I am not posting this out of vindictiveness, I really do want to see Arcade Hub doing well but I think people on this forum would appreciate the following information so that they can make an informed decision as to whether or not they wish to continue to support Arcade Hub Hull.
I gave my time free of charge to Lee Playle to help maintain the pinball machines in Arcade Hub Hull. This involved regular visits, after I had done my day job, of around 2 to 4 hours a week. I bought parts for the machines and invoiced him for those parts at cost. He never once paid his parts bills on time and I would always need to remind him at least twice that I needed paying for the parts I had laid out money for. The last parts bill I gave him before he temporarily closed the arcade I got fed up of asking for payment for and just wrote it off (this one of the reasons I told him I would no longer be helping him out).
I put a request out on this Forum when Lee was starting up the arcade a couple of years back asking if people would be prepared to loan Lee pinball machines whilst he got on his feet and could afford to buy his own. In response to this request Steve at Electric Circus loaned Lee multiple machines over the last couple of years and just before the arcade was closed had 4 machines loaned out to Lee. Steve wanted two of them back. Lee was not responding to Steve’s messages so asked if I could help out. Lee eventually responded to Steve (claiming Steve’s messages were not getting through) but the requested machines were not returned to Steve. Lee sent Steve a message one day saying he was on his way to deliver the machines to him. This never happened. I stepped in and hired a van and took all of Steve’s machines back to him. Lee still owes me £285 for the cost of this.
I posted an advert for Lee on this forum offering a Rocky and Bullwinkle pinball machine for sale (see other post). The machine was bought by a forum member. After the machine was paid for Lee said he would arrange for the machine to be delivered on a pallet. After the buyer had tried to contact Lee a number of times, with no response, when the machine was not delivered, the buyer asked if I would get in touch with Lee. Lee claimed that the delivery company did not turn up when expected. He then claimed on another occasion they turned up with the wrong kind of pallet truck. I went in to the arcade one night to work on the pinball machines and saw Rocky and Bullwinkle wrapped up on a pallet, seemingly ready to go, so I took a photo of it and sent to the buyer to hopefully give some reassurance to him that he would be getting the machine. Buyer responded to me saying the address on the label was not his. I pointed this out to Lee who claimed it had been a mistake by someone who helps him out at the arcade. This was middle of last year. I still, to this day, do not even know if the buyer received the machine but as the machine is no longer in Arcade Hub and the buyer has not contacted me again, I am assuming he has received it.
I was exchanging messages with Ben76 from this group last week as Ben, who had invested in the arcade and has many vids on loan to Lee, was trying to get in touch with Lee but he was not responding so he asked if I could get in touch with Lee. During the course of that conversation it transpired that the Rocky and Bullwinkle was Ben76’s machine and not Lee’s. During that same conversation I also mentioned that Lee had offered to sell me a Juno First arcade machine which he claimed to be his, which he had paid £1,500 for but which he would let me have for £1,300. I declined the offer. Good job as Ben76 informed me that the Juno First was his machine so not Lee’s to sell. When challenged about this Lee said he had made a mistake.
Ben76 has made numerous attempts to contact Lee to make arrangements to retrieve all the machines he has on loan to Arcade Hub and Lee has only responded to one (and in his response gave no indication as to when Ben76 might be able to get his machines back). I know of at least two other individuals on UKVAC who are trying to arrange to collect machines they have on loan to Arcade Hub and Lee is not committing to when they might get them back.
Lee defriended me on FaceBook and on the day he announced the reopening of Arcade Hub sent me a friend request and a text message saying “I’m sorry mate.” He sent me a text message yesterday saying he would pay £300 in to my account once he was back on his feet. I have declined his friend request and have not responded to his text message and do not intend to do so until I know he has returned the machines that have been loaned to him to Ben76 and others I know about.
I know that this might come across as me being vindictive and some might say I should not be airing my dirty laundry in public but I reiterate that I want Lee and Arcade Hub to do well and I am only posting this so that people on this group that have machines loaned to Arcade Hub can make an informed decision as to whether or not they want to continue to support Lee and so that if anyone is considering supporting in the future they are aware of the issues faced by me, Ben76 and others who have supported Lee or had transactions with Lee.
