Review of Saturday 20th July 2013.
Now known as "Harlow Bowl" since FirstBowl went into liquidation and this became an independant.
Arrived at 9.30 on Saturday night to find all of the beer lines being flushed... no beer available on tap!
Then when the four of us started bowling the lane broke down on us twice.
I then went tino the advertised "Casino", which was five fruit machines... nonetheless I put £1 in, and on my second spin, the machine lights all went red, and I proceeded up the board in certainty of the £70 repeatable jackpot, that is until one of the staff turned off the electric to the "casino", leaving me in the dark, and all of the machines without power. When I stumbled out of the door and asked if there was a power cut, he said I didn't think there was anyone in there. He took my name and number promising to call an engineer to look at the data logger in the machine and validate what I'd said about the winnings, and then call me... they never called back.
One of our party went to buy bottled beer, and realised the next day that the change he recieved (although correct) contained a fake £5 note which had the serial number ripped out.
We went to play pool, only for it to swallow our money (£1.20), and the same harassed chap that fixed the alley twice came over to fix the pool table; in the process ripping off the bottom cushion.
After playing a second game of pool (and having a member of staff to fix the table for a second time) I decided to relive my old uni days with a go on House of the Dead (shoot 'em up style game), only player 2 would select, and then the gun didn't recognise when the trigger was depressed.
At a few minutes to 12 (midnight) a young member of staff came over to our group and said "we shut in 2 minutes", he ignored the other group of Eastern Europeans. A minute later all of the lights were turned out, leaving us completely in the dark, with no option but to reach for our mobile phones to see by.
A never to be repeated experience!
23-07-13
