Best Buy Fable II Platinum Hits Problem

[mablem8]

Last week I saw that Best Buy was offering Fable II Platinum Hits on their online store for $19.99 with free shipping. Awesome! I've been waiting for the GotY/Critic's Choice/Platinum Hits version so that I could get all of the DLC in one go.

A few days later, a game arrived. A game, not the game I ordered, but to be fair it wasn't too far off. I had been sent the standard edition of Fable II. Thinking this problem would be a quick fix, I brought the game into my local store to exchange it for the correct version. Unfortunately, it seems that the SKU number on the game matches the number that Best Buy has on their computer system associated with the Platinum Hits version. They checked to see if there were any of the correct versions in-store, but all of the copies on hand were of the Standard Edition variety.

Customer service checked the online Best Buy store as well. It seems that the $19.99 Fable II Platinum Hits is now on backorder. Additionally, the graphic representing the game has been changed to a picture of the Standard Edition cover.

I didn't have time to stay and sort everything out during that visit (I had imagined that it would be a quick stop-in and trade), but I intend to return at a later date to get the version that I paid for.

Anyone else take advantage of the same deal and run into the same problem?

 

[bigdaddybruce44]

Unfortunately, yes. I didn't, but a number of people in the threads for that deal and the B2G1 on PH titles mentioned it. Sucks, but in this case, I don't put the whole blame on Best Buy. Whereas the vast majority of greatest hits-like titles have the same SKU as the original, this was doesn't, so that is where, it would seem, a lot of the confusion came into play.

 

[mablem8]

Yeah, I just saw this week's Best Buy Sunday Ads catalogue, and they have listed Fable II Platinum Edition in the group of "Buy 2, Get 1 Free" Platinum Xbox 360 games, this time with the correct graphic. The game is still listed as $19.99, even though some of the other Platinum Hit titles sell for more.

Well, now it's in print, so I feel more confident that I'll be able to make the exchange without much trouble once they actually get some Fable II Platinum Hits copies in-store.

 

[neotheone007]

Yea regular stuff in all the BBs around here. I will check back later next month. Hopefully the new ones are in and the price doesn't change.

 

[mablem8]

I've dug a little deeper at my local Best Buy. It seems that they've changed the title name associated with SKU number 7849439 from "Fable 2" to "Fable 2 Platinu" or so. In other words, all of the standard edition copies of Fable II are marked with this number, but the Best Buy system now associates this number with the platinum edition. I would assume that any real platinum edition copies would be marked with this number as well. So, the Best Buy computer system has no way of telling a standard edition from a platinum edition. All of the standards have been retconned into platinums, and all of the platinums are placed in the same category.

This means that ordering Fable II from Best Buy online is completely hit or miss. There is no way to predict whether they will ship a standard or platinum edition. In order to ensure buying one over the other, the purchase would have to be made in-store. However, I have yet to see a platinum edition on the shelf. I wouldn't be surprised if the price jumps up by the time they start showing up.

And remember, if you've bought a standard edition copy at the $19.99 price, there's no guarantee that it can be exchanged for a platinum copy at the same price at a later date. The only thing that can be done is to return the bought copy for a full refund of the purchase price and then buy a new copy for the selling price. Basically, this whole thing has the potential to be a total rip-off.