1 – Why does your shop status for ‘Send-In Services’ often say “Order Limit Reached, Check Back Soon”?
JRG is simply a part time side hobby for me. I work a full-time regular job, have a household to manage, family to prioritize, etc. so the amount of time I can dedicate to jobs is admittedly limited (to nights and weekends). Because of the increasing interest in my work resulting in huge queues of orders (at one point in early 2025 my shop had 33 active orders on the site with multiple consoles each, this was resulting in an overwhelming amount of stress and things to manage and track. That involves dealing with inquiries, processing orders and ensuring packages get to and from my shop reliably, doing the work itself, following up with customers, etc
In an effort to keep the workload reasonable I developed this queue system so that I always have work to be completed for customers and share with my followers, but avoid huge backlogs that can completely inundate me.
2 – So how does the queue system work and when will there be an opening for me to place an order?
The first question is easy to answer. How it works is I have decided on what amount of orders I’m capable taking on at any given time, then using some custom code I have designed my website in a way that once that limit is reached, the shopping cart button will automatically disappear and be replaced with text indicating “We’re currently processing our maximum number of orders. Please check back soon!”. This code continually checks the number of orders in “Processing” status and once I have closed enough orders to get below the threshold, it reverts back to having the cart option and take on new orders. How many order spots open depend on how many jobs I closed and how many spots below my threshold the current value is.
The second question is trickier and unfortunately not one I have an easy answer for. I obviously try and work as hard and fast as I can to get customer systems completed and returned to open those spots. An order is not closed until the work is done, item(s) packed up, and shipping label printed and affixed to the package so it’s ready to bring to post office. I typically close orders (and spots open) when I make my completed job posts on social media (Twitter, BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram) at around 9am EST. What days I make those posts vary and since I allow multiple systems per order, not every post necessarily opens a spot.
I know this can lead to frustration with feeling like one has to keep tabs on my posts and checking the site, but for now it’s the system that works best for me to continue doing this work and as I evolve, I am always looking for ways to make the experience better for me AND my customers. I’m always open to feedback but appreciate your patience and understanding. Ultimately, I looked at this as the better option of 2 outcomes with the other being shutting the site down completely and permanently to be able to better focus on other things.
3 – Do you have any ‘rules’ for customers placing orders for ‘Send-In Services’?
Yes, in an effort to ensure a smooth process and keep the queue moving along so a wider variety of customers can get their systems in for work, I have several rules I expect anyone placing an order to follow to help me with that. Those rules are as follows:
RULE 1 – Systems must be functional unless disclosed and discussed with myself prior to order placement.
This doesnt mean I never take on systems needing some extra diagnostics or work, but I need to know what im likely getting into as any major surprise can add days of work and hold up other orders. There are a few exceptions to this, mostly revolving around systems that are known to have bad capacitors and where a recap is likely to fix the issue in 99.9% of cases (this applies to systems like the Game Gear, Sega CD, PC Engine Duo). Still doesnt hurt to reach out first and confirm as I am happy to let you know if my standard services are likely a solution or if we might need to take a different approach. ‘Functional’ means the system needs to power on and output video and audio. For cartridge based systems games should be reading ok, for optical based systems the drive should be functioning unless you are opting for an ODE install or sending a replacement laser. But ultimately just reach out if there are any concerns first and that will help avoid most misunderstandings or unwanted surprises.
RULE 2 – For any services requiring customer provided parts (basically anything besides capacitors, batteries and SRAM/FRAM chips) you NEED to have all parts on hand and ready to ship with the system BEFORE placing the order.
Another part of ensuring my limited queue spots dont get uneccessarily held up and prevent others from being able to get work done, its important that these orders dont just sit in my queue while we wait for you to track down and have parts shipped to me. This could be not only because a part you now need is out of stock, but also there can be shipping delays or other issues and it has not been uncommon for this to have a job sit around in my queue for several months. During that time, those jobs could have gone to other customers needing a quick fix or refurbishment. This not only impacts your fellow customers ability to get something worked on, but also disrupts my process and leaves me shuffling job orders around to try and fit more work in. Things happen sometimes and I will be understanding the first time, however if I encounter a customer that repeatedly does this I reserve the right to deny all future service with said person.
RULE 3 – I limit number of systems per order to 2, so please do not place multiple orders concurrently to get around this limit
My goal is not to ensure a few specific customers can get their entire fleet of systems serviced but to ensure that the widest net of different customers all have a fair opportunity to get stuff worked on. Since initiating the queue limit I have observed some customers placing up to 3 or 4 orders at once or back to back in order to get a high volume of gear in the shop. This goes against the very nature of why I’m setting the 2 console per order limit in the first place, and does a disservice to others that are also trying to get work done. Like the above parts policy, I will give most people a second chance in the event they were not aware or did so by mistake but if I encounter a customer that repeatedly does this after requests not to I reserve the right to deny all future service with said person.
4 – What is the turn-around time on mod / repair services?
I do my absolute best to keep the “Shop Status” section on my home page as up to date as possible. The approximate backlog time is my estimation from when I would receive your system and be able to start actually working on it. Unless I’m on a lengthy vacation I typically leave orders open at all times so when returning there is work that can begin immediately, cutting down on delays. If I’m not going to be unavailable for longer than a week I typically shut orders down as I prefer not to have customer equipment sitting in my PO Box. Of course this is all an estimate and the scope of some projects change and this number could be off by as much as 1 additional week but likely no more than that. If your desired service has an urgent need please reach out to me via custom form request and I will provide you with a better answer on ETA and anything else that could impact my delivery of service.
5 – How should my console and mod parts be shipped?
PLEASE take the little bit of extra time and money to ensure your items are packaged securely in a cardboard box that is in decent shape and with proper packing materials. When I ship a console back to you it gets wrapped in a plastic bag to prevent any possible rain or moisture damage if the delivery person leaves it outside your residence or shipping destination. Its then securely placed in the center of the box and surrounded by several layers of bubble wrap and the remaining void is filled with shipping peanuts or foam blocking so the items wont take any hard shocks or bumps in transit and risk damaging internal components or breaking plastic shells. My recommendation when shipping to me is follow that same guideline. I cannot be responsible for anything that occurs during shipment as that is out of my control but I have not had a single issue in the process of returning to the customer with the precautions I take. I have however had items arrive damaged due to poor packing and I don’t like having to deliver that news to anyone.
6 – Where are my item(s) delivered?
I have a PO Box registered for this business that I use for receiving all shipments as I feel this is the safest method, for the sake of your item(s). Due to a busy schedule with both work and family commitments I am not always at my workshop to receive items and do not want anyone’s package being left outside in inclement weather or at risk of theft. The PO Box allows your item(s) to be securely stored until I can retrieve them and bring to the workshop myself.
7 – Do you offer local/in-person services to avoid shipping?
If you are local to Seacoast NH and would like to arrange to have work done and avoid the cost and risk associated with shipping, I do provide services for local clients. At least 50% of the work I get is from local customers or retro shops in the area. If you have my email from a business card or via custom form response, you can reach out to me there or just enter a custom request via this website.
8 – Will I get updates throughout the process?
Yes, not only will you receive emails during each stage of the service and ordering process, but I will personally send you emails to keep you up to date on where in the queue your item(s) are. Once actually on the bench and being worked on, I actively take pictures throughout the process including the systems disassembled, being cleaned and all replacement parts being installed. These pictures will be shared with you during the process so you can feel comfortable the work is being done as advertised and also kept in the loop on how far along the process is coming. While I try and be as communicative as possible when really busy there might be lapses, but if you reach out for an update I will respond ASAP.
9 – Do you offer pre-modded handheld and console systems?
Yes, see Pre-Modded Systems – Jeff’s Retro Gaming (jeffsretrogaming.com)
What I have available at any given time is based on local stock / availability of mod parts, and of course my free time. I also can do “build to order” systems where I will provide everything including the system, mods and labor if you reach out and let me know what system you are looking for, mods to be done and your budget.