EB Games/Gamestop a RIP-OFF!

S

schmitty

CAG Veteran
Anybody who shops at EB Games/GameStop needs to know about their "in -store warranty". A friend of mine bought an Xbox 360 from EB Games and purchased the "no questions asked" warranty for $50. Here's what he got. A replacement Xbox with no questions asked and no manufacturers warranty anymore. Why, you may ask? I sent them an email and this was my reply:

Dear Valued Customer,

Thank you for contacting GameStop.com.

It sounds like your system was replaced with a USED or refurbished
system, which is acceptable according to the terms of the Product
Replacement Plan (PRP). Please refer to the brochure explaining the
terms and conditions of the PRP. This USED or refurbished system is not
necessarily covered under the manufacturer warranty. Your original
receipt would only be the original XBOX 360, not the replacement.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.


Best Regards,
John
Customer Service Agent

Now, when you buy something, you expect them to replace your product and you expect the manufacturer's warranty still to be intact. Microsoft sent his machine back with a note saying that it had been tampered with.
So, for anyone Shopping around for a gaming system...just go to Walmart. You'll get the same thing for probably the same price or better.
 
Sounds like he got one that had the seal tampered with. I know it might be lazy for GS, but that's crap that your friend needed to check before walking out with the replacement system. As soon as the replacement's 30 day store warranty expired, the store is not responsible for repairs.

Ask on this site before dealing with GS. There's so many ways that fucking company can screw over customers. The worst part of it though, is the moron customers that still shop there after getting screwed like that.
 
if I was your friend, I would have thoroughly checked the system they gave me before I walked out of the store.
 
Well for one if he purchased a new system and a PRP it should of been replaced with a new system and if your friend took a used one instead that is his fault.

And last but not least please stop making these thread about EB/GS and how bad they are... everyone has heard the stories now if you hate them so bad just don't shop there period.. Not mainly directing this towards you in general but the mass population that will make this thread 18 pages long with rant's..

I for one have been fairly lucky with EB/GS stores I am one of the few around it that seems to have issues with Gamecrazy stores..
 
Tell your friend to go in there while there is a decent amount of customers. He should then explain to the cashier how he bought a replacement plan and say that his system is not covered through Microsoft since Gamestop took the tampered with unit to begin with and expects a new system or his money back. Now he shouldn't be a jerk to them about it, but he shouldn't let them get away with that either since he did pay for a replacement plan.
 
[quote name='IAmTheBiggestInuyashaFan']Tell your friend to go in there while there is a decent amount of customers. He should then explain to the cashier how he bought a replacement plan and say that his system is not covered through Microsoft since Gamestop took the tampered with unit to begin with and expects a new system or his money back. Now he shouldn't be a jerk to them about it, but he shouldn't let them get away with that either since he did pay for a replacement plan.[/quote]


I think you officially have the longest user name lol
 
I got my Wii on Launch Day* just under a year ago by preordering one at a local Gamestop, and have proudly not set foot in there since.

Short of having no other option, I really don't know why knowledgeable gamers still frequent those stores. They have no deals on new games, they rip you off on both ends with the used ones (save a buy-2-get-1-free deal once or twice a year), and the average employee is either disinterested, underinformed, or an automaton that's basically got a gun/Zapper to his or her head to push preorders and, I dunno, Crash Bandicoot Pez dispensers** on you, the customer ad nauseum. Also, their website has been very shadily advertising games months (if not years) away as shipping on 1/1/200x for sometime now, so as to dupe stupid kids and their parents into preordering NOW.

Like Wal-Mart a few years back (as in, total boycott), I simply stopped endorsing them. The sooner people wake up and at least make them reinvent themselves (if not just go away), the better off we'll all be.

Respectable Gamestop employee's indignant response in 3...2...1....

*--Because, you know, if anyone deserved a Wii ASAP...

**--Relax, I made that one up.
 
[quote name='Derrick1979']Well for one if he purchased a new system and a PRP it should of been replaced with a new system and if your friend took a used one instead that is his fault.

And last but not least please stop making these thread about EB/GS and how bad they are... everyone has heard the stories now if you hate them so bad just don't shop there period.. Not mainly directing this towards you in general but the mass population that will make this thread 18 pages long with rant's..

I for one have been fairly lucky with EB/GS stores I am one of the few around it that seems to have issues with Gamecrazy stores..[/quote]
The warranty sticker was on the replacement and it looked just like a new one. one more thing...this is MY thread and MY rant to warn other people about the injustice. Start your own thread you stupid tool
 
[quote name='schmitty']The warranty sticker was on the replacement and it looked just like a new one. one more thing...this is MY thread and MY rant to warn other people about the injustice. Start your own thread you stupid tool[/quote]

Wow, that was a little harsh and I think unwarranted. All he said was exactly what I am about to say - almost everybody that has shopped there has gotten screwed one way or another. There are plenty of threads about it...

As for the issue, how long has it been since the unit was replaced? If I were you, I would first go back up to the store and explain that the unit broke a 2nd time and Microsoft will not fix it because the seal had been tampered with (refurb). If that doesn't work for you, go up the chain of command. If you bitch enough, you most likely will get what you want. Good luck!
 
Most warranty plans are a scam. Unless it is something really expensive (and even then) I wouldnt waste my cash on one.

My friend bought a VCR a few years ago for $5 at Sears. The cashier then started laughing and said "I have to say this, sorry, but for $50 you can add a 2 year warranty on that". What a joke. Just like warranties.
 
[quote name='schmitty']one more thing...this is MY thread and MY rant to warn other people about the injustice. Start your own thread you stupid tool[/quote]
What Derrick posted is right. We've seen multiple "EB/GS screwed me" threads over the months(& years). What you have posted isn't new, we know they suck. I know you registered in the past few days. But if you checked the forums, you'd know what your rant is about is old news.
 
[quote name='galvatron2k1']Wow, that was a little harsh and I think unwarranted. All he said was exactly what I am about to say - almost everybody that has shopped there has gotten screwed one way or another. There are plenty of threads about it...

As for the issue, how long has it been since the unit was replaced? If I were you, I would first go back up to the store and explain that the unit broke a 2nd time and Microsoft will not fix it because the seal had been tampered with (refurb). If that doesn't work for you, go up the chain of command. If you bitch enough, you most likely will get what you want. Good luck![/quote]

We're working on going up the chain right now...I'm just looking for the biggest and best way 2 spread the word
 
[quote name='musha666']Most warranty plans are a scam. Unless it is something really expensive (and even then) I wouldnt waste my cash on one.[/quote]

Well said, they just want your money upfront and then either take ages to fix/replace stuff or just plain weasel out of it using the small print.

There may be exceptions to that, but very few.
 
[quote name='musha666']Most warranty plans are a scam. Unless it is something really expensive (and even then) I wouldnt waste my cash on one.

My friend bought a VCR a few years ago for $5 at Sears. The cashier then started laughing and said "I have to say this, sorry, but for $50 you can add a 2 year warranty on that". What a joke. Just like warranties.[/QUOTE]

Actually the only reason they exist is to offer competitive remedies. Think about it, if you didn't have the optional warranty, you would be shit out of luck. The optional warranty came about in the 60's from a series of lawsuits against car manufacturers (the big 3...product liability). It offers consumers protection and a limited bargaining power over the retailer/ manufacturer.

In the end you are going to buy the product no matter what, but now you can't complain/sue the manufacturer for having created a monopoly.
 
P.S. I'm not trying to defend them. On the contrary, I despise them. As a matter of fact I've an ongoing claim with CC regarding my RROD Xbox360 (3 weeks and counting). Wish me luck!!
 
When I bought Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance "new" from an EB, they gave me a resealed copy and I only figured it out because there were saved games on it when I got home. I took it back and exchanged it for an actual new copy (or at least one they had wiped before resealing).

Several years later, I don't shop there anymore but not because of that incident. I just didn't like having preorders/warranties/etc. pushed on me at every opportunity, and having to listen to their "thank you for calling EB Games, where you can trade old games towards Madden 2010" spiel every time I called them.
 
One time I bought a Shelf copy of Jade Empire from Gamestop. The salesman told me it was a new game and its never been played despite the fact the seal was broken.

I took the game home only to discover there were scratches on the back of the disc. New game my ass....
 
Well, I think Gamestop is exactly what you get with no competition.

There was that stopgamestop.com website that was out (not sure if it still is or the actual name). They were reporting that 90% of used games sold in stores went through Gamestop. I believe that (if not 90%, pretty close). Really, selling Mario Kart Double Dash for $40? That is rediculous.

That being said, I don't have a ton of options, even being in a big area. Within 30 minutes, I have 1 Gamecrazy's that isn't that well stocked, aobut 10 Gamestops, and really nothing else. Had a nice mom&pop store, but it's gone now.

So, I shop there regularly, even if I'm not a big fan. At least when there was competition, Gamestop was forced to give some decent prices.

Really, the more I think about it, I wonder why the Government really allowed Gamestop to buy out EB Games. Really, I wish someone would sue them for anti-trust, it seems proveable, and if you did, they would likely be forced to split up.
 
My question has always been if there are a Monopoly now? All the stores that were EB's around me are now GS and there are 2 Gamecrazy's around here and a few of the Block Busters sell used. But overall and regional I wonder how much of the market they actually hold now.
 
[quote name='tangytangerine']What Derrick posted is right. We've seen multiple "EB/GS screwed me" threads over the months(& years). What you have posted isn't new, we know they suck. I know you registered in the past few days. But if you checked the forums, you'd know what your rant is about is old news.[/quote]

Regardless of what YOU and other people have read in forums over the months (& years), I wrote it anyway. If you don't like it start a thread about it and I'll start bashing you there.
 
I know this isn't technically a hate-on-Gamestop thread but fjdklsjgk I'm so mad right now.

I reluctantly called up my local EB after work because I figure they're my best bet at getting Rock Band day one. I specifically ask the guy over the phone whether preordering will guarantee me a copy on release day (thanks to some fulfillment disclaimers like they have on Amazon) and if they're even taking preorders still. The guy answers yes and yes, so I drive over there. I show up and tell the same guy (I'm guessing) that I want to preorder, and then his manager goes oh yeah, we're not taking any more preorders because of limited supply. GREAT!!!!!!!

I'm officially done with Gamestop.
 
[quote name='metaly']I know this isn't technically a hate-on-Gamestop thread but fjdklsjgk I'm so mad right now.

I reluctantly called up my local EB after work because I figure they're my best bet at getting Rock Band day one. I specifically ask the guy over the phone whether preordering will guarantee me a copy on release day (thanks to some fulfillment disclaimers like they have on Amazon) and if they're even taking preorders still. The guy answers yes and yes, so I drive over there. I show up and tell the same guy (I'm guessing) that I want to preorder, and then his manager goes oh yeah, we're not taking any more preorders because of limited supply. GREAT!!!!!!!

I'm officially done with Gamestop.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, the SKU for Rock Band Special Edition was shut off very recently, whoever you talked to the first time didn't bother checking the system to see if it was still there. Also, Assassin's Creed LE is off too, no more preorders for that edition can be taken.
 
[quote name='Zingela']Yeah, the SKU for Rock Band Special Edition was shut off very recently, whoever you talked to the first time didn't bother checking the system to see if it was still there. Also, Assassin's Creed LE is off too, no more preorders for that edition can be taken.[/quote]

wow really? i'm glad i did this like on wed
 
A friend of mine just returned a sealed copy of GH3 he bought at GS. He had not opened it yet, since his girlfriend got him the bundle without him knowing.

So after returning it, he used the cash to buy Lego Star Wars. Before he gets the game, the GS employee opened the plastics & seals on the game, and then gave it to him, saying that was a new policy.

What was that about? He said they had plenty of copies, and it was not the display one.
 
I too got the 1 year warranty replacement on my 360 I bought on black friday 06...and I used it about a month ago, while my local store didn't have any new ones, they called around and found a store that did, and the guy there was friendly and opened up the new one in front of me, swapping it out and any parts I needed as well. They are like most any store, you will find bad stories about what they did, and good stories as well.
 
The only time I consider them a rip-off is when I'm buying a game that's sealed at other retailers, but opened at EB/Gamestop for the same price (and it has an annoying sticker on it). That's when I feel I've been ripped off. I bought a few so called "new" games from them and there were scratches on the disc.

What really made me upset once was when I bought Phantom Dust new. Well, the game was $5 (not a bad price), but they shrink wrap the game on top of several price tags and stickers. And by opening the shrink wrap, the game felt old. I ended up getting rid of my copy, but that still angered me a little.
 
[quote name='schmitty']Regardless of what YOU and other people have read in forums over the months (& years), I wrote it anyway. If you don't like it start a thread about it and I'll start bashing you there.[/quote]

Alright. In your desperation to create you very own thead (Wow! You're cool now!) you have clashed with the seasoned members of CAG. They have given you some honest opinions, and you just start flaming them. You can't do that. By this point everyone knows you hate GS/EB. So just let it alone. I vote that this thread be closed, and it would be an honorable thing to do to close it. Just change the title of the thread to "MODS PLEASE CLOSE."

Don't bash. You're not cool.
 
[quote name='Gustav Holst']Alright. In your desperation to create you very own thead (Wow! You're cool now!) you have clashed with the seasoned members of CAG. They have given you some honest opinions, and you just start flaming them. You can't do that. By this point everyone knows you hate GS/EB. So just let it alone. I vote that this thread be closed, and it would be an honorable thing to do to close it. Just change the title of the thread to "MODS PLEASE CLOSE."

Don't bash. You're not cool.[/quote]

Nah! The thread stays but I'll do the honorable thing and leave people to their opinions...happy?
 
[quote name='Stingermck']A friend of mine just returned a sealed copy of GH3 he bought at GS. He had not opened it yet, since his girlfriend got him the bundle without him knowing.

So after returning it, he used the cash to buy Lego Star Wars. Before he gets the game, the GS employee opened the plastics & seals on the game, and then gave it to him, saying that was a new policy.

What was that about? He said they had plenty of copies, and it was not the display one.[/quote]

Oh hell no. He should've denied that immediately and reported it. They can't open your sealed games before giving them to you, that denies you your ability to return it if you change your mind. The only time they can do that is if you're exchanging an opened new game for another one (so you can't return that one).
 
Honestly, I think it really depends on which GameStop. Like any retail business, a store is managed by its employees. Sure those employees have to jump through hoops for some faceless corporate entity, but a lot of the time, they're gamers too. If they were doing their job in the first place, they shouldn't have accepted a traded-in 360 that had been tampered with.

But mistakes happen, and I'm really sorry that you (or a friend? I can't remember the original post anymore) got burned. I still frequent my GameStop, and that's only because I trust and know the people that work there (I used to work with them).

General rule of advice, though, avoid any GameStop/EB that's located in a Mall. Those guys are usually overwhelmed and more likely to make lots of mistakes like the one mentioned in the original post.
 
A thread about how gamestop is shitty, and has some shady bussiness practices........I wonder if the sun will come up tommrow?
 
Obligatory PA comic that actually brings out a chuckle for stating the truth for once:
20071031.jpg


As for used game prices...gotta love the ones where they leave the Blockbuster stickers untouched and those tags tend to be a lower price than what GameStop will sell them for.
 
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