The Road to The Silver Pinball

      If the phone number from Taiwan Pinball was correct, I was one step closer to having a pinball machine in the patio. I had told my young expat study buddy that I wanted a pinball and the only dealer in Taiwan wasn't dealing with me.  It had become a Seinfeld routine with us the past six months and I felt he wasn’t taking me seriously, so I asked him again. He said he would call them up that day in late March ’19 to see what he could do; he would tell them he wanted to buy one for his dad's 60th birthday. 
     The last few times I had messaged the pinball importer's daughter, the one that spoke English and ran the site, I got no response. She was being a bitch because of what happened four years ago; I was steadfast on my bid for a CD jukebox he had and a used AC/CD machine from his client in Kaohsiung. Be under $6000 together, I said, not $5,500 and an additional $2500 for the forty year old jukebox with six-hundred thousand plays. Through his daughter, he said "I'll think about it." I should have accepted the offer of the pinball machine alone, but my wife dissuaded me from getting it. She had other plans for my 60th birthday; she got me a Mazda 3 instead.

     I texted my study buddy asking how his call to the pinball dealer went. He claimed he called the number and got no answer, but said he would try again. I was getting frustrated. I went on their website to check for other numbers and found two more and an email address. I sent it to my young friend. I wasn't going to lose out again by depending on someone else to get it for me, so I sent my own text message to the Taichung dealer. 

     Two weeks later, having gotten no word from my busy buddy and being ignored by the arrogant daughter who realized it was me when I messaged her, I was on the verge of giving up for good. But I had another idea. 
     eBay has many pinball machines for sale. Unfortunately, almost all U.S. dealers won't ship overseas, I shopped around for one that would. Finally, I hit the jackpot; I was getting a used AC/DC pinball machine from a dealer in Michigan. I would have taken almost any machine, but the one seller who would ship to Taiwan had the AC/DC machine I wanted. I negotiated and talked him down in price considering the shipping cost I would bear. I got it for $6500. I wouldn’t spend more than $7250 with shipping. That was my final offer. He agreed!

     On my 28^th anniversary, I bought the used AC/DC Pinball Machine from Michigan. It would go by air to LAX and by ship to Keelung Port for $525; delivered to Taichung port would have been $250 extra. I was in no hurry; I had waited almost five years since I learned there was an AC/DC pinball machine on the market from the dealer in Taichung, but I ended up spending a thousand dollars more to remove the thorn in my side. I still had to get it shipped from Keelung to our fourth floor indoor patio and I had no idea who would service it if it broke down.

Since I am not going anywhere outside of Taiwan anytime soon because of my wife's medical condition, I would appreciate having the pinball machine at home. There is no public pinball machine that I know of in Taichung. We could afford it with my extra salary from part-time teaching, publisher  assignments, tax return and pension money. My wife had spent thousands on a treadmill, elliptical, clothing, shoes and Polish pottery, but I was not telling her about the pinball machine until shipping arrangements were made because I didn’t want to upset her. If she didn't check our bank account statement, she wouldn't know I bought it until it arrived..

    Marty, from prestige1, was going to start to arrange the packing of the machine the following week and it could be picked up in Taiwan the week after. Shipping by air was only $140 more than by sea, and much faster. I wrote him to ship by air. He would send me a PayPal invoice for the difference

Proof of entertainment; not gambling

 I thought of asking my language exchange partner to help. I would use my cellphone for notifications, but once it arrived, I had to consider logistics; how would I get it up four flights of stairs and through the condo onto the patio? Did I need a crane to lift it from outside? After telling my partner the whole story, practicing Mandarin, it dawned on me that he couldn't help; I had to ask someone that knew our condo. Maybe I should ask Mr. Mao, a member of our community board, or I could ask Ms. Shi, another board member; I was her son's English tutor and he could help me translate. She dealt with shipping in her export business. Maybe I should ask her first. 

      Meanwhile, Marty asked me for my Tax ID # for shipping purposes . He was shipping the pinball in a few days. He sent the info to the freight forwarder in the morning. The next day I read:

"Hi David, your order is being shipped".

When I got home from teaching, Ms. Shi was in the lobby. I called her aside and told her, in Mandarin, about the pinball machine; how it was a gift for us but I didn't want to trouble my wife with the shipping details; that it was a surprise.

What do Taiwanese think of 
when you tell them "Pinball"? THIS.

She had a vague idea of what a pinball machine was so I showed her the photo of the AC/DC pin on my smartphone. I told her it was big and heavy, and asked if she could help me arrange to get it from the airport to our fourth floor patio. She said she would be glad to. I was relieved. I would be in touch with her through her son. Since she lived in our building, she was aware of its features. Since she was my wife’s friend, she knew her and was happy to help. 

            I sent Ms. Shi’s son the dimensions of the pinball: 250 lbs. It might need a crane to bring up. I couldn’t imagine it being carried up the stairs and didn’t know if it could be tilted (no pun intended) to fit in the elevator; the length is 29" W x 58" D x 77" H, depending how it is packed, larger than that. It might fit in the elevator. If it could be turned on its back, it might fit through the kitchen door out to the outdoor patio or through the tea room window if it could fit through the outside patio door. I might have to remove the door and screen. Either way, it would need three or four men to carry it.

     By then, I had let my wife in on the secret. Marty wrote me to contact Maggie Liao, the Air Freight Manager at Fortune Transportation Corp about requirements for customs clearance. I sent the info to Ms. Shi who asked her son and my wife for the routing number. I didn’t know at the time the machine wasn’t in Taiwan until the paperwork was done, so I asked Marty for the routing number and he gave me the contact info  in Taiwan again.
      Ms. Shi called them. There was a problem; the pinball machine might be considered a gambling device and have to pass customs with licenses. I needed proof it wasn’t for gambling purposes.

Marty responded to my request for a statement and photo to prove the pinball machine wasn’t for gambling. According to his correspondence, he would start to arrange the packing of the machine the following week and should be picked up. It was being shipped on April 11^th and “Estimated delivery: Thu Apr 18 – Mon May 13” was the window eBay gave. It could be here that week! But the paperwork had to be ready before clearance and shipping could be arranged. I sent Ms. Shi the PDF of the eBay offering and the proof the machine wasn’t for gambling.

 On a train ride home from Yuanlin, I Googled how to move a "pin" as writers call a pinball machine. It got me thinking of how Marty might have packed my AC/DC for shipment and what I might have to do to reassemble it. Perhaps he removed the legs and the brackets from the head and folded it down. It seemed to be okay to tilt the machine on its back to fit it through the doorway. I wore my AC/DC Highway to Hell t-shirt hoping it would bring good luck in getting the pin. I'm not saying the AC/DC rally shirt worked, but I did get a packet of documents to sign, sent from the shipping agent to Ms. Shi, and was one step closer to getting the pin. These documents, needed by the government agencies, served and approved, would let the pin into the indoor patio.

By May 3^rd, there was no word on the pinball machine. It had been a week since the last document was signed and sent for processing. The pin, I thought, was sitting in a warehouse somewhere in Taiwan. Marty has nothing to say since he asked a week ago if the pin was off his hands yet; if I was doing the paperwork that would keep it from being returned; probably his intention. He didn't respond to my question about how it was packed or how it could be handled. It had been a month since I pulled the trigger and purchased the pinball machine from Michigan. It had been waiting in a warehouse somewhere for two weeks as the authorities cleared it for delivery. Where was my pinball machine and when would it be ready to come home? I had no indication waiting approval. The final paperwork had been signed and delivered eleven days earlier.  

            Finally, May 9^th, Ms. Shi told me that the pinball machine would be ready to come home next week! Those were the words I wanted to hear. I went to YouTube to watch videos of the AC/DC pinball machine in action, a workshop tour, and a tutorial. But where was the machine?

Before I got too excited, I contacted Marty to ask what gives. The shipping agent in Taiwan Ms. Shi had been contacting had all the paperwork done and approved, but when they tried to get the pinball machine in Taiwan, it wasn’t there! It seemed like Marty did not pay the forwarder to air freight it! A few earlier, Ms. Shi asked my wife to ask me where the pin was. I told her then I assumed it was sent to Taiwan and I believed it was in a warehouse at Taoyuan Airport. The bottom line was the pin could either be a few days away on the next airplane out or I would be asking for a refund from Marty before bringing the dispute to eBay.

I wrote to Marty: “The AC/DC Pinball Machine that I purchased from you through eBay on April 5, 2019 has not been air shipped to Taiwan yet. The forwarding cargo company you contacted says the machine was sent to them by you but they haven't received the shipping fee from you so they still have the machine in their warehouse awaiting your payment to them; I paid for air freight and expect the machine I purchased. They also told the company handling the paperwork in Taiwan that they have tried to contact you but are awaiting an answer. All the paperwork on my end is done.I am sure there must be some misunderstanding so I am contacting you before I file a complaint with EBay for a refund. Please let me know how you plan to resolve this issue.

The next day, Marty wrote back:  “I just sent a note to the freight forwarder this morning to get you a tracking #. I know the freight has shipped out last week. I was told they were holding the freight in a warehouse until you received final approval from the Taiwan customs office before shipping to Taiwan. I will send you the air bill # once I get today. Thanks for your understanding and patience. Thx”

     Marty should have told me the pin was being held in storage in the U.S. Ms. Shi had asked where the pin was two weeks ago, but I missed the connection that the forwarder in Taipei had looked and it wasn't there. Marty wrote he would get the number that day and that the machine had been sent air cargo to Taiwan the week before. I waited for the flight number. Perhaps Marty was covering his ass. Perhaps, as the Taipei forwarder told Ms. Shi, the U.S. forwarder didn't ship the week before, as Marty had written, because he hadn’t paid them. Perhaps Marty didn’t want to admit he didn't know the correct process. Perhaps Marty was trying to pay them that day so it could be shipped.  

“Hi Marty: Have you gotten the tracking # and air bill #? You wrote you would send it today. I am anxious to begin the transport of the pinball machine from the airport to my home ASAP. Please advise. Thanks.

            I got the tracking number for the pinball machine. It was dated May 15^th. It would be sent from Detroit on Air Canada flight #6048T. I stayed away from the PC that evening not wanting to be disappointed if the shipping document was not sent. The pin had to be in Taiwan then, all the paperwork was done.

On to the next step: getting it to our condo in Beitun, Taichung, up to the fourth floor, and into the enclosed patio. In the not too distant future, another number might be added to the heading of my journal entries: the high score of the day. The pinball would arrive in Taiwan Monday.

As a metaphor for an AC/DC pinball machine, the splinter in my left pointer is exposed and ready to be picked out. Most of it was removed over the past few days. It wasn't very painful and didn't cause an infection, but it was there and had to be removed fully.

I realized a lot starting down the road to the pinball in April; most importantly, don't wait for someone to get something for you, even wives and friends; get it yourself if you can. Don’t stand on ceremony or be philosophical about it. The other thing I've known all along; the journey there is as important as the destination, and the road goes on forever. The last reminder is more superstitious, perhaps, but I found it to be right on: spend it or you will be spent. 

 I went on-line to watch You-Tube videos of experts preparing a machine for transit; it’s in reverse when arriving. I would find out soon enough how it was packed and what I had to do to get it ready.

The forwarder sent photos of the cargo; there was a tear in the corner of the shrink-wrapped cargo; the forwarder sent two photos to cover themselves in case I had to complain to Air Canada, Marty or E Bay if the machine is damaged. The tax, handling, and customs fee was around $800 and the delivery here another $90 or so. The total cost of the $6500 used machine is about $8000 if we didn’t need a crane to lift it in.

            The pin was coming that day; I would avoid $100 a day storage charge by having delivered immediately but had no crane yet. I thought we could get it up in the elevator. But our muscleman neighbor wouldn’t be available till Sunday. I'd been studying the YouTube videos and downloaded the 80 page manual.

             On May 25^th, the delivery came, two hours earlier than expected, with one driver and a two hundred fifty pound pinball machine on the back of his little truck. I was out my wife with when the doorman called to tell her. A local man with a forklift, for $20, was employed to remove the pin from the truck and place it outside our building near the entrance; he said he couldn't get the lift inside the lobby. Mr. Mao engaged an outsourced sewer company man he saw to further lift the pin on a dolly and bring it into the relative safety of the lobby. That's where it sat overnight and would stay until it was moved four floor upstairs into our condo, probably that Sunday morning. Meanwhile, I would check it out to see if the balls were removed and if there was anything in the coin box before it was put it on its backside and carried it up in the elevator.

            We waited all day that Sunday for the bodybuilding neighbor to come, as he had said, with a few trainers to carry the pin upstairs. Late in the afternoon, we got the word: he wasn’t coming after all. I was resigned to wait as long as necessary to finish the move but my wife jumped into action. She went on-line, found a local moving company and called them up. Remarkably, they could come right away, for $100 including three men. They came, they lifted it into the elevator, into our condo, and through the windows I removed in my study out to the patio, and set it down. Bonus score!!! Free Game!!! 

     The AC/DC pinball pro was assembled and ready to play.Ms. Shi's husband, an engineer, wanted to wait a day to get a hydraulic lift but I'd seen the legs put on by two men in a video; we could do it. My idea prevailed and it got up.  Hank would have the honor of playing the first two games, and then another. His family came in to see and get it up. Looks great! Sounds great!

I started writing down my best scores from each AC/DC Pinball session. I can see the original high scorers who played the game in Michigan still in the database on the screen; maybe I can beat them one day and get my own name up there in LED lights. I have only begun to understand how it goes. The controlled chaos of the game is right up my alley but there is method to the madness, too. 

     Marty had responded to my query about transporting the pin four days after I got it upstairs, set it up, and have been playing. I was still polite to him though in reply just in case I need tech support in the future but, really, like everything else after I determined to get the pin, it's up to me to do it. 

     A new blog, "The Silver Pinball" (http://silverpinball.blogspot.com) is up and running. “Silver” represents twenty-five years of marriage, four years ago, when I was sixty, when I first thought of getting an AC/DC pinball machine. I bought the pin on our anniversary almost two months ago. But I wasn't thinking of that when I named the blog. I was thinking of the line in "Pinball Wizard": "Ever since I was a young boy I played the silver ball..." 

www.readingsandridings.jimdo.com

Copyright © 2019 by David Barry Temple. All rights reserved.