The only time I shop there is if they have exclusive rights to the Collector's Edition of a game I want.
The only time I shop there is if they have exclusive rights to the Collector's Edition of a game I want.
I had prime for several years and just let it lapse last month. It doesn't matter if you have Prime or FSSS. Amazon has an electronic system for assigning packaging and the person doing the packing can't override it. You may just be lucky as some warehouses seem to use boxes more than others. I also started to get stuff damaged before it was even packed with punctures through the cases, food residue and odd grease and other materials that had damaged the CE boxes. I'm done with Amazon for collector's editions. Too many problems. While I don't like Gamestop's practices, at least I know that if the CE is damaged, I will know immediately and can find another copy somewhere on release day rather than having to wait for an Amazon return or a second damaged copy to be sent out.Originally Posted by xelement5x
This is why I worked for less than one day for GameStop. Not only is that search procedure humiliating, but if you can't trust me, why should I trust you? I don't know of any other major retailer which practices that style of treatment of employees. It is like they are in a prison looking for contraband.
The last time GameStop didn't fulfill a pre-order item for me - strike that, a reserve item- it was a Sonic hat that was a GameStop-exclusive bonus for a STH game released in recent years. When I went into the store, they didn't have a hat for me and didn't have any substitutes because no one else pre-ordered the game. I was pretty fed up, so I told them to cancel my preorder then. And that's when it happened... they actually fell silent, literally dumbstruck that I wouldn't want to pick up the game. I was asked if I was sure, and I indicated that indeed I was. I went across the way to Wal*Mart and bought a copy of the game there. After all, why support GameStop if they don't have an edge? If it had been cheaper by a few dollars, if the quality or service was obviously superior, or if the bonuses were available, then they'd have something.
But apparently, GameStop has nothing without striking a deal with the publishers for those bonus tchotchkes.
It makes me wish we all had ma-and-pa game shops near us (or preferably some Digital Presses).
You have made my day! Thank you for standing up to Gamestop on that preorder bonus. I always feel like this is just my crusade.This is why I worked for less than one day for GameStop. Not only is that search procedure humiliating, but if you can't trust me, why should I trust you? I don't know of any other major retailer which practices that style of treatment of employees. It is like they are in a prison looking for contraband.
The last time GameStop didn't fulfill a pre-order item for me - strike that, a reserve item
But apparently, GameStop has nothing without striking a deal with the publishers for those bonus tchotchkes.
It makes me wish we all had ma-and-pa game shops near us (or preferably some Digital Presses).
My Buy/Sell/Trade list:
http://www.digitpress.com/forum/show...Broadband-Unit
Yeah, gamestop has only been good for used games, which is what they're known for, but their general store policies are absolute garbage. There's no real reason to buy a new game there. You're always better off at walmart, target, or any big retailer that actually keeps the new games behind glass. Amazon has proved to be the best, time and time again (I wish they didn't get forced to charge tax, but oh well). At least then you know your game is not gutted.
The problems with management are not exclusive with gamestop. Most places hire managers that are not in the major loop about what they are managing and they're only real responsibility is to report to the super upper management (District Manager, CEOs, VPs, etc). It's really frustrating when your manager doesn't understand what you do, yet demands tasks of you that are unreasonable or come with a cost that they don't expect to pay.
I have noticed that gamestop uses high pressure sales a lot, especially when pushing their membership. I'm good at saying no, so it doesn't work very well on me, but most people have a hard time saying no, which is why this tactic works for so many sales associates.
The only thing you can do is simply not shop there but the company won't truly be punished for its bull shit until everyone stops shopping there and it is in full bankrupcy. Eddie Murphy hits the target again: the best way to punish rich people is to take away all their money.
Yeah, Gamestop is garbage. Only thing I use them for is COD midnight releases. My favorite place is Best Buy because they sell you NEW (sealed) games except in the rare instances when they have a special edition and pull the security device around it too tight and pretend they are not trying to sell damaged product. Christ, even their used games are in better condition than gamestops so called new games.
Lately I've mostly kept watch on Gamestop for OK random deals. Managed to get some of those 75% off Gamecube clearance games online.
Sure they'll be disc only if not scratched but oh well. I know what I'm getting into with the price point.
Lum fan.
Ya know, GameStop is just fine. I spend many dollars there now and have spent far more than I care to acknowledge in years past. I get excellent conditioned used items, new items that are sealed, and on the rare occasion get that gut copy, check it over before I buy it, and if I'm happy with that condition, take it, all with out bitching about it's status or demanding a discount. If I don't like the condition of the used item I just don't buy it, whether it's missing the manual, the label on cart is bad, stickers on inserts that won't come off without damaging it or the disc is scratched. I don't have issues with missing pre-order items because I pre-order from them online if there is something I MUST have.
If I get asked if I want to pre-order something that I don't want? I simply tell them no. It's oh so hard. I know when saying "no thanks" that I've also insulted their family's honor, violated their sister or mother and run over their puppy in my car with my harsh reaction and they care so much that they've immediately moved on to the next part of the transaction and don't give it a second thought.
A few people at specific stores know I'm a dude with lots of games however most don't and I'm treated no different at any of the stores I swing into. I'm not treated rudely, nor am I ignored if I am looking to buy something or have a question. I treat those that work there with respect and they treat me with it in return.
Have I had bad GameStop experiences? You bet. Have I had bad retail experiences at pretty much any place I've shopped? Yup again. If my experience is bad enough to truly bother me, you know what I do? I call that number that's at the bottom of the receipt. I let customer service know, or fill out that survey they mention at the bottom of EVERYONES receipts (at GameStop, Best Buy, Taco Bell, wherever) and rate them as such. When those reviews are bad or there are issues, you hear back. I had a bad McDonald's drive through experience once. Franchise person called me to apologize and gave me all my monies back for the meal and extra monies for other items for my troubles. Left a comment about an Alcatraz/Angel Island experience that was a smidge less than stellar at one point. I was contacted and refunded half my money for the 'problematic' portion of the experience. I didn't ask for money, nor did I rave, rant or holler. I just wanted them to know of an experience that didn't have any effect other than to have us cut short our adventuring on one of the islands due to time constraints and that maybe they should give travelers a bit more time on each island to better enjoy it.
The same thing goes for those good experiences. If it's that good, I go and let the powers that be know. Best Taco Bell person I've EVER experienced (and probably one of the best fast food people ever as well) works at my local Taco Bell. Dude rocks. Last time I swung by, he had been promoted and was at least a shift lead. Did I make sure they knew he rocked? Damn right. Did my feedback alone do it? Doubt it, but it didn't hurt.
Maybe I'm just a bit older now (>30 / <35) but there are far more important things in life to get all twisted out of shape over. It's a fucking video game, it's not that important. The only life that ends is ours when we die in the game and restart at the last save point.
Last edited by PapaStu; 01-16-2013 at 02:20 AM.
Because it makes no attempt to be great, it is therefore extremely great.
Some of My Game Collection Mah Mac n' Cheese Blog
About a year ago I bought a PlayStation code. Got home it did not work, took it back the next day they said they cannot take back bad codes and said I would have to call Sony to work it out. I was on the phone with Sony for 45 minutes trying to figure out why the code did not work, then had to send a picture of the code and receipt to Sony and a week later they sent me a new code. I called Gamestops corporate bitch line and left a message about how disappointed I was that Gamestop sold me something that was expired and I could not return. They asked where I bought it from and said someone would get back to me. two days later the manager of the store called me and apologized, we talked for a little bit and after a polite conversation about how as a adult I choose to spend my money were it is most convent for me she offered me $15 store credit. I know some people would rather throw a fit and make a scene to get nothing, I prefer a different route.
And to be honest even if she did not give me the gift card I still would have went back because she took the time to call me to find out what happened.
I haven't had experiences as bad as some of you, but I can empathize. Luckily there are a decent amount of local game shops here in the Seattle area, and they deal with old and brand new stuff.
I've only really had two problems with GameStop, both came down to lazy employees. Doesn't strike me as something particularly worth stewing over, if you don't like them, don't shop there.
If you buy a lot of crap on Amazon, they're a great alternative. They often give Amazon cash kickbacks on pre-orders, which can be applied to more pre-orders in an endless cycle of decent delivery times and $50 games.
Every time I see one of these threads, it baffles me. I shop at Gamestop fairly frequently and I've never had any problems. Not one. I usually just go in there to look at used games, but the one time I preordered a game from there (Pokemon Black), it sure seemed like I was getting a new, unopened copy. The clerk was even nice enough to show me how to use Nintendo's wi-fi system to download the Liberty Ticket, since I'd never used wi-fi before. And at a different Gamestop that had just opened, I went in to look at their Gamecube games and the clerk showed me a list of which ones were being sent in the next week so I'd know if I wanted to come back to snag any of them. Sure, customer service might be horrible at some stores, but that's no reason to paint the entire chain with the same brush.
Social Justice Warrior and proud of it!
Every time I see a Gamestop apologist it baffles me.
Really? I feel the same way whenever anyone acts as though every individual store in a particular chain is exactly the same. I've had good and bad experiences with Gamestop over the years. I've also had good and bad experiences with Best Buy, Amazon, Circuit City, New Egg, Good Guys, Federated, and literally every other store I have ever shopped at for video games. Personally, I have a good local Gamestop store I use to order collector's editions and other items that I know Amazon and other vendors will damage. They always have my item waiting in perfect shape on the day it's supposed to be there. Would I ever buy used games from Gamestop or even something new I didn't preorder? Nope. That doesn't mean Gamestop is terrible, it just means that like other massive store chains, you have to understand their policies and practices and decide what, if any, of their products and services can be useful to you.
Oh here we have another apologist. We the customer, just have to "decide what, if any, of their products and services can be useful to us"
We have to decide if it is ok to have our preorder bonuses stolen or held for ransom in exchange for another pre-order. We have to decide if it is ok to bring a "new" game to the counter and have it switched for a used game without being told. We have to decide if it is ok to ask to buy a new game, but to be held hostage at the counter in a barrage of incentive to buy a used instead. We have to decide if it is ok to pay for new items only to be sold opened previously handled, often scratched, and most certainly stickered-up copies at full price. We have to decide if it is ok to buy a used game and have it given to us in a blank case with no instructions.... and on and on and on...
We the customer have to decide if we can be a good Gamestop consumer. It is our expectations that are at fault is what Bojay1997 is telling us. We have no right to expect to pay full price for a game and recieve all the materials it was packaged with. We have no right to expect to not be lied to by clerks and management. We have no right to expect to recieve preorder bonuses. Instead we must understand their policies and practices!
No. Gamestop is terrible. Sure there may be "good" locations, but the recurring theme is that those are the exceptions.
You don't see these threads about "Best Buy, Amazon, Circuit City, New Egg, Good Guys, Federated, and literally every other store I have ever shopped at" because those other stores do not have the endemic customer service problems which plaque Gamestop locations.
Sure there are good and bad experiences are any retail outlet, no one every implied the contrary.
The recurring fact is that people have been having severe issues with Gamestop stores consistently for over a decade.
Congratulations for being one of the people who haven't had multiple bad experiences there.
Today I had my first Gamestop experience in over 2 years.
First, let's recount my previous most recent Gamestop experience:
I wanted Yakuza 2. The Gamestop website listed one local store as having a New copy available for sale. I called that location to confirm. They said they did indeed have a "New" copy for sale. I say I'll be right over to buy it. Within 15 minutes I'm at the store. The clerk has no idea what I'm talking about when I ask for Yakuza 2. One other guy is working, he must have taken my call. So they are typing into the computer and show that they do have a copy. I guess my expectation that they would be prepared since I just called to confirm the existence of this new copy, and I told them I was on my way to buy it.. I guess those expectations are too much!
So they pull the case from the shelf, no surprise, all stickered-up and also scuffed to hell. These are the things we must understand and decide if "their products and services can be useful to you"! So then they can't find the disc and instructions. Again, why did I call to confirm that they had it in stock? They finally find it, yes it took two clerks. The guy pops the disc into the beat-to-hell case and closes it as he begins to ring it up. I asked to see the disc, and the clerk freezes as if being caught having stolen something. He sheepishly says "OK" opens the case and hands me the disc. I turn it over and see that it is scratched to shit. Like what happens when a disc is slid across a floor - not just a single hairline. ...I've been through this before with Gamestop (when buying a "new" Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, that disc was also heavily scratched)
like I said I've been through this before, so I just put the Yakuza 2 disc on the counter without saying anything, turned my back to them and walked out.
So today, trying to track down a copy of Xenoblade Chronicles, the Gamestop site lists a store 30 miles away as having a copy. I call to confirm and have it held for me. 10+ minutes on the phone and they can't locate the copy their computer says they have in stock. The clerk says maybe it went to the other Gamestop in that same mall (yes, two in the same mall) I call that store and they do not have it. But that clerk offers to have it shipped from another store which shows it in stock. I had asked my local store to do that, but hey said it was not possible.
So this presents two issues - faulty infective inventory, and inconsistent customer service policies. They show items in stock but can't find them because items are gutted and misplaced. And then you have stores saying they can't order a game from another store, yet other stores an do that with no problem.
But it is me who is at fault because I don't "understand their policies and practices" and haven't "decide(d) what, if any, of their products and services can be useful to (me)" I am at fault for thinking I could purchase a game listed as in stock. I am at fault for expecting the same store transfer policies at each location. I am at fault for expecting that my money would purchase me fair and consistent service.
Have I ever had these problems at any other videogame retailer? Never!
So, to paraphrase your two overly wordy stories, one time you wanted an older PS2 game at Gamestop, you called up and they said they had one new one in stock. You went down there and it wasn't waiting for you and the game wasn't new, so you didn't buy it.
Your other story is that you called and asked for another game, they told you it was in stock, but when you got there they couldn't find it. One store told you they could ship stock and another couldn't.
Please let me know if I missed anything.
I'm sorry, if those are the worst experiences you have ever had with Gamestop, I can only imagine how fragile you are and how hard it must be for you to deal with the everyday trials and tribulations in life. I have had similar and worse experiences with every single retailer I have ever bought video games from.
Inventory systems at even major retailers like Fry's, Best Buy and Amazon can be off. Ask how happy all the people who ordered the Zelda LE Hyrule Historia are this morning after Amazon UK cancelled their orders. Ask some of the people who preordered Virtue's Last Reward a few months ago how happy they are about the fact that they were told they were guaranteed a watch if they preordered but Amazon failed to deliver. How about all the people who do store pickup and Best Buy can't find the items in store to give them, but never bothers to call them? Ever tried to do a preorder of an in-demand game at Target? Those little preorder cards aren't tied to their inventory system and they won't even hold what you reserved for you.
Every store chain has its issues. As I said, I don't buy used games or older new games from Gamestop because I am picky about condition and I want new games to be factory sealed. I know Gamestop doesn't agree with that position, so as a result I take my business for those items elsewhere. Real problems would be a store defrauding you or overcharging you or giving you defective merchandise and then refusing to replace it or refund your money. All your two stories involve are a little inconvenience and employees who didn't know policies. I hardly think that qualifies Gamestop as the terrible monolith you seem so eager to paint it as.
I find it funny that there's apparently no middle ground. Either you've seen the light about the evils of GameStop or you're an apologist. I've read a lot of "GameStop sucks" ancedotes that run the gamut from "legit complaint" to "OCD nitpicking" but I've never read a single one that is categorically more offensive than a hypothetical bad experience at any other retail chain such as Radio Shack, Blockbuster, PC Richard, Home Depot, etc. If anything, some of those stores are worse.
I get that being a gaming site it makes sense that GameStop will take the brunt of it, but the sheer volume of complaints targeted at GameStop specifically without a "eh, that's retail for ya" qualifier makes it appear that the complainer has never set foot into any national chain besides GameStop once in their lives. Just an example, one popular complaint about GameStop clerks is that they ask about preorders and magazine subscriptions, which is apparently a berserk button for some people. I wonder how these same people would react to Radio Shack asking for their zip code or Micro Center sniffing for their email address. Or, hell, a PC Richard & Son where the floor salesmen make it blatantly obvious that they work on commission.
Last edited by TonyTheTiger; 01-23-2013 at 01:37 PM.
Agreed. Toys R Us consistently asks me if I want a protection plan on games and always asks if I want to apply for a credit card every single time I buy something there. Best Buy asks me about getting their credit card every other time I buy something. Fry's asks me about applying for a credit card with them on every visit. Yes, I don't particularly like Gamestop asking me about preordering stuff every time I go in there to pick something I have already preordered up, but it's no more or less irritating than the sales pitches I get for credit cards, protection plans and even cable or satellite service when I check out at other major retail chains.
The reality is that sales tactics like that work with a certain percentage of the population and so every major retailer uses them. They don't work with me, but I have learned to just ignore them in exchange for cheaper prices or the peace of mind of knowing collector's edition stuff will be in good shape when I pick it up at Gamestop. I got burned too many times by New Egg, Amazon and other retailers and so I learned my lesson. That doesn't mean I won't use those other retailers for other non-fragile items if the pricing or other benefits are good.
There you go again, putting the blame on the customer. "Fragile and hard to deal with trials and tribulations of life"
Except that's not at all accurate nor do you have any basis for such a a claim. You are trying to diminish their poor service by degrading me.
I have detailed the 2 visits I've made to Gamestop in recent years and both were failures of customer service and a waste of my time.
Again I point out, I have never had these consistent customer service issues at any other retailer.
All of which has happened.
Thanks for qualifying my issues with Gamestop. I wasn't aware that I was having imaginary or make believe problems with their service. I'll be sure to check with you next time to see if I am having a real problem.
Like to exaggerate much?
Where in this thread has anyone exhibited berzerk reactions to preorder requests and magazine subs?
Where in this thread is the OCD nit-picking which you level as blame on the customer?
Last edited by Koa Zo; 01-23-2013 at 02:53 PM.
Am I the only person that remembers Buy-Rite?
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