would be in bits)

---------------------------
Hi ******* -

Still heard nothing, unfortunately.
You have been incredibly kind, polite and patient with these issues and I'm massively grateful as they are problems the engineer should have spotted during the refurbishment/checks and you're now left with all the hassle.
However, I have become totally crestfallen with the ever increasing list of issues and lack of resolution or peace of mind that these problems are going to be resolved anytime soon.

If I could put the situation in some context, my wife purchased this Pinball at an exorbitant price from yourselves as she was comforted by the support that was included with the warranty and your glowing online reviews for customer service. We are both now of the growing suspicion that she was duped by the sales team she dealt with.
She wanted this surprise birthday present for me to be joyous and stress free in the knowledge that the machine had been carefully restored, and I could just play pinball for a few months to forget about our situation. I have recurring tumours within my skull, medicated with anti-depressants due to the worry and regular hospital appointments I have to make. In the past I have undergone major surgery, and will have to do so again very soon with the likelihood of numerous radiotherapy sessions. I will be incapacitated for some time, in the best case scenario.
Sorry to give you my life story, I just wanted to explain what may appear as my impatience for fast resolution is a self defence mechanism to alleviate the guilt my wife is feeling with the lingering state of affairs.

Are there any expert pinball engineers who are available sooner that I could pay travel costs or even better do you have a fully operational refurbished Family Guy in your showroom that we could replace with this one either permanently or until all the issues with this one have been fixed? I would be fine paying the travel costs involved to resolve this quickly, please?

Apologies for rambling again,
Kindest regards
Andy
---------------------------

 

[Fubar]

Daylight robbery.

 

[Andydn]

Understandably Barry must be incredibly busy, he has not been in touch yet HLD have supposedly tried a few times to reach him with my details.
So I've pathetically had to go down the guilt route to see if this can be resolved in some way quicker (a refund is not the answer as my wife would be in bits)

---------------------------
Hi ******* -

Still heard nothing, unfortunately.
You have been incredibly kind, polite and patient with these issues and I'm massively grateful as they are problems the engineer should have spotted during the refurbishment/checks and you're now left with all the hassle.
However, I have become totally crestfallen with the ever increasing list of issues and lack of resolution or peace of mind that these problems are going to be resolved anytime soon.

If I could put the situation in some context, my wife purchased this Pinball at an exorbitant price from yourselves as she was comforted by the support that was included with the warranty and your glowing online reviews for customer service. We are both now of the growing suspicion that she was duped by the sales team she dealt with.
She wanted this surprise birthday present for me to be joyous and stress free in the knowledge that the machine had been carefully restored, and I could just play pinball for a few months to forget about our situation. I have recurring tumours within my skull, medicated with anti-depressants due to the worry and regular hospital appointments I have to make. In the past I have undergone major surgery, and will have to do so again very soon with the likelihood of numerous radiotherapy sessions. I will be incapacitated for some time, in the best case scenario.
Sorry to give you my life story, I just wanted to explain what may appear as my impatience for fast resolution is a self defence mechanism to alleviate the guilt my wife is feeling with the lingering state of affairs.

Are there any expert pinball engineers who are available sooner that I could pay travel costs or even better do you have a fully operational refurbished Family Guy in your showroom that we could replace with this one either permanently or until all the issues with this one have been fixed? I would be fine paying the travel costs involved to resolve this quickly, please?

Apologies for rambling again,
Kindest regards
Andy
---------------------------

That’s not an approach that works mate, they don’t care about any health issues you have.
It’s better to clearly lay out the facts and then your expectations. This pin was purchased after it had been fully checked by HLD, a warranty was issued too. Serious faults were missed during the checks, other faults have developed that are covered under warranty. They need to honour this as soon as possible, if the engineer is unreachable or busy they need to provide another one. You are being too soft on them, this was your wife’s hard earned money - I would demand a refund and reach out on here for one rather than keep up this circus with HLD.
And why on earth are you offering to pay travel costs??? Don’t give them another penny, this sounds harsh but it’s due to push overs like you that these companies keep going. Ring them every day making demands and be hard on them, they have taken your wife’s money!

 

[Steve64]

I think you have been more than fair so far, but if it was mine I'd be asking for a full refund now and if they don't come and collect it and give you your money back I'd be taking them to the small claims court, so easy to do online and I bet when you file a claim they will be on it like a fly on a turd.

 

[cmrl9]

That’s not an approach that works mate, they don’t care about any health issues you have.
It’s better to clearly lay out the facts and then your expectations. This pin was purchased after it had been fully checked by HLD, a warranty was issued too. Serious faults were missed during the checks, other faults have developed that are covered under warranty. They need to honour this as soon as possible, if the engineer is unreachable or busy they need to provide another one. You are being too soft on them, this was your wife’s hard earned money - I would demand a refund and reach out on here for one rather than keep up this circus with HLD.
And why on earth are you offering to pay travel costs??? Don’t give them another penny, this sounds harsh but it’s due to push overs like you that these companies keep going. Ring them every day making demands and be hard on them, they have taken your wife’s money!

Agreed, be careful, from my personal experience they have a habit of endless fobbing of, I would be going down the return route. I'm sure your wife would be understanding, it's not her or your fault. The item very high value, what you don't want is in 6 months time still in the same situation. You have options at the moment however the clock is ticking.

 

[Paul R Owen]

Make a court claim for money

How to take legal action if someone owes you money (small claims court), how much it costs, what happens next. Includes information from withdrawn guidance EX303, EX304, EX306, EX321, EX325 and EX350.

www.gov.uk

You don't need this 5hit in your life now of all times, I feel for you

 

[Crewey]

And why on earth are you offering to pay travel costs??? Don’t give them another penny, this sounds harsh but it’s due to push overs like you that these companies keep going. Ring them every day making demands and be hard on them, they have taken your wife’s money!

@Andydn Harsh sorry. I'm not a confrontational person, and 99.99% of the time don't make complaints it's just my weak personality sorry.

@Steve64 @cmrl9 @Paul R Owen Thanks

 

[Andydn]

@Andydn Harsh sorry. I'm not a confrontational person, and 99.99% of the time don't make complaints it's just my weak personality sorry.

@Steve64 @cmrl9 @Paul R Owen Thanks

That’s fine, but sometimes you really have to stand your ground and stick up for yourself, we’re all behind you mate, we want this to get sorted in the fairest way possible.

 

[paulg100]

So do liberty games. bought my first pin from them, they didn’t have their own repair staff either

When i was looking for my first pin year before last, i rang liberty at the beginning as they were local.

They didnt have what i was looking for at the time (not a NIB) and wanted me to pay for the machine first, then they would get one.

Must of thought i was stupid or something but needless to say that was the last call to them!.
Knowing what i know now, sounds like i got a lucky escape.

Obviously there are people falling for that BS otherwise they wouldnt be expecting it.

 

[Crewey]

I totally fessed up and had an honest discussion about the FG pin situation with the wife, she's tried contacting the sales team which had sold her the pin but they ended up putting her through to the customer service person who I've been communicating with. She gave them a good piece of her mind, and expressed the disappointed and displeasure we both feel with HLD.

Basically we have 3 options available to us:

1. They collect the pin, have it repaired and return it (The wife said why would we trust them to repair correctly, when their 'engineer' missed these faults during the imaginary 26 point check)
2. With it appearing as though Barry is currently unavailable, we find another engineer ourselves who can complete the repairs and they invoice HLD directly (We would need guidance here)
3. They collect the pin and we receive a full refund*

*I'm sure everyone will say #3 is a no brainer, but we would only agree to this if we can locate a fully working FG and agree to a sale with a respected seller prior to HLD collecting.
I am more than willing to donate to the site and put up an official Wanted request up asap on the forum, if anyone thinks there's realistically one out there and someone will likely bite?

We appreciate all the advice given so far, and any further wisdom that is bestowed in our direction please.

Cheers

 

[Itch]

I totally fessed up and had an honest discussion about the FG pin situation with the wife, she's tried contacting the sales team which had sold her the pin but they ended up putting her through to the customer service person who I've been communicating with. She gave them a good piece of her mind, and expressed the disappointed and displeasure we both feel with HLD.

Basically we have 3 options available to us:

1. They collect the pin, have it repaired and return it (The wife said why would we trust them to repair correctly, when their 'engineer' missed these faults during the imaginary 26 point check)
2. With it appearing as though Barry is currently unavailable, we find another engineer ourselves who can complete the repairs and they invoice HLD directly (We would need guidance here)
3. They collect the pin and we receive a full refund*

*I'm sure everyone will say #3 is a no brainer, but we would only agree to this if we can locate a fully working FG and agree to a sale with a respected seller prior to HLD collecting.
I am more than willing to donate to the site and put up an official Wanted request up asap on the forum, if anyone thinks there's realistically one out there and someone will likely bite?

We appreciate all the advice given so far, and any further wisdom that is bestowed in our direction please.

Cheers

It sounds to me like having a fg is very important to you rather than just having a pin, if that is the case I understand your hesitation in going for option three, I feel that in the end hld will still screw you in some way or another, for example they take it now fix the problem bits and give it back “working”, something else will break and they will tell you to get stuffed, personally I wouldn’t want to be stuck with them, this is your get out of jail free card, it may not feel it just now but give it 6 months and you will regret still having to deal with them, and I’m sure they won’t just accept any old invoice for the repair if you get it fixed, and also I doubt any right minded repairer will want to have to run the risk of hld telling them to get stuffed,

Just my 10pence sorry it’s doesn’t help much,

At the least they are offering to help more now,

Itch

 

[mufcmufc]

I totally fessed up and had an honest discussion about the FG pin situation with the wife, she's tried contacting the sales team which had sold her the pin but they ended up putting her through to the customer service person who I've been communicating with. She gave them a good piece of her mind, and expressed the disappointed and displeasure we both feel with HLD.

Basically we have 3 options available to us:

1. They collect the pin, have it repaired and return it (The wife said why would we trust them to repair correctly, when their 'engineer' missed these faults during the imaginary 26 point check)
2. With it appearing as though Barry is currently unavailable, we find another engineer ourselves who can complete the repairs and they invoice HLD directly (We would need guidance here)
3. They collect the pin and we receive a full refund*

*I'm sure everyone will say #3 is a no brainer, but we would only agree to this if we can locate a fully working FG and agree to a sale with a respected seller prior to HLD collecting.
I am more than willing to donate to the site and put up an official Wanted request up asap on the forum, if anyone thinks there's realistically one out there and someone will likely bite?

We appreciate all the advice given so far, and any further wisdom that is bestowed in our direction please.

Cheers

To be fair, there only appeared to be one fault originally which was Stewie not working, not a big issue and nothing to do with game play but yes a part of the game and should work. The other issues can all happen to any game whether new or not, transport of games often doesn't help (this isn't your problem, just an explanation). I've had machines that go wrong so many times I've wanted to give up on them and machines that looked like they might pack up or have major issues that have soldiered on for years.

I fully understand your annoyance, but I don't think HLD have done terribly here, I think they should be applauded for not hiding, they tried to get you an engineer out and they've offered you a refund. Yes your experience isn't ideal, but expecting perfection is unfair. Thankfully, you didn't buy this off ebay, otherwise you'd have a really bitter taste with pinball ownership, with the support of HLD, this can be turned around. The "perfect" game you want is unlikely to come up, unless you find a home use only example, not many are around and there's a reason they haven't been for sale - they are in private games rooms and are likely there until the owner dies.

You need to see it like a 2nd hand car, it's not going to be perfect and there are moving parts which will need maintenance on an ongoing basis, but to all intents and purposes, you have what you desire - a Family Guy machine. From reading the entire thread, I think people need to stop giving you unreasonable expectations, someone will get you up and fully running and I'm sure the issues are mainly only minor niggles that can be fixed quickly by the right person.

 

[mufcmufc]

It sounds to me like having a fg is very important to you rather than just having a pin, if that is the case I understand your hesitation in going for option three, I feel that in the end hld will still screw you in some way or another, for example they take it now fix the problem bits and give it back “working”, something else will break and they will tell you to get stuffed, personally I wouldn’t want to be stuck with them, this is your get out of jail free card, it may not feel it just now but give it 6 months and you will regret still having to deal with them, and I’m sure they won’t just accept any old invoice for the repair if you get it fixed, and also I doubt any right minded repairer will want to have to run the risk of hld telling them to get stuffed,

Just my 10pence sorry it’s doesn’t help much,

At the least they are offering to help more now,

Itch

This comment is ridiculous, they aren't gangster crooks, they are a company. I can't state this enough:

PINBALL MACHINES GO WRONG

 

[Crewey]

Stewie not moving was the first visible problem, but the CPU was also faulty from the start as the software was on early V2.0 instead of V12.0 the Flash would not erase.
There were game modes not even accessible in this early buggy code, and the Stewie motor test wasn't installed.

 

[cmrl9]

..

It's great there offering to resolve this good luck.

It's great your getting amazing customer service unfortunately I didn't when I purchased from them a couple of years ago but I'm sure It was an isolated incident.

 

[mufcmufc]

Stewie not moving was the first visible problem, but the CPU was also faulty from the start as the software was on early V2.0 instead of V12.0 the Flash would not erase.
There were game modes not even accessible in this early buggy code, and the Stewie motor test wasn't installed.

The CPU wasn't faulty as such, the game worked fully didn't it? The ability to update the code via USB was an issue, oddly something I've had reports of on 2 different Stern Spike 2 games in the last week as well as yours when I'd never heard of anyone having an issue like that before. There have been multiple instances of people not being able to update because the USB ports were picky about the USB sticks being used, but these were the same as yours in that they wouldn't recognise ANY USB stick.

 

[mufcmufc]

Hi,
I haven't seen family guy come up for sale very often however that doesn't mean there aren't any. If we are talking HLD prices someone will have a mint condition one they might part with. On here I'm guessing between £3,500 to £4,500 for a FG, but others will be able to advice better.
@CHRIS B PINBALLS would you know any one please who might have one for crewey?

Regarding your options:
1) well they never checked it, it basically got picked up from an operator, loaded in a van and delivered to you. Unsure if they have any staff to hand to repair it. I don't think they do. I'm guessing it will be months before you see it again.

Seriously, I have my mod hat on here.

This needs to stop, defamatory remarks that are unproven are not good. HLD read these forums, if anyone else wants to post "they didn't check it" or "they are liars" or "the checklist isn't worth paper it's written on" go ahead but do remember what you've written and be happy to stand behind it.

This comment in itself is ridiculous: "i'm unsure they have staff to repair it, I don't think they do" so you have no idea, but you are then happy to offer an opinion based on not having a clue! They have offered to take it back and repair it, there is consumer law to protect @Crewey for goodness sake. We should be pleased that it hasn't come from ebay and that at least they are trying to make it right.

 

[Crewey]

The game mostly worked, there were callouts and FX's missing and Chicken Fight mode wasn't obtainable from the TV list.
It recognised the USB stick, as it could backup to them I still have the backup files. The fault was erasing the flash, it wouldn't entertain it and @myPinballs provided his expertise.

 

[cmrl9]

.

 

[mufcmufc]

A CPU fault because of a bad early ROM is not a transport problem, it's a we didn't check it before it went out problem and was always present. I don't believe @Crewey expectation is to have a super mint new in the box fully restored pinball, however its not unreasonable to expect a machine that was purchased at a premium from a company that states all machines come with 120 point check to receive a working checked machine, that didn't have a before shipping fault, not a cable fell out, a flipper coil went,

It's great they are offering a resolution, however it boils down to a trust issue, they state they did checks, clearly they didn't based upon one of these problem, the buyer then starts to question other things, writely or wrongly.

OK Pinball gurus, we all hate HLD no matter what (but are happy to sell to them I hear)

The person who did the "service" may not have been aware of game code updates (maybe they should be, but it may just be a job to them fixing arcade machine as it is to a lot of techs), to all intents and purposes, the game worked. Nothing I can see in the checklist says anything about checking game code, I'm sure it will be on the list going forward once they've read this thread. Thank goodness it wasn't an X-Men, Spiderman or Metallica on original code!

To avoid this thread descending further

@Crewey has asked for advice, option 1,2 or 3:

1. They collect the pin, have it repaired and return it (The wife said why would we trust them to repair correctly, when their 'engineer' missed these faults during the imaginary 26 point check)
2. With it appearing as though Barry is currently unavailable, we find another engineer ourselves who can complete the repairs and they invoice HLD directly (We would need guidance here)
3. They collect the pin and we receive a full refund

Just let him know what he should do, further comments not needed

 

[mufcmufc]

OK Poll added, title changed. No further comments needed really, just vote - poll (&thread) closes in 3 days

 

[ChrisH]

All 3 are reasonable options to choose from, at least you have the seller talking to you which is not something you'd have if you'd bought it off ebay.

I think I'd let them take it and try to make it right with an agreement that if it came back with issues that a refund was still an option

While option 2 sounds attractive, you'd need to presumably have some sort of agreement with HLD as to how this would affect any warranty and what the costs they'd be willing to cover would be.
They're only going to cover fixing the issues present and I could see arguments occurring in the details of exactly what they will and won't give the OK to do.

You could get a refund and sit on the cash while waiting for a FG to appear on here, but it'll go wrong too and you'll still need to either fix it or know someone who can (You'd probably have a couple of extra grand knocking about though, I'm a bit out of touch price wise but what's a FG these days, 3.5-4K?)