Atlanta Arcades

Called Tom for advice about an arcade cabinet that I needed help with. This guy started yelling at me and telling me how many times he's been on Discovery Channel. There was literally no reason for him to go off. I barely even spoke during the call while he berated me. He is very volatile and unprofessional. I would NOT do business with this guy EVER. After he called me an ahole and hung up on me, I called back to understand what had happened. He immediately starting yelling and cursing, calling me names and hung up again. I reported to the BBB. I googled and he has a ton of 1 star reviews with my exact story. He also told me to throw away my arcade because it is garbage. BEWARE!!

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In sum, stay way. Here is my customer story: I visited Tom's home and warehouse after emailing him about his upright multicade games once I was in the market -- also received a referral. After viewing several machines I explained that I would make a decision in several days. After a few emails and phone calls we agreed on a price with a multiple purchase discount of ~5%. He seemed forthright and upfront requesting the full amount. The machines were delivered later than expected even though during my visit he said the machines could be ready to go prior to the following weekend. This was a surprise but given he mentioned that he sells many a week thought other purchasers had gotten in front of the line for available parts. He delivered the machines and I would call his tone caustic. Rather than having any documentation (one online version of JAMMA board switch details) on basic tips he proceeded to give me a crash course in JAMMA board tweaking. At the end of the very quick run through he asked me to perform a process which I did NOT perform correctly and was castigated for. He also belittled me on a few issues while he was going through his self-service "program." The next evening I had some time to attempt to walk through some adjustments I wanted to make with the games and then tried several of the games to see how they looked. I noticed very quickly that the games were not sitting on the display correctly and that Centipede kill scores and 2nd player score were not visually correct. I decided to email him so that I would have a record of his response and given the time of night I finished my review. By the next morning I had a scathing email from him telling me he only dealt with technical issues over the phone. Here are the responses for your review: Response#1 ( note I've only included his response to one of my questions. His response is in bold and underlined) "Tom, Wanted to follow-up on a few items with the Galaga machine as I was playing and modifying settings today on individual games. (3) The Centipede game in two player mode for the second player is showing kill scores and snails as right to left instead of left to right (I'm assuming the whole play screen is backwards), how do I fix this? THIS MAKES ZERO SENSE?. Try re-wording the problem. If you told me the player two screen was upside down I would tell you that you managed to changed the cabinet ?control? setting cocktail?. Which I explained NOT to do. But what I read is that the P2 screen is inversed? that is literally not possible unless all other games are inversed?. Which I know is not the case. Perhaps your problem here is the same as number 4? which I will address below #4." Response#2 (this response was written as a follow-up to the previous message without any comment via email or phone from me) "We only do support via phone. I spent 30 minutes typing the replies and with one simple mistake of closing the wrong window that time is lost? my mistake, however, this is not the stuff you attempt to ASK or EXPLAIN/ANSWER via email?. Here is how it works? it is very simple? You call me when you?re in front of the game, game on, back door removed, coin door open? and do not call unless you are CERTAIN we can talk WITHOUT INTERRUPTION for at least 30 minutes (it should take much less, but you need to block this amount of time out regardless, in case we run into a problem, or solving one for that matter). I drive the entire conversation (until the end at least), meaning no questions, and no direction from you (it amazes me how someone who knows nothing about something will argue a point for which they know nothing at all about)? you follow my lead? and AFTER I do my bit to explain/teach you what it is you need/asked for, you can ask all the questions you care to ask at the end once I have done my canned bit. Notice the word ?canned??. It is there to illustrate that I have done this so much that there is little input I need from you? just the question you need answered, then I take over entirely? then when I say I?m done, then you can ask away. Going forward? if you have any other phone number than the following, please do not use it/them? my cell only please? that number is XXX-XXX-XXXX. You can call any time, and day, any hour? but before you do, read this to yourself and if you follow it both our lives with be easier for that time together on the phone. Please, no more emails asking technical questions? other emails, fine? question about how games work or get to work, phone only, pleeeeeeezzeee!" The phone call I followed up with in the morning was heated (at his end) and within two minutes Tom told me that a third grader could find the bundle of wires he was asking me to locate. He seems to have forgotten that he had clipped them along the outer casing. At one point he hung up on me as I was attempting to locate the bundle of wires in the second machine. In the end, I had found a problem he tells me that he had never seen before and after 100s of machines being sold by him with this board had never been identified by anyone. In the end, this is not the relationship I expect to have with a vendor. Given this service experience I'm already at the point that I will find someone else to help with any service needs I have for my multicades even though this will end up costing me since he said he would do tech support as part of our agreement. He will tell you that he has appeared on Discover Channel's Auction Kings as the local arcade resource and will tell you that he deals with local personalities in his arcade / pinball / jukebox business. I can only assume he deals with this group of customers very differently. Therefore, I highly recommend that you determine at the onset if you want to purchase from this type of vendor who will make you feel the size of a cockroach if you dare call for service without years of arcade game experience and cannot explain the problem on his terms. My guess is that you will take your business elsewhere. This cockroach is.....