Moving pins horror stories (inspired by best practice thread)

[Spadge]

1. Sold my GNR to a lovely aussie guy in Putney, smashed the translite moving it into the van. I had 18 pins and not a single one had the same size/shape glass as that thing. That and my relationship with a TMNT is the reason I really won't have another DE machine in the building again.

2. Buying. Bought an incredibly nice super-mint, total refurb, clearcoated TZ not so long ago. Owner and I'm assuming innocent and nervous other half gouged/scraped the back box moving it. Massively disappointing but deducted costs and a new decal, which I'm almost about to put on.

3. First pin I picked up in a van, from a hotel in Liverpool. I put it in the back, with legs on, stood up, didn't use ties. How on earth it survived I do not know. I kept hearing it shift every time I braked.

4. Bought a lovely pin from a chap I bought a few off. He had a super steep drive/garden and I was pretty naive. Anyway, a couple of steps and the whole thing toppled onto him and his chest/face. I actually thought it was death by misadventure. Fortunately he lived. I only saw him once again through acute embarrassment.

I'm sure there are lots more and some funnies. I saw the pic of the pin that had the glass smashed going to the NLP show not so long back.

 

[kevlar]

My first pin, HS2 was bought in 2012 from those pinball paradise ratbags. It was delivered by some guy who refused to bring his sack truck into my house ' for insurance reasons ' apparently, so we had to carry it in. He had the light end of course and when picking up the back end I tore my left bicep. I put the machine back down in agony, but then it started ****ing down so I somehow fought through the pain and carried it into the house. The guy had no intention of staying to help set it up and I had no patience, so I set it up on my own, with one arm, a length of 2x4 as a lever and a stack of catalogues. I really had no clue . Took months for my arm to fully heal.

 

[Wizcat]

Hmm. Can't think of anything that's ever gone wrong whilst I've been moving pins around in a van. And definitely nothing involving any return trip to @JMP because those are always flawless

 

[domlouis]

First pin I bought probably 17-18 years ago went straight into the rented van as one. Legs on. Standing proud in the middle of an empty van. Still had 150 miles to do to get back. Just as well I drove slowly.

 

[Banzaipinabll]

Bought a pin, drove 250 miles to pick up, backbox was bolted from inside, guy could not find the key and did not a have a drill to drill lock, we agreed to break in to it, caused a little damage, but was repairable

 

[Kenny Taylor]

Took delivery of a pin from palletways. Firstly it arrived in too large a HGV to get down my road to house, so they promised to come back with a van. Anyways later that evening after giving up hope of it ever arriving I get a knock at the door with the driver and a smaller truck with curtain sides and no tail lift. Anyways I was persuaded that we would both be able to get it off by the side of the truck. We gradually jiggled it off then took the full weight a couple moments of panic and balancing and we both managed to gently lower it to the ground. Thank god it was a Stern and not JJP or Bally/Williams wide body!

 

[Poibug]

Does getting stuck in a DE star wars count?

 

[Poibug]

Hmm. Can't think of anything that's ever gone wrong whilst I've been moving pins around in a van. And definitely nothing involving any return trip to @JMP because those are always flawless

And @Ruk would agree,he never got stuck in a field either

 

[Steve C]

Hmm. Can't think of anything that's ever gone wrong whilst I've been moving pins around in a van. And definitely nothing involving any return trip to @JMP because those are always flawless

Was that the time you took a shortcut up 'doggers' lane

 

[Jay Walker]

After the 1987 POA show in London, a World Defender (Bell Games copy of Laser Cue built on/in a Bally cabinet) backbox disintegrated while being carried, by gripping the top rail above the glass. The rail came off, and the whole thing fell face down, smashing the glass

I had a few tense moments when a Black Knight 2000 with the backbox folded had the mirrored glass and display panel move during transit, and end up wedged in a very wide 'V' angle with the lock (key placed on the side of the box) inoperable. Luckily I realised the display/speaker panel had lifted off its supports, and managed to get the 'U' clips on the back of the panel back over them. This was why Williams shipped games with a screw securing the panel in place

Thank god it was a Stern and not JJP or Bally/Williams wide body!

Or a Gottlieb heavyweight like Haunted House