GameQuestDirect wants to win the CAGs back - Feedback requested

CheapyD

CheapyD

Head Cheap Ass
Staff member
Feedback
14 (100%)
I have had a series of emails back & forth with the new management at GQD, specifically Marge, their new Business to Business Project Coordinator.
They really want a second chance to become CAGs preferred game retailer and seem to be willing to do quite a bit to regain your trust (and business).

I've told them about the issues that have come up in the past and have sent over the threads on CAG and they have been read.

Here are the responses from GQD:

On employee(s) posing as customers issue:
Hi David, that user has been long gone from this department. He's been moved several times to different divisions and CAG will never hear from him again. So I can assure you what happened before will never happen again. I am also planning to have a long discussion with my team today and may have several customer service reps take the time to read the thread you sent me. I did have a brief discussion with upper management yesterday and they were all very apologetic it wasn't resolved sooner. I will personally make sure your community is well taken care.
Click to expand...

On the misleading reprint issue:
Reading the thread, it looks like a CAG member called GQD and asked if the games were a reprint. For some reason, GQD rep stated it was a stock item they have found. I see where the problem is with this. From what I can say, this is something GQD should have never done and wish to apologize on behalf of everyone here. Sadly at that time of this incident, customer service and sales department was one so it was possible they never knew the title was a reprint but knew the game was rare. I apologize again for this....
Click to expand...
They also mentioned the possibility of giving CAGs a say in games to be reprinted, if that is something you would be interested in.


Marge also asked me to share this:
Please mention we are under different management for consumer relations and that we will be CAG's preferred video game store as well as long term sponsor. I do apologize again for any ill feeling in the past.
Once we start up, we should be able to impress your community. It may take alot of work, but with some irresistable deals and quality service, we should be able to regain CAG's trust back.
Click to expand...
GQD wants to give CAGs exclusive weekly offers, and even more interesting, is willing to try out new things, like letting the CAGs vote on the deals they receive on new release titles.

Personally, I see very little downside in giving GQD a second chance. Worst case scenario is that the deals aren't up to snuff and people don't take advantege of them. However, I learned my lesson from the VGC mess that I need to take the CAGs opinions into account before I move forward on something like this.

Your thoughts?
 
Based on everything you quoted, I'd say give them a second chance. And like you said, the worst thing that could happen is no one decides to shop there.
 
Given that this is new management and not just the same people saying "give us a second chance," I say we give it a go. If things don't work out, we'll end up ignoring them like we do now. So make that a big thumbs up from me.
 
I never heard of them before but I checked out their website and they have an awesome selection of older games.
 
I agree with the majority. If they are willing to make special deals for the group, then so be it. If they mess up again, then it really doesn't matter.
 
I have dealt with them quite a few times to find older titles that couldn't be found elsewhere and I have always been satisfied. The whole reprint thing was a little shady but I think a lot of people expecting rare PS1 RPG's to suddenly appear from thin air would be quite naive too. Give them a 2nd chance.
 
The idea that CAG would maybe get to choose wich games get reprints is totally awesome. There is no risk in this and since the management is new then it should be treated as a new company.
 
I spoke to them at E3 last year, and they admitted to their games being reprints and claimed they were working with the console companies to somehow denote that their games were reprints, so that consumers would know. I doubt that stuff happened, but I also don't see what the problem is for gamers when they're getting the hard to find games they've been wanting without having to pay through the nose from eBay or similar services. Now, if I was a seller, I might be upset, but that's the way the market works.
 
wait cag has history with GQD? Links for the lazy?

funny thing is I mentioned them to a friend after they told me another mutual friend bought a "new" copy of disgaea.

but damn if they're willing to give us leeway as to what would be preferable to reprint I'd buy from them through cag...although some sort of ID marker would be nice...to distingush the difference.

so I guess I'll give them a shot if this rep keeps their word
 
They're just another face in a crowded market without those reprints, which are the only thing that sets themselves apart right now. I have nothing against them, their reputation is fine with me, but I don't see much else that would draw my business. EB/GS are ubiquitous, cheap, and have physical locations. eStarland has imports, oddball items, a large inventory of stuff for older systems, and a good trade in program. Play-Asia and NCSX are all about imports. Liongames has deals on preorders. Amazon, Bestbuy, Circuit City, etc are giants that can offer loss leaders and free shipping. What attracts me to GQD besides the reprints?

I do find the reprints interesting, and I find the ability to perhaps discuss what gets printed to be very interesting. But other than that, they don't seem to do anything better than anyone else. The bundle deals (Suikoden 3/4/5, Shadow Hearts 1/2/3, DMC 1/2/3) seem interesting, but there aren't enough of them and most are sold out. I bet an Atlus collection or an NIS collection or a Square collection could be attractive.
 
I don't see any reason not to let them try to win GAGers over again, but no BS this time. If they want to give us more deals they should have a set CS rep with a GQD avi. so we know who this person is and the mods know this person so no false bs is posted.

I see GQD as being a little shaddy but if they put the deals for us here with mods makeing sure its not some other user I could see shoping there again.
 
[quote name='youruglyclone']wait cag has history with GQD? Links for the lazy?

funny thing is I mentioned them to a friend after they told me another mutual friend bought a "new" copy of disgaea.

but damn if they're willing to give us leeway as to what would be preferable to reprint I'd buy from them through cag...although some sort of ID marker would be nice...to distingush the difference.

so I guess I'll give them a shot if this rep keeps their word[/QUOTE]

This is where the shit first hit the fan:

http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=62337

The problem starts at post #367. Although re-reading through the thread with what I know now, it's pretty damn funny.

GQD totally fucked it up with Rez though:

http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=75380

My thoughts are pretty much summed up in post #190, but 2 things bothered me:

1) Blatant lying, as the first thread the guy claimed there wasn't a reprint, then at the beginning of the Rez thread said that he didn't say yes or no and people "jumped to conclusions".

2) The company tried to take the high road and claim they were doing gamers a favor by giving us a way to play "rare" games, but at the same time they were extorting the fuck out of people before the reprint news got leaked (They were selling Rhapsody at 89.99 on ebay instead of the $49.99 that was MSRP), which is one of the shadiest business practices I've ever witnessed.

That being said, new management rocks. Bring on the deals.

Dave
 
Thumbs up from me.

They reached out to you, and sent a very professional email that addressed several specific points. I'd say that warrants a second chance.

Thanks for letting us in on this!
 
[quote name='evilmax17']Thumbs up from me.

They reached out to you, and sent a very professional email that addressed several specific points. I'd say that warrants a second chance.

Thanks for letting us in on this![/QUOTE]

I concur.

I also have to wipe the drool from my lip as I think of what games I don't have my hands on that I'd like to see reprinted.

I don't know, now that their reprinting is well known, they are capable of pulling the same nonsense they did last time; they should be forgiven, but also monitored to some degree. I'm happy to see them back (if it happens), but I'm also going to be somewhat leery until I see how their proposed work with this site translates into sales/deals/specials for us.
 
Hey, if it means we can get decent deals on games we missed out on (somehow god, let them get the rights to reprint Valkyrie Profile for PSX) then bring on the forgiveness.
 
[quote name='Halo05']Hey, if it means we can get decent deals on games we missed out on (somehow god, let them get the rights to reprint Valkyrie Profile for PSX) then bring on the forgiveness.[/quote]

And Final Fantasy VII as well. GQD will be my own personal Jesus if they can get that accomplished.

[quote name='MightySlacker']This is where the shit first hit the fan:

http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=62337

The problem starts at post #367. Although re-reading through the thread with what I know now, it's pretty damn funny.[/quote]

It took me 20 minutes to skim through that entire thread. I can see why CAG's were upset but my God, I never seen so many people crying about the lack of a sticker. Who gives a shit? The game is still brand new.
 
Everything you posted sounds good cheapy.

Sounds like they are a much more professional operation than they were before, so lets see what they have to offer.
 
How does the game reprinting business even work? A company like GQD goes up to a publisher and asks for the rights and assets, and then produce the reprints? I assume there's limitations to this? Like I probably can't ask for Ikaruga or Ico and magically get them, right?
 
I'm going to wait and see... I never liked GQD before- the only thing that set them apart for any store was that they had reprints and they lied much more than most other retailers (hey, all retailers lie!).

But if this 'new management' can pull some deals for CAGs, then why not?
 
I've never been one to deny someone a second chance. Bring on the deals.

The thought of a "reprint by request" site that caters to us is a good thought.

And start offering trade-ins on things Dreamcast and back, no one else takes them anymore.

Do we currently get any sort of discount whatsoever? I want to pick up some older Final Fantasy games on PS1.
 
I'd like to know how the reprints are done and if they can get anything within reason (i.e. they could just call up konami and ask for a suikoden 2 reprint.)
 
I'd give em a second chance. I mean, I've never had a problem with them, so yeah.

Also, it's nice that you're taking input from members on this.
 
I say go for it. I have nothing against them (hell I think I bought all of their reprints). One thing I would like to know, how in the world did alot of their reprints end up at EB and Gamestop "used" for $39.99?
 
[quote name='dafoomie']They're just another face in a crowded market without those reprints, which are the only thing that sets themselves apart right now. I have nothing against them, their reputation is fine with me, but I don't see much else that would draw my business. EB/GS are ubiquitous, cheap, and have physical locations. eStarland has imports, oddball items, a large inventory of stuff for older systems, and a good trade in program. Play-Asia and NCSX are all about imports. Liongames has deals on preorders. Amazon, Bestbuy, Circuit City, etc are giants that can offer loss leaders and free shipping. What attracts me to GQD besides the reprints?

I do find the reprints interesting, and I find the ability to perhaps discuss what gets printed to be very interesting. But other than that, they don't seem to do anything better than anyone else. The bundle deals (Suikoden 3/4/5, Shadow Hearts 1/2/3, DMC 1/2/3) seem interesting, but there aren't enough of them and most are sold out. I bet an Atlus collection or an NIS collection or a Square collection could be attractive.[/QUOTE]
IAWTP.

So let's see some deals and some user involvement and we'll see where it goes.

I don't think any CAG would hold a grudge against a company if the deals are good enough.
 
I'm with the "give 'em a second chance" crowd

Thanks Cheapy for letting CAGs in on this decision-making process--as some have said, the worst that can happen is no one really shops there.

As for the whole reprint thing, I could care less. I collect games myself, but only to play, not because I expect them to sell them later for profit. It'd be great to be able to pick up OOP games at a reasonable price instead of getting raped by eBay or the grey market in general.
 
Is there like...really any differences between original and reprints? If so, how does one tell? I ask cause of you are making fusses as if someone shat in your bowls of cereal. Honestly though, I really couldn't care too much. I just want some damn Dreamcast and PlayStation games.

My only beef is how damned expensive some of these games are. HUGE library, sure, but quite expensive. Like $28.99 for a Wii 2000 Points card? Yikes.
 
I never gave them even a first chance, since I usually buy my games @ retail. But, if they can make the reprints a reasonable price and not $50 a damn pop, I'd be in for some PS1/PS2/Xbox reprints, since there's some games I still can't find.

And, I think a few on here know which ONE game I'd love to see reprinted on PS1 right NOW @ a reasonable price: INTELLIGENT QUBE

Although, another one I'd love to see reprinted, since my one buddy who I lent my copy to can't find the fuckin thing is:Treasures Of The Deep

So, thumbs up from me, but cautiously...
 
For starters I looked over their inventory a year or so ago and was impressed by what they had, except for the price, but saying that I did buy a copy of Cubivore when it was decently priced there.

If they want to reprint harder to find titles like Rez (which unsuprisingly is OOS again) more power to'em. Give'em a go again and see what they can do, who knows, they might be a nice place to go to get rare hard to obtain reasonably priced older titles at the original MSRP. Hey it's a lot better than $150 for a sealed copy of Suikoden 2 offa Ebay ya know.

[quote name='Dr Mario Kart']It would be nice to know in advance that something in our collection is about to become worthless. Just a courtesy.[/quote]

See that bugs, me, I know a lot of people around here, actually care about how much their collection is worth, but I'm not from that camp (I collect just to play quality, sometimes rare games, and don't like paying outrageous prices for them) and would rather see a shiny new reprint copy of Nocturne (if I was looking for one, which I'm not) for $40-50, instead of taking a $80-100+ hit on Ebay because some slimeball has 6 copies he had managed to hoard in the past 3 years because he KNEW it was rare.

No offense to those who do that, but I think that's a lot more shady then them reprinting something (regardless if they denote it as such or not) people actually want and letting them have it at the expense of a few leeches looking to make some money in the secondary market.

I'd say the folks that got Rez for $40 are happy, and I'd rather see rare games get to those who want to play them, then to be hoarded by those only looking out for themselves. Just because later you can't sell it for oodles of money doesn't diminish how good the game still is, and honestly if you wait long enough it will be rare once again, just think long term is all.

Just my opinion, but anyway I think this will be a good thing.
 
[quote name='CheapyD']I have had a series of emails back & forth with the new management at GQD, specifically Marge, their new Business to Business Project Coordinator.
They really want a second chance to become CAGs preferred game retailer and seem to be willing to do quite a bit to regain your trust (and business).

I've told them about the issues that have come up in the past and have sent over the threads on CAG and they have been read.

Here are the responses from GQD:

On employee(s) posing as customers issue:


On the misleading reprint issue:
They also mentioned the possibility of giving CAGs a say in games to be reprinted, if that is something you would be interested in.


Marge also asked me to share this:

GQD wants to give CAGs exclusive weekly offers, and even more interesting, is willing to try out new things, like letting the CAGs vote on the deals they receive on new release titles.

Personally, I see very little downside in giving GQD a second chance. Worst case scenario is that the deals aren't up to snuff and people don't take advantege of them. However, I learned my lesson from the VGC mess that I need to take the CAGs opinions into account before I move forward on something like this.

Your thoughts?[/QUOTE]

Go for it! I have had nothing but positive experiences buying from them.
 
Ive ordered from them several times, even after the debacle here, when they were persona non grata. I have no problem giving them another chance, they have games that you just can't get new anywhere else, reprints or no.
 
[quote name='wizardofcoz4126']I say go for it. I have nothing against them (hell I think I bought all of their reprints). One thing I would like to know, how in the world did alot of their reprints end up at EB and Gamestop "used" for $39.99?[/quote]

I say give them another chance, but the fact that this has happened (I've seen the brand new "used games" too), makes me a little leery of them. GS/EB must be buying the games pretty cheaply to be able to do this. So have them sell to CAGers at better prices than they currently have.
 
[quote name='Tsukento']Is there like...really any differences between original and reprints? If so, how does one tell? I ask cause of you are making fusses as if someone shat in your bowls of cereal. Honestly though, I really couldn't care too much. I just want some damn Dreamcast and PlayStation games.[/quote] As for the games themselves, not a damn thing. Those that want the reprints marked as such believe that they'll still be able to charge exorbitant prices for their so-called "originals."
 
Money talks, bullshit walks. I'd have to see what they're offering out of the gate to see if they're worth giving any money to.

If they try to pull any of the crap that happened under "previous management", then I think it's more of the same again.

I'd be willing to give them a chance, though I'd have to see their initial offer first.
 
I've never purchased anything from them before due to high prices, few deals, and the fact that they seem to like to screw people over on eBay for a few weeks every time they get some "OMG RARE" title reprinted.

Cheapy didn't specifically mention in his first post how they're going to handle future reprints. Are they going to use CAG as a measuring device to gauge interest in future reprints, and then continue to gouge people on eBay before selling the rest of the stock to GameStop when the word gets out that such-and-such old title has been reprinted and they've finished r(e)aping the eBay profits? If that's the case, we can just wait and buy the reprints as used games from Gamestop at a lower price. :p

Assuming they're serious, and assuming management really has changed (we have no real way of knowing, after all), and assuming they DO offer us some good deals, I'd be willing to give them a shot.

I'd also love to be able to vote for reprints...there are a good number of Saturn games I'd love to see reprinted.


Oh, and that means the $59.99 asking price for Sega Ages for Saturn has GOTS TA GO, GQD. You people have to be out of your minds...you're all about the rare games, but then you put that kind of price on a title that's not Burning Rangers, or House of the Dead, or even freakin' Dragon Force? WTF?
 
[quote name='darkwingduck13']If that's the case, we can just wait and buy the reprints as used games from Gamestop at a lower price. :p[/quote] Some of these things are cheaper new than GameStop's used prices. And GameStop no longer takes anything pre-PlayStation 2, GBA games aside, so it'd be rather difficult to find any PlayStation, N64 and Dreamcast games used from them. :p

Reprints of older classics would definately rock hard. Sorry collectors, but some of us want games to play, not keep on our shelves to sell on eBay.
 
are people really mad that their games will be de-valued?


c'mon, I like owning and selling rare games as much as the next guy, but I can't argue that reprinting a super rare title at a lower price is a bad thing. at least, not without a defense that makes me look completely selfish and evil.



just as long as those bastards don't reprint persona 1 and 2 by next week :bomb: ;)
 
[quote name='Tsukento']Some of these things are cheaper new than GameStop's used prices. And GameStop no longer takes anything pre-PlayStation 2, GBA games aside, so it'd be rather difficult to find any PlayStation, N64 and Dreamcast games used from them. :p

Reprints of older classics would definately rock hard. Sorry collectors, but some of us want games to play, not keep on our shelves to sell on eBay.[/QUOTE]

The first part of this is a valid point. Since I never go into those two stores, I keep forgetting that GS/EB have phased out everything below the PS2.

Regardless, my argument on GQD's retarded pricing stands.

Even on below-average, non-"rare" PSOne RPGs, they're insane. Crusaders of Might and Magic for $20? My local Circuit City couldn't sell copies of that title until it hit the $2.96 mark! Dragon Valor is sitting at $39.99, when no used game shop in my area charges more than $14.99 for it (and most $9.99).

I agree that reprints of older classics would rock. I'd buy them, if they were priced reasonably. I'm not saying they should be priced at the same level as a used copy in one of my local shops, either. I'm just saying that printing a new copy of a game for a discontinued system and expecting to be able to charge the retail price of 8 years ago is madness, no matter how "rare" the game has become. Why? Because when you reprint it, you've automatically made it less rare! This is just an economic, cheap-ass point I'm trying to make. I'm not bitching because I have a ton of "rare" games, or because I want to make money on eBay. I'm the opposite. I want to buy the "rare" games that I want to play cheap, and if someone is going to reprint those titles, I see no reason why I can't expect to pay a much more reasonable price for them.
 
If you are not happy with the price of a game, don't buy it! They are overpriced on many items, but that means they got a few games I do want brand new that are OOS everywhere else.
 
And I don't buy from them currently. But they're asking what they can do to improve business with us.

Thing to do to improve business with Cheapass Gamers #1: Figure out what constitutes reasonable pricing, and apply it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top