Mystery

[davidsurvz]

Hey Guys,

I went to check one of my locations yesterday and when I walked in I noticed the skitles globe was almost completely empty. When I opened up the body to check the coins on the base there was only .50 cents in the machine. The head was locked up tight when I opened it. I checked the alignment of the candy wheel to make sure that was in order and I tested the machine a few times to make sure it wasn't dumping piles of Skittles out. It seemed to be working fine. I inspected the way the body was seated on the base and every thing looked fine. I also made sure the coin mech wasn't turning backwards or anything. There should have been approximately 12 to 18 dollars in there based on the product level I usually keep in the machine. The other globe has GB in it and the level seemed OK with 2 dollars in it but I didn't notice anything unusual with that either. I usually make a little more out of that one but the level seemed OK.

The machine is an SSF / Millenia style machine I think it may be T-pico. The lock seemed OK too. Outside of someone opening the lock and removing product / quarters does anyone have any theories or recommendations??  I think I will try a new machine there with different locks.  That seems like the best thing to try and see if this continues.

My initial theory is that some type of extra dimensional space has appeared in my globe just above the bottom of the candy level line causing all the other candy to be sent into some parallel universe. The other possibility is that the extra dimensional space somehow formed inside of the body just beneath the coin mech where the quarters drop into the base. This would cause the quarters to be sent into some parallel universe. Perhaps this event happened just after the first two transactions hence the .50 cents found in the machine.

David 

[that1dude]

Well, I sure hope that you didn't break the laws of physics with your machine! I think there is always that chance that somebody was able to open up your machine with a key they had or were able to pick your lock, although I hope for your sake that didn't happen. Try to put another machine there and see what happens.

[allgum4me]

milked your mech, ie.....adhesive on quarter or bent quarter, bent just enough to hang in coin carrier and easy enough to remove when their done, my experience tells me its usually an employee who hits it up as soon as your gone..........ive caught them at it when i drop in unexpectedly and they dont know who i am (busted)

[AmuseStar Vending Co]

I had the same thing happen to me just this week. It was the new triple from XYZ with the canisters. The right side was empty. I keep my triples candy level 5-6" from the bottom. The others were about the same level as I left them before. It was a workout center. Big Guys who never buy (A assume because it is childish to buy from a yellow candy machine while your working out), so who knows.

Kyle

[G-man422]

milked your mech

That was my original thought.

[Rox]

Hi!

I have machines which coin acceptor can be cheated in a very simple way any fakes, plastic coins etc. - you just put the coin into the coin acceptor then gently turn keeping one finger the coin, very slowly almost to "lost" the coin in coin acceptor and in 90% you can take product for free.

[davidsurvz]

Yes, I am suspecting this as well. I went back to check the machine and swap the locks. I found a piece of paper in the gumball coin mech cut out in a circle. It looked like someone drew a circle around a quarter and cut it out of a piece of paper. I may just pull the location. I will have to keep an eye on this. It isn't a great location anyway so I may just relocate it.

David

P.S. I didn't notice any extra dimensional spaces in the machines when I went back to check on them so maybe it is a candy thief.

[T BIRD]

We got all kinds out there gang.

[bacho]

This happened to me also. For the past two months the quarters in my NAV double doesn't jive with the amount of product in the machine. When I serviced it a couple days ago, I found a couple screws in the coin drawer. To make a long story short, I found out where the screws belonged. They came loose from the coin mechs and that allowed a free dispense of candy when jiggled enough.

Check your coin mech to see if all the screws are tightened.

[Beer980]

I don't think it was an extra dimensional space. It sounds more like a Y shaped worm hole. One end opened in the candy and the other in the coin tray. So somewhere there is a pile of quarters and Skittles. Or like they say your mech has been monkeyed with.

[shvend]

David just wondering did you test the machine before you adjusted the wheel or after?

[davidsurvz]

David just wondering did you test the machine before you adjusted the wheel or after?

both.

[ButlersVending]

Hello David,

 

Several things could have happened:

• Someone could have a key to it. T. Pico keys are limited in their numbers; my guess is that there are less than 2 dozen. ... If this has happened more than once, chances are that it's an inside job.
• You could have left enough play in the alignment that the machine could have "free vended". Always try to milk your own machine after servicing it, because if you can make it to give free product, others will be able to do the same.
• IMO, the T. Pico is a poor quality machine. It's a copy of the Oak Acorn, which is an excellent machine. But the T. Pico has a pliable plastic body which can be slightly opened with a knife or something similar if not firmly locked. This could have happened.
• Additionally, there's one other method that could have been used, but I won't write about it here because lurkers could use it against us Operators. Write me using a legitimate email, (no @Hotmail, or @Yahoo, etc.), and ask me to tell you off-line, ... and I'll be glad to do so.

Sincerely, Bob Butler  /  bobbutler1@verizon.net