My Gamestop rant for the day.....

ajh2298

ajh2298

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I had a copy of Batman:AA pre-order and paid in full at GS for over a month now and today at 10:00am my wife goes and picks it for me because she works by the store. And guess what I get a gutted display shelf copy sealed in a baggie. WTF was the point of pre-ordering? I understand that sometimes you get the last copy of a game and they have to give you the display case but not on a game I pre-order a month ago and not 2 minutes after the store opens the day the game releases. The best part is my wife asked for a sealed copy and they tell her thats the only one they have for now, so she takes it and just tells me later on that she picked up the game for me.

So when she gets home and hands me the bag I see that the game was already gutted and sealed in a baggie and she explained to me what they told her at the store. So I get pissed and call the store and the guy tells me that their store had a midnight launch and all the sealed copies were sold or picked up than and if I wanted a sealed copy I should have came to the midnight launch. I asked why if I pre-ordered a copy was not put aside for me and he said that the copy my wife picked up was put aside for me. But than I asked why they needed to take it off the display shelf if it was put aside for me and he didnt have a answer for that. So now I am on my way out there to cancel the 5 paid in full pre-orders I have there to transfer them to another store I dont think that will matter much to the store but it might make me feel a little better.
 
never preorder at gamestop. other places always have a better deal, or at least have as good a deal. why, you could of had your wife go to TRU today and pick up the game and get a nice gift card along with it. after all, isnt that why youre registered at CAG in the first place?
 
[quote name='RAMSTORIA']never preorder at gamestop. other places always have a better deal, or at least have as good a deal. why, you could of had your wife go to TRU today and pick up the game and get a nice gift card along with it. after all, isnt that why youre registered at CAG in the first place?[/QUOTE]

I also got a copy at TRU with the $15.00 in coupons I had so that one only cost me $45.00 plus tax out the door plus the $30.00 which I will use on GH5 next week. The GS copy was just going to be returned anyway but to me its just about the point if I wanted a opened copy from them I would have waited a week and found a used copy. And the only reason I pre-ordered is a have a lot of in-store credit built up that I have to do something with.
 
So you're going to go now to pre-order at another Gamestop? Sounds like you learned your lesson.

Seriously, unless you raped them with flips to earn trade in credit (in which case, it's fair to assume they will reverse rape you with gutted copies), there should be no reason to preorder at Gamestop. Everyone knows they blow hard.
 
[quote name='lolwut?']So you're going to go now to pre-order at another Gamestop? Sounds like you learned your lesson.

Seriously, unless you raped them with flips to earn trade in credit (in which case, it's fair to assume they will reverse rape you with gutted copies), there should be no reason to preorder at Gamestop. Everyone knows they blow hard.[/QUOTE]

Fact. Unless you're real impatient, with its tax-free, discounted prices, free shipping, often a bonus item, and guaranteed tamper-free packaging, Amazon is the one true god.
 
Complain to the DM. You'll be a preferred customer from then on. You'll get all preorder bonuses and the best deals possible. You'll probably get a gift card for your troubles.
 
Yeah I usally only buy used from GS and only it there is a good coupon or a B2G1 sale going on at the time. But with all the credit I had built up I pre-ordered all the games I knew were going to be day one full price purchases for me (I.E. NHL 10, COD:MW2, Batman:AA, Halo:ODST, and Uncharted 2). If a better deal comes up at another store like TRU I will always drop the pre-order at GS and go with the other place. Me getting Batman at both places today was a spur of the moment thing after my wife already picked up my GS copy I told to hit TRU to get from there also for the $30.00 gift card. If I knew about my GS pre-ordered copy being gutted I would have told here to have them cancel it and have the credit put back on edge card for another purchase down the road.
 
Why would you ever pre-order at Gamestop...do you really think between them, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Target, Sears, KMart or FYE that you won't be able to find the game you want on release day?

Seems stupid, especially if you know Gamestop guts games to begin with.
 
[quote name='JaylisJayP']Why would you ever pre-order at Gamestop...do you really think between them, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Target, Sears, KMart or FYE that you won't be able to find the game you want on release day?

Seems stupid, especially if you know Gamestop guts games to begin with.[/QUOTE]

He just stated that he had store credit to burn.

As others have said, I'd definitely go to tellgamestop.com and complain about the entire experience. Make sure to note down that you'd prefer the District Manager to call you so he can personally make amends. (Usually a gift card or discount of some sort.)
 
I am sure if you find the dick that smart mouthed you and cancelled all the pre-order with him, you will have your revenge! :D

i have not done it personally, but i heard that get them into big shit!

of course you could contact ask for the contact info of the dm, and hopefully the dm is not a dick as well. LOL
 
This same shit happened to me the other week with the retail version of Marvel vs. Capcom 2. I had already preordered and paid in full, but when I went to pick up the game the very same day it came in, it was a gutted copy. And apparently it was the only one the store received, too. fucking idiots.
 
holy shit, they actually take the games out of cases and try to sell them as new? That's so messed up. I can't believe I've never heard of this before.
 
[quote name='DreamSymphony']Weren't you going to open it anyways and play it? Is the game scratched up? If the answer is yes, and no why all the bitching?[/QUOTE]
What's the point in paying a "premium" for new if it's already opened? I ran into this same problem this past xmas when trying to find a game for my nephew at the last minute. Found a game I thought was appropriate, and asked if they had a sealed copy, considering it was a gift. Their response was it was a new copy. I could've bought the same game off the used wall for $20 less. If it were for myself, I would just buy the used copy, but as a gift I find it tacky to give something thats already opened.
 
[quote name='DreamSymphony']Weren't you going to open it anyways and play it? Is the game scratched up? If the answer is yes, and no why all the bitching?[/QUOTE]

From what I remember, some Gamestops allow employess to take gutted games home to play. While it probably doesn't apply in this case, with most gutted copies, there's a possibility that the game you buy may have already been played....and if you take home a game that's been opened and played by someone else, why should you have to pay the New price for it?

And anyways, the customer has every right to complain if he buys something under certain expectations and the product was not delivered to meet them. People only preorder new games, and new should always mean "factory sealed". Sure, he was going to play it, but what if he wanted to give it as a gift or something.
 
Today at midnight when I picked up Batman they also gave me my Dissidia psp bundle and when I got home and was opening the Dissidia bundle I noticed that seals were kinda weird. Well thats because there were new seals over the ones that were cut open, I was so pissed off it was unreal. I went online to there survey site and filled out a nasty letter and selected that I wanted the District manager to call me back. Lady called today and shes like well we don't open systems for employees to use just games so..... Im like yeah well if you were buying an electric toothbrush would you want one that someone opened. So the lady said I could go exchange it even though I played it already for a new one. I said ok thats fine but Im still filing out a complaint with the state consumer protection division because you let employees play new games then sell it as brand new to consumers as if its never been used just opened for display purposes, she had no comment. In my state this is against the law as its lumped in with deceptive business practices that specifically states selling product as new when its not and Im basically tired of them getting away with that shit.
 
[quote name='ajh2298']...I am on my way out there to cancel the 5 paid in full pre-orders I have there to transfer them to another store...[/QUOTE]

:wall::wall::wall:
 
[quote name='ajh2298']So I get pissed and call the store and the guy tells me that their store had a midnight launch and all the sealed copies were sold or picked up than and if I wanted a sealed copy I should have came to the midnight launch.[/QUOTE]

Sounds like he's full of shit. GameStops get tons of copies of games for midnight launches. I went to the Gears of War 2 and Metal Gear Solid 4 midnight launches, and a week later they still had more copies of them then I could even believe. Unless they stayed up all night gutting the leftovers or something.
 
Yea, they get tons of stock of popular games during release. Think how much it would bite to under-stock when demand is the highest, that just wont do.
cagus.smile.jpg
 
[quote name='Salamando3000']And anyways, the customer has every right to complain if he buys something under certain expectations and the product was not delivered to meet them. People only preorder new games, and new should always mean "factory sealed". Sure, he was going to play it, but what if he wanted to give it as a gift or something.[/QUOTE]
Exactly. Would you buy a car that was advertised as new if it 10k miles on it, even if the dealership cleaned it up all spiffy like new? I know I wouldn't.
 
In addition to filling out the survey, write a polite but firm letter to their corporate office explaining what happened. I've found that many companies will take you even more seriously if you've actually taken the time to write, stamp, and mail them correspondence.
 
I half-hope this happens with my copy of ODST so I can get a discount or gift card. I raped them with flips, so it'd be alright.
 
[quote name='Moses144']Fact. Unless you're real impatient, with its tax-free, discounted prices, free shipping, often a bonus item, and guaranteed tamper-free packaging, Amazon is the one true god.[/QUOTE]
Amazon's getting really good about offering Release-date shipping for games, so even if you're impatient Amazon is still your best bet.

For example, I preordered Beatles Rock Band and even with the premium for Release-date shipping I'm still paying $2 less than I would if I bought it at GameStop. Best of all, I won't have to pay a penny until September 8th, when the game ships.

With the ability to buy points and Arcade games through Amazon I see no reason for anyone with cash to buy from GameStop.
 
[quote name='ajh2298']I am on my way out there to cancel the 5 paid in full pre-orders I have there to transfer them to another store...[/QUOTE]

This actually makes sense. Not every GS is quite as bad as others. It can't hurt to keep trying until you find one you like and stick with that store until all of the good employees are gone.
 
Happen to me with an obscure RPG I pre-ordered, but they only got two copies, and I was the only one to pre-order so how da fuck did I get the gutted copy....and the factory sealed copy went to someone else who dident pre-order?

I was pissed, but he slaped on one of those round plastic stickers so they can tell if you open your newly gutted copy....I try to return it two days later to exchange it for another game.....GS employee said NOPE cant let you do that, its considered USED, cause the seal is broken, you can get the TIV though.....oh the fucken irony

Im like oh, well I need to cancel 3 pre orders in that case, cause I cant take the risk of getting a gutted copy again....and the DM name and number pleas....needless to say he let me exchange for any game I want, and he did it with a smile :)
 
I remember some former gamestop employee saying the reason why games are gutted is because of the employees. Since they get to "rent" games for a week, they open the games, play em, and sell them back as new.

I've only been offered a gutted copy of a game once and I declined. Seriously, who the fuck would pay full price for an opened game?
 
[quote name='rainking187']Sounds like he's full of shit. GameStops get tons of copies of games for midnight launches. I went to the Gears of War 2 and Metal Gear Solid 4 midnight launches, and a week later they still had more copies of them then I could even believe. Unless they stayed up all night gutting the leftovers or something.[/QUOTE]

My local Gamestop only got enough copies for pre-orders. They turned away 2 people at the midnight launch.
 
In addition to writing a letter, send it certified mail. This way you know that they have recieved the letter. Sure it is a bit more money, but at least, they know you mean business.

Another effective way is to email-bomb GS's executive board. See if you can find an email address to their CEO, CFO, COO, etc. The best way to do this is doing some research with Google Finance and GS's annual report. Then send a firm email to everybody involved. Be sure to copy your Attorney General, Consumerist.com, Kotaku.com, your local BBB, and any media outlets like your local NBC, ABC, and CBS affiliates.

I did this for Domino's one time, and within the hour, I had 7 phone calls form various people from Domino's executive board trying to fix the issue.

****EDIT ****

I did the hard work for you. Here are the members of Gamestop's Exec. Board (found via Gamestop.com's website and Google Finance)

R. Richard Fontaine - Executive Chairman of the Board
Daniel A. DeMatteo - Chief Executive Officer, Director
Catherine R. Smith - Chief Financial Officer, Executive Vice President
Julian Paul Raines - Chief Operating Officer
Tony D. Bartel - Executive Vice President - Merchandising and Marketing
Robert Alan Lloyd - Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer
Leonard Riggio - Director
Michael N. Rosen - Director
Stephanie M. Shern - Director
Edward A. Volkwein - Director

In addition (according to Gamestop's own website), the email address for everybody is [email protected]. So John Doe's email address is [email protected].

Hope this is helpful.

[quote name='saturnotaku']In addition to filling out the survey, write a polite but firm letter to their corporate office explaining what happened. I've found that many companies will take you even more seriously if you've actually taken the time to write, stamp, and mail them correspondence.[/QUOTE]
 
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[quote name='blissskr']the District manager to call me back. Lady called today and shes like well we don't open systems for employees to use just games so..... [/QUOTE]lol i love how she admitted that they play with the games after they opened it. :applause::applause::applause::applause::applause:
 
[quote name='Salamando3000']and if you take home a game that's been opened and played by someone else, why should you have to pay the New price for it?

And anyways, the customer has every right to complain if he buys something under certain expectations and the product was not delivered to meet them.People only preorder new games, and new should always mean "factory sealed". Sure, he was going to play it, but what if he wanted to give it as a gift or something.[/QUOTE]

Seriously? It's not like the guy puts a sealed copy in your bag and then when you get home it's gutted. You're looking right at it. If the guy grabs a gutted copy, you say "excuse me, I'd prefer a sealed one." Or, better yet, you go to Best Buy or Wal-Mart like you should have in the first place. It's not the most complicated concept in history.

Moreover, the customer has every right to not repeatedly shop at fucking Gamestop if they disagree with this practice. And then we wouldn't have to hear people complain about getting gutted games when they continue to go back time and time again, like it's surprising to anyone ever. But, I know, that makes entirely too much sense. They would rather purposely make poor decisions and then feel an undeserved sense of entitlement.

[quote name='Poor2More']Happen to me with an obscure RPG I pre-ordered, but they only got two copies, and I was the only one to pre-order so how da fuck did I get the gutted copy....and the factory sealed copy went to someone else who dident pre-order?

I was pissed, but he slaped on one of those round plastic stickers so they can tell if you open your newly gutted copy....I try to return it two days later to exchange it for another game.....GS employee said NOPE cant let you do that, its considered USED, cause the seal is broken, you can get the TIV though.....oh the fucken irony[/QUOTE]

A lot like this.
 
Good for you to go back and cancel those pre-orders. No sense in shopping there or doing any of that crap with asshats like that. Truthfully, I would call the DM for that store and complain. That isnt cool regardless, and a pre-order shouldnt end up as a gutted copy.
 
[quote name='MSUHitman']My local Gamestop only got enough copies for pre-orders. They turned away 2 people at the midnight launch.[/QUOTE]That should be interesting about my copy, since I won't get a chance to get over there until Friday. If I end up with a gutted copy (which I did for Overlord II, though it appeared to never have been played and they made up for it with extra swag) on this one, I think I'm done and canning all my preorders.

Which store was it, the one in Fenton @ Gravois Bluffs?
 
UPDATE: My wife returned the game for me and also cancelled the other couple of pre-orders I had and had everything put back on my edge card. She also found out when she returned the game that the kid who waited on her yesterday gutted more copies for each system than he was supposed to and some were missing their bonus download codes for the extra GS exclusive "Dem Bones" map. Also the woman who waited on her said they had plenty of sealed copies still behind the counter and didnt know why if I pre-ordered I got a opened copy. Thats when she opened the copy that my wife got yesterday to reveal that the bonus map code was missing from my copy also.
 
[quote name='ajh2298']UPDATE: My wife returned the game for me and also cancelled the other couple of pre-orders I had and had everything put back on my edge card. She also found out when she returned the game that the kid who waited on her yesterday gutted more copies for each system than he was supposed to and some were missing their bonus download codes for the extra GS exclusive "Dem Bones" map. Also the woman who waited on her said they had plenty of sealed copies still behind the counter and didnt know why if I pre-ordered I got a opened copy. Thats when she opened the copy that my wife got yesterday to reveal that the bonus map code was missing from my copy also.[/QUOTE]

Ugh. fucking ridiculous. That prick of an employee is most likely selling those codes on ebay.

(I just checked and it seems those codes are fetching a good $20 a pop.)
 
[quote name='SlammedNiss']Exactly. Would you buy a car that was advertised as new if it 10k miles on it, even if the dealership cleaned it up all spiffy like new? I know I wouldn't.[/QUOTE]

Those are two completely different products. Don't compare video games to cars. Compare video games to like media like DVD's and CD's.
 
[quote name='Moses144']Fact. Unless you're real impatient, with its tax-free, discounted prices, free shipping, often a bonus item, and guaranteed tamper-free packaging, Amazon is the one true god.[/QUOTE]

This.
 
[quote name='Josef']Those are two completely different products. Don't compare video games to cars. Compare video games to like media like DVD's and CD's.[/QUOTE]
Why not? It's the same concept. In fact, you could compare it to nearly anything that could be purchased in retail. If you saw 2 coffee makers, same exact model, sitting on the shelf, both marked at $30. One was NIB and the other had already been opened and one of the employees had taken it home and used it for a week to test it to make sure it worked. However, they were nice enough to clean it up real nice. Which one would you want to pay for? The one that was NIB, or the "new" one.

I could apply this concept to almost anything and still have the same outcome. This is why people have such a problem with GS and their ideals.
 
[quote name='shrike4242']That should be interesting about my copy, since I won't get a chance to get over there until Friday. If I end up with a gutted copy (which I did for Overlord II, though it appeared to never have been played and they made up for it with extra swag) on this one, I think I'm done and canning all my preorders.

Which store was it, the one in Fenton @ Gravois Bluffs?[/QUOTE]

Yeah Shrike Fenton. They sold out of 360 copies on day 1 and only had a few extra PS3 copies, then sold out of those and got a few 360 copies in today. They have 3 PS3 copies that are going on the shelf tomorrow morning (preorders) if not picked up tonight.

If you're near Fenton I would highly recommend their location. I've reserved stuff there for almost 2 years and I ALWAYS get the pre-order bonuses and sealed copies of the game, even obscure games like Eternal Sonata and Cross Edge.
 
Gamestop selling opened as "new" is the least of their problems. Call me when they start giving fair trade-in values, not this "10% of what we will sel it for" nonsense.

Not that I shop there anyway. I don't buy new games(most game companies don't deserve my money) and I can buy used off Amazon for much cheaper.
 
[quote name='Diosoth']Gamestop selling opened as "new" is the least of their problems. Call me when they start giving fair trade-in values, not this "10% of what we will sel it for" nonsense.

Not that I shop there anyway. I don't buy new games(most game companies don't deserve my money) and I can buy used off Amazon for much cheaper.[/QUOTE]

ummm.. how else are they going to stay in business?

maybe you should try to complete with gs by opening a store that gives fair trades and try to resell them for profit. :booty::booty:
 
[quote name='dinobot']ummm.. how else are they going to stay in business?

maybe you should try to complete with gs by opening a store that gives fair trades and try to resell them for profit. :booty::booty:[/QUOTE]

LOL...exactly. Go open a store, give $40 for a game and then put it on the shelf for $50. Then, call us a few months later when you're swimming in debt.

And just for reference, I've pre-ordered dozens of games from GS over the years. I do, because the store is about five blocks from my house, so it's simply very convenient. I know I can get it cheaper from Amazon, but there a lot of games that I want to get into right away, and I don't have Prime. Anyway, I've never once gotten a gutted copy when I pre-order. It sucks that some stores blow more than others, but it's not like it's written in GS's policy to fuck over someone who pre-orders. That's just a bad decision on the store level. It should be common sense that it's bad enough that you open a copy...at least don't give it to someone who pre-ordered.
 
You know, I'm seriously tired of the "WAHHHHHHHHH Gamestop screwed me" crap. At least once every2-3 days someone feels the need to come on here and piss and whine like GS shat in their bowl of cornflakes and forced them to eat it.

Lets look at this realisticly and honestly here. We all know they have to gut some copies of games. Should they gut your preordered copy? No. But as they did you can either take that one, be irritated and go home and play it or get your money back and go elsewhere. Then you can always come online, piss whine and moan to the same old people about the same old shit.

Personally, im not a big fan of Gamestop. I feel most of their stores are filled with corporate jagoffs. However I have found some stroes and some employees that are pretty cool. Those are the ones I deal with and guess what.. I have NEVER been screwed over except perhaps by the publisher. Rather than come on a website, namelessly piss, whine and moan about crap only to go right back and do the same things over and over again, how about you try to get to know an employee or 2? I bet if you do that maybe just maybe they might hook you up.
Just my 2 cents now feel free to flame me for being a "corporate shill" or w/e you decide to call me. In the meantime I will continue to rape GS with their promos and get shwag and premiums because i decided to get to know people.

One parting thing to remember and ponder..... You do realize that most of the GS employess make less than any other retailer, have problems of their own, Have to follow company policies or they will lose their jobs only to have to listen to some jackass throw a bitchfit cause perhaps his definition of a new game doesnt match what the company they work for defines as one. Yeah your right, your bitching and whining is definitely the most important thing in the world to them.
 
[quote name='SlammedNiss']Why not? It's the same concept. In fact, you could compare it to nearly anything that could be purchased in retail. If you saw 2 coffee makers, same exact model, sitting on the shelf, both marked at $30. One was NIB and the other had already been opened and one of the employees had taken it home and used it for a week to test it to make sure it worked. However, they were nice enough to clean it up real nice. Which one would you want to pay for? The one that was NIB, or the "new" one.

I could apply this concept to almost anything and still have the same outcome. This is why people have such a problem with GS and their ideals.[/QUOTE]

OK, I see what you're saying. I initially misread your post and thought you were one of those people that say it's OK Gamestop guts new games and still sells them as new because, after all, new cars are sold as "new" after people have testdriven them and put miles on them.
 
I think this employee-played games thing is overblown. I'll agree that such a game should come with a shopworn discount, but at the same time people here seem to think they open all the games, stack the discs 10 high and shove them all into the disc drive which I sincerly doubt is true.

I gotta agree with the fella above... how many times are you going to be "hurt" by gamestop before you realize that you will never like their policies and need to move on? I doubt everyone here is venting for the first time, in fact I recognize certain people by name now that come to these particular threads like clockwork to repeat the same complaints over and over again ad nauseum. We get it, you don't want a gutted game, and you don't like that they aren't giving you $45 for your trade-in... it's not going to change, at least not by chiming into every GS discussion with "lol those guys suck I hate gamespoop and everyone that shops there". I dunno about you guys, but if there's something I don't like, I don't like to absorb myself with it.
 
[quote name='eastshore4']I think this employee-played games thing is overblown. I'll agree that such a game should come with a shopworn discount, but at the same time people here seem to think they open all the games, stack the discs 10 high and shove them all into the disc drive which I sincerly doubt is true.[/QUOTE]

You're right. I've only bought opened games a handful of times. Usually, it's because it's a game that's becoming a little harder to find or something along those lines. Those few times, though, the games were near mint. No evidence that the game had been played or even left the shelf it had been placed on after being opened.
 
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