Randy Fromm 14 DVD set - Arcade School
- Thread starter Malice95
- Start date
jigz
Member
Perhaps he should change the name to Randy Fromm's Casino School - seems that's all he cares to cater to in this day and age.
paul400
Well-known member
i got the 150 dollar special from Randy a few months ago. great information but poor quality IMO. I would not have paid full price for these materials.
enjoyvelvet
Well-known member
what an a-hole. I have his DVD set and have learned a great deal...but it is low quality and drab. Fuck it, the KLOVers on here should just burn copies and set a KLOV price for each other. If he has no interest in those that actually care and restore these machines then he just doesn't get it. Face it Randy, there is no amusement business anymore for the most part
p.s. NO RANDY I'M NOT SAYING I'M GOING TO BURN COPIES...calm down
p.s. NO RANDY I'M NOT SAYING I'M GOING TO BURN COPIES...calm down
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This makes me want to buy a copy and upload it.
I understand the frustration as I share it, though there is a saying that there is a little bit of truth in every joke, and I doubt even joking about making copies is bound to do anything other than 'validate' his believes about hobbiest/enthusiasts.
I'd love to continue to have this community be about validating the IP rights of others, which is why long after these forums existed numerous other forums got built on topics like MAME or building MAME cabinets. It was never a great fit here.
I think his practices are a lose-lose for all, but its his intellectual property and he is free to sell it (but not to me or anyone else) as he chooses.
If I owned the IP, I'd actually change the pricing and distribution model, as I know how to sell them to address his concerns about copying while maximizing reach (and thus revenue). That's my first reaction at least not knowing everything about his target audience or how many he sells.
He clearly says as much.
So I wrote him last night reminding him of our conversation 6 months ago, saying I was reminded of it because of this thread, and writing that I wanted to make sure his decision not to sell me wasn't the result of a misunderstanding. I wrote that I don't have an interest in loaning them out via inter-library loan or mail, and that we're not Netflix.
He wrote back at 5 a.m., not touching the topic of not selling to me, but commenting on this thread.
He writes, "I withdrew the offer because I sell the materials at $150 with the caveat that the purchaser agrees to not resell it on eBay or kLOV. It's the honor system. Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice . . . So many of my contacts with the collector community have been disappointing that I would just rather stay away. It's not just this one event."
I doubt the mass of us reading this thread understood he thought he was doing deals this way, as the condition wasn't mentioned in his original deal posting. He only writes, 'mention code 150'.
I can't imagine selling discs without thinking that some will be resold.
If he sells that way, (1) some people will hear, agree, and honor, (2) some will hear, agree, and honestly forget, (3) some will remember, feel they bought something and thus can resell it anyway.
In other words, if he tries to put this condition on future sales and I'm sure he will be disappointed again.
Romeodaz
Active member
I never knew about the DVD special either. At first I was excited because I still own a set of his materials on VHS cassettes. Cannot find my big blue book though :-( But I no longer own a VHS Player. If the DVD's are the same material just transferred over, I will just go buy a new VHS player instead of buying the same material again on a different format.
P.S. Anyone have a Big Blue Book they no longer want or need? ;-)
P.S. Anyone have a Big Blue Book they no longer want or need? ;-)
I wonder how many OPs honor Randys conditions? Does he honestly think that reselling or pirating would only be limited to hobbiests? Now that I've heard a couple people who have originals and say how crappy the quality is.. I wouldn't want a set of his dvds.
I think as a collective.. that between this site and others there is plenty of knowledge out there. It just needs to be collected and put together in FAQs.. or archived in case certain websites disappear.
I think as a collective.. that between this site and others there is plenty of knowledge out there. It just needs to be collected and put together in FAQs.. or archived in case certain websites disappear.
knight76
New member
I wonder what the legalities are involved with selling a product to someone, but at the same time insisting they never sell it to anyone else!
Plus it is not like this knowledge is something he alone possesses.
Anyway, he will play by whatever rules he wishes. but jacking the price up to $300 is not going to win him any fans.
Plus it is not like this knowledge is something he alone possesses.
Anyway, he will play by whatever rules he wishes. but jacking the price up to $300 is not going to win him any fans.
elekTRONarcade
Active member
Honestly, all joking aside, someone SHOULD upload the set to TPB or Demonoid. If it's as crappy quality as some of you say, and considering these things were made well over ten years ago, then why not? IP rights? I'm sure he's made plenty of money by screwing people over with this low quality crap over the years...why not take a little back?
Point is, teach the man a lesson. "Don't bite the hands that could potentially feed you, and don't piss off rabid geeks."
Point is, teach the man a lesson. "Don't bite the hands that could potentially feed you, and don't piss off rabid geeks."
CrazyKongFan
Well-known member
And we all know, operators would never buy bootleg stuff, they only deal in legit boards/games
Software companies do it all the time. Read the fine print in your T's & C's on Microsoft Windows sometime. And regardless of who has the knowledge, Randy took the time to put it in a format that people want and to market it. It's his to sell. Putting it out there for free is stealing his work.
p1899m
New member
I think the correct action would be for someone to either compile all the info that is free on the net into one easily accessible site or area so there would be little or no need for hobbiest to go to Randy. Or another possible route would be for someone to create a new, updated higher quality set of dvds similar to Randy's but better.
enjoyvelvet
Well-known member
I second that!
Agreed! I think we have plenty of talented people that could make a dvd or two then we combine them all into a shared resource for free download. Many people could contribute and leave a great resource behind for future collectors and hobbyists. Then no one would EVER need to bother Randy again.. even OPs would use it I bet.
knight76
New member
Don't get me wrong I am not saying to upload it to torrents and copy it out. What I am saying is the legalities of someone selling something, as in a product, with the stipulation that they are not allowed to then sell that item to someone else.
Like Ford selling a car to someone, stating they can never sell that car to another person!
elekTRONarcade
Active member
Understood. I was referring to some of the other posts suggesting that. But Microsoft and other software companies have included language in their EULA that forbid people from reselling their software once the packaging is opened. They are widely ignored. But it's there and, presumably, enforceable.
slots
Active member
I did notice this set didn't include the book. Maybe that is what upset Randy. I'm sure he thinks the seller made a copy, kept the book and sold the original DVD's.
Randy had no problem with the other complete set that was sold when he made the $150 offer.
Randy had no problem with the other complete set that was sold when he made the $150 offer.
PhoenixStar
Well-known member
Take what back?? Teach him a lesson for what??
I don't know what people are expecting out of this video set, but if you don't own the set, or are basing your point of view off second hand info, I will tell you this. It's not like watching Mr. Wizard or Bill Nye the Science Guy on TV. The point of this DVD set is to learn the old fashioned way, not to be entertained while sitting there with a bag of popcorn and an extra large fountain soda. This videos are a live recording of classroom style teaching, in an actual classroom/conference center with students of that time. I actually had a notebook just like school that I wrote in along side of watching the video so I could quick reference while working on a game. Priceless.
The knowledge gained from these videos to a basic beginner is extremely valuable, and helps make the beginner transition into the lingo and understanding of the arcade world. The beginner can now do basic testing/troubleshooting, can identify all components and understand how it functions, and can ask an expert better questions because he understands the lingo and logic.
To say he's screwing the community is extreme and un-founded. Before there was youtube, there was Randy. Who knows how many machines people currently have that were once worked on by someone taught by Randy. He relies on making his money off classes and his dvd set (BTW the classes are way more pricey than his DVD set, plus you can see the DVD set more than once so consider the DVD set a blessing). He's pissed because someone sold a set lower than his special offer price. I'd be too because i'd lost out on a sale and that's food off the table, but i'd also know it was to be expected of someone to sell my stuff second hand which is not a sin either.
Fact of the matter is that many games that are out there, or even that you may have still exist because of Randy's teachings. As a hobbyist representing a piece of an entire arcade community, why maliciously try to screw the guy? Instead he should be thanked. Even Mclemore knew that, which is why he wanted to host a training session. Yeah it sucks that he retracted his offer and that was an irrational response from him, but if you truly wanted to buy his DVD set, you'd ask him if he could honor his offer, and he'd likely agree. Not to mention in this forum alone there are many members who are more irrational than Randy, but we don't send the lynch mob after them to screw them or financially hurt them. Just accept personality deficits as they are and continue to support, not destroy the hobby.
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How do these dvds compare to the dvds that arcaderepairtips.com offers? I'm assuming there are way more technical.
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