Store policies of trading back games while keeping rewards

Tarskidx

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Hey guys, I have 2 questions in regards to returning games and trying to keep the rewards if it is possible and hopefully you can answer this or clarify it for me.

I was wondering if any of you know from experience if you were to buy a game like Ghostbusters (it was Infamous last week) from Toys R Us that is giving a $20 gift card with purchase and then trade the game back in a week or two unopened with receipt, would they expect the gift card back as well or just simply give me a full refund or only full store credit?

How about if you were to say that you don't have the receipt but am returning the game unopened, would they still take it for a full store credit? That way you could use the gift card and use that towards the purchase of the same game for $20 less.

Also, there are many stores that are doing a B2G1 free deal now and say if you were trying to return one of the games that you bought because at the time you were just taking advantage of the deal but now a newer game came out that you want, will they allow you to do an even swap?

How about if you tried to trade back or even two of these games back unopened, how do they figure out your refund and do you get to would it be better trying your luck without a receipt and trying to get store credit
and would you be able to keep that third game free?

Thanks in advance for answering this question because I am new to figuring out tricks of the trade and I appreciate your replies.
 
How about you stop trying to rip stores off ? If you try to return it w/ receipt they will prolly only refund you $40, and w/o receipt they will give you a $40 gc. Unless their system doesn't automatically catch that and the employee is really stupid.

This isn't tricks of the trade, this is blatantly stealing and not what CAG is about. Anything regarding buying something with a free GC/Game and trying to return the purchase is wrong and shouldn't be done.

Some TRU's will however allow you to do an even exchange during the B2G1 sale in the fall. That isn't as wrong, but still isn't high on the ethics list.
 
They will give you whatever retail price is minus $20. Toys R Us doesn't do returns without a receipt.

How about not committing return fraud.
 
Every store's return policy without receipt is usually "lowest price during the return period, even if that price is clearance, is the amount given as a refund."

So, assuming TRU accepts your return, you'll get $39.99 + Tax on a gift card. Feel free to bitch if you'd like to be escorted out and 86'd.
 
Someone revoke his "Veteran" status?

Or change his username to "THIEF", like Link's Awakening does to you if you steal from the store (I always stole the shovel!)
 
[quote name='MasterSun1']Someone revoke his "Veteran" status?

Or change his username to "THIEF", like Link's Awakening does to you if you steal from the store (I always stole the shovel!)[/QUOTE]

I did this, and I got called thief and killed. Turned off the game boy, and when I turned it back on, my file was corrupted. Never stole in that game again.

OP, that's not a "trick of the trade", that's straight up stealing, and I'm sure everyone here thinks less of you for trying to pull this bullshit. I know I do.
 
Guys, I meant no disrespect and I am not sure if flaming me is warranted as I never did this or even boasted about doing it as you guys set me straight and I have seen the error in trying this.

However, I did say hypothetically speaking because I did not know the difference because I have read it here on this very board that people have intentionally preordered games to get free gifts only to not get the game and transfer the money elsewhere and still keep the gifts. I considered that along the same lines and maybe its semantics.

I did want to even exchange an unopened game and see if they would allow a swap because they were out of the one game that I did want at the time of the B2G1 free deal. Anyways, you guys are right and I won't even try to do it. and I respect your opinions and I want to say thank you for all of the help.
 
[quote name='Tarskidx']Guys, I meant no disrespect and I am not sure if flaming me is warranted as I never did this or even boasted about doing it as you guys set me straight and I have seen the error in trying this.

However, I did say hypothetically speaking because I did not know the difference because I have read it here on this very board that people have intentionally preordered games to get free gifts only to not get the game and transfer the money elsewhere and still keep the gifts. I considered that along the same lines and maybe its semantics.

I did want to even exchange an unopened game and see if they would allow a swap because they were out of the one game that I did want at the time of the B2G1 free deal. Anyways, you guys are right and I won't even try to do it. and I respect your opinions and I want to say thank you for all of the help.[/QUOTE] you could try reselling the game on ebay, list it for $40 or something. keep the $20 GC but that wouldnt really be much of a profit but at least youre not committing return fraud.
 
Thanks phear3d that makes sense and I could always do that.

To Brian 9824, that is not entirely true because Target had just in the past couple of months a buy 2 new games and get 1 free deal for both the Wii and PS3. That is what I was referring to. Thanks!
 
Any time you think you're going to be able to cheat the system, you won't be able to.

Target's B2G1 sales have that already figured into the mix. If you look at the receipt when you purchase the three games, it'll show one game being "free", though if you look at all three line items, it'll show "Return value $40" or something like that. If you tried to return the two non-"free" games, you'd end up only getting back $80 from $120 worth of purchases.

TRU's B2G1 is a little more ambiguous, as they've gone back and forth on how they handle it. More recently, any returns on any of the games requires the return of all three games to do any returns on any of the items. Some stores won't follow policy and they'll give you a GC for 1/3 of the total purchase, so you're not getting all your money back.

Games that are purchased with a "free" GC have the value of the GC reduced from the return, if you try to return the game without the GC, or they won't let you return the item at all unless you return the GC at the same time.

Also, tricks you're trying to pull with a receiptless return is why stores are moving away from them. Returns without a receipt are for customers that have lost their receipt, not "misplaced" it to try and get a free $20 GC or a free game out of the store. Abuse of promotions gets less of them for those of us that actually want to take benefit from them. If you need $20 so badly, or a free game so badly, go get a job.

And people thinking that they can "cheat" the system with free items with purchase are why these promotions can disappear and are starting to disappear.
 
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Shrike4242, your points are well taken and thank you! I more than anyone appreciate honesty without getting flamed, so for that I respect what you say. I do have a great paying job and it was just a weird "too good to be true" type scenario and I compared it to the free items with purchase and I have seen the light. What you said makes absolute sense and that is all I could ask for so thank you once again and for the record, I am not even going to consider doing this after you guys made me see the error of my ways. THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN TO ALL!
 
the_more_you_know.jpg
 
[quote name='shrike4242']
TRU's B2G1 is a little more ambiguous, as they've gone back and forth on how they handle it. More recently, any returns on any of the games requires the return of all three games to do any returns on any of the items. Some stores won't follow policy and they'll give you a GC for 1/3 of the total purchase, so you're not getting all your money back.
[/QUOTE]
i guess thats why they use a "special" gift card for these events. but when they do run out of it they end up using the regular ones.
 
[quote name='Tarskidx']Shrike4242, your points are well taken and thank you! I more than anyone appreciate honesty without getting flamed, so for that I respect what you say. I do have a great paying job and it was just a weird "too good to be true" type scenario and I compared it to the free items with purchase and I have seen the light. What you said makes absolute sense and that is all I could ask for so thank you once again and for the record, I am not even going to consider doing this after you guys made me see the error of my ways. THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN TO ALL![/QUOTE]The retailers are the last people to take a loss on a promotion, so they're working their best to make sure they don't.

[quote name='phear3d']i guess thats why they use a "special" gift card for these events. but when they do run out of it they end up using the regular ones.[/QUOTE]TRU does the "limited expiration time" gift cards, though I don't think other vendors do, like Target.
 
[quote name='chakan']You must have thought you were posting at FelonAssGamers[/QUOTE]
[quote name='lolwut?']This is "Cheap Ass Gamer", not "Thieving-Ass Gamer"[/QUOTE]

Yer doin' it wrong. Gotta keep the acronym:

Crook Ass Gamer

OP: there is one related buy/return you can do without feeling too bad: Pre-order bonuses. Many people buy the $5 preorder bonus, or go so far as to buy the game to get the "at the time of pick up" bonus, and then return the voucher/game a few weeks later without the bonus.
 
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