Pinball Perfection — Attraction in West View

Would give -5 if that were possible.

Should’ve read reviews before going. The multiple unrelated negative scathing bad reviews speak volumes.

Possibly worst pinball experience ever. Stopped by, and was immediately given attitude that I didn’t bring a group “where’s your people?

He asked if I was interested in anything in particular, and since he asked me I inquired if he had a Marble Madness? “I do, but I won’t let you see it or play it”. Ok…You asked me. Weird. Also rude. I would’ve considered buying it from him; I am looking for one.

$15 to play.

Most games are turned off, at least half. I ask about the unpowered games (You are open, you charged me $15, you claim to have 300 games available for play, are they actually available, or are they like Marble Madness?)

He responds very condescendingly, “electricity costs $”

I wanted to respond “so does talking to you. It actually costs $15, but only gets me maybe 1/4-1/2 of the 300 games, since you won’t turn the rest on unless I go find you and pester you”

I find some games to play. Gorf and Banzai Run are working fine.

He has a dog there who is playfully fetching a tennisball or similar that he is throwing. I like dogs. No worries.

I settle in to enjoy a game of Adams Family, although the electric chair sensor doesn’t find the pinball sometimes. He immediately hits me with the ball he is supposedly throwing for the dog. In the middle of my game. That I paid for. I found it disrespectful that although it is just me, him, and his little dog in this giant warehouse full of games, he has to throw the ball for the dog right near me. I let it go. I continue to play. He then hits me again.

At this point I politely walk over and say “I’m done. I need my $15 back and I will see you later.” He responds rudely, saying I pissed him off, and I have to ask multiple times for my refund.

I tell him “I gave you a shot, and you blew it. Maybe I will come back another time.” I have decided that not only will that never happen, but that I will tell all my pinball and arcade enthusiast friends in person and on every platform to avoid him like the Plague.

Go to Vellum Distilling, Pinball PA, etc. many other venues in Pittsburgh.

The only thing that is “perfection” at Pinball Perfection is his terrible attitude and horrible customer relations.

There’s a saying. When someone shows you they are crazy, sociopathic, or a jerk, believe them.

Take your $ to someone who...

I love pinball and with arcades being mostly extinct, it's a rare treat to find an establishment dedicated to restoring and displaying old pinball machines for you to play. That's why it pains me to tell you that you should avoid Pinball Perfection if you want a positive experience. I cannot stress enough how rude the owner was to my wife and me.

When we first arrived, we found the door locked and the "open" sign off. The hours indicated they were open and a sign said to call. The sign should have indicated that there was a lower entrance and that may have solved the problem. Regardless, I called and when the owner answered he was incredibly irritated by my questions on if they were open. I asked if he would open the door. I'm not sure if he was mad because we were just players and not buyers (side note, I do own one pinball machine and would love to get a few more, but after dealing with him, I'm not sure I'd ever buy one from them). We waited and waited and no one came. Eventually, a man across the street at an auto mechanics shop told us the door downstairs around the other side should be open. So, we went down there and a woman eventually led us upstairs.

The man behind the counter scolded us about not waiting longer. It was crazy to see someone treat his customers with so much disdain and disrespect. It was cold and raining outside. He should've instructed us to go to the bottom door. I paid the $10 each per hour and decided to make the most of it.

They have a really great selection of machines, but about half of them were turned off. I didn't want to talk to him anymore after the way he treated us, so I don't know if they would turn on the rest. It was a mild February day (low 40s), and it felt just as cold inside the building. I'm not sure if there was any heat on at all. The other important info to note was the restroom. The toilet would not flush and there was no running water. I stood there with soap on my hands and no water to wash them. I went to get paper towels and the dispenser was empty. I had to wipe the soap off with toilet paper. Thankfully, my wife had hand sanitizer in her purse.

The pinball machines were fun and $10 for an hour is pretty fair, but the customer service was awful, the building was cold, and the restroom was unacceptable. I cannot recommend this...

Tons of old and new machines to play at a great entrance fee. Pinball, video and more.

Have to amend my original rating though. Over the holidays I had 14 guests visiting. We planned a day activity to visit PP. I even called ahead a couple of hours to make certain they were open. Got there and all machines were off. Found the owner in basement shop and said we were there to play. Told me it was too cold and he would only turn on a few machines. I explained my confusion since I had called ahead. He said his shop was open but not the machines upstairs to play. Would it have been that difficult to clarify that when someone is specifically calling to ask if you're open? Seemed like he relished catching me in a subtle nuance. Others in the pinball community warned me that the owner is extremely eccentric which I can accept but this is just bad business. If you decide to go, be prepared for a good time or oddness and disappointment. Better yet, explore more reliable, professional...