AHHHH!

[Spaced Invader]

Gotta Vent!

Ok, so I built a cab for my little (he's 8 ) brother...a Christmas thing. He loved it and all was well...until today. I got a call this morning from my mother asking if I could come look at "the arcade". She said it was displaying some wierd message about a missing file. I figured he was just flipping the power  off and corrupted a startup file...I was mistaken. I drove out to my parents (50 minute drive) sure it would be a quick fix...again mistaken.

I entered the house and immediately noticed the cab was gone. I asked where it was and was told that my father had taken it downstairs to my brothers room...by himself! This is nearly a three hundred pound cabinet and my father's a 55 year old man who weighs 120lbs soaking wet. Apparently, he dropped it down step by step into the basement. I almost cried when I saw it...the bezel was cracked, the monitor had partially broken loose, the marquee had slid out of place, and the hard drive was fragged...and don't even get me started on the paint (it's a narrow stairway).

I just don't understand why he didn't ask for help? I guess I'll just have to roll my sleeves up and be gratefull it wasn't worse. Queue cheesey 70's theme song, "Gentelmen we can rebuild it. We can make it better than it was before..."

[Edgedamage]

Anyone who treats any kind of electronic equipment like that should not get any help family of not. My reply would be "you screwed it you fix it"

[menace]

Yep, I would have gave him the "I need to take this back to the shop" line and never brought it back--you can abuse it from your own house--no need to take it 1 hr away to have it beat to crap  

[Edgedamage]

Oh I don't blame your dad I blame your brother. Kids can wine so much that you will do anything to shut them up.

[MameMaster!]

 

...WOW....that actually made me really sad.

I don't think anyone outside of our "little community" can really understand just how hard most of us have worked to build these things.

Between the software, hardware, troubleshooting....all they see is a big box with a TV screen.

Sigh...I'm sorry to hear about that.....good luck!

MameMaster!  

[RetroJames]

Take HIM down the stairs the same way, maybe then he will understand...yeeesh!

[hyiu]

sigh... that's sad....

I think you should find out exactly why your dad does this... why he move the machine by himself with the help of your brother or call for help....

if your dad is like 120lb... then I don't think he would "want" to show his muscle and volunteer to move it by himself.....

maybe your brother keeps on nagging him or something...

what I'm trying to say is.... get the whole story why this happened... and make them understand this is not acceptable... and if its your brother's fault....

maybe you should leave the machine like this for a few wks before fixing it.... let him learn his lesson.....

[MameMaster!]

Take HIM down the stairs the same way, maybe then he will understand...yeeesh!

LOL!  

[RetroJames]

I keep telling you all we need a military wing of BYOAC and no one listens....

[Zakk]

Eh it's family...grin and bear it.  

Now if it had been an inlaw instead of your dad, well that would be a whole other story

[Brax]

Family or not, who doesn't know you can't move a giant ARCADE CABINET down the stairs without beating the hell out of it.

Man, I'm a super forgiving guy but I'd honestly wash my hands of it. That was just plain ignorant.

[maraxle]

It's his dad!  The man helped bring him into this world, fed him, raised him, etc.  He probably couldn't get the little brother to help him out and tried his best to get it down the stairs alone.  

I'd grin and bear it as your relationship with your father is worth a lot more than an arcade cabinet.

[Spaced Invader]

Honestly I don't know why he does things this way. He moved a 42" TV to the basement by himself with similar results (I helped him carry it back upstairs...and to the repair shop). I did just learn that he asked my brother (27 year old)to help him move the arcade cabinet last week and he refused (he was too tired to help--but not too tired to spend the rest of the afternoon riding my dad's ATV). I'm pretty mad at my brother but I still don't know why my dad didn't just call me or my other brother (25 year old). Either of us would have gladly helped...and he knows that.  

[hyiu]

dammm.... first a 42in tv and then a cab ??....

ok... I think you guys need to talk....

or maybe you should ask him proactively what else he wants to move to basement and then just get all your brothers and move it all in 1 shot.... then there will be no more accidents like this....

I would say... yes... relationship with dad definitely worth MORE than a 42in tv and a cab combined.... but I feel the pain of breaking a tv and a cab.....

but what's worse is.... if next time he's moving something else... dropping that thing down the stairs is just $$ lost... but if he hurt his back or something... it'll be really bad....

you know... I'm now 34 and I really can feel I'm no longer young like when I'm 26.... now when I need to move something big/heavy... I need to call my friends....

take care....

[DougHillman]

The brother who you built this for refused to help move it?  The wording in your post seems to be a bit confusing.  If that's the case, and if it were my situation, the brother would no longer have an aracade cabinet.  

D

[MameMaster!]

....yikes...your brother is 27 and livin' large at home and won't even help your Dad move the arcade machine that YOU(!) built?....

....good luck to the lucky gal that gets him someday!

MameMaster!  

[Spaced Invader]

The brother who you built this for refused to help move it?  The wording in your post seems to be a bit confusing.  If that's the case, and if it were my situation, the brother would no longer have an aracade cabinet.  

D

No, sorry. I put 8 and ) next to each other in my first post accidentally creating

Not what I meant...my little brother is 8, so, not much help...I actually have three brothers and two sisters...I should proof read...