HEWS
NEWS
Premium rates
rates for
for independent
independent
Premium
payphone
telephone
operators,
the
payphone telephone operators, the
newsletter
says,
will
be
"very
newsletter says, will be "very
competitive, with
with annual
annual rates
rates quoted
quoted
competitive,
at
$16
per
outside
telephone
and
at $16 per outside telephone and
$7.25 per
per inside
inside telephone.
telephone.
$7.25
AT&T
has
unveiled
plans to
to conduct
conduct
AT&T has unveiled plans
a
trial
of
compensation
packages
for
a trial of compensation packages for
O+
and
0-
traffic
with
the
private
pay
0+ and 0- traffic with the private pay
phone
industry.
The
trial,
which
got
phone industry. The trial, which got
underway in in December
December and
and will
will end
end
underway
no
later
than
April
30,
includes
more
no later than April 30, includes more
than
30
private
pay
phone
companies
than 30 private pay phone companies
and covers
covers a a variety
variety of
of locations.
locations.
and
AT&T
is
offering
two
separate
AT&T is offering two separate
commission
plans,
the
first
based on
on
commission plans, the first based
a
percentage
of
total
AT&T
revenue,
a percentage of total AT&T revenue,
the second
second based
based on
on a a per-message
per-message
the
fee.
fee.
GTE Supply
Supply of
of Salt
Salt Lake
Lake City
City has
has
GTE
introduced
a
new
private
pay
phone
introduced a new private pay phone
and has
has created
created a a group
group to
to market
market
and
the
units
to
the
customer-owned
the units to the customer-owned
coin-operated telephone
telephone market.
market. The
The
coin-operated
GTE
1220
pay
phone
combines
the
GTE 1220 pay phone combines the
company's
I
20B
housing
with
a
newly
company's 120B housing with a newly
designed
"smart"
card
and
features
designed "smart" card and features
digital voice
voice detection,
detection, call
call accounting,
accounting,
digital
remote
polling/diagnostics,
a
real-time
remote polling/diagnostics, a real-time
clock,
speed
dialing,
and
the
clock, speed dialing, and the
availability of
of operator
operator assistance.
assistance.
availability
The
GTE
1200
is
manufactured
The GTE 1200 is manufactured in in
the
United States
States and
and is is available
available for
for
the United
delivery.
delivery.
GAMEMASTERS HAS
HAS NEW
NEW
GAMEMASTERS
ADDRESS
ADDRESS
amemasters, the
the company
company formed
formed
amemasters,
G
by
Digital
Controlsfounder
Mike
Gby Digital Controlsfounder Mike
Macke, has
has moved
moved into
into new
new facilities.
facilities.
Macke,
Macke,
last
year
resigned
his
post as
as
Macke, last year resigned his post
president
of
Digital
Controls,
formed
president of Digital Controls, formed
by Macke
Macke and
and Mike
Mike Pace
Pace in
in the
the
by
mid-seventies.
The
company
filed
mid-seventies. The company filed
bankruptcy a a short
short time
time later
later and
and
bankruptcy
shut
down.
shut down.
Macke formed
formed Gamemasters
Gamemasters with
with
Macke
several
Digital
employees
to
develop
several Digital employees to develop
and manufacture
manufacture a a rotary
rotary
and
merchandiser
called
Spin Out.
Out
merchandiser called Spin
acke
told
Play
Meter
that
Spin
acke told Play Meter that Spin
Out
is
now
being
shipped
fast
Out is now being shipped as as fast
as
the
company
can
make
them.
"The
as the company can make them. "The
collections
on
these
machines
are
collections on these machines are
M
M
I 0 PLAY METER/ lanuary 1987
10
PLAY METER/January 1987
fantastic," Macke
Macke said.
said.
fantastic,"
n a hint of dejavu
Macke's
new
s new
vu Macke'
a hint of deja
In Gamesmasters
has the same address
I Gamesmasters has the same address
as his
his old
old company
company because
because Macke
Macke
as
rented
space
in
the
old
Digital
rented space in the old Digital
Controls building.
building. The
The address
address and
and
Controls
phone
number
are:
5555
Oakbrook,
phone number are: 5555 Oakbrook,
Suite 240,
240, Norcross,
Norcross, GA
GA 30093.
30093. Phone:
Phone:
Suite
(
404)662-5666.
(404)662-5666.
COURT UPHOLDS
UPHOLDS VENDING
VENllNG
COURT
COMPANY IN
IN CONTRACT
CONTRACT
COMPANY
DISPUTE
DISPUTE
he Michigan
Michigan Court
Court of
of Appeals
Appeals
the
T
unanimously
ruled
that
two vending
vending
T unanimously ruled that two
companies are
are entitled
entitled to
to recoup
recoup more
more
companies
that
$60,000
from
a
bar
owner
and
that $60,000 from a bar owner and a a
competitor for
for violating
violating an
an exclusive
exclusive
competitor
location
contract,
for
damage
their
location contract, for damage to to their
equipment
and
for
repayment
of
an
equipment and for repayment of an
unearned
advance
commission.
unearned advance commission.
At the
the same
same time,
time, however,
however, the
the
At
three-judge
Appeals
Court
panel
ruled
three-judge Appeals Court panel ruled
that
Cadillac
Vending
Company
and
that Cadillac Vending Company and
Union Music
Music Company,
Company, Inc.,
Inc., cannot
cannot
Union
collect
an
additional
$20,000
collect an additional $20,000 in in
punitive damages
damages from
from the
the owner
owner of
of
punitive
the
now-defunct
Blue
Whale
Saloon
the now-defunct Blue Whale Saloon
and from
from North
North American
American Interstate,
Interstate,
and
Inc.
The
decision
came
Dec.
more
Inc. The decision came Dec. 1, I, more
than
I
0
years
after
the
than 10 years after the
breach-of-contract lawsuit
lawsuit was
was filed.
filed.
breach-of-contract
Beginning
in
1973,
U
nion
Music
Beginning in 1973, Union Music
provided juke
juke boxes,
boxes, pool
pool tables
tables and
and
provided
pinball
machines
to
the
Blue
Whale
pinball machines to the Blue Whale
Saloon in in clinton
clinton Township,
Township, a a Detroit
Detroit
Saloon
suburb.
A
second
firm,
Cadillac
suburb. A second firm, Cadillac
Vending, owned
owned by
by the
the same
same man,
man,
Vending,
placed
cigarette
machines
in
the
bar.
placed cigarette machines in the bar.
U
nder
their
agreements,
Blue
Whale
Under their agreements, Blue Whale
owner Morris
Morris L. L. Haynes
Haynes received
received 50
50
owner
percent
of
the
revenue
generated
by
percent of the revenue generated by
U
nion
Music's
equipment
and
a
Union Music's equipment and a
nine-cent commission
commission on
on each
each package
package
nine-cent
of
cigarettes
sold
from
Cadillac
of cigarettes sold from Cadillac
Vending's machines.
machines. As
As Haynes
Haynes
Vending's
received
periodic
advances
against
received periodic advances against
commissions,
he
signed
documents
commissions, he signed documents
giving the
the two
two companies
companies exclusive
exclusive
giving
rights
to
use
his
bar
for
a
four-year
rights to use his bar for a four-year
period.
period.
The latest
latest of
of those
those agreements
agreements was
was
The
signed
in
November
1975
when
signed in November 1975 when
Haynes received
received a a $3,000
$3,000 advance.
advance.
Haynes
But
in
March
1976,
Haynes
was
But in March 1976, Haynes was
approached
by
a
North
American
approached by a North American
Interstate sales
sales representative
representative to
to
Interstate
discuss
purchasing
his
own
equipment.
discuss purchasing his own equipment.
Haynes then
then bought
bought two
two pool
pool tables
tables
Haynes
and
a
jukebox
under
a
lease
with
and a jukebox under a lease with
option to
to buy
buy and
and bought
bought two
two
option
cigarette
machines
on
an
installment
cigarette machines on an installment
sales basis,
basis, from
from North
North American
American
sales
Interstate.
Interstate.
When the
the new
new equipment
equipment arrived,
arrived,
When
all
the
other
equipment,
except
pinball
all the other equipment, except pinball
machines,
was
returned
to
U
nion
machines, was returned to Union
Music and
and Cadillac
Cadillac Vending,
Vending, and
and
Music
Haynes
sent
them
a
check
for
the
Haynes sent them a check for the
$1,800
that
remained
unpaid
from
the
$1,800 that remained unpaid from the
latest
advance.
The
check
was
never
latest advance. The check was never
cashed, and
and Union
Union Music
Music removed
removed its
its
cashed,
pinball
machines
from
the
Blue
Whale
pinball machines from the Blue Whale
Saloon.
Saloon.
lawsuit was
was filed
filed accusing
accusing Haynes
Haynes
A A lawsuit
of
breach
of
contract
and
accusing
of breach of contract and accusing
North American
American Interstate
Interstate of of tortuous
tortuous
North
interference
with
a
contract.
Cadillac
interference with a contract. Cadillac
Vending and
and Union
Union Music
Music also
also sought
sought
Vending
to
recover
the
unearned
advance
and
to recover the unearned advance and
the
cost
of
repairing
their
damaged
the cost of repairing their damaged
equipment.
equipment.
After a a non-jury
non-jury trial,
trial, 41B
4 JB District
District
After
judge
William
H.
Cannon
awarded
the
Judge William H. Cannon awarded the
two
companies
$46,000
in
two companies $46,000 in
compensatory damages
damages plus
plus $14,510
$14,510
compensatory
interest,
as
well
as
$1,800
plus
$565
interest, as well as $1,800 plus $565
interest
to
cover
the
unearned
interest to cover the unearned
advance commissions.
commissions. Cannon
Cannon also
also
advance
ordered
Haynes
and
North
American
ordered Haynes and North American
Interstate to to pay
pay $20,000
$20,000 plus
plus $3,095
$3,095
Interstate
interest
in
punitive
or
"exemplary"
interest in punitive or "exemplary"
damages.
damages.
On appeal,
appeal, Haynes
Haynes and
and North
North
On
American
Interstate
challenged
American Interstate challenged
Cannon's decision.
decision. In
In part,
part, they
they
Cannon's
contended
that
the
judge's
award
was
contended that the judge's award was
too
high
and
was
unsubstantiated
by
too high and was unsubstantiated by
the
evidence,
and
that
there
was
no
the evidence, and that there was no
legal basis
basis to to grant
grant punitive
punitive damages
damages
legal
in
such
a
dispute.
They
also
argued
in such a dispute. They also argued
that
the
trial
judge
failed
to
consider
that the trial judge failed to consider
that
the
Blue
Whale
went
out
of
that the Blue Whale went out of
business
after
a
1978
fire,
that
business after a 1978 fire, that
Cadillac Vending
Vending and
and Union
Union Music
Music
Cadillac
refused
to
fully
disclose
financial
refused to fully disclose financial
records and
and tax
tax returns
returns to to verify
verify their
their
records
claimed losses,
losses, and
and that
that Union
Union Music
Music
claimed