First Time Web Buyer ? Worried
about placing
online orders
over the internet ?
Read
what our clients think about us
and ask them on our Customer Testimonials Page
30 Frequently Asked Questions About Buying Arcade
Games From BMI Gaming:
How do I know that your firm is reputable and that I will get what I
order?
A:
Great question - and a very good one to ask if you are
thinking about placing a order for
thousands of dollars of product online with anyone! BMI Gaming
was the first and is still the
only truly "nationwide" brand name for commercial-quality arcade games
in the USA today,
and our amazing success story has been the subject of national
newspapers and magazines,
online news sites, and we have even appeared on a few radio and
television shows!
BMI Gaming is one of the very few broadline, full service,
worldwide arcade game distributors to
be
registered and certified by the
National Better Business Bureau Online Reliability Program
and also
SquareTrade with a 100% satisfaction record, in addition to
our website being
fully
compliant with the
Consumer
Reports WebWatch Pledge.
We also offer all customers our 30-Day Return
Policy and Satisfaction Guarantee, Free
Lifetime Technical Support from our own in-house staff and our
Free Extended Electronics
Warranties on many games we sell, in addition
to offering additional warranty programs.
Still not convinced? Then hop on over to our
Customer Testimonials page, read what our
customers have to say about us, and even have the chance to ask them
directly what they
think about their experience with BMI Gaming - a industry first from the
leader in gaming!
Do you have a showroom or warehouse? I can come
down and visit ?
A: Sure! Although we sell about 95% of our games online, we have
the largest gaming
showroom in the world, based in sunny Boca Raton, Florida (where we get over 308
days of sunshine per year!) and we welcome you to visit us.
Boca Raton is located in
the South Florida area, with Palm
Beach, Fort Lauderdale and Miami Beach all within
a very easy driving distance.
Please visit our Showroom Hours and Directions
page on
how and when to visit us! We will also be opening satellite showrooms and
mall kiosks
in the Los Angeles, New York Metro, Chicago, Dallas, Washington DC
Metro, Atlanta,
Boston and Tampa areas in the very near future - Stay tuned more for
information!
I heard that sales taxes are free on internet
purchases! Do I have to pay any?
A: All purchases on the BMI Gaming web site are TAX FREE. We are only authorized to
collect a 6.50% sales tax on orders
being shipped to any
address within the State of Florida.
Of course, you may be
responsible for paying
sales
tax to the state in which you live, but that
is entirely a matter
left to your discretion.
What is the cost of a typical arcade game?
A:
There is nothing typical about arcade games! Arcade games prices vary considerably in
price depending on a number of factors; the majority of games range from
just a few hundred
to over fifteen thousand dollars and up, depending on the game title,
condition (new or used)
and game popularity. Prices for the same game title may vary by several
hundred dollars from
dealer to dealer due to the presence of (or the lack of) game
return policies, game warranties,
qualified technical support technicians,
etc.
The current market price of the game and most
importantly the
machine condition (if preowned) also affects the actual price of a
game.
You may obtain a lower price by purchasing a less expensive unit,
but then the chance that it is
a substandard game that will fail to operate, breakdown or just not
play increases dramatically.
And what happens when your game needs service? Who will you turn to? Make
sure you know
exactly who you are dealing with
and what policies are in place before buying your game!
What type or kind of arcade game
should I buy?
A:
Although we love to provide our customers
with guidance in this area when asked, which
is quite
often; we frequently are requested to suggest several game types and titles to
in
order to fully
furnish a new
home or
office gameroom. However, sometimes this question
is best answered by you, along with some guidance from our gaming
experts...
Unless you already have a good idea what you want, the best thing
is to visit a large local
game arcade near you, preferably during the slow period, so you can
hear what you might
be buying (which is important since many cool game sounds and nuances are
completely
lost in typical very loud and dark arcade centers) and spend
$20-$50 to play all the games
that might interest you, so you might have a better idea what type of game suit
you the best!
Click here for a
listing of addresses and telephone numbers for Arcade Centers nationwide
Other things to consider are how much money are you willing to spend on
your gameroom,
and
will your games be used primarily by family and children or just adults?
Will the game be
situated in a business or retail establishment or just be used by yourself
and friends? If the
game is in a home, where will it be located? A centerpiece for your home
or in your garage?
You might want to check out
these two buyers guides for more ideas and information:
Click here
for our Pinball Machine
"
First Time Buyers Guide "
Click here for our Video Arcade
Game " First Time Buyers Guide "
How does your In-Home shipping program work? What does it cost to ship a
game?
A: Its easy ! We take your order online, then arrange to have your game
professionally
delivered into your home or office by our carriers of choice, North
American Van Lines
and Olsen Logistics, usually
in just a few days after your payment has been received.
Cost? Flat-Rate shipping charges
for our In-Home Delivery Service generally runs
about $350 per
game for deliveries in the Continental USA for
most standard-sized
Pinball
Machines, Upright & Cocktail Video Games, Dart Machines and
Jukeboxes.
Please contact us for
a custom shipping quote for other
games not listed here.
You can learn more
about shipping costs & other shipping options on our
Shipping page.
What if my game needs to be delivered inside, downstairs or upstairs ?
A: Done! Our In-Home Delivery Service includes
delivery to the ground floor
of your
home
or office in the base price. If your game needs to be delivered up or down
a flight
of stairs (more than four steps) there is an additional $125 charge for that
service. Please
note that our delivery service requires at a least 1/2" clearance on each side of
the game
to
deliver through a door, and approximately 4" to deliver a game up or down an
enclosed
stairway; if the clearance is less than
that, you may have to make arrangements with a
local mover of your choice to have the game moved
once it
is delivered to your location.
Please visit our Shipping page for more
information.
After I place my order, how long will it take before I receive my games ?
A: While most new game orders ship out from the factory within just a few days, some large
sit-down
arcade games, casino and shuffleboard tables, plus many furniture items
are built
to order by the
specific
manufacturer, and can take anywhere from 1 to 3 weeks on average
to be produced and readied to be shipped out to you after placing your
order with us. General
shipping times can be found for most products we sell within our
website, or if you have a
more specific question shipping question, visit our
shipping page or
contact us anytime!
Most refurbished pinball machines, due to our extensive
restoration process (which can
take
from
35 to 60 hours per game!) are usually shipped within 4 to 7 weeks after your order
is
placed, if
our order queue is not backlogged, in which case the lead time can stretch
from
6 to 10 weeks (which happens frequently during the year-end holiday
buying season)
Most of our
reconditioned video games can be shipped out from 1 to 3 weeks
after your
order is placed, as they require a less-intensive restoration process.
If any game
you purchase from us is either on backorder or is currently out of stock,
we
will promptly notify you via email or phone of the situation.
How will my games arrive at my home or office ?
A: We ship exclusively by air-cushioned moving van via
North American Van Lines and
other reputable carriers
which have proven themselves to be the safest and most effective
way
to transport heavy commercial-quality games nationwide bound for home or office use.
We
can also arrange to deliver and setup your games
in-home
personally via our truck
if you live in the local South Florida area.
Please visit our Shipping page for more info.
How will I know when my games ship and when to be home to accept them ?
A: When your games are shipped, if you elected to use our
In-Home Delivery Service,
you will be sent a detailed email containing your shipping tracking number,
which you
can take to our online tracking page and then
track the progress of your game as it
travels it way across the country.
Our shipper will then call you at least
24 hours prior
to the
first scheduled delivery attempt, to be
sure you
will be home to
accept delivery.
Will you be away on vacation when you think your game will arrive? No sweat! If you
are not home when our shipper calls, they will try again within 24 to 72 hours, and
keep
trying you for up to seven days afterwards * at no additional charge.
If you would like to place an order for a game to be delivery at a
specified time in the
future (within 3-7 days), we can usually accommodate such requests at no
charge.
* Please note you will be charged $50 for each failed
delivery attempt
if not at home at the scheduled delivery time.
Are there any other costs besides the price of
the game and shipping?
A: No. But you might decide to add an
Extended Warranty
for added protection and
peace-of-mind with your gaming purchase at an additional cost, but that's just
about it.
There also may be additional "stair charges" if your game will not be delivered on the
ground
floor, but only if you elected to use our In-Home Delivery Program. And you can
even save 1% on your game purchase by paying via
personal or business check!
Do you offer discounts on multiple game orders ? How about online sales ?
A: Yes! We offer excellent discounts for customers buying
more three or more games
at a time, and we also offer generous discounts on various
game packages and purchases
of more than three games at one time. Once you have
decided on the
games you
would
like to purchase, email our Sales Dept, or
just call us
at 1-800-PINBALL
or 561-391-7269
to request your special game discount from us
As far as store-wide online sales, it depends on the time of year
and the
current supply
and demand
situation for games, but we do offer special discounts for specific game
categories ordered online, and these sales change at least every few days.
To be notified
on our latest sales and discounts programs and offers, please join our
mailing list below,
or just keep a sharp eye out for these sales as offered on our
Main or Specials page!
I want to buy several games, but do I have the space for them ?
A: Our Free Gameroom Design Service was created for people like you !
Whether you
are
purchasing four or twenty-four games, our on-staff designer can take your
gameroom
measurements and electrical outlet information from you, then your game order,
and
then
create a custom, professional game room draft plan for your approval. If
for some reason
you do
not decide to purchase any games from us, our charge for this service is just
$500
for residential (home) design, and $2500 for commercial office or arcade design.
Do most of the games you offer fit through a standard doorway ?
A: The majority of our pinball machines and video games are
designed to fit
through
most
"standard-size" American doorways; however, a few large and sit-down
type
video games
may not fit through a standard doorway.
A good rule of thumb
is to have
at least 1"
clearance
on each side of a passageway, but most games can be moved
carefully
through doors with
as little as 1/2" clearance, if on a flat and level surface.
Some
doors can be
taken off their
hinges
to allow
greater
clearance, and more than
a few of our
customers have
had door
jambs
taken off temporarily to allow
a game to
be brought into their
home or office. Be sure
to double-check
the width
and
height
of a game and the clearance of
your doors, stairways
and stairwells before
buying
your game, or contact us for further
assistance.
Do most of your games use a standard household electrical outlet ?
A: Yes!. 100% of the games we sell online use a standard 110V three-prong
outlet
that
you
just plug in and play like you would any other electrically powered item.
A few very
large (and expensive) games may require a special outlet to be
installed that can be done
usually for less
than $150 by your local electrician. For our
international customers, some
games come with
a dual voltage option (110/220V)
standard, and most can be ordered
with the voltage that
is right for your
country. Please
email us for more information
What sort of electrical requirements do your arcade games have?
A: Speaking in general, the *average* amperage / wattage usage on most
standard
upright
video arcade and modern electronic pinball machines is:
Amps : 2.0 Amps Min | 10.0 Amps Max -
Watts : 300 Watts Min | 1000 Watts Max
Almost all of our standard upright video arcade and modern electronic
pinball machines
can be plugged in and played straight out of the box on any standard home or
commercial
electrical
system. When thinking of adding 4 to 5 or more games on one circuit, it may
be
necessary
to have a local electrician make a simple upgrade the breaker in your
circuit
box, which typically runs from $75-$175, depending on where you live in the country
Will I have to use coins to play my game ? Can I charge people
to play it ?
A: No... and Yes! The majority of our coin-operated games ship with a
"free-play" option,
which allows you to play your game without the use of coins or tokens. If the
game you
select is coin-operated and does not have this feature, we can
arrange to
install
a "credit"
or free-play button on the coin door for you at a slight additional
fee. As far as charging
people to play, almost all of coin-operated games allow this, and you can set
the pricing
anyway you like (usually from $0.25-$1.50, sometime more) Some
of our
customers have
actually paid for their games by charging their friends and
family to play!
Do you have a catalog you can send me?
A: Yes we do have a catalog, but it is entirely online. We do not
have a print catalog to mail
you at this time. With the advent of the internet and web pages, producing a
paper catalog
just contributes to the continuing destruction of our scarce natural
resources unnecessarily,
and a print catalog cannot offer the latest in pricing and products updates like
we can online.
To view our extensive online catalog, just select any game from our
Master Selection Guide
or from the top menu tabs located on all the pages in our website.
If you
need
a printed
copy to refer back to later, simply print out the page (s) you wish to
keep.
What if I want to buy a game that is not listed in your online catalog ?
A: Please contact us using our
Game
Inquiry Form with your request and we will do our
best to locate it for you as soon as possible if you are serious about
purchasing one.
Will you beat other
dealer's pricing? Do you offer a Low-Price Guarantee ?
A: Yes! Our
Everyday Low-Price Guarantee
promises to meet or beat all authorized
distributor and retail dealer advertised
pricing
on all new pinball machines, upright video
games,
jukeboxes, air hockey and arcade games with similar game warranties or
we
will give
you 110% of the difference as a credit toward your game
purchase!
*
* Policy does not cover "internet-only" retailers without showrooms
or technical support, limited
stock, or rare / hard-to-find
items. Must present the offer (printed or website price) along with the authorized dealer's name and
phone number
What type of payments do you accept ?
A: Just about everything ! We accept Personal, Business or
E-Checks, Wire
Transfers,
Money Orders, PayPal "e-Checks" and Cash (store sales only). We also
accept
all Major
Credit Cards (Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express)
and PayPal
Payments.
Please visit our Payments page for more information
and restrictions.
Now
save 1% on your next game purchase
by paying via
personal or business check
!
We now also offer
Commercial
Game
Leasing Programs for businesses
Do you offer a Layaway Program or other Financing Options ?
A: Yes! We offer a Layaway Program with
convenient monthly installment payments
ranging
from one to nine months - your choice! We also will be offering new
consumer
financing and
business leasing programs in the very near future.
Please visit
our Payments page for the latest updated information on
these programs.
What condition are your refurbished games usually in ?
A: We start with games that we rate at least "very good" or better
(some of our online
competitors start with games we would never even touch). Then all of our
refurbished
pinball machines are put through our extensive 15-point restoration process, which
takes from 30 to 40 hours on average to complete. Very few dealers in our
industry
has such a detailed refurbishing process as ours. Our refurbished video games go
through a similar but less time-consuming process. Every game is then tested,
retested and working 100 % before it leaves our building - Period.
In the extremely unlikely event that you are unhappy with your refurbished game,
you
may
return your purchase using our exclusive 30-Day "No
Hassle" Return Policy.
Do you have a service and repair center ?
A: Yes! In addition to offering nationwide on-site game repair and
service, and free lifetime tech
support for all games we sell, BMI
opened its newly expanded National Technical Support and
Repair
Center
next door to
our showrooms and warehouse in March, 2004. We currently provide
service,
repair, parts and technical support for current BMI Gaming
customers at this time.
Do you sell
replacement parts ?
A: Yes! But only to
current BMI Gaming customers. If you
are looking for replacement
parts, kit upgrades and game upgrades for pinball machines and video
games, and you
are not a current customer of ours, please visit our Replacement Parts Page for a listing
of part suppliers and vendors who may be able to help you find what you
are looking for.
What kind of warranty will I receive with my game purchase ?
A: Most brand new games come with our exclusive Triple
Warranty - First, all new games
come with the original manufacturers game warranty (usually 30 to 90 days,
sometimes
longer) Then you get our 90-Day New Game Warranty
for most new games (see
specific
game for exceptions), and on top of that, for all brand new pinball machines,
upright video
games, and many other games, you get our
Free Two Year Electronics
Warranty.
Refurbished pinball machines and reconditioned upright video games come complete with
our exclusive
90-Day
Game Warranty, and most games we sell can also be purchased with
our
exclusive one and three year
Extended Warranties for added protection and
peace-of
mind
with your
purchase. In addition, we automatically extend our game warranty for
most
large
and "sit-down" refurbished video games to
90 days!
What happens if a game is delivered damaged or not working ?
A:: If there is damage to the carton, you would
contact us first before doing anything.
In the unlikely event we cannot be reached, or if the damage is extensive, do not
accept
the game from the shipper and refuse the shipment. If the damage appears light
or easily
repairable, you may accept the order but be sure to detail all damage
to the game on
the bill of lading before signing it. If your game appears fine, but
does not work property
after first being powered up, in about 90% of the cases, just a simple
adjustment of a part
or wire that may have come loose during transit is all that is usually required.
Our technical
support professionals will be more than happy to assist you with this via phone.
Do I have to do any sort of setup or assembly after my
game is delivered ?
A: Most new games we sell are ready to play right out of the box, or
require about 5 to10
minutes worth of "setup" time at worst. Refurbished games are ready to go
when delivered.
Some games like new foosball tables, new air hockey and new bubble hockey
machines,
new popcorn machines, new pinball machines and new sit-down driving games require a
bit more assembly
time
(from 5 to 60 minutes) using standard household tools. Our service
technicians
are more
than happy to assist you with this over the phone or email if needed.
What if I want to sell or trade-in my game (s) ?
A: We love trade-ins and buying games! If you are in
the South Florida area, we can
visit you, inspect your game (s) and either buy it or accept it as a trade-in on the
spot!
If you live outside of our local area, just email us a few pictures of your game
including
the front and both sides of the game (no need for this step if you bought the
game from
us originally)
to help us
evaluate your game's condition if possible. If your game meets
our quality standards, we will then make you an offer for your game and arrange
to have
it picked up from your home or office (you do not need to do a thing!) and then
ship it
back to us. Once we receive your game, we will apply the agreed-upon price (if
your
game is in the condition stated) to the sales amount
to your new
purchase, or if you
are selling us the game outright, we will mail you a company check
in 3 to 5 days
Your refurbished game pictures look great - Are they the actual pictures ?
A: No. We use stock photographs to represent most of the refurbished
games on our
site. The reason? "Digital" pictures that are of a size suitable for use on a
website do
not have the resolution needed to show most game imperfections, and most digital
pictures do not accurately reflect the real condition of the game. Most
"low-resolution"
digital
pictures (as found on eBay and some dealers sites) can be
very
misleading !
Try this yourself: Take any large item in your home that is in "fair" condition,
stand back
about 4-5 feet and take a low-resolution (1MB) picture of it. Now look at the picture
you took:
Does it look really good? Do you think it is a fair representation of the item?
Probably
not -
and that is why many buyers are very disappointed when they take delivery
of a
used game
bought online or from eBay. The pictures you base your buying
decision
on just does not
accurately reflect the actual condition of the game you receive in most
cases.
All of our refurbished games are in very good to excellent
cosmetic and
mechanical
condition even before we start the game refurbishing process, assuring
you that you
will receive games you will be proud to own, and will love and cherish for years
to come.
And all of our refurbished /
restored arcade games must meet this quality benchmark:
Will this
game look great good in a million-dollar home ?
In the extremely unlikely event
that you are unhappy with your refurbished game,
you
may
return your purchase to us using our exclusive 30-Day "No
Hassle" Return Policy.
Have other questions not answered here or elsewhere on our site?
Please call us at 1-800-PINBALL or
Contact
us via Inquiry Form anytime
Read what
our Customers have to say about us!
