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Don't Piss Off the Parts Seller Keeping Atari Machines Alive


bfollowell

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I was contacted for this story, author wanted to interview me.  He's a Canadian lifestyle-type writer.  I think he did a fair job in the story.  I refused to talk to him, not due to Bradley's business practices, I just don't trust the media any longer.  I had used Best for four decades and he is simply the Best retailer of all things Atari.  End of story.  DBM.  

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I got a kick out of the article because it seemed like it was written by one of those jilted customers. I've heard all those same stories here on the forums, but it's always complaints from those that have wound up on Brad's bad side, one way or another. Personally, I've always had good dealings with Brad and have always found him a pleasure to deal with. This is just the first time I've ever seen anything like this that came from outside the family so to speak.

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I have never had a problem.  I have been ordering from him all the way back in teens in the 80's and 90's  I remember getting my ICD P:R: connector from Best for xmas.  Another time I fried my 800xl trying to digitize sound using the joytstick port following a article from Antic or Analog. It actually worked and then the next time I tried my computer went dead.  I end up ordering a complete set of chips from best.   I am fairly certain some of those spare chips are still in that closet. Just no way to easily get into that closet now, The room still has my old furniture but has become mostly a storage room.  I think my old 800xl is still in there too.   Closet probably has not been opened since mid 90's.   I know I have tons of baseball cards in there from early 80's to early 90's.   lol.

Edited by venom4728a
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As I've said before, I've never had any problems with Bradley, and he has always been very easy to work with. But I think the key take away from that article would be to keep in mind that this is one guy by himself who manages a warehouse stacked with pallets of Atari computers, printers, carts, components, ect. - and keep in mind that he's probably verging on or past 70 years of age. So if you waste his time, by being disorganized in your communications, and/or keep making last minute order changes, or think he has time to chat with you as well as all the other folks that are trying to buy parts from him, you will likely get banned for being a nuisance. And you know what? I wouldn't blame him, and we are very lucky to still have someone like him serving the community.

 

warehouse.thumb.png.02153ec6bc38a104ac55d6a8b369d8ad.png

 

BTW, that was very good article, thanks for posting it ?

 

Antic The Atari 8-bit Podcast interview with Brad Koda

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Like the old (and wise) saying goes: "I trust.... but I verify"

 

And so I did. I have been at the place, a small cave in San Jose, which seems like some sort of front-office. I have seen the character (nowhere near looking 70 years old, unless he made a devil's pact). It is a creepy place to be as far as I recall... but it DOES work.

 

Generally speaking, it is a bad advice to hold an entire community hostage of one single individual. At the end of the day, we PAY for all that stuff (not that we get things out of charity or favors). Insisting in such approach, puts us all in a position of weakness (and that is a BAD position to be).

 

Instead, we should continue to share our GENUINE experiences, so we all know what to expect.

 

And it is NOT true that Brad is the only supply for regular spares... maybe for some special ones, true, but we can source parts from other places. His specialized stock is already dwindling (laws of physics). Once that happens, eBay will be the place for most things.

 

I am ALWAYS in favor of win-win business (including Brad's, which is unaudited and unknown in several ways), but I will NEVER, EVER accept being anyone's "hostage".

 

And no one here should. EVER. 

 

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Re the hostage side, I agree with that, it's a really odd situation and Brad could do himself a mega favour by having an audit and a new catalogue reflecting it but, he is what he is and we have choices (at the moment).

 

Like others, I've never had an issue with him, he's never pushed anything except the spending minimum, its annoying but most stiff isn't cheap, so you will rarely hit that problem. Could he improve stuff, YES, but he won't, he's set in his ways.

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19 minutes ago, Mclaneinc said:

Brad could do himself a mega favour by having an audit and a new catalogue reflecting it

Absolutely.

 

Navigating the current one could be, at times, a harrowing experience for the unfamiliar... Like stepping into a century-old haunted house, full of weird relics.... ??

 

 

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On 6/18/2021 at 10:09 PM, venom4728a said:

Another time I fried my 800xl trying to digitize sound using the joytstick port following a article from Antic or Analog.

If you (or anyone else) still has that around, and would like to beta test a machine language recorder/playback program I did (originally 1984, updated this month) that uses that hardware, drop me a line. I have tested it as much as I can w/o having the hardware ;-)

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In the 80's Brad used to throw in little patches and other stuff along with the orders as a kind of thank you.

I still have some of the brochures and little Atari patches and Fuji stickers that he added to my orders.

I don't think that he is a full time one man operation as I have talked to someone on the phone at times who

says that he will take a message for Brad, but Brad insists that he never gets them.  For anyone to put up

with a situation like that I have to assume that it must be family!  Anyway I just placed and order with him

last week and it arrived two days later wrapped up in ancient Atari tape that I have to get out a jack hammer

to cut open!  I'll keep dealing with him!  But after almost 50 years stuck in a warehouse, I'd be a bit crotchety

too!

 

DavidMil

 

PS.

If Brad ever reads this site some of you guys will be on his 'forever' black list!

DM 

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You can end up on his bad side by placing a single order and paying within minutes of being invoiced.

 

The page can try to apologize for him all it likes, however there is no excuse for his utter lack of professionalism and selective bad service. 

 

As for wasting his time, finding the part required on his site, ordering and paying promptly wasted far more of mine than his. 

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1 hour ago, CyranoJ said:

The page can try to apologize for him all it likes

And watch the double-moral standards unfolding... those who here openly approve or apologize on his behalf... just to condemn him a few posts after...

 

What a joke!

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6 hours ago, CyranoJ said:

The page can try to apologize for him all it likes, however there is no excuse for his utter lack of professionalism and selective bad service.

I've said this before, but he's basically the 'soup nazi' of the Atari world. He has great 'soup', and it's worth buying. But piss him off, fail  to follow his completely nonsensical, arbitrary, uncommunicative and mood-driven rules... no soup for you. I've known people who have ordered from him for decades, been a decades long customer with a great rapport, and then they order one thing he doesn't want to ship... door slams, no soup for you. Ever. I also am friends with someone who has literally helped him physically organize his stock, and he pulled the same thing with him.

Bradley isn't a bad guy, but he's a moody, unprofessional curmudgeon who arbitrarily decides when and if he will respond to an order or not. Pretending it's other than it is, is silly. If you've had good luck, awesome. Just realize, lots of other people have not... through no fault of their own.

 

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58 minutes ago, Lord Thag said:

Bradley isn't a bad guy, but he's a moody, unprofessional curmudgeon who arbitrarily decides when and if he will respond to an order or not.

Sounds like a fitting description of a lot of people I've met over the years, including myself. And judging by what I've seen on this forum, Brad and I are not alone. Basically if you do something to piss someone off they're likely to not want to cooperate with you anymore, or have much to do with you afterwards. Hmm... I think that applies to being married after 20 or more years as well :lolblue:

 

Sorry to say it's his rules if you want what he has, no matter how much that irks people. Don't like it, then seek out an alternative source. No alternative source, then learn the rules ;)  It's really that simple. No amount of wishing will change that.

 

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