Play Meter

Issue: 1983 August 01 - Vol 9 Num 14

Letters to
the editor • • •
Pinball parts
With the video light growing dim-
mer I have been looking once again to
pinball a a tronger , more con i tent
earner.
Pinball game appeal to a different
target audience and have been per-
forming remarkably well in appropri-
ate location .
Of course, more pin on the route
mean more ervice, maintenance, and
parts to tock . Imagine my urprise
when I aw that a William 'end of
stroke witch now co ts about $4.
My di tributor informed me that
William doubled all of it pinball
parts price within the last year.
William contend it wa losing money
selling at the old prices and had to rai e
them. I find thi hard to believe .
Gottlieb didn't increase any parts
prices from 1978 until 1982. Four
year - even in the wake of rampant
inflation! The other manufacturer
ha e managed to keep their pricing
somewhat rea onable al o.
The cost of William ' replacement
parts discourages preventi e mainte-
nance so vital to pingame . Your ill-
timed policy will not help pinball make
the comeback it deserve .
Evan R. Wessel
Mercury Amusement Co.
Havertown, Pennsylvania
(Editor 's note: Here is Williams' reply
to Evan Wessel's letter.)
We at Williams certainly agree that
non-video games, e pecially pinball,
have a mo t definite place in our
market. We have had tremendou
respon e to our Big Strike Shuffle
Alley and our Time Fanta y pinball.
PLAY METER. August 1. 1983
We further agree that now i no time
to di courage preventive maintenance
on non-video games . Ba ed on your
letter, an analy i wa made of90 spare
parts elected at random to verify our
parts pricing. In addition to that, 40 of
the most currently u ed part were also
analyzed. Ba ed on this analy is, we
can factually ay our part pricing is in
line with our competitor '.
Over a year ago there wa a change
in policy which reflected an overall
decrease in parts pricing by Williams.
We appreciate your letter and will
continue to be on the watch for parts
mispricing.
Joseph P. Dillon
Vice President of Sales
William Electronics
Chicago, lllinoi!:
Home games editorial
I have ju t reread Mr. Boa berg's
guest editorial (See Play Meter, May I,
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9
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p . .) for the third time and alii can do
i hake m y head from ide to ide in
amazement and no little anger. Mr.
Boasberg eem to me to be talking
down to hi fellow operator and di -
tributor a people unable to think for
our elve about a real problem that
face u , name I the home video game .
Hi compari on of our problem to
"TV v . the mo ie " i lightly erro-
neous, in that it doe not full explore
the whole picture . ( o pun implied.}
TV , cable, and HBO , I agree , have
not killed the new exciting movie like
"E. T.," "Toot ie," "The erdict," etc.
ing the few hit movie a an example
i like comparing M . Pac-Man with a
bad game. Who doe not remember
the a t number of thea ter that went
out of exi ten e? You can afel wager
that theater owner did not welcome
T with open arm .
I do agree with Mr. Boa berg that
there i nothing like pia ing a real live
ideo game in an arcade or location.
We actuall be orne the howroom for
the manufacturer . Howe er, the
manufacturer ha e got to con ider
the con equence of their hort ighted
policy of no ding the market with
home video game at the ver arne
time the are elling to the di tributor,
operator. and arcade people .
If we don't ur ive. they will no
longer ha e their local howroom . I
wa dumbfounded a hort while ago
when on m TV creen came tari'
commercial ad erti ing the home
ideo Pole Po ition.·and I had not yet
recei ed my coin-operated si t-down
model.
The home ideo pia er. with all of
hi practice n the current game, pia
for a longer period of time than the
a erage pia er. We are therefore
taking in le quarter per hour. and it
i killing a current game.
I can't remain ilent hen I read
omething that i threatening our
bu ines . namely complacenc , or
wor e. welcoming our wor t competi-
tor a bu ine companion . If we all
think like thi . we ha e nothing to fear
but Chapter II .
I think the manufacturer owe u
omething. There hould be a reason-
able lag time between a current game
a nd the arne game for home ideo.
We certainly need e clu i e time to try
to get our large t co t factor back .
I think if enough of u make our
feeling felt. we can make a difference.
a Ia the Pac-Man peed-up kit .
a muel Gaffin
Ma nager
Marty's P lay la nd
Ocean Cit y, Maryla nd
PLAY MITER. August 1. 1 98~

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