more news of gamestop messing with customers

[the_ultimate_evil]

We’re through, GameStop.

I turned a blind eye when you offered me peanuts for a game that you were still slinging used for bucks shy of full retail. I shrugged it off when your employees endlessly pressured me to pre-order games that I didn’t want every time I set foot in the store. I laughed when I was turned away for trying to buy a new release on launch day sans preorder, only to have a copy miraculously appear as I went to leave. These were all prices I was willing to pay, I figured, to support one of the last remaining brick and mortar game stores.

But breaking the seal on brand new copies of games to take out (valuable!) things you don’t like, then selling the game as new? Yeah, I quit you.

Here’s the deal:

Yesterday morning, a long awaited title called Deus Ex: Human Revolution was finally released to an eager audience. Tucked inside the box was a little surprise: a coupon for a free copy of the same game through the still relatively new game streaming service, OnLive — something which, if purchased directly through OnLive, would cost $49.99. At least, there was supposed to be a coupon…

The reports started trickling in fairly quickly: for some reason, the coupon seemed to be absent from nearly all copies sold through GameStop.

What had happened? Had the folks at the factory forgotten to pack some of the coupons? Nope. Had GameStop worked out a distribution deal to keep the coupons from ever finding their way into their copies? Nope.

GameStop employees had opened the boxes, removed the coupon, and put the product back on the shelf… after orders from above to do so.

The first evidence came from an e-mail acquired by GameSpy, allegedly sent by a GameStop Field Operations Manager. The key bit is bullet point #1:

“Please immediately remove and discard the OnLive coupon from all Regular PC versions of Deus Ex: Human Revolution,” it read. Surely, this couldn’t be real! A corporate command to open a sealed product, throw out something tradable for a $50 product, and act like nothing happened?

But sure enough, GameStop followed up with confirmation on Facebook after word got out:

Regarding the Deus Ex OnLive Codes: GameStop’s policy is that we do not promote competitive services without a formal partnership.
Square Enix packed a competitor’s coupon within the PC version of Deus Ex: Human Revolution without our prior knowledge and we did pull these coupons.
While the new products may be opened, we fully guarantee the condition of the discs to be new. If you find this to not be the case, please contact the store where the game was purchased and they will further assist.

Note the wording. “May be” opened? Try “are” opened. And what a guarantee! If your disc doesn’t work for some reason, they’ll give you a new ( presumably equally stripped down) copy. But if you’re just pissed that you’ve been shorted a coupon worth $50? La la la la, we can’t hear you.

The GameStop-owned service with which OnLive is a “competing service” is called Impulse, which GameStop launched back in July after acquiring Spawn Labs.

Look, GameStop: if you want to work out a deal with the distributor to get special copies without the coupons, that’s reasonable. People will still be annoyed they got shortchanged, but it’s at least not incredibly shady. But opening a sealed box, removing a coupon exchangeable for a $50 product, and then sticking it back on the shelf? Terrible. Could a customer have walked in, purchased the game, removed the coupon, and returned the box for a full refund? No? Then this is not okay.

Alas, they went with the shady route — and now they’ve gone and given OnLive far more marketing than that silly coupon ever would have.

http://techcrunch.com/2011/08/24/screw-you-gamestop/?icid=maing-grid7|main5|dl23|sec1_lnk3|89472


gamestop isn't as big a deal here in the uk, but thats just messed up

 

[Why Are You Crouching Spock?]

Isn't every copy of Dues Ex: Human Revolution intigrated with steam? That's a competitor and way, way larger than Onlive. It's also growing signifcantly faster with about 5+ million users year to year. The message they seem to be putting out is that they are willing to lower customer value for there own personal gain. Probably what most of the gaming industry is doing. those

 

[the_ultimate_evil]

Opening a sealed game, removing contents, then reselling it as new is fraud or at the very least misrepresentation

 

[ProjectPat2280]

Opening a sealed game, removing contents, then reselling it as new is fraud or at the very least misrepresentation

Its shady, but gutting a game isn't uncommon. Gamestop guts many games and sells them as new, because they need a case to be represented on the wall for the customers to see. The wall cases don't get sold until all the sealed ones are sold, but it happens. I don't have a problem with GS opening games and selling them as new, however i do have a problem with them taking things(anything) out of a case. Im lucky my boss didn't instruct me to do this because i would of refused and on top of that, i would of informed the customer of what we did(which undoubtably would of led to my termination)

 

[GhostPoet]

ugh...why do people still use gamestop? They are freaking over-priced. I guess people like taking it from behind.

 

[RED_Rider]

They've recalled all Deus Ex HR copies from their shops and sent them to publishers. Seems that even now they chose to completely boycott the game instead of apologizing about their disgusting move.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

ugh...why do people still use gamestop? They are freaking over-priced. I guess people like taking it from behind.

No they're not. Games there are the same price that Walmart, Target, Best Buy and others offer.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

They've recalled all Deus Ex HR copies from their shops and sent them to publishers. Seems that even now they chose to completely boycott the game instead of apologizing about their disgusting move.

Thats just the PC version, not the others.

Also, here is their apology:

Hoping to assuage customers angry over having their games opened and rifled through prior to purchase, GameStop is offering everyone that purchased the regular edition of Deus Ex: Human Revolution for the PC a $50 gift card and a Buy Two, Get One Free used game purchase, according to a leaked memo. All better now?

 

[RED_Rider]

I know it's the PC version but the whole thing is just wrong. Also, their apology is pointless since they didn't give back the OnLive coupons.

 

[Teelie]

This is the nail in the coffin for me and Gamestop. I'd previously been on the fence buying games from them. Especially since their tactic of selling used games over new copies took precedent and they always seem to have just "a couple of copies" of a game left whenever I inquire and urge me to buy one before it sells out.

The last time I bought a game from them was when I had a $30 giftcard and the new AVP game had just come out. The employee there told me there was only one copy left and gave it to me. I seriously doubted that line even then.

Now with them opening new game packages to remove competition and neglect to even comp the customers until they are called on it? If their plan was to screw over gamers they should have been pre-emptively offering this kind of compensation.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

I know it's the PC version but the whole thing is just wrong. Also, their apology is pointless since they didn't give back the OnLive coupons.

Yea i agree, but their deal is better than the OnLive coupon. You get 50 bux to use in the store on anything you want. Much better than having 2 copies of the exact same game.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

This is the nail in the coffin for me and Gamestop. I'd previously been on the fence buying games from them. Especially since their tactic of selling used games over new copies took precedent and they always seem to have just "a couple of copies" of a game left whenever I inquire and urge me to buy one before it sells out.

I know how crappy GS can be, but what you listed as complaints are just good business practices. Why do you think Best Buy and Walmart are trying to get into the used game market? Because it makes a lot of money. If you buy used, they pocket everything, if you buy new, they pocket a fraction of the total cost. Also, creating demand by saying they only have a few left is another good practice. It generates interest. Companies do it all the time. Check ur local paper, i guarantee you'll see an ad showcasing a product at a reduced price with the tagline "hurry while supplies last", guess what, those supplies aren't going any where, but they want you to hurry to the store to purchase what ever it may be.

Honestly, most gamers haven't a clue as to how bad gamestop really is. They just harp on them because its the cool thing to do. They're the biggest chain, therefor the easiest target. They don't do anything different than Best Buy or target etc. Now, on the other side of the counter? Whole 'nother ballgame

 

[Havok83]

No they're not. Games there are the same price that Walmart, Target, Best Buy and others offer.

Not when it comes to new releases they are. Many other places now offer gift cards like ($10-20) if you buy a game when it comes out. I never see that with GS. Other places tend to do sales on new games alot quicker than GS

Its shady, but gutting a game isn't uncommon. Gamestop guts many games and sells them as new, because they need a case to be represented on the wall for the customers to see. The wall cases don't get sold until all the sealed ones are sold, but it happens. I don't have a problem with GS opening games and selling them as new, however i do have a problem with them taking things(anything) out of a case. Im lucky my boss didn't instruct me to do this because i would of refused and on top of that, i would of informed the customer of what we did(which undoubtably would of led to my termination)

Uncommon or not, it shouldnt be done. I was shocked when a GS tried to do that with me a few eyars ago when I got LBP. He went and got an opened case and the game disc from the draw and tried to sell me that as new. I gave him a look like "are you effing kidding me?" and refused to buy it. He then went and got me an actual new sealed copy from the preorder list to sell. If they open something up, then it should automatically be sold as used.

 

[RED_Rider]

Yea i agree, but their deal is better than the OnLive coupon. You get 50 bux to use in the store on anything you want. Much better than having 2 copies of the exact same game.

Good point. I hadn't give much thought to their deal but it is indeed better than coupon of the same.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

Not when it comes to new releases they are. Many other places now offer gift cards like ($10-20) if you buy a game when it comes out. I never see that with GS. Other places tend to do sales on new games alot quicker than GS

Thats never a given. A game is 59.99, rather you buy it at target or best buy or gamestop. Every now and then those stores will try to give you something to entice you to buy from them(i.e. a gift card) but you are still paying the same price that you would if you went to GS. I do agree that other outlets tend to offer more sales on newer titles tho.

Uncommon or not, it shouldnt be done. I was shocked when a GS tried to do that with me a few eyars ago when I got LBP. He went and got an opened case and the game disc from the draw and tried to sell me that as new. I gave him a look like "are you effing kidding me?" and refused to buy it. He then went and got me an actual new sealed copy from the preorder list to sell. If they open something up, then it should automatically be sold as used.

No, thats ridiculous. The game isn't used unless it's been, you know, USED.

 

[Teelie]

I know how crappy GS can be, but what you listed as complaints are just good business practices. Why do you think Best Buy and Walmart are trying to get into the used game market? Because it makes a lot of money. If you buy used, they pocket everything, if you buy new, they pocket a fraction of the total cost. Also, creating demand by saying they only have a few left is another good practice. It generates interest. Companies do it all the time. Check ur local paper, i guarantee you'll see an ad showcasing a product at a reduced price with the tagline "hurry while supplies last", guess what, those supplies aren't going any where, but they want you to hurry to the store to purchase what ever it may be.

Honestly, most gamers haven't a clue as to how bad gamestop really is. They just harp on them because its the cool thing to do. They're the biggest chain, therefor the easiest target. They don't do anything different than Best Buy or target etc. Now, on the other side of the counter? Whole 'nother ballgame

So what happens when there are no reliable places to buy new games? Gamestop has pushed or bought out almost everyone who was a only a game store. Now all we have are Wal Marts, Best Buys and Targets. No more Babbages, no old Gamestop, no smaller game stores because Gamestop pushed them out. How is that good business? No competition and all the games are used does not sound "good" to me in any way. No, it's not "the biggest" chain, it's the only chain left.

While supplies last is old but I've never once been anywhere that proclaimed to have just one of any product left like that and certainly never with pushy employees trying to get me to buy it.

 

[Havok83]

Thats never a given. A game is 59.99, rather you buy it at target or best buy or gamestop. Every now and then those stores will try to give you something to entice you to buy from them(i.e. a gift card) but you are still paying the same price that you would if you went to GS.

It happens more often then not. GS tends to put their new games on sale less than the others. GS doesnt even pricematch to at least remain competitve if there are others which offer products for a lower price.

No, thats ridiculous. The game isn't used unless it's been, you know, USED.

How am I as a consumer guaranteed of that? I know that its a practice among many GS employees to use the store as their own free rental service, and play opened copies. Heck some people on this board that have worked there have admitted to doing just that. The only way to know for sure that this isnt the case when you purchase a game is if its sealed.

Let me flip it back on ya. If I were to buy a game new, open it up and immediately decide I dont want it, without playing it, am I going to be able to get a full refund? Of course not, they will give me the trade in value for a used game even though the game has not been used and their only basis for that is that the game has been opened.

So what happens when there are no reliable places to buy new games? Gamestop has pushed or bought out almost everyone who was a mainly game store. Now all we have are Wal Marts, Best Buys and Targets. No more Babbages, no old Gamestop, no smaller game stores because Gamestop pushed them out. How is that good business? No competition and all the games are used does not sound "good" to me in any way.

No, it's not "the biggest" chain, it's the only chain left.

There's always online outlets, which I use. Amazon tends to be better than all of them. Amazon almost always pricematches what a B&M chain is offering and depending on your state, there's no tax (which automatically makes most games at least $5 cheaper)

 

[ProjectPat2280]

So what happens when there are no reliable places to buy new games? Gamestop has pushed or bought out almost everyone who was a only a game store. Now all we have are Wal Marts, Best Buys and Targets. No more Babbages, no old Gamestop, no smaller game stores because Gamestop pushed them out. How is that good business? No competition and all the games are used does not sound "good" to me in any way. No, it's not "the biggest" chain, it's the only chain left.

How is that not good business? You don't have any other stand alone game stores to compete with you. You are sure to make more profit that way. I mean thats simple business economics man.

While supplies last is old but I've never once been anywhere that proclaimed to have just one of any product left like that and certainly never with pushy employees trying to get me to buy it.

Then you don't get out much. That isn't, in any way, unique to Gamestop. You can find that "pushy GS employee" at ANY retail outlet.

However, with that said, GS does promote a attitude of being pushy. They just implemented a system for all employees that state if we(the employee) don't meet our goals for Reservations and those Power Up cards per week, we get written up. We then get 2 weeks to get our numbers up, fail to do so and you get written up again, fail again to get your numbers up a 3rd time and its immediate termination.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

It happens more often then not. GS tends to put their new games on sale less than the others. GS doesnt even pricematch to at least remain competitve if there are others which offer products for a lower price.

They don't have to. They have the largest share of the market.

How am I as a consumer guaranteed of that? I know that its a practice among many GS employees to use the store as their own free rental service, and play opened copies. Heck some people on this board that have worked there have admitted to doing just that. The only way to know for sure that this isnt the case when you purchase a game is if its sealed.

Oh i agree. Iv seen it done in the store i work at. However, the majority of opened 'new' items haven't been played. The majority of opened 'new' items just sit in a drawer while the case is put on the wall. But yes, some of those copies DO get played before they are sold as new. That i don't agree with.

There's always online outlets, which I use. Amazon tends to be better than all of them. Amazon almost always pricematches what a B&M chain is offering and depending on your state, there's no tax (which automatically makes most games at least $5 cheaper)

Oh i agree 100%. Online always has the best prices, the only downside is you can't get the game at the moment you want it.

 

[Teelie]

You say that but you're missing the point again. Competition forces you to do better. If you don't have incentive to do better, you get lax and people start looking for other alternatives. It's exactly like what is happening to the music industry. Instead of people going and buying music from cd's, they get it digitally and often illegally.

A monopoly is only a good business practice if you are under constant threat of losing it and forced to keep innovating before someone does become a threat. Microsoft was at one point a monopoly and got complacent and made some really poor software. And I don't mean that in the Mac or Linux fanboy "M$ sucks!" way but genuinely bad software. Then Linux and Mac became threats again and Microsoft had to pick up its game.

Gamestop has become so dominant it's only a matter of time before it starts to see profits erode and customers go elsewhere. Parroting the company party line doesn't help your case either. Their business practice of firing employees who aren't pushy enough also should be a warning sign. I get out plenty, and I've had employees at other retailers ask politely or try to upsell me but never to the degree of a Gamestop employee. Saying you find that at any retail outlet is like saying you'll find something for sale at any retail outlet. It's a given. What is not is how hard they try to do it aggressively. When I say "no thanks," I expect them to leave me alone and normally they do. At Gamestop they don't stop.

No matter how you cut it, Gamestop is not good for the video game industry and their practices are only short-term and short-sighted.

 

[ProjectPat2280]

You say that but you're missing the point again. Competition forces you to do better. If you don't have incentive to do better, you get lax and people start looking for other alternatives. It's exactly like what is happening to the music industry. Instead of people going and buying music from cd's, they get it digitally and often illegally.

They do have competition though. BB, Target, Walmart are all major competitors. GS recognizes them as such, however GS's benefits are the fact they are specialized in an area the others are not.

Gamestop has become so dominant it's only a matter of time before it starts to see profits erode and customers go elsewhere. Parroting the company party line doesn't help your case either. Their business practice of firing employees who aren't pushy enough also should be a warning sign.

I'm just stating what they do, on the customers side isn't much different than what other companies do. They don't treat their customers any worse than any other major retailer. Their employees on the other hand, eh thats a diff story.

No matter how you cut it, Gamestop is not good for the video game industry and their practices are only short-term and short-sighted.

No, thats incorrect. GS does more for the publishers than any other retail outlet. Places like GS are a big reason as to why the industry has grown to the size it is.

Why do you think SE was so passive when they found out GS was pulling coupons from their games?

 

[Teelie]

There are no direct competitors. BB, Target, Wal Mart, etc are hardly serious competition. Their selection is far more limited by choice and it's competition in that they're competition with Books-A-Million for books or competition for a comics shop. It's a joke.

I'm not going to argue over their business practices. I don't like them and you can dismiss me all you want but me and everyone else who you think are "hip" to disparage them do so for a reason. We don't like how they're operating so they will lose our business. Trying to sugar coat their poor business practices won't change opinions.

 

[Troy_Parker]

Wait, was the coupon for a digital copy of the game?

The box came with the game disc, and a coupon which would let you download a digital copy? :S

 

[Benstamania]

I'm a former GameStop employee... and I hate the company... So... I like to rag on them.

Gutted copies of games ARE used. I don't know if Pat's store is a special store where gutted copies of games are indeed untouched... and if so, good on your store... but EVERY GameStop in my area (and I mean within our district) will use the gutted games as the "take home" game. What's a "take home" game you ask? Why, it's the game the employees get to take home and try out for a few days to see if they like it or not.

Very, very rarely is a gutted game "never played", again... at least in the GameStop's I know, they are ALL used by employees. The only ones that aren't are the games that no one really cares about (movie based games, ect).

GameStop really, reeeeally fears competition. When our Best Buy started doing trades our District Manager wrote us all a long, paranoid email about how we need to "put BB into the ground" and "show them that we're the best trade store... EVER!" He wouldn't budge on trade prices though, and from everything I heard Best Buy offered more for trades, our local Toys R Us offers more for trades as well... and Amazon by FAR offers more for trades than GameStop could ever hope to.

Keep in mind thought that when you're in a GameStop it's not often the Employee's fault... they're simply going by a strict code that they have to follow. Pre-orders getting pushed on you? Annoying, I know... but most GameStop employee's have to get a set amount by the end of the month or they get fired now.

Someone shoving the Edge Card down your throat? Again... annoying, but go back to the pre-order thing... Employees have to have a set amount at the end of the month or they get fired.

Don't EVER let a GameStop employee tell you a gutted game is new. While there is a slight chance that it's never been played it stands a greater chance that it has been. I also always hate when they put those stupid clear stickers that leaves an irremovable residue on your game... I mean, often they won't budge and just stand there looking at you like "buy it or else" and if they do that... Simply go elsewhere. I know my former store *****er... Er.. Manager would almost get in arguments with the customer and tell them to go ahead and not buy it in our store but we were the only ones to get that game.. people would leave, come back and shove it in her face that she is an idiot and that Wal-Mart had like 30 billion copies.

All said and done though, the reason GameStop is the way they are is thecustomers fault. GameStop continues to crap all over the customer and the customer simply smiles and asks for more. Oh they may not like it... but where else can they get what they need?

The ONLY way they'll ever change is if the customer wakes up and sees what kind of company GameStop really is. Toys R Us often has buy two new get one free going, or a gift card. Amazon often sells brand new games for five bucks less, plus a 10 dollar Amazon gift card to use on your next purchase AND the same form of promotion that EB/GameStop offers (example: Skyrim, Arkham City) .

The only thing GameStop has going for them is the used market.... you really can't find used games anywhere else (outside of Amazon or Ebay) for less. Granted, they're not that cheap (new games are sold used for like 55 bucks...) but still. Developers HATE them for that... Hence the online codes.

I hate them for their shady business tactics and how they treat their employees. Again, maybe Pat's GameStop is a good store... it seems totally unlike any GameStop I've ever been in. I almost wonder if it's a privately owned GameStop?

It's kind of sad, because when GameStop and EB were separate companies it was an AWESOME time for gamers. You could go to one store, get a trade value you... go to the other get that stores trade value and take it back to the original and they would beat the others price. EB always had more of a selection, they had games from Atari up and it just seemed like a game Museum from old school to modern.

GameStop was the place to go to trade your DVD's because they gave you GOOD value for them. You could then use that trade on games.

Then they merged and from there on it went to hell. I've seen managers come and go, some great... some not so great, most pretty darn bad.

Actually... for some reason they keep the jerky and idiot managers around. Bottom line is GameStop will only ever change if people start talking with their wallet by going elsewhere.

Again, no offense Pat... your store seems cool. But I was jerked around TO much by that stinking company. Whatever bad press they get, they deserve.

 

[Benstamania]

Wait, was the coupon for a digital copy of the game?

The box came with the game disc, and a coupon which would let you download a digital copy? :S

Kind of like Portal 2 did with a free Steam copy. Pretty cool IMHO. That way if you ever trade the console version in you always have a PC copy to go back to.