FAQs

 

How does your Service Plan work?

Here’s what we offer:

  • For the first 30 days, all parts and PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards) are covered in the machine.  If you had the machine delivered to you by our staff under 60 miles away, the service call is FREE, after we attempt to repair the game over the phone with you being our eyes and ears!
  • After the initial 30 days, then for a period of 1 year, we offer a low-cost “deductible” labor cost to come out (within a 60-mile radius) plus parts, sold to you at cost. PCBs and monitors can also be exchanged or repaired for a low cost, well below what others may charge!
  • Remember…all our games have lifetime free phone service. You are our eyes, hands, and ears to assist with the repair!

What good is the service plan when I live 60 to 2500 miles away? How do I get my game fixed outside of your service area?

Remember that most service can be done over the phone! We have a 90% chance of repair and you do not need any prior knowledge. We will describe the location and nature of the repair to you, in detail. You will not experience many common problems associated with an older game, as we would have repaired or replaced these items before selling you the machine. We do tons of preventative maintenance on the machine before you get it. Please note that we do not “walk on water” and that there can always be problems when dealing with electronics.

If we find that a defective component is your problem, every item can be easily removed from your game with a screwdriver or wrench and sent back to us for repair or exchange. Once again, we will guide you to the exact screws and plugs to disconnect. In some cases, as a temporary repair, previous owners of these games may have cut off the original plugs and soldered wires directly. However, our overhaul includes restoring the original connectors so that everything can be removed easily and you will not encounter any “jury-rigging!”

What happens if a game is shipped to me and it doesn’t work when received?

Once we overhaul a game, it is “burned-in” at TNT for at least one day. This process checks the new and reconditioned components to see if there are any heat-related breakdowns and to catch them before the game leaves TNT! It is also play-tested to make sure all the controls are working correctly. Your game is then crated in 100% working condition. When a game is shipped to you by Common Carrier (when you are outside our 60-mile delivery radius), there is more of a chance for a problem (i.e., a connector comes off, a circuit board develops a crack, a part breaks, or falls off, etc.), after traveling many miles over the open road.

When your game arrives, before you sign the shipper’s paperwork, inspect the wrapping to see if there appears to be any damage to the machine (a forklift hole through the plastic wrap and cardboard for instance, or pieces of broken glass on the pallet) and call us immediately.

Our company will be open at the same time you take delivery in almost every instance (Monday thru Friday during the day). We can advise you on what to do. The machine is shipped fully insured at this point but with a $500.00 deductible. If you accept the freight, you are signing that you are satisfied and they will not pay for the damage! (Please note: in the 15 years we have been shipping machines with trucking companies other than our own, the damage ratio has been about 5% – with most damage being simple, cosmetic repairs the customer was able to do themself. However, we are not liable for cosmetic damage and will not pay for cosmetic repairs or parts needed.)

Let’s suppose you accept the machine and uncrate it and it looks fine but does not work. We can direct you, over the phone, on how to re-plug, repair, or remove the defective component, and we will do this at no cost to you (other than you paying to ship the defective component to us for repair or replacement)! There is a chance you may have to make adjustments or repairs on these machines yourself when they are shipped distances further than 60 miles from our shop. As we explained earlier, these are relatively simple – wrapping a trackball, part, or circuit board in bubble wrap and putting it into a box and shipping it back to us for repair. Anyone with two hands and a small amount of mechanical knowledge (if not yourself, a friend) can easily do it with us on the phone giving directions. In the case of cosmetic repairs, this would be your responsibility too. Sometimes paint needs to be touched up, or a corner of the cabinet gets some shipping damage that may need to be addressed. We cannot cover the cost of any of these repairs but can direct you on how to do them if necessary. 

If you do not wish to do anything like this, then buying an arcade game or pinball machine may not be a good idea from anyone.  If you purchase a game from us, you are agreeing to look at and make the necessary repairs and that TNT Amusements will not pay for outside labor costs. We will only repair or replace defective items returned to us and pay for the return shipping to you.

We have had brand new, out-of-the-crate machines fail. But remember, we are selling commercial quality machines and they are designed for quick repair with just a bit of customer effort! And of course, our lifetime free “telephone/email” service is always available most days and nights of the week!

I have found the same game from another dealer or private seller for less money! Why are you sometimes higher?

There is an old saying, “you get what you pay for.” Consider this: you can buy a used car in a variety of conditions. Would you want one that rolled over in 1993, one that was underwater for a week in 1996, or one that was kept in a garage for its whole life? Even if you get a “lemon” car, at least you can take it to a repair center anywhere in the country and parts and labor would be readily available.

However, with arcade equipment, there are virtually no repair centers. Many manufacturers are now out of business, so parts are hard or impossible to acquire. We stock parts and boards only for the games we sell because of the dearth of spare parts. But at TNT, we start you off with a premium quality unit. Then, after an extensive overhaul, we back it up with the best coverage in the country! Good things aren’t cheap and cheap things aren’t good!

Will you fix a game we bought somewhere else?

First check with the place you purchased it from to see if they will fix it. If not, we can make an attempt to repair the machine for you. The problem we find is that we are simply putting a “Band-Aid” on it, and it is probably going to have another failure. We suggest an overhaul as described below.

If you can’t or won’t fix it, will you take it in trade, or completely recondition it for me?

Yes to both! We will give you a generous trade-in credit “as-it-is.” We will quote you a price and give you instant credit while you are picking out your new game – either in our showroom or over the phone.

We also offer a full reconditioning of your game to bring it back to standards. We can also pick up and deliver. However, we may not be able to accommodate your overhaul until we have “free time” in our shop.

I am interested in a game from your inventory, but you do not have it on display, what do I do?

Place a $1,000.00 deposit down, and we will pull the machine out and recondition it for you to see and play. If you are not happy with the game, the deposit can be transferred to any other in-stock game! Remember, any game you purchase from us has a 30-day trial period. This means you have 4 weeks to play it and be sure you like it. If not, you can return it and get full credit toward another game. You only have to pay the delivery charge for the replacement machine. You can do this one time on the original purchase.

I really want to buy a game, but I don’t have enough money. What options do I have?

We take three major credit cards: Discover, MasterCard, and Visa.

If this is not an option, then we offer layaway! Place one-third down and with the remaining two-thirds to be paid up to one year later. You can make the last payment on the delivery day! There are no finance charges either!

This way, you are locked in on the sale price, even if it rises after you put a deposit on it. If you decide not to get the machine after all, there is an office/storage charge of 20% of whatever payments you have made. The remainder will be refunded to you.

Are these machines going to be LIKE NEW and perfect in every way?

Absolutely not! We sell machines that were manufactured as far back as 1977. Each model was only manufactured for one year, so a machine made in 1985 is, in fact, 34 years old! TNT craftsmen try to restore these machines so the electronics and cabinets are in excellent condition, but there will always be imperfections! Please do not expect these machines to be new, when they are just reconditioned. If you only want brand new, there are a limited amount of new machines made each year, but even these machines can have imperfections.

If I am unhappy with my purchase, can I return it?

Buying a machine from us should be a pleasant experience, but if for some reason you are not happy with your purchase, and you do not want to use our 30-day full credit exchange to select another game, you can return it for a refund during the first 30 days of ownership. If you cannot return the machine to us, there will be a return pickup charge. If the machine is shipped to you, you will have to pay all return packing and shipping charges. Once the machine is in our shop you will get a refund on the purchase price and tax (if collected) minus a 20% restocking charge.

The original shipping/delivery charge to you is never refundable – only the purchase price of the machine. We provide a video of the machine for you to watch before we ship it to you, so you will see in advance what you are buying.

Please be aware that these machines are used. They are reconditioned, but by no means will they appear like new. Expect the machine to be clean, in excellent working condition, but used and not like new or new and you will be pleased! If you are expecting perfection, buy a brand new machine!  

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