New EB game warranties = ripoff!

[josekortez]

I previously posted in the last weekend finds forum about how EB is pushing to get people to pay $1 or $2 to get warranties on their games. I think this is just a ploy to get people to spend an extra few bucks in their store without really getting anything. I hate to boycott EB because of this crap, but I might.

Considering that you get 14 days to return a used copy if it's defective, and there are other promotions (Cash For Your Stash and Buy 1, Get 1 Half-Off) going on right now that would be negated by doing this, I want to know if any other EB customers think the warranties are a rip-off.

For instance, at a store I hardly ever frequent, the guy tried to get me to put a coverage on Gitaroo Man. As if he could actually find a copy to replace it if something does happen to it!

The other night, I went into a store that I frequent often to buy Gradius III and IV and the guy tried to guilt me into getting the warranty because he had given me promo posters and such in the past. Keep in mind that I have never asked this guy for the stuff, but he offered it. Also keep in mind that when I originally tried to buy that same copy of Gradius before Christmas, he claimed he was holding it for a customer who never showed up. It had been sitting in their little hold closet, and when I purchased the game last Friday, he tried to pull that crap. I have been a faithful customer of that particular store for over a year, but I don't want to shop there now because I don't want associates or managers leaning on me.

What do you other EB customers think? As an aside, I totally expect some EB associate or manager who is a DP member to hop to their company's defense. I've been a retail peon before, and this kind of stuff is why I wouldn't have the gaul to do retail again...

[Lady Jaye]

Well, all consumer electronics chains do that, whether it's worth buying extended warranty or not for a given product. No need to boycott EB on that, just say that you're not interested, that's all. If they insist after you say no, then say that you will bring your business elsewhere.

[BigGeorgeJohnson]

I like the warranties, because they cover anything except if you break it in half. For instance if my son takes a brillo pad to it or if it gets microwaved or if I accidently scratch it. All I gotta do is take it back and they'll replace it, if it's not in stock, they'll order it.

As for the guy trying to sell you the warranties, he probably gets some kind of incentive for his sales. In any case, it isn't that difficult to say "no thanks".

[Oobgarm]

I'd like to see someone buy the warranty, destroy the game in front of the clerk, and demand a replacement.

I dunno what the warranty covers, I just think that would be humorous.

If you take care of your games, there should be no need for a warranty. They are just preying on paranoid, misinformed individuals or those with nothing better to spend their money on. Like josekortez said, it's unlikely that they're going to have a stash of hard-to-find games readily available for that purpose.

I saw some guy drop an unnecessary amount of money for warranties on his DS games at launch. x_x

[josekortez]

I appreciate your feedback on the issue, guys.

Still, I wonder if it's as easy to replace rare or semi-rare games as it is to replace something like a television or a blender. I apologize in advance if my response sounds rude.

I agree with Oobgarm. Unless EB is willing to do business with Ebay, they're not going to be able to live up to what they claim this warranty program is supposed to achieve.

[unbroken]

one of the eb clerks told me that if you have a warranty for an xbox, you can basically do ANYTHING to the xbox (throw it off a cliff, blow it up..ect) and bring it back to eb for a new one. its a good deal, but i dont break my stuff, so i don't need it

[Videogamerdaryll]

At EB...Since I mainly go there .
They sold me some warranty for Donkey Konga..For the Bongos that I was happy to purchase but I doubt I'll ever break them.
You never know though..

A few weeks back at EB I did say yes to $1.00 each for two used game CD warranties I bought,I saved money with the Discount card and it came out to less then I expected.

Last night however the salesman at EB tried to sell me a $3.00 each warranty for two games I was buying:
Mercenaries was brand new but MechAssault 2 Lone Wolf LE was used for $44.99
With that $3.00 that defeats my purpose of getting it cheaper so I passed on both..I just said "No I don't want it"
The salesman IMO don't look to happy after you say no to that,at least that's how it looked on that employees face last night.

That's the only uncomfortable position I feel in saying no...Just to look that I get after saying no from the employs like I just stabbed them in the side.

.........................................

I usually take the games outside and check them..afterwards/if used.
MechAssault 2 Lone Wolf LE comes with two discs so I wanted to check on what the CDs looked like before I left the Mall.
No scratches whatsoever.

I personally don't treat my games like crap so they are not going to be subject to scratches etc forcing me to use a purchased warranty.
Even my 3 yr old son knows how to handle a CD game properly..

[shai hulud]

does anyone know what you get if they dont have your warrantied item in stock?

[maxlords]

I would assume you either get screwed or get the amount of money back that they have it in the computer listed for at the used value.

Probably you just get screwed.

Personally, I think it's hilarious, because anything they replace for me is more likely to be in a lesser condition than what I'd bring in. I never have anything fail though. And honestly, I bet they'd replace complete games with loose ones because it's "the same title". I don't really know but I always refuse everything like that. Extended warranties are so rarely useful.

And the look on their faces...ignore it. I'm sure they have a quota they have to fill of warranties to sell so they're pushing to make their quota. That's how it is for most stores that have discount cards. I know Waldenbooks has a quota for the number of discount cards they sell per week. I'm sure most other places are the same and that this is no different.

[slip81]

I think the warranty on games is useless. Either thae game is going to work or it isn't, no need to insure it for a year, just take care of it.

As for system warranties, those are great, especially given the track record of Sony and Microsoft. When I got my Xbox I paid the extra $14 for the year warranty and I was glad I did it cause when I got home I found out it had a Thompson drive in it. I also got the warranty on my PS2, cause we all know how those are LOL

[Half Japanese]

A few thoughts on the subject at large:

- Lots of places offer these. We do at Circuit City, but I show my own disapproval of this pointless attempt at straight profit by just not offering it. I don't do it. I don't care. I see it as exploiting your customers, so I don't offer it at all on games/dvds.

- At CC (and I assume just about anywhere else), if they don't have the game in stock they're not going to "order it" as most games go out of print after a few years or less. What they do is give you a gift card for the full purchase price.

- Extended warranties ARE useful, you just have to know what to buy them on. I just had one cover the replacement of my mp3 player, and I'm glad I spent the $40 bucks to get me back over $200 in return for my 8-month old broken player. Be smart and use your discretion when buying extended warranties and sometimes you'll be glad you did.

[crazyjackcsa]

Warrenty on a CD? Seems a little wierd. No parts ot burn out, no battery to wear out. If it works once it'll work every time after that. A lot of places offer warrenties. A couple will even add it in without telling you. Ie. "this cd player comes with a 2 year warrenty for 200 dollars" when the CD player can be purchased without the warrenty. I never get the warrenty. One time I almost did on my DC, but they said it was void if I backed over it with my car.

[mr_nihilism]

I'm always being asked for the $3 warrenty (Canadian), but I just say no with a smile. No guilt tactics or anything have been used thus far.

When it comes time to buy a PSP though...oh I'll be getting the warrenty on that for sure.

[Vectorman0]

Just on regular games, I think it is a waste of money. Because I take extreme care of my games, and my friends and family know not to go near them without permission, I don't have much to worry about. There is one exception though, I did drop the extra $3 or whatever it is, on Mario Party 6 and Donkey Konga, as I felt that the security of not having to worry about breaking the specialized accessories, was worth it. They are more sensitive then a plain old disc, and because they are much more "social" games, as compared to and RPG, they are more prone to taking a beating.

[scooterb23]

I don't get it when I buy stuff for myself, but when I'm getting a game for the kid we babysit, I do, because it does cover everything, even if it gets broken in half.

$1 to make sure if the kid has an accident, he doesn't get totally hosed...

[sirgeoph]

As it's been said, warranties are good on certain products. we offer warranties on all systems we sell, as well as extended warranties on our repair work, and that's a good plan, since, you never know when a power supply will go out or a cd eye will stop reading discs.

as for games, there's not much to go wrong if you take care of your games. but, the bottom line is that a lot of younger kids are getting into gaming and their parents don't watch them closely and the discs get scratched. So $1 for peace of mind is nice, but, if I'm a 8 year olf kid and I love a certain game, and it gets scratched, I'n not going to want $40 in store credit to buy a different game if it's out of stock. I'm going to want my game.

Warranties are pure money makers from a business stand point. The ratio of people who actually use warranties to people who buy them is very small. this means the company makes a good deal of profit from extended warranties.

Our employees get incentives based of the number of warranties sold, as well as their percentage of warranties sold to systems sold. But, if you don't want one, no sweat, you won't be bagered to buy one and you have a week to come back in and get a warranty if you change your mind.

From a business standpoint, EB is VERY smart to offer this. From a customer standpoint, it's probably worthless.

[qbertandernie]

i check any cd game when im at the store, right after the clerk finds it. if its scratched there is no need to ring it up.

[racecar]

it's all about profitt....just like them mail in rebate crap !! most people(common gamer) probably finish the game and go trade it in for some other game..so ebgame's is getting free $$ from all of the people who actually buy them..
although..if i run a day care(kid's) with a bunch of game system's that(warranty) might be worth it(you know what happen when cd and kid's mixed.. )

[Nz17]

since, you never know when a power supply will go out or a cd eye will stop reading discs.

Don't you mean CDI? LOL

[Avatard]

Most stuff comes with a year factory warranty. Why on earth would I purchase an instore 1 year warranty?

I remember when I bought my first computer at Best Buy (years and years ago before I could build my own) they tried to sell me a $150+ service warranty. What it boiled down to was I bring it in once a quarter and they dust it out. It didn't cover viruses, or electrial surges, or me stomping on it. I had to pass on that one.

I did get an extended 2 year warranty on my mp3 player and I was glad I did. It just depends on the situation.

[lurpak]

from what I see your warranties in the US are quite good and well priced.
correct me if Im wrong.

but here in the UK they are a total joke, that only old people buy for thier washing machines, oh and the mentaly unsound.

for example,

£20 food processor (comes with 1 year warranty)
get your second year warranty for only £8 LMAO

and generaly in the small print..

"does not cover accidental damage, missuse or wear and tear"... well what exactly does it cover ??


as for xbox type cover, they generally try to sell you £99 xbox, £75 for 5 years cover :D:D:D... hmm let me think about that !!!!

[Avatard]

There is a very good chance your xbox will die in 5 years. But will the replace it in 4 is the question.

[goatdan]

How I understand it, the "warranty" that EB is offering is a "gameplay guarantee" meaning that if you purchase a game you don't like, you can return it for the amount of credit worth the price of purchase. For people like parents who are purchasing games for their kids, this probably isn't such a bad idea. For me, who won't sell a game back no matter how much I hated it, it is pretty useless.

The only thing that was annoying was last time I bought some games at EB, they put it on automatically and I had to ask to have it removed. That was misleading, and why would I want to get a $2.00 return warranty on a game I'm paying $5.00 for? Seriously, I don't think that I want to pay an extra 40% just to ensure I like the game.

The guy was nice enough to take it off immediately when asked, and he did apologize for sticking it on there -- he said that he thought I was someone else, and looked kinda embarassed about it, so I'll take his word for it.

And as someone else pointed out -- it isn't the clerk's fault that they are pushing it, they're just doing their job.

[s1lence]

Best buy's replacement plan is a rip off too. My wife wanted Catz for the GBC(dont ask) and the game was on sale for 10.99 and the lady tried to sell us a replacement plan for 10 dollars. Hrmmm, I thnk I'll pass thank you.

[RetroRevival]

but here in the UK they are a total joke, that only old people buy for thier washing machines, oh and the mentaly unsound.

Well I am not old or mentally unsound, but I did take out a warranty on my Dishwasher and Fridge Freezer amongst other things.

After 6 months the motor packed up in my fridge. Got it fixed and also got £250 to cover the costs of the food in it which went bad.

My dishwasher heating element packed up yesterday after just 14 months, and the warranty will cover the cost of the full repair.

Heating elements in dishwashers cost around half the value of the unit, so I am a happy bunny.

Oh, and I still have 3 years left of the warranties to go too, so if anyhting else in my kitchen fails I know I do not have to fork out to get them repaired.

If you have the money to get your items repaired then thats fair enough, but if you have a mortgage, bills and everything else life throws at you like me, then £100 for a fridge freezer repair is not viable.

If you are in the latter category and cannot afford to repiar your fride or washing machine, then maybe you could be classed as mentally unsound :-) either that or the thought of possible laundrete runs fills you with pleasure!

As for me, I can relax knowing that all my products will DEFINATELY be with me for a total of 5 years before I have to change them.

.......As for game warranties......only in the USA :-)

[SamuraiSmurfette]

How I understand it, the "warranty" that EB is offering is a "gameplay guarantee" meaning that if you purchase a game you don't like, you can return it for the amount of credit worth the price of purchase. For people like parents who are purchasing games for their kids, this probably isn't such a bad idea. .

WRONG!

It covers damage. That's it. You don't like it? Tough. Should have rented it.

@Maxlords: You're not going to get screwed. If they can't find the game, they'll give you the replacement value towards another.

@everybody complaining: THESE ARE NOT FOR YOU! we know we can take care of our stuff, that's why we're IN a forum like this! This is for the %90 of EB's customer base who are not hardcore gamers like us. People who DO treat disks like shit. I can't BEGIN to tell you how many trashed games I send back EVERY WEEK! I get people coming in on a regular basis asking me if we do disk repair. I even had one guy who THREW OUT his copy of kotor a week after it was released, because he killed it. These are the people who the Gameplay Guarantee is for. And yes, stores have quotas. If they try to push it on you simply tell them WHY you don't want it:
"I collect games, and take good care of them"

That is all.

[sisko]

How I understand it, the "warranty" that EB is offering is a "gameplay guarantee" meaning that if you purchase a game you don't like, you can return it for the amount of credit worth the price of purchase. For people like parents who are purchasing games for their kids, this probably isn't such a bad idea. For me, who won't sell a game back no matter how much I hated it, it is pretty useless.

No, its just a replacement plan.

Yes, it's designed to make the store money. Of course it is. All warranties, no matter the price, are designed to do this. TRU has been doing the same exact thing for quite some time.

Boycotting a store because they decided to start selling an extended warranty is pretty stupid, especially since you aren't being forced to buy it.

Yes, the employees do have their quotas. Don't hold it against them for trying to keep their jobs.

Optional warranties do not negate deals. $45 for used Halo 2 + $17.50 for discounted Fable (normally $35) + $3 to cover Halo, + $2 to cover Fable = $67.50. Still less than $80. Even if it does end up costing the same amount, you're still getting a better warranty. If you still don't like it, don't buy the warranty.

From my experience, about 50% of the customers do buy the guarantee on disc based games, and I have seen several come back and use it. No fuss, no muss.

[maxlords]

@Maxlords: You're not going to get screwed. If they can't find the game, they'll give you the replacement value towards another.

What I mean is that what if I find a copy of Valkyrie Profile at a local EB for $25, then it doesn't work and they don't have another Valkyrie Profile? I get...ooh...$25 replacement value towards another game. For someone like me (and yes I KNOW that these aren't even remotely targeted at me) that's REALLY useless. I'd basically be screwed out of a rare game I found in the wild by the warranty. Granted that situation also wouldn't happen often, but that's how I see them.

For the record, for an average gamer, it's not a bad deal. I'd never even consider buying one myself though, simply because I don't need em...at all.

[sisko]

For the record, for an average gamer, it's not a bad deal. I'd never even consider buying one myself though, simply because I don't need em...at all.

Ditto.

I sell them, and understand their merit, but I will never buy one.

[Great Hierophant]

I would seriously consider buying extended warranties only if I was an early adopter, buying consoles and experience told me that I wouldn't have a hassle when I tried to make my claim. Early consoles from the factory tend to be less reliable than later ones, although this isn't always the case. In this case I would use the extended warranty towards the end for a replacement if I detect flaky operation. If the store is going to treat me like a thief without cause, then that is the last time I buy from them.

I worked for Barnes & Noble as a head cashier. Every cashier was supposed to ask every customer if they had a membership card and if not whether they would like to hear about the program. The membership program costs $25 a year and allows the customer 10% off everything sold in Barnes & Noble stores and 5% of bn.com orders. Members also get exclusive coupons throughout the year. It does not apply to gift cards, shipping costs and membership renewal fees. I quickly stopped asking customers unless they had a $100+ order or their card had already expired. Every store tried to get to a goal of 1.4% of customers becomming a member or renewing memberships every day. (My store has rarely made it this month.)

Now this program is good for people who buy a lot of books in the store. Naturally they could save quite a bit ordering them online, most of the time. The store simply allows hands-on previews. Of course if everybody did that, there would be no brick and mortar stores and the on-line prices would have less incentive to stay so low. With video games, as their prices are pretty much set, online stores have different appeal (more in stock, factory sealed copies, more choice.)

[FantasiaWHT]

I love selling them. They're extremely easy to sell to the right customer. They make me spiffs. I would never buy one.

Some points

1- These are fantastic for kids. And for people who have other people they don't necessariyl trust borrowing/playing their games.

2- I have gotten several GPG (Gameplay Guarantee) returns. A certain type fascinates me- the "I never took my GTA: San Andreas disc out of the PS2, but it stopped playing. I took it out and it was all scratched up!" How does this happen? Bad PS2s... it CAN, WILL, and DOES happen folks. That's what the GPG is for.

3- If we do not have the game that you purchased with a GPG in stock we will do two things. Or I will at least :P First, I will do a search in the entire district for your game. If any other store has it I will ask if you would want to go drive and get it there. If you don't, or no other store has it, then you receive CURRENT VALUE for your game in store credit. Not what you originally paid. The reason is... If you paid $50 for Madden, bought a GPG, then you brought it back after it had dropped to $30... we wouldn't replace it with a $50 game, we'd replace it with a $30 game.

4- Yes they do generate huge amounts of profit. Technically. EB's being really stupid now, the POS has no way to track GPG returns, so they can't accurately track if it's making money or not.

5- My 4-year PSP on my digital camera from Best Buy broke down. Originally paid $250 for my 2 mega pixel Sony Cybershot and bought the PSP. It broke recently. Took it in. They decided they couldn't fix it, or it would cost to much to do so, and gave us a "comparable" camera. Their comparable camera was a Sony 4.1 megapixel Cybershot. SCORE!

6- EB used to have a policy where you could return a game if you didn't like it within the first week and get a brand new one indefinitely. Back in 1999 when I started working there they had it. Then it changed to you could only do it ONCE per original purpose. It was awesome because nobody else offered it. This seemed more reasonable. Then they discountinued it completely for two reasons. One, I guess while you can measure how badly it's being abused, you can't actually measure how much is being gained. Which is really stupid, because the gains WERE real and signficant, but since htey don't show up on a chart, the corporate types think it's bad. Second reason was there were laws passed about selling opened media merchandise as new. Bleh.

7- Finally, warranties, however they called, are simply insurance. Insurance always makes more money for the insurer and than entire body of insured. But if you are high-risk (for whatever reason) then it's recommended to do it.

[sirgeoph]

6- EB used to have a policy where you could return a game if you didn't like it within the first week and get a brand new one indefinitely. Back in 1999 when I started working there they had it. Then it changed to you could only do it ONCE per original purpose. It was awesome because nobody else offered it. This seemed more reasonable. Then they discountinued it completely for two reasons. One, I guess while you can measure how badly it's being abused, you can't actually measure how much is being gained. Which is really stupid, because the gains WERE real and signficant, but since htey don't show up on a chart, the corporate types think it's bad. Second reason was there were laws passed about selling opened media merchandise as new. Bleh.

we do that.. you have a week to come back if you dont like the game...no questions asked... we just deduct 2 bucks off of your credit amount.

[FantasiaWHT]

6- EB used to have a policy where you could return a game if you didn't like it within the first week and get a brand new one indefinitely. Back in 1999 when I started working there they had it. Then it changed to you could only do it ONCE per original purpose. It was awesome because nobody else offered it. This seemed more reasonable. Then they discountinued it completely for two reasons. One, I guess while you can measure how badly it's being abused, you can't actually measure how much is being gained. Which is really stupid, because the gains WERE real and signficant, but since htey don't show up on a chart, the corporate types think it's bad. Second reason was there were laws passed about selling opened media merchandise as new. Bleh.

we do that.. you have a week to come back if you dont like the game...no questions asked... we just deduct 2 bucks off of your credit amount.

Awesome! Who are you? Curious- do you sell the returned item new? preowned? or some other designation like Best Buy's "open box"?

[Promophile]

laws passed about selling opened media merchandise as new. Bleh.


Someone shoulda told EBgames near me that when they tried to sell me a display copy as new.

[sirgeoph]

6- EB used to have a policy where you could return a game if you didn't like it within the first week and get a brand new one indefinitely. Back in 1999 when I started working there they had it. Then it changed to you could only do it ONCE per original purpose. It was awesome because nobody else offered it. This seemed more reasonable. Then they discountinued it completely for two reasons. One, I guess while you can measure how badly it's being abused, you can't actually measure how much is being gained. Which is really stupid, because the gains WERE real and signficant, but since htey don't show up on a chart, the corporate types think it's bad. Second reason was there were laws passed about selling opened media merchandise as new. Bleh.

we do that.. you have a week to come back if you dont like the game...no questions asked... we just deduct 2 bucks off of your credit amount.

Awesome! Who are you? Curious- do you sell the returned item new? preowned? or some other designation like Best Buy's "open box"?

thegametrader.com... 6 (7 next week) locations in louisiana and mississippi... returned items are always sold used. you could buy a brand new halo 2 and as soon as i hand you your change rip off the shrinkwrap, then return it, it'd be a used item.... we specialize in used items, so it's not a big deal to sell it opened

[FantasiaWHT]

laws passed about selling opened media merchandise as new. Bleh.


Someone shoulda told EBgames near me that when they tried to sell me a display copy as new.

Sorry, slightly misleading on my part. Something that's been opened by the customer, not the store. Sorry, but the legal defintion of "new" is NOT "unopened" but actually "unused".

Display copies are always sold as new. Sorry, but we don't get sent multiple blank cases for every single game we carry. What a waste. You can get a shopworn discount (10%, which for a newer game at least is equivalent to the used price) on a copy that was used in the interactive.

[FantasiaWHT]

laws passed about selling opened media merchandise as new. Bleh.


Someone shoulda told EBgames near me that when they tried to sell me a display copy as new.

Sorry, slightly misleading on my part. Something that's been opened by the customer, not the store. Sorry, but the legal defintion of "new" is NOT "unopened" but actually "unused".

Display copies are always sold as new. Sorry, but we don't get sent multiple blank cases for every single game we carry. What a waste. You can get a shopworn discount (10%, which for a newer game at least is equivalent to the used price) on a copy that was used in the interactive.

[SoulBlazer]

Totally correct there, Fantasia. I've bought several games as new that were used as display. They just took out the game CD, which was always protected anyway, put it in the box, and that was it.

I'm a gamer and not a collector, so the only way I can see people griping about it is they plan to collect it.

Still, it would be nice if a 10 percent discount could be given on the display ones as well, since they are always the last to sell.

[mkuo7]

just beating a dead horse here but, i went to EB the other day and pick up MLB 2k5. he rings it up and says included in the price is a warranty so if it breaks blah blah blah. and i just pay not really knowing exactly what he meant. (included makes it sound free) so i look at the receipt in the car and see a 2 dollar warranty added to the price. that makes me mad because he basically gave me no choice. i want my 2 dollars back..crooks

[Promophile]

just beating a dead horse here but, i went to EB the other day and pick up MLB 2k5. he rings it up and says included in the price is a warranty so if it breaks blah blah blah. and i just pay not really knowing exactly what he meant. (included makes it sound free) so i look at the receipt in the car and see a 2 dollar warranty added to the price. that makes me mad because he basically gave me no choice. i want my 2 dollars back..crooks

I woulda went back in the store and demanded a refund.

[Avenger]

I appreciate your feedback on the issue, guys.

Still, I wonder if it's as easy to replace rare or semi-rare games as it is to replace something like a television or a blender. I apologize in advance if my response sounds rude.

The guy at my EB said that he has NEVER not been able to find a game to replace for acustomer, so no matter how rare the game is you found, chances are there is another copy somewhere in the country...they colud technically use this to help us find rare games, but they dont, cuz they suck :P

[wisekrak]

A while back, while purchasing a new copy of a PS2 game, I was told by the clerk at EB that they had it in used and I should get the used copy "because we guarantee them for life" Instead of the New one. I explained to him that I collect as well as play games and that saving 4 bucks was not worth it to me as I wanted everything in pristine condition. This "guarranteed for life" thing struck me as funny because you know that that 44.95 used game that they were selling 2 weeks after release only cost them say...$17?

Just recently, I was buying a used copy of Fear Effect Ps1 for like 3 bucks and he asked me if I wanted the warranty for like a dollar and I simply stated... " I thought all used games were guaranteed for life??!?!"
He simply smiled and let it drop.... x_x

[goatdan]

The guy at my EB said that he has NEVER not been able to find a game to replace for acustomer, so no matter how rare the game is you found, chances are there is another copy somewhere in the country...they colud technically use this to help us find rare games, but they dont, cuz they suck :P

Odd. I've had the EBs around here look up games for me and get them sent to the store. Robotron X for $1.49 before discount? Shipped in from another store.

In fact, I guess I'm just blessed with the EBs in the area. They for the most part don't even offer the warranty anymore and they don't try to force used games down your throat. And they are happy to tell you about the best deals -- I didn't realize about the trade two, get $10.00 deal until one of the stores told me when I was buying two $6.00 games that if I didn't like them, I should trade them back and it would be like a rental :)

Yesterday, I asked for a copy of MLB 2K5. They already had a used one. The clerk said, "Oh hey, we have a used one. It's probably a little cheaper. You interested?" I said sure if it had everything in good condition. It did, so I saved about $5.00.

[Griking]

The local clerk tried to sell me a warranty on the copy of Valkyrie Profile that I found in the store today for $44. I declined saying that even if by chance I ever did break it they would never be able to replace it. When he insisted that they would because they have stores all over the country to pick from I challenged him to find me another copy and I'd buy that one from him as well WITH the warranty.

Needless to say I only ended up purchasing one copy.

[FantasiaWHT]

just beating a dead horse here but, i went to EB the other day and pick up MLB 2k5. he rings it up and says included in the price is a warranty so if it breaks blah blah blah. and i just pay not really knowing exactly what he meant. (included makes it sound free) so i look at the receipt in the car and see a 2 dollar warranty added to the price. that makes me mad because he basically gave me no choice. i want my 2 dollars back..crooks

I know a manager like that in my district. He actually used to manage the store I work at now. I hate his kind :P Hold it against that person, tho, not the chain, because you'll find smooth-talkers like that in any retail chain.

And you can get your $2 back easily. Just go back and tell them that you weren't informed that there was a charge for it. If they say no, ask for the name and number of their district manager. They'll give you the $2 back.

Keep in mind also if they can't find a copy you at least get your $44 back.

And further back.... a used game that's very new will be sold for $44.99. It was bought for a minimum of $25, $30 for more popular games, or possibly even $35 (we paid that much for Halo 2 for a couple weeks). If you used any special trade-in deals you might have gotten as much as an extra $5. Then keep in mind if you have the discount card, you only pay $40.50. Doesn't seem quite so unreasonable then :P

[Iron Draggon]

Some points

3- If we do not have the game that you purchased with a GPG in stock we will do two things. Or I will at least :P First, I will do a search in the entire district for your game. If any other store has it I will ask if you would want to go drive and get it there. If you don't, or no other store has it, then you receive CURRENT VALUE for your game in store credit. Not what you originally paid. The reason is... If you paid $50 for Madden, bought a GPG, then you brought it back after it had dropped to $30... we wouldn't replace it with a $50 game, we'd replace it with a $30 game.

This point alone proves what a ripoff it is. The customer has paid EB $50 for Madden, with the warranty. If he brings it back later, and they don't have another Madden, then he should get his $50 back, not the $30 current value. Why should he be punished for the store dropping the price on it? The warranty should cover the actual purchase price, not the current retail value in the store. Otherwise, the warranty protects nothing. Because the guy who paid $50 for that rare game who comes back for a replacement ends up not only not getting another copy of the same rare game, but he only walks out with $30 in store credit with which to try and replace it himself. And the store credit is useless, because none of the other stores have it. Translation, EB just stole $20 from this guy. Plain, pure, and simple. And they'll rip him off again every chance they get, with those "warranties".

[FantasiaWHT]

That made absolutely no sense.

If we replaced your game with the exact same game, you'd be getting a $30 game back, not a $50 game, so why would we give you $50 in credit? That's not the VALUE of the game.

Under your idea of giving $50 in store credit back, everyone would return the game at the end of the year and get a brand new $50 game, which is ludicrous.

Also, usually it's not the store dropping the price, it's the publisher. Ever wonder why there is so very little variance in price on new games? Because retailers usually have contracts stating that they can't lower the price of a game for a certain amount of time without the publisher saying to do it. Special sales are exempt of course, but not regular price. So when EA says "Madden is now $30" the retailer doesn't have a choice.

Also, if a game really is rare, it's not going to drop significantly in priceover the span of a year. Valkyrie Profile has been right around that price point for quite some time now.

I'm curious how you would structure it so it ISN'T a ripoff and still makes sense from a business point of view?

[sirgeoph]

That made absolutely no sense.

If we replaced your game with the exact same game, you'd be getting a $30 game back, not a $50 game, so why would we give you $50 in credit? That's not the VALUE of the game.

Under your idea of giving $50 in store credit back, everyone would return the game at the end of the year and get a brand new $50 game, which is ludicrous.

Also, if a game really is rare, it's not going to drop significantly in price.

I'm curious how you would structure it so it ISN'T a ripoff and still makes sense from a business point of view?

If I buy something from say, Best Buy, like an iPod for $300 and get the $40 Best Buy warranty on my iPod, when I bring the iPod back if it breaks, I can exchange it for whatever level iPod costs $300 at the time. That's the purpose of warranties: to protect the buyer.

At our store we have an automatic 7 day warranty on everything sold. If you buy a $50 game and three days later, we sell that ame for $35 and you return it within your seven days with a receipt, you get $50 back, not $35. Same goes for our extended warranties on systems. You can exchange it for something that's the same value as your initial payment. The owner's reasoning? "It's not the customer's fault we changed our prices." which coincidently is exactly what Iron Draggon said.

So, by this reasoning if it's a rare game, what if it INCREASES in value? Do they get to get a game of higher value?

[FantasiaWHT]

That made absolutely no sense.

If we replaced your game with the exact same game, you'd be getting a $30 game back, not a $50 game, so why would we give you $50 in credit? That's not the VALUE of the game.

Under your idea of giving $50 in store credit back, everyone would return the game at the end of the year and get a brand new $50 game, which is ludicrous.

Also, if a game really is rare, it's not going to drop significantly in price.

I'm curious how you would structure it so it ISN'T a ripoff and still makes sense from a business point of view?

If I buy something from say, Best Buy, like an iPod for $300 and get the $40 Best Buy warranty on my iPod, when I bring the iPod back if it breaks, I can exchange it for whatever level iPod costs $300 at the time. That's the purpose of warranties: to protect the buyer.

At our store we have an automatic 7 day warranty on everything sold. If you buy a $50 game and three days later, we sell that ame for $35 and you return it within your seven days with a receipt, you get $50 back, not $35. Same goes for our extended warranties on systems. You can exchange it for something that's the same value as your initial payment. The owner's reasoning? "It's not the customer's fault we changed our prices." which coincidently is exactly what Iron Draggon said.

So, by this reasoning if it's a rare game, what if it INCREASES in value? Do they get to get a game of higher value?

I take your point about the larger electronic purchases. But I'm less sure if manufacturer's of those have pricing contracts with the retailers. Since you can find them at different stores for significantly different prices, I'm guessing not. EB also has the 14 day automatic warranty, and you will get the price you paid, not the current price.

I haven't seen any official policy on price RAISES... what I've read just says current price. Personally I would give them the higher price, and I think most managers would too. Some stinkers might not, but I'd argue with them.

THought of something else tho... if your equipment breaks (i had this experience with a digital camera) they are going to try to fix it, and you'll be without your equipment for a few weeks. And you also now have a repaired piece instead of a brand new one. If it can't be fixed they'll replace it with the better one. EB just replaces anything under warranty, so there's less hassle and no time without your goods.

I'm honestly surprised about your system policy though. Are you telling me that if I bought a PS2 from you when it was $250 that I could get a PSP from you if I bring it back under warranty?

[goatdan]

I'm honestly surprised about your system policy though. Are you telling me that if I bought a PS2 from you when it was $250 that I could get a PSP from you if I bring it back under warranty?

Pretty interesting debate...

I agree. Hearing that if I bought the warranty and EB can't find a $50.00 game, but it dropped to $30.00 new, I would get $30.00 of credit is crappy. From a business standpoint -- The company can't find the game that I paid to insure. When I paid to insure it, it cost $50.00. Heck, a lot of games drop to $20 or less, especially when stores clearance them. I recently picked up a few games for $6.99 new that were released for $50.00 last year. So if I buy the warranty and no one has it, I get $6.99 of in-store credit?

Yes. That is a rip off, even from a business standpoint. Businesses should return all of the money if they cannot directly replace the item because that is how much the person paid to purchase the game and the warranty covers that game.

I bought a warranty on my printer from Sam's Club because I had another printer just like it that died. After 11 months of it working, my printer died last week. I boxed it up, took it to Sam's Club and they refunded me for the full price of the printer even though they still did have the item in stock. I was really surprised by that, but I was really happy because I don't want another printer like this. That's customer service.

And from what I know of Best Buy and their warranties from personal experience, if I bought a warranty on my Playstation 2, it broke and I took it in and they wouldn't repair it and had stopped carrying it, then they would refund the entire price that I paid. I do not get the same item back, and I do not get the item that I paid for. Dropping the price is a rip off.

[sisko]

That made absolutely no sense.

If we replaced your game with the exact same game, you'd be getting a $30 game back, not a $50 game, so why would we give you $50 in credit? That's not the VALUE of the game.

Under your idea of giving $50 in store credit back, everyone would return the game at the end of the year and get a brand new $50 game, which is ludicrous.

Also, if a game really is rare, it's not going to drop significantly in price.

I'm curious how you would structure it so it ISN'T a ripoff and still makes sense from a business point of view?

If I buy something from say, Best Buy, like an iPod for $300 and get the $40 Best Buy warranty on my iPod, when I bring the iPod back if it breaks, I can exchange it for whatever level iPod costs $300 at the time. That's the purpose of warranties: to protect the buyer.

At our store we have an automatic 7 day warranty on everything sold. If you buy a $50 game and three days later, we sell that ame for $35 and you return it within your seven days with a receipt, you get $50 back, not $35. Same goes for our extended warranties on systems. You can exchange it for something that's the same value as your initial payment. The owner's reasoning? "It's not the customer's fault we changed our prices." which coincidently is exactly what Iron Draggon said.

So, by this reasoning if it's a rare game, what if it INCREASES in value? Do they get to get a game of higher value?

Invalid argument. I've worked at an electronics store before, and our policy was to swap it out with a COMPARABLE model, not the latest and greatest. It wasn't Best Buy, but any store would have to be pretty stupid to offer that kind of policy. Most stores don't.

[qbertandernie]

with best buys waranty plan, you pay x amount for a warranty, and thats why they give you the cost of the item when you bought it. they make their money on all of the warranties.

for instance, if my TV warranty was $400 for 4 years and it breaks in 8 months, they just made $400 and give me the credit for what i spent on a TV. then the warranty is voided and i have to spend another $400 for another warranty. its a big scam and similar situations are why i will not enter a best buy store.

sorry to pike the 'EB warranty sucks' thread and help turn it into a 'this stores warranty sucks too' thread.

[bibowski]

All I have to say is.... when you buy a game, what do you think the cases are for? I have stacks of games, old and new and they are all spotless. Whenever I'm not playing them... I.... wait for it..... put it BACK in the case!!!

EB's warranties are a complete sham. They cannot become 'defective'. They have no moving parts, they are god damned discs. Pieces of plastic that when stored properly, will last for 100 years. In the long run, if their ridiculous warranty program is successful, the general public will have complete disregard for the safekeeping of all their discs, and EB's used games will be even more scratched up than before. (What do you think EB does after they get a scratched disc given back from the customer?)

I know that the store I work in gives a FREE 3 Month warranty. If ANYTHING is going to go wrong with a game, it will happen within the first 5 minutes that they get home and put it in their system. 3 months is much more than you'd ever need and it's FREE.

EB can blow me.

[qbertandernie]

the ebs near me have STCAKS of scratched games they send back to the warehouse...i think they sell em in lots on ebay...like 500 scratched games for x dollars.

[sirgeoph]

That made absolutely no sense.

If we replaced your game with the exact same game, you'd be getting a $30 game back, not a $50 game, so why would we give you $50 in credit? That's not the VALUE of the game.

Under your idea of giving $50 in store credit back, everyone would return the game at the end of the year and get a brand new $50 game, which is ludicrous.

Also, if a game really is rare, it's not going to drop significantly in price.

I'm curious how you would structure it so it ISN'T a ripoff and still makes sense from a business point of view?

If I buy something from say, Best Buy, like an iPod for $300 and get the $40 Best Buy warranty on my iPod, when I bring the iPod back if it breaks, I can exchange it for whatever level iPod costs $300 at the time. That's the purpose of warranties: to protect the buyer.

At our store we have an automatic 7 day warranty on everything sold. If you buy a $50 game and three days later, we sell that ame for $35 and you return it within your seven days with a receipt, you get $50 back, not $35. Same goes for our extended warranties on systems. You can exchange it for something that's the same value as your initial payment. The owner's reasoning? "It's not the customer's fault we changed our prices." which coincidently is exactly what Iron Draggon said.

So, by this reasoning if it's a rare game, what if it INCREASES in value? Do they get to get a game of higher value?

Invalid argument. I've worked at an electronics store before, and our policy was to swap it out with a COMPARABLE model, not the latest and greatest. It wasn't Best Buy, but any store would have to be pretty stupid to offer that kind of policy. Most stores don't.

Um... I've done exactly that with my iPod at Best Buy. I had a $300 15gig iPod. When mine broke, the 15gigs were discontinued and the 20gigs were selling at $300. I got a comprable model. But guess what? They mailed me a credit voucher for 300 good for ANY purchase at Best Buy. I actually just bought a new iPod and used the voucher on a new TV.


I take your point about the larger electronic purchases. But I'm less sure if manufacturer's of those have pricing contracts with the retailers. Since you can find them at different stores for significantly different prices, I'm guessing not. EB also has the 14 day automatic warranty, and you will get the price you paid, not the current price.

Actually, Apple sets the price of the iPod at $300. You won't find them cheaper unless it's an open box item. PLus, take a look in the ads this Sunday. Compare fridges and microwaves. You'll be lucky to find the same brand and model at different stores for greater than $10 different.

Seriously, warranties give the customer protection against rising prices. That's the reason they exist (aside from making money off of those who never use them). All I'm saying is that the company I work for would give you the original price paid for the item, as do many other companies. I personally think that EB should rethink their "warranty" program.

[Iron Draggon]

Well at least everyone else understood my point. When you buy a warranty on an item, the idea is supposed to be that you either get a replacement of the exact same item, or a comparable item of equal value to the price that you paid for the original item that you bought the warranty on, not that you get screwed out of X amount of $ because now the store sells that item at X amount of $ less than what you originally paid for it, if they had it in stock.

So the fact remains, if I paid $50 for Madden with a warranty, I paid $50 for a game. So why should I not be allowed to get another $50 game if I need a replacement for it, and EB no longer has Madden in stock? EB already got my $50, plus whatever I paid for the warranty. And now they want to rob me for $20 and force me to buy something else from them with their store credit? Nice little trap. Typical modern EB, reel 'em in and screw 'em over.

This is just yet another of the many reasons why I don't buy stuff from EB anymore. I used to spend $1000's at EB every month, but now I won't even spend $1 there, ever again. And at the rate they're going with all of their ever more draconian policies of screwing people over, they'll be having their final clearance sales just like most of the KayBee toy stores did recently. Sooner or later, all the casual gamers will wake up and shop elsewhere too.

Oh, and about those supposed laws against selling opened media as new? Apparently they were repealed recently, EB has chosen to start ignoring them, or they don't apply to "the last one". Because if you buy any game at EB, and it's the last one that they have in stock, you get opened media sold to you as new at full price. Sure, they have a ton of stickers that they seal it up with before they hand it to you, but it's already been opened before. And worse yet, if you bring it back for a refund, they expect their stickers to still be on it. So what they're saying is, it's OK for them to open it and do whatever they please with it before they sell it to you, but it's not OK for you to open it and do whatever you please with it before you bring it back. Interesting logic. EB employees can play it all they want before they sell it to you as a brand new game at full price, but you can't open it and play it for a few days and decide that you don't want it and still get a full refund on it. And I know they do this, because I've hung out with EB employees before.

[Raedon]

I like the warranties, because they cover anything except if you break it in half. For instance if my son takes a brillo pad to it or if it gets microwaved or if I accidently scratch it.

This is a big part of why I have a mod chip and why I only use CD-R's in my car. You buy it, you copy it and then you store it.

[goatdan]

Before I make any replies, as many people here know I'm almost an always a person who defends how these stores are run. I thought the warranty was a neat idea when I thought it was a gameplay guarantee. Since it isn't, and since it isn't even a true "warranty," I do think it is a rip off. Now, some comments:


with best buys waranty plan, you pay x amount for a warranty, and thats why they give you the cost of the item when you bought it. they make their money on all of the warranties.

for instance, if my TV warranty was $400 for 4 years and it breaks in 8 months, they just made $400 and give me the credit for what i spent on a TV. then the warranty is voided and i have to spend another $400 for another warranty. its a big scam and similar situations are why i will not enter a best buy store.

sorry to pike the 'EB warranty sucks' thread and help turn it into a 'this stores warranty sucks too' thread.

What are you talking about? You spent $400 on a TV and bought the warranty. It breaks. You return it. Best Buy gives you $400 back in credit to buy a new TV with. If you want a new warranty to cover the new TV, you can get it... but their warranties don't cost $400 unless I've got some sweeeeeeeet deals from them in the past on the things I have warrantied. How is this a scam?

I sure didn't expect Sam's Club to give me money back for my warranty. When they did, I was extremely surprised.

And of course companies make money on extended warranties. If they wouldn't make money on them, why would they run them? Warranties are there to protect your purchase if you want and to make the store some extra pocket change. I will protect things I know are easy to break (my camcorder is under Best Buy warranty) but won't protect things I only worry about breaking immediately while still under manufacturer warranty (my Sony LCD monitor is not under warranty).

Anyway, none of this has to do with EB's warranty, so back to on topic...


EB's warranties are a complete sham. They cannot become 'defective'. They have no moving parts, they are god damned discs. Pieces of plastic that when stored properly, will last for 100 years. In the long run, if their ridiculous warranty program is successful, the general public will have complete disregard for the safekeeping of all their discs, and EB's used games will be even more scratched up than before.

This is something that I mostly totally agree with. A disc cannot become defective in a few years time. I'd debate the 100 years, as supposedly disc rot sets in after about 25 years (which would SUCK for my Dreamcast collection!), but you are right -- there isn't any other store that I know of that offers a warranty for something that doesn't have a part go wrong. Warranty an Xbox for a broken DVD tray motor? Okay. Warranty a disc in case the owner scratches it up? Stupid.

There isn't one other warranty that I know of that warranties something because of the owner's stupidity. And since discs don't get scratched by you playing them... this is really a "stupidy" warranty.


(What do you think EB does after they get a scratched disc given back from the customer?)

Resurface them. They send them to a place that resurfaces them so they work and can sell them. This is a practice that I think is good, actually as you can barely tell the difference between a surfaced disc and a new disc and it functions just as well. I was looking at getting a professional surfacer for the GOAT Store, but the price is over $1000.00.


Well at least everyone else understood my point. When you buy a warranty on an item, the idea is supposed to be that you either get a replacement of the exact same item, or a comparable item of equal value to the price that you paid for the original item that you bought the warranty on, not that you get screwed out of X amount of $ because now the store sells that item at X amount of $ less than what you originally paid for it, if they had it in stock.

I do agree fully. The fact is that if a store cannot cover a warranty like this, they should only offer it on games they can cover. Madden in your example is a bad one since realistically, you can always get it. But lets say that the game is something pretty rare or something that the chain may not carry in a year -- lets say Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 for the Dreamcast. To be fair, EB should be forced to hold at least one copy of each game that they have warranties on in case it comes back in defective. If I bought MvC2 for $30.00 now, and next month they clearance their DC items, it drops to $3.00 to get rid of it and I come back with the game three months from now, I should get $30.00 because they don't have it anymore.

If they don't want to do that, they need to hold onto copies of the game in case of warranty exchanges. Or stop the warranty program all together.

[wisekrak]

While I can see that offering a warranty on a new game can make EB some money, what I still don't understand is that they used to claim (literally like 4 months ago) that all used games were guaranteed for life!!!! Just bring it back in if it doesent work and they will replace it! Now they offer a warranty that you have to pay for??? WTF!

[Cmosfm]

I like the warranties, because they cover anything except if you break it in half. For instance if my son takes a brillo pad to it or if it gets microwaved or if I accidently scratch it.

This is a big part of why I have a mod chip and why I only use CD-R's in my car. You buy it, you copy it and then you store it.

Or you can just take care of your disks.

I have never ever damaged a disk from normal usage.

[FantasiaWHT]

#1 comment I'll make is... maybe there's a good reason why these are NOT CALLED WARRANTIES. Because they don't WORK like a warranty, they are completely different. Comparing them to other warranties is unwise.




EB's warranties are a complete sham. They cannot become 'defective'. They have no moving parts, they are god damned discs. Pieces of plastic that when stored properly, will last for 100 years.

Wrong in two regards. First, discs can become defective even with the most careful of storage. How? Some systems WILL SCRATCH DISCS. I've had multiple instances of customers coming back and telling me that they never took a game out of their system for a few weeks, and played it a ton. All of a sudden it stopped working, and when they took it out there were huge circular scratches all over them. This happened quite a bit with GTA: San Andreas for some reason. Possibly because we sold a ton of GPGs with them and are just seeing the results of the larger numbers. Second, honestly this is more for people who either have kids or loan games out to friends they know aren't careful with their games.


what I still don't understand is that they used to claim (literally like 4 months ago) that all used games were guaranteed for life!!!!

Whoever told you that was lying or simply mistaken. New employee perhaps? Or an old employee who misunderstand a note from management?


There isn't one other warranty that I know of that warranties something because of the owner's stupidity. And since discs don't get scratched by you playing them... this is really a "stupidy" warranty.

Exactly, it's a brand new type of "warranty" (see above). If you're careful with your discs it's not a good idea. If you aren't, or it's used by people who aren't, $1-$3 is a good price to keep you from having to spend full price again.


Sooner or later, all the casual gamers will wake up and shop elsewhere too.

I highly doubt it. It's only the hardcore gamers who are disatisfied with EB. We're really gearing to the casual gamers now, and it's working. EB has doubled their number of stores in under 5 years, and their profits have been continually above expectations over the same period, leading to a very large stock increase.


Oh, and about those supposed laws against selling opened media as new? Apparently they were repealed recently, EB has chosen to start ignoring them, or they don't apply to "the last one". Because if you buy any game at EB, and it's the last one that they have in stock, you get opened media sold to you as new at full price. Sure, they have a ton of stickers that they seal it up with before they hand it to you, but it's already been opened before. And worse yet, if you bring it back for a refund, they expect their stickers to still be on it. So what they're saying is, it's OK for them to open it and do whatever they please with it before they sell it to you, but it's not OK for you to open it and do whatever you please with it before you bring it back. Interesting logic. EB employees can play it all they want before they sell it to you as a brand new game at full price, but you can't open it and play it for a few days and decide that you don't want it and still get a full refund on it. And I know they do this, because I've hung out with EB employees before.

1) It's against EB policy for employees to play new games with the exception of copies placed in the interactives.

2) As I explained earlier, the law doesn't prohibit opening the media and selling it new, it prohibits selling a USED piece of media as new. These games are NOT used, they are placed directly into sleeves and only taken out again to be placed in the copy you are buying. There is nothing illegal. If it bothers you that much ask for a shopworn discount. You'll probably get it- it's 10%, which is the "standard" price drop between new and used.

So no, we can't do "whatever we please" with a "gutted" game.

*final thought*

What I really don't get is why such the virulent reaction. You don't like the GPG? You wouldn't buy it? Fine, don't buy it. It isn't useful for you. Don't claim it's a ripoff or it isn't useful for other people, because I can for damn sure tell you that plenty of people find it VERY useful and save a lot of money using it.

I wonder how many of you bashing this are diehard socialists or at lleast anti-capitalists? You seem to be awfully vehement against a company making a profit on a service that a fairly large number of it's customers take advantage of.

[SoulBlazer]

Well said, my friend, and you voiced a lot of the same thoughts that I had.

[drwily008]

does anyone know what you get if they dont have your warrantied item in stock?

Just to let you know, I used to work there(for close to six years as a store manager), and I quit so I have no ties or reason to defend them (I really didn't like working there). Anyways if you had a rare game that needed replaced, they WOULD find it for you! They are so scared of customer complaints to their hotline! If the manager isnt, then the DM sure is hell will be! LOL Anyways one great thing about that company, is that if you need something done and your polite but determined about it, it will get done!

[josekortez]

I started this thread originally, and my feelings haven't changed since then. I still believe the GPG program is geared toward stupid parents who are afraid that their kids will break the discs or idiots who aren't smart enough to protest against getting overcharged! It's successful because of stupid people!

And why the hell would anyone in their right mind get a guarantee on a Game Boy Advance game? It's a cartridge for God's sake!

The EB store I mentioned previously in my first post used to offer me standees or promotional junk, and I haven't been offered either lately, so I just don't shop in there anymore. Therefore, I don't even go in there anymore because I don't like being pressured.

I've noticed that the EB supporters haven't commented on the fact that EB can't find copies of some the rare titles we've mentioned here. So again, offering someone something they can't deliver is still a rip-off...

[drwily008]

I've noticed that the EB supporters haven't commented on the fact that EB can't find copies of some the rare titles we've mentioned here. So again, offering someone something they can't deliver is still a rip-off...

Read my statement above you....they have 2200+ stores, they will find it for you, you may have to go a little higher than some 2nd shift part-timer to do so, but it WILL get done.

Hell, I saw a guy get a free STEEL BATTALION ($199.99 value) just for whining to the corporate office...luckily it wasn't at my store!

[ianoid]

Ok, wake up kiddies, EXTENDED WARRANTIES ARE A SCAM. They are almost pure profit and almost totally unnecessary 99% of the time. Most items with moving parts fail in the first 6 months, which is most often part of a factory warranty. I would be that 90% of things fail in the first month that are going to fail, when not from usual use. Take your $3 and put it in a cookie jar and after 1 in 30 of your games fails with regular care and use, keep your $40 and buy a new game with the $50 that remains.

If you can't take care of your disks, or keep them away from your kids who want to play hockey with them, you probably have alot more on your mind than to take every game back and get an exchange.

Do you buy insurance when you rent a car? That is a scam, too.

[drwily008]

Ok, wake up kiddies, EXTENDED WARRANTIES ARE A SCAM. They are almost pure profit and almost totally unnecessary 99% of the time.

I do agree, I just think it is lame to stop shopping at a store because the employees who work there are doing their jobs. JUST SAY NO! like good old Nancy says. Anyways, these employees (and managers for that matter) are made to feel like they will be fired for NOT selling them. So next time one is offered to you just politely say "NO" and remember that if you were told to do something by your boss you would do it (and that is all they or BEST BUY or Circuit City or TRU or etc.... is doing).