| Date: 28th May, 2013
In an unusual move aimed at quashing speculative purchases of his company's future titles, Gary Stern has told potential buyers not to part with their money until a particular title has been officially announced.
Gary Stern
Stern Pinball are no strangers to the notion of dropping heavy hints about their forthcoming titles through teaser pictures on their Facebook page, but now say they don't want any of their resellers or distributors to take pre-orders or deposits on these until the company has officially announced it as their next game.
The move may in part be motivated by the speed with which the Limited Edition models sell out and suggestions of unfair practices from those who try to order as soon as the next game is announced, only to find they have already missed out to those in the know who pre-ordered.
Whether Stern Pinball's distributors and resellers will be able to resist a customer waving cash in their face to reserve a title everyone knows is coming will be revealed soon. However, Stern have made it clear that any such dealings are nothing to do with them.
Here's what they had to say:
Stern Pinball Announces Policy on Speculative Game Deposits
World’s Leading Maker of Arcade Quality Pinball Does Not Support Deposits on Speculative Game Titles
MELROSE PARK, IL – May 28, 2013 – Stern Pinball, Inc., the world’s leading maker of real pinball games and the American Amusement Machine Association (“AAMA”) Manufacturer of the Year, announced today a clarification of its position on game deposits.
Stern Pinball does not support the practice followed by some unauthorized distributors and dealers of taking deposits on games Stern Pinball has not publicly announced. Potential customers may erroneously assume Stern Pinball will produce a particular title; presumed titles may never be built.
Stern Pinball only accepts deposits on games Stern Pinball has publicly announced that are soon to be produced, and which are associated with confirmed orders from Stern Pinball direct distributors and dealers.
“It has come to our attention that some of our best customers may have made deposits with middlemen for games that our company has not announced and that we may never produce,” said Gary Stern, Chairman and CEO of Stern Pinball, Inc. “We think it’s important to inform our customers that Stern Pinball does not support this speculative practice.”
“We only accept deposits from our authorized distributors and dealers for confirmed orders on games we have publicly announced that are ready for production,” added Stern. “We have never and will not accept deposits for games we have not announced.”
About Stern Pinball, Inc.
Stern Pinball, Inc., headquartered just outside Chicago, Illinois, is the leading producer of pinball games in the world. Stern’s highly talented creative and technical teams design, engineer and manufacture popular arcade-quality pinball games. Recent popular titles include Metallica, Avengers, X-Men, AC/DC, Tron, Transformers, Avatar, Iron Man, Batman, Spider-Man and many more. All of Stern Pinball’s games are crafted by hand and assembled by its expert team. Both pinball enthusiasts and casual players around the globe enjoy Stern Pinball’s games.
For more information, please visit www.sternpinball.com. |
© Pinball News 2013 |
