Sitting here with my boyfriend reading this thread for a while. We both work at GameStop stores, and though I can't recall any particular occaisions, here are a few of his stories.
Here's a really good one about a recent PSP incident. This guy bought a PSP at some point, and then, a week later, he calls the store, and thankfully, right as I get my 3rd key walking in to take the next shift. Here's the conversation:
Dude: "Hey, can I take back my PSP?"
Me: "What do you mean? A trade in, or return?"
Dude: "No, I want to return it."
Me: "We'll be happy to take it in provided it's still sealed in the box, you have the receipt, and you're within the 7 day return period for a full refund."
Dude: "Well I have the receipt, it's just that I just don't like the system. It sucks and I really don't need it."
Me: "Oh, then I'm sorry, man, the most I'll be able to do is take it in for a trade in of... (check)... $170 in store credit, or if you do want cash back, it's 20% less of that."
Dude: "Wait, what? You guys don't have like... a 30 day money back guarantee policy?"
Me: "Nope. Once it's been opened it's yours to keep, and you have to deal with Sony as far as any defects or any use of their warranties. I mean, is there something wrong with it?"
So, it goes on like this for a couple of minutes, he says no, there's nothing wrong. He just doesn't like it and wants his money back, and he should be able to, bla bla bla. Notice how I start off polite, and so does he, but the more I talk with the policy, the more he starts to become a jackass.
Dude: "That's bullshit, man, you should be able to return it for me. It's practically brand new!"
Me: "Practically, it might be, dude, but it's not. It's been opened, played, and the thing is freakin' finger-print-happy, no matter how much you clean it, your prints will show up. We won't be able to sell it as new!"
Dude: "Yes you can! Everyone wants one of these! Just sell it back!"
Me: "We can't, it's been used, it's used product. We can't sell a used product for new price. It doesn't work that way."
Dude: "Dude anyone will buy it!"
Me: "I'm sorry, that is the policy for a reason. The company has actually been sued for such actions long ago regarding a $50 game, and we've created a policy to avoid that problem, let alone for a $250 system."
Dude: "Man whatever that's bullshit!" *hang up*
Okay, waste of like 45 minutes on the phone there with the guy. Love it.
Fast forward about 4 hours, right about when my shift ends. A chick calls back. My third key answers, and it's about the PSP. Great, now we have a messenger that has no idea whats' going on in between. She bitches and complains about how it's bullcrap that we won't take it back, etc. etc., and my 3rd key just replies with practically the same things I said. At this point, I'm clocking out, and am waiting to get checked out, and I just see his eyes light up, quirk the phone away from his ear. I can literally hear this chick screaming into the phone, to the point where he sighs and says "I'm sorry m'am, this conversation is over. Thanks for calling." and hangs up.
He made me so proud.
Ooh ooh, here's another. Involves Final Fantasy XI for PC!
Kid and his father come in. BUSY as hell day, we've got lines backed up to the wall. Our store is usually top in trade-ins in the area, so when we get customer issues in the middle of these days, it hurts. He says he wants to return the game. I see it's a PC game, and our policy on PC games is that all sales are FINAL unless there is a defect with the game and you're within the 7 day exchange period. So, immediately I think, "well, this is going to suck, because I know this will understandably make him mad and I'm going to get some crap for it, but here we go..."
Me: "I'm sorry sir, we don't take returns on PC games. All I can do is exchange for another if there was something wrong. Especially with that game in particular; it's an online game, uses a pre-determined key that comes with that game only. There's no way I'd be able to take it back."
Dad: "No, but the thing is, I didn't know you needed a credit card to play this game, and my son (looked about 10ish), certainly doesn't have one, and I won't do it."
Me: "Well, you know, there are GameCards you can buy, and you can just use your Credit Card as a safety measure for the game company to charge you incase you want to continue playing past your allotted play time."
Kid butts in: "Yeah but I didn't even know that."
Me: "Well we do tell everyone who buys Online Only games that the game is online only, and if it's pay-to-play, we DEFINATELY mention it, at least we try to. Also, there's a lot of print on the box that tells you specifically what you need to play and how you'll be able to play." [note: how many of you had this problem with Half-Life 2?]
Dad: "But I didn't know I had to use my credit card, and there's no way I will do it. Can't you guys just return it?"
So I explain about the whole deal with PC games and why GameStop deals with them the way they do, especially with online games. "Games can be easily bought, burned, copied, piracy issues practically, and the game keys can be used up, then returned for full refund, and no offense, not saying that's what's happening here, but that's the policy that was created in order to stop that."
Thankfully, he listened to me, and didn't take offense. But, they kept pleading, pleading and pleading. To the point that my line was backing up and I finally broke and said, "Well, the best I can do then is give you store credit so you can at least leave with something else, but I can't give cash back. Do you guys have the receipt?"
Dad looks to his kid, "You have the receipt?" But by this time, as soon as the dreaded "R WORD" escaped my mouth, I saw his head jolt back kind of saying "D'OH" to himself, and he puts his head down and says "... no." The dad, now at least knowing he lost, sighs and says "You don't have the receipt?" "... no, I have no idea where it is either."
SCORE! What a lovely waste of time. For the father, too, I see. He's willing to fight, and I'm cool with that. It sucks on my part, but I believe it doesn't hurt to try especially if you don't turn into a jack ass about it. He would have won. But he lost, because his kid wasn't responsible to not only CHECK the box and know exactly what he was getting into, but for not keeping important paperwork. I loves it.
I have more but I think I'm rambling on now. I don't know if this is good to read or boring, so I'll go ahead and give the computer back Zingela.