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Thread: EB sucks!!!

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    Alex (Level 15) maxlords's Avatar
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    Default EB sucks!!!

    Ok...I have to say that I'm sick to hell of stupid corporate mentalities that sell games. EB is the recipient of my ire, as they are the only game store around here that sells high volumes of retail games.

    I was in EB the other day to get Buffy the Vampire Slayer for XBox. They had one copy left. Naturally I wanted it. So my friend who's working the counter goes to get it for me and he pulls out this tray full of discs in bags. So I ask him what he's doing. Apparently, EB opens one copy of every game and bags the disc in a plastic bag and sticks it behind the counter so they have a box to display. So I ask to see the disc before i buy it. Lo and behold it's all scuffed up!

    So I ask my friend what price he's gonna give it to me for cause it's all scuffed. He tells me that it's EBs policy to sell the games as new/factory sealed because that's just how it is. He can't do anything about it cause that's corporate policy. So what EB is doing is selling me manhandled discs for full price. I don't blame him, but I do blame EB. Is it even LEGAL for them to sell a game with obvious scratches as factory sealed when it's not? That seems like it should be illegal. So anyway, I had him call around and find me an actually sealed one. Which he did cause he's a nice guy.

    Then the real problem. I asked him to trade in the copy of Splinter Cell I had for a credit so I could go over and get Buffy. No can do I'm told. Apparently, EB does not issue credit for games anymore. He said that their policy has changed, and that now, you can only get credit for instore use at the time you trade a game in. They will not issue credit for games to be used later, and you cannot use your credit at one EB to buy games at another as it can only be used right then. Apparently, this has gone down in the last couple months.

    So now, EB not only does not pay cash AT ALL for games, but they give less credit tahn ever before, and you can only use it right then, not apply it later to a game you want that's not out yet. How bloody much more are we gonna take? This is absolutely ridiculous! They also won't takea factury sealed game in as new, but only used, and won't take games without a reciept, so if you get a game you don't want for a gift, and it's sealed, they'll only give you store credit for the used price, and then they stick it on the shelf as new. Not to mention that they give you $5-7 credit for a game they sell for $30-40! Not even 1/2 credit...not even 1/4 sometimes! They're fucking us over every chance they get!

    Oh...there IS a way to get credit. You MUST be a subscriber to their new Edge card, which means paying extra $ for a service I'm unlikely to use enough to pay for itself just so I can get credit to use later? I think not. Sure, you get a subscription to yet another gaming print mag that doesn't interest me at all, but the card is $25 (at least here in Canada) + tax, and only if I have it can I get store credit to use later. Sore it gets me 10% off of used games, but 10% is barely anything...like $2-4 off and what good does THAT really do me? It's not like I buy enough used games from EB to pay for the card, and even if I did, it's not REALLY worth it, cause I like to go to lots of different stores. Bleah! ,,!,, EB I say.

    Also I might add, I'm irritated with Wal-mart cause now they won't price match ANYTHING unless it's in an advertised flyer. No more price matching between stores unless it's an ad. And when i went in with an ad from teh Boxing Day sales (like Thanksgiving Day sales in the US) they told me that it's not their policy to price match loss leaders, and even though it's in the ad they wouldn't match it. Absolute bullshit. It's like no one wants loyal customers anymore cause there are so many people that don't care if they get screwed that my business is irrelevant anymore. So offended.
    scooterb: "I once shot a man in Catan, just to watch him die."

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    Default Re: EB sucks!!!

    Quote Originally Posted by maxlords
    Then the real problem. I asked him to trade in the copy of Splinter Cell I had for a credit so I could go over and get Buffy. No can do I'm told. Apparently, EB does not issue credit for games anymore. He said that their policy has changed, and that now, you can only get credit for instore use at the time you trade a game in. They will not issue credit for games to be used later, and you cannot use your credit at one EB to buy games at another as it can only be used right then. Apparently, this has gone down in the last couple months.

    So now, EB not only does not pay cash AT ALL for games, but they give less credit tahn ever before, and you can only use it right then, not apply it later to a game you want that's not out yet. How bloody much more are we gonna take? This is absolutely ridiculous! They also won't takea factury sealed game in as new, but only used, and won't take games without a reciept, so if you get a game you don't want for a gift, and it's sealed, they'll only give you store credit for the used price, and then they stick it on the shelf as new. Not to mention that they give you $5-7 credit for a game they sell for $30-40! Not even 1/2 credit...not even 1/4 sometimes! They're fucking us over every chance they get!
    I've been on the reciving end of their crappy credit policy a few times before, hense why I trade my games to Babagges now (have $17.01 now)and only use EB or EBX when the game i want to use the credit on is there.
    My Gaming Collection (Now at Google Drive!)

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    Bell (Level 8)
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    Depending on the laws but I'm sure it *is* illegal to sell opened merchandise as "new" if it is not in new condition. They can sell it as used or refurbished but not new.

    You should have bought the game, and then you can really screw EB for breaking a law and selling a sruffed up game as "new"
    Another day, another dollar... wake me when it's payday.
    still playing games

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    Peach (Level 3)
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    I'm so glad I have a great independent game store by my office. Don't know what I'm gonna do when I switch jobs. I've never bothered with trade-ins at EB because it's always something silly like "trade in 5 games for one" or something like that. I hope you can find a good independent store near you soon.

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    Alex (Level 15) maxlords's Avatar
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    Well, there are no Babbages here as far as I know, but I hate them too, or at least used ti, cause they used to mark all their games with a "P" in permanent marker so that they knew it was previously owned and came from their store and could give less credit on it (knew that cause I worked there for a short while).

    As for independent stores in my area, there are a few Microplays that have sporadic deals, and the most evil chain ever, that charges $50 each for common boxed NES games, and up to $150 or more for stuff like Lufia 2 and Chrono Trigger. There are no good independent dealers of games within driving distance of here. It sucks.

    I'll check into that law and find out if it's legal for them or not. It'd be funny as hell to put a stop to that policy once and for all.
    scooterb: "I once shot a man in Catan, just to watch him die."

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    Only 'major dealer' in this town is Gamestop. I'm friends with all the guys that work there but even I must admit that they're policies are really shitty.

    And now that they are phasing out NES and SNES, I feel really ripped off, especially since I just renewed my Gamestop card. I mean, I feel REALLY ripped off. There is no way I'm going to buy enough used PS2, X-Box, or Gamecube games to pay for the thing. On top of that, Game Informer Magizine is so completely bad that a year long subscription is not remotely worth the $10 I paid for it.

    I never bother to trade in games. It just seems so silly. Like someone already said, "5 games for 1" or sometimes even worse.

    Independent game store wise, we have In Ta Games here, which is run by a snotty British lady. She treats her customers like shit and with her prices I'm shocked that she's stayed in business. Plus right next to her is Niesen's Art & Games, which has even worse prices and is run by an idiot who overcharges everything and claims that he gets $100 a copy of Castlevania Symphony of the Night when there are six stores in town that charge $20 a copy or less for it. He is the guy whom I got my infamous Atari Air Raid games from. He used to charge $50 or more a copy for Pac Man or Space Invaders for the 2600. $100 for one with the box. He had been hording games for years, prepairing for owning his own game store. First week he was open I went in there and got every single game he had that was worth anything. He thought that any game he had heard of was rare and valuable and if he hadn't heard of it it wasn't worth anything. So, where Super Mario/Duck Hunt might be worth $20 a copy, stuff like Little Samson or Maxi 15 in 1 was only $1 or $2 a game. Heh. Atari E.T.? Expensive. Atari Quadrun? Never heard of it, not worth anything.

    Of course, after making NO money over the course of a few months, he must have discovered the internet because now he's charging insane prices on everything. Used PS2 games for $50 or more when Best Buy has them for $20. Go ahead, go to his WEBSITE (I can't believe he has a website) and check out his prices.

    http://www.videogamesfun.com/cgi-bin...=25&template=0

    Then call him and make fun of it. $30 for a used NBA 2K1 for the Sega Dreamcast. $20 for a used Crazy Taxi.

    $40 for a loose Final Fantasy for the NES.

    $90 for a loose Final Fantasy 2 for the SNES.

    $60 for used Nascar Thunder for the X-Box.

    $60 for used Devil May Cry for PS2.

    I mean seriously, this guy is an idiot. He opened up a SECOND STORE in Kennewick and it closed down in less then a month (he claimed because of bad location. yeah, right by the mall. That's horrible.)

    $40 + Shipping for a used Dark Cloud for PS2

    $40 for loose Dragon Strike for the NES???

    I rest my case.

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    Great Puma (Level 12) Bratwurst's Avatar
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    Default

    Hey Charlie, how are his trade ins? Maybe someone could waddle in there with a bunch of Combats.

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    The trade-in policy I don't mind, because there's no point to trade in. Why would I trade in a game for credit, when I can sell it on ebay for full price or trade it to another collector for "full" credit, so to speak?

    Also, Gamestop does the same thing with the last "new" game for sale. It's really irritating. If I'm giving a gift, for instance, I want to give a new game, not one that's already open, especially if you have to pay full price.

    At least EB doesn't reseal their games and play them off as new like Gamestop, though.

    And when I'm in Oregon, I always go to the indy videogame stores. Like, one store I go to doesn't sell DC usually, but I asked the guy I know there to buy them if he sees any come in for trade cheap, and he did. Another store I go at home won't even take a game for trade unless it's complete, unscuffed and in more or less original condition (no Blockbuster games, thank god). At the Gamestop here in Boston, half the games don't even have instructions, and none of the NES games have instructions! Ridiculous.

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    Yea I don't like how they open the last copy of the game.

    But I can say that EB is A LOT better than Gamestop.Or at least by me.

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    You all realize that it's not always the last game that's been opened before. When I worked at Gamestop (back when it was called Software Etc) employees were allowed to open up the games and take them home and play them. I never did, because that's morally wrong on so many levels. But then again, Circuit City and Best Buy open up the games and put security stickers in them. It's almost impossible to find a game that is 'factory sealed' anymore.

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    Great Puma (Level 12) Achika's Avatar
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    For the last damn time, if it's the last copy of the game, you have a choice or not whether you want to buy it. No one sticks a gun to your head.

    Oh, and btw, they do it as a theft deturant, not just to piss people off. x_x

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    Alex (Level 15) maxlords's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kevincure
    The trade-in policy I don't mind, because there's no point to trade in. Why would I trade in a game for credit, when I can sell it on ebay for full price or trade it to another collector for "full" credit, so to speak?

    At least EB doesn't reseal their games and play them off as new like Gamestop, though.
    Actually they do. When they get returns of new games that aren't defective, they reseal and sell as new. At least, that's what my friend that works there told me. He doesn't like it any more than I do, but it's policy.

    And Achika, what if it's the only copy around? Being as EB is basically the only game store here, what if they only had had one left? Then what? I don't care if it's a theft deterrent or not. If they can't control theft, they should have the games locked up in cases or have those stickers put in at the factory (which is often what happens now).

    Sure, it's nice to be able to sell on eBay for top dollar, but then you have to count on someone you don't even know paying you the money. I've had a LOT of people totally not come through on eBay. I'd say about 1/3 of my auctions, I've never gotten paid and they just vanished. It totally sucks but it happens. A LOT. I don't mind trading games in when I can get them cheap or get fair credit for them. I don't trade in a lot of games, but is it too much to ask to not get screwed up the ass when I do want to trade a game or two in? I don't think so. By opening games and then selling them as new, they're lying to customers, and they're cheating customers. That's not fair to anyone. And you can't always just go somewhere else to get a game cause not everyone has somewhere else to go, so that makes it worse. Something needs to be done about it.
    scooterb: "I once shot a man in Catan, just to watch him die."

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    Ebworld is still the best place to order games from online but the store ebworld,It's just terrible.I once reserved a copy GTA3 for the computer at ebworld for 5 dollors.The day it came out, i went to go pick it up and when i went to go ask the guy at the register if they had the game and he said no.I was so furious i demanded to see the manager of the store because the guy at the register wouldn't give me the game and they both were starting to get angry at me.So i told them to keep the $5 that i had put down for the game and walked out of the store angry at them and i never went back to that store ever again. >

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    Great Puma (Level 12) Achika's Avatar
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    Do you have Walmarts, Toys R Us, etc in Canada? Or if not those, stores like them? You don't have to go to a game store to buy a game. Discount chains work too.

    As for putting them in cases, I hated when stores did that. You could never read the back and see if it was a game you would like anyhow. Places like that usually double stack the games in the cases when there isn't enough room so you never know what is in the back. Try getting good service around Christmas time if you had to go get an employee everytime you wanted to even see a game.

    As for using the stickers, atleast at Gamestop, it was always based upon the amount that your store brought in. The store I worked at was a million dollar store, but we had no cameras or the door sensors. Rendering the stickers inside useless. It all boiled down to the employees watching like hawks, which we can't do 100% of the time, nay, 75% of the time. The company isn't friendly with handing out hours, so when you're busy on a Friday and there are only two employees there to watch the store, you are SOL for watching every customer and the door.

    When I go to any store, game clothing or other, if the sensor at the door goes off, no one gets up and checks anyhow, wether you are legit or a thief.

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    Alex (Level 15) maxlords's Avatar
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    we have Wal-mart, but here their game prices are as high as EB or higher, and they don't price match anymore. We have Toys R Us, but their prices are a LOT higher and no price match. There are other places to go but none of them are any better than EB and most have less inventory. Not to mention they don't take tradeins at all.
    scooterb: "I once shot a man in Catan, just to watch him die."

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    I'm almost convinced that a lot of the EB policies vary from store to store, or at least from district to district. My local EB Games doesn't do re-seals, and you can indeed trade in games and put them towards future releases, or, in most cases, get a gift card for the amount. And when I worked there over Christmas, we took back a lot of sealed games, without receipts, and gave the same credit that we would for brand new titles.

    The open-a-copy-for-display thing, however, is pretty much a constant at all stores. It's kind of annoying, but the disc or cart is usually placed in a case and left untouched. (Perhaps that scuffed Buffy was a return.) EBs have been making display boxes that way for at least ten years. You're just noticing it now, Maxlords?

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    Cherry (Level 1)
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    Nope, retail stores here in Ontario suck. A Walmart or TRU here will literally keep old games at full price as long as they can. We're talking years here. I'm convinced they don't know what a sale is. TRU still has old DC games no one buys for full retail price everywhere I go.
    That 10% off EB card is a joke as well. Here tax is 15% so by using the card you are still paying full price + 5% tax. Doesn't sound like too great a deal to me.
    No wonder why I do all my game shopping at flea markets and pawn shops.

    PG

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