Courts Rule That Nintendo Has the Right to Refuse Cancellations of Pre-orders

[Nz17]

Well that's not good news... courts in several nations have ruled that Nintendo doesn't have to allow the cancelling of pre-orders and can keep all of the money even if someone wants to cancel the order before the game is released.

Let that be a lesson to everyone: only pre-order from places that will give you a full refund if ever you want to cancel, and if you want to retain your maximal legal rights, always order tangible copies of software that you can use offline for as long as you want instead of buying (read: indefinitely leasing) purely digital products that you have no control over whatsoever.

Talk about anti-consumer!

Source: https://mynintendonews.com/2020/01/2...order-refunds/

[Gameguy]

Seems kind of fair. If they use preorders to determine how many copies to manufacture, then it's a bit bad when someone changes their mind and takes their money back. If you aren't sure about buying a game then don't preorder it in advance.

I don't buy digital only copies of games so I'm already ahead of the game.

[Nz17]

Somewhere else someone commented about this story with how superior - in almost all ways - digital-only games are to physical ones. Curiously he was a part of a group for game collectors so I really don't see the logic there. In response, I posted the following:

Nintendo is charging about $60 per digital game for most of its games on the Wii U eShop. I bought most of my physical Wii U games for fewer than $20 each (Mario 3D World, New Mario U, Pokkén Tournament, Splatoon, etc.), sometimes much fewer than $20, such as $1 in the case of Star Fox Guard.

I enjoy underpaying to get a physical copy and only have to insert it once as I just leave it in the drive and keep playing it across sessions until I'm done. Afterward I don't mind the short trip of a few feet from the console to where the games are stored. These games don't require the authentication of anyone except myself.

If I choose to resell my valuable games, I can buy, sell, or trade them with whomever I please for real money. Sometimes it might not be much cash, but at least it is still real money.

[Aussie2B]

The problem with arguments about digital vs. physical is that there's no objectively superior option. They both have their pros and cons, so it's fair to prefer either, but a lot of people think their preference translates to objective superiority.

[YoshiM]

Well, on regards to cancelling, why not charge a cancellation fee instead? There are many reasons why someone would cancel, not that the buyer has to justify. However, to remain pro consumer, just slap a fee on. The buyer gets some cash and so does Nintendo.

In the case of digital only, as we all know, the publisher/developer has the right to change the game at any time. GTA games have been known to lose songs due to licenses running out. So not only are you leasing the games, but what you have today and what you have years from now could be totally different. Granted it could be a Yacht Club Games approach and you get more games than what you started with for free (Shovel Knight with all its expansions), but that's probably an exception.

The more I see how my digital device's and game software can change on a whim, introducing things I don't like, the more I go back to the classics.

[Gameguy]

Well, on regards to cancelling, why not charge a cancellation fee instead? There are many reasons why someone would cancel, not that the buyer has to justify. However, to remain pro consumer, just slap a fee on. The buyer gets some cash and so does Nintendo.

If they started charging a cancellation fee I'm sure it would either be equal to or greater than the preorder cost.

I'm surprised people could cancel preorders and get full refunds. I assumed they were like non-refundable deposits. Usually if you put a deposit on something and back out, you lose your deposit. I've personally never preordered as I want to wait for reviews before I consider buying a game. With so many people preordering companies are basically getting free loans, I don't get why consumers are so ok with this when they're getting so little in return.

[E Nice]

Seems kind of fair. If they use preorders to determine how many copies to manufacture, then it's a bit bad when someone changes their mind and takes their money back. If you aren't sure about buying a game then don't preorder it in advance.

I don't buy digital only copies of games so I'm already ahead of the game.

What if the company alters the game while it is in preorder status, such as what happened with Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore on the Switch? The game was promoted with images that people expected from the game, only to find out later that the game was censored and the images no longer reflected what the game would be like.