I fix electromechanical pinball games (the ones with the scorewheels that you can see move) and that's all. I MAY consider other e-m devices like pitch & bats. I won't do Bingos or Horse race payouts, well, i suppose if doubled my rates i'd have to consider it.

So here's some information about what i DON"T do:

I DO NOT fix or repair video games, newer electronic pinballs, jukeboxes, pachinko games, toasters, or toilets. Nor do i know anyone who does this for other people, sorry.

I DO NOT fix games for you to sell. If you want to sell your game, sell it to me, broken.

Q: How much is my game worth?

A: Busted, 50-200$ depending on condition. Working well, twice that.

Q: How come your games are selling for more?

A: They aren't. They are sitting around. It's not as if stuff doesn't sometimes sell for more sometimes. I'm looking at a general market for a motivated seller. Motivated buyers usually have specific interests, pay more, and i rarely have anything they want.

Q: How long is this going to take?

A: I can fix most singular problems in recently broken games in an hour. Two hours for bigger problems. If you want playfield wax and rubber, that's another hour & a half. In some cases i may have to find a part & return again. This is billed as a new visit.

Q: That's way more than the game is worth! Why is that?

A: Well, you live in Seattle for starts, the market here for used pins is soft. Busted, your game is worth next to nothing. Working, it's actually fun, which is worth something more than just it's resale value. If it's not, then you ought not to be owning it. For example, i spent $1400 having a car repaired that is probably worth $1000. The car is worth more to me than what someone else would buy it for because of what it provides me.

Q: Can i fix it myself?

A: Probably not. You won't have the parts, tools, or knowledge. If you're good at taking things apart & fixing them (have a high level of mechanical apptitude) and understand simple wiring circuits, you can probably fix a simple problem in about 12 hours. That's how long it took me when i started. And when you give up, you will have caused a bunch of other problems.

Q: I'm sure it's something simple, it shouldn't take long to fix.

A: So am i. You've looked inside the game to see how simple it is, right? Call me up when you have it fixed.

Q: My game hasn't been working for a long time (5, 10 or whatever years), how long is it going to take to make it work?

A: I don't do big overhaul work on location, you'll have to bring it into the shop. 6 to 12 hours. Which is way too long to be hanging out at your house. Plus i'm gonna need a bunch of parts/tools so i'd be going back & forth forever. Or sell it to me & i'll call you up when it's fixed to see if you want to buy it back.

Q: Do you guarantee your work? Can you guarantee you can fix it? How long can i expect it to work after you leave?"

A:No, no & about 10 minutes. I do good work, i use the right parts for replacements, near approximations, or solid non-standard fixes when no part is available. I don't use duct-tape. Only once have i not been able to fix a game. (Irreplaceable game specific part.) Just because my work is solid does not mean something else won't go wrong. Intermittent problems are particularly dificult to track down & eradicate. It may take a couple trys. Usually everything is fine.

Q: What's a Bingo & why don't you fix them?

A: You're better off not knowing. They are complicated & boring. the resale market is zero.

Q: Why do you charge so much?

A: It may help for you to consider the "hidden" costs, like operating a motor vehicle to & from your abode; the storing, sorting, & parting out of old games to obtain that little busted gizmo that needs replacing. None of which you are directly charged for. I've been doing this for 10 years. You are hiring a professional tradesman. Maybe it's not expensive, maybe you're cheep.