FAQs

 

How does your Service Plan work?

Here’s what we offer.  The first 30 days, all parts and PCB’s are covered in the machine.  If you had the machine delivered to you by our staff and you are under 50 miles away, the service call is FREE, after we attempt over the phone for a few minutes, an attempt to repair the game 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 50 mile radius) plus the parts are sold at cost.  PCB’s and monitors can be exchanged or repaired for a low cost also—well below what others may charge!  REMEMBER…ALL OUR GAMES have a 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 50 to 2500 miles away?  How do I get my game fixed OUTSIDE 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 either. We will describe the location and nature of repair, 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 are “NOT walking 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 us 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 is 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 100% working. When a game is shipped to you by common carrier (when you are outside our 50 mile delivery radius), there is more of a chance for a problem (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 are getting a delivery in almost every instance. (Mon thru Fri during the day) We can advise you what to do. The machine is shipped fully insured at this point but with a $1000 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 the TNT trucks, the damage ratio has been about 5% — with most of it simple cosmetic repairs the customer did himself. But note that we will not pay for any of these 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 the UPS shipping one way to us)! So, there is a CHANCE you may have to make adjustments or repairs on these machines YOURSELF when they are shipped to distances further than 50 miles from our shop. As we explained earlier, they are relatively simple — wrapping in bubble wrap and putting a trackball, part, or circuit board into a box and shipping it back to us for repair — may be necessary. 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 directing you). In the case of cosmetic repairs, this would be your responsibility too.  Sometimes paint touch up, or a corner of the cabinet has some shipping damage that may need to be addressed.  We cannot cover the cost of any of these repairs but can direct you how to do them if necessary. 

BUT, 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.  So, if you purchase a game from us, you are agreeing to look at and make the necessary repairs and that TNT Amusements will pay for no outside Labor costs … we will only repair or replace defective items returned to us and also 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?

An old saying “You get what you pay for,” is a good start. Consider this — you could buy a used car in a variety of conditions … would you want one that rolled over in 1993, or 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 even harder 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 described below!

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

 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 are now too busy with sales to offer reconditioning at this time.  This may change in the future.

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

Place a $1000 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 do 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, plus another delivery charge. 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 3 major credit cards–Discover, MasterCard, and Visa.

But if this is not an option, then you can do a layaway! One third down and then the remaining two thirds to be paid for up to one year and  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 a office/storage charge of 20% of whatever payments you 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 starting in 1977.  Each model was ONLY manufactured the 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 cabinet are in excellent condition, but there will ALWAYS be imperfections!  Please do NOT expect these machines to be NEW, when they are in fact just RECONDITIONED.  If you ONLY want brand new, there are limited amount of new machines made each year—but even these machines can have their 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 the machine cannot be returned to us by yourself, 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 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 before shipment for you to see, 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 in clean 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!