![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-403422-100x100.png\")
\"Here's the thing: don't ever buy anything from Walmart, ever. I knew this, & ignored it, & now I'm paying the price.\"
I've been following that rule for a while now. I hate Wal-mart.
\"Here's the thing: don't ever buy anything from Walmart, ever. I knew this, & ignored it, & now I'm paying the price.\"
I've been following that rule for a while now. I hate Wal-mart.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-159989-100x100.png\")
$550 is a hell of a lot to \"pay\" for the mistake of shopping at Wal-Mart. I think something like a broken shoe lace would be a more appropriate punishment. I hope you get your situation resolved very quickly!
![\"user-pic\"](\"/css/images/default.gif\")
@alfundo: We LOVE our PS3. As long as you don't need a constant 24/7 IV drip of FPS games and screaming douchebags online, it's a great media box that happens to play games when you're in the mood.
If money was that tight, I would have made damn well sure the online order was canceled first, before even thinking about shelling out for a [possible] second in person.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-342263-100x100.png\")
Before it came out, I placed an order at Walmart.com for Smash Bros Brawl that they had mistakenly priced at $19.
Let's just say that they were surprisingly expeditious in canceling THAT order, although they did make up for it by giving me a $10 gift card. Which reminds me...I should use that.
Dispute the charges with your bank. I know a debt card is different from a Credit Card, but the dispute should still work.
Tell them you were charged when you weren't supposed to. You can send the walmart terms of service where they state they won't charge you until they ship.
Your sure your were charged, and the transaction isn't pending?
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-1732-100x100.png\")
hey, just to clarify -- after Chris (I think) responded to my email re: the Terms of Service issue, I doublechecked my bank account & the funds haven't actually been withdrawn yet. (I just moved, & have been buying a lot of furniture, so clearly I'm bleeding money left & right & not paying enough attention.)
but it doesn't really change the fact that they were supposed to ship the damn thing out over a week ago. honestly, it actually makes it WORSE that a $550 charge could randomly hit my checking account at any moment, when I'm not able to get the product I ordered in the timeline that was originally promised.
@alfundo: yup. when MGS4 & GTAIV start getting released first to Xbox, or they add a Blu-ray player, then maybe I'll change my mind.
@Jubilance22: I do too. & I thought it was just because their pricing practices were ruining the American economy, but apparently it's also because their online ordering system is a piece of shit.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-222875-100x100.png\")
@alfundo: Most people I know that are over the age of, oh, twenty-three (a rough estimate) have gone with the PS3 over an XBOX360; not only because there's no red circle of death issues, but also (to quote terminalboredom):
As long as you don't need a constant 24/7 IV drip of FPS games and screaming douchebags online
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-83385-100x100.png\")
@alfundo: yeah. It's a relatively cheap BluRay player that is fully compatible with BR 2.0. If there are any other BR players currently available that are 2.0 compatible, they are most likely $1k+.
So what's your point?
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-38713-100x100.png\")
Well, now the story has changed from \"they charged me 500 bucks for something they didn't ship\" to \"they ran out of stock on my PS3 and can't cancel the order.\" While they should be able to cancel a processing order, this isn't nearly as big a deal.
When I worked for a .com retailer a while ago, I think the law was that we had to ship within 30 days of charging you, or we broke the law. (I think the penalty was full refund and you keep the item.)
If that's still the case, you have 30 days to a free PS3 (or a small claims court visit.)
@alfundo Im over 23 and I prefer the xbox 360 to the ps3. I know several people who have it but I dont know of anyone having the ps3, dont know why? I thinks it has to do with xbox live they all love it.
@sleze69:
It is a realtively cheap BluRay player... and you get what you pay for. Sort of like playing DVD's was great with the PS2 until you got a 'real' DVD player. BluRay discs look -goo-d but not as -great- as they do with a stand alone player.
Ok, does the OP even read Consumerist?
She still shops at Walmart (though admits that was a mistake.)
Shops *online* with a debit card.
And even drives to a Blockbuster to rent movies!
If we're still stuck in 2003, nobody told me yet!
PS3 with Blue Ray (VHS) or Xbox with HD DVD (Beta Max)? Not a tough question. Plus PS3 is all around better hardware and Sony Interactive has a way better rep on game consoles then... well anybody else.
Seriously though... no game system is worth shopping at a Wal-Mart
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-76142-100x100.png\")
@AaronZ:
I know it's a stretch, but perhaps some people read the Consumerist as more of an advisory and amusement thing than a Penultimate Code of Behaviour, and consequently make their own decisions despite the thundering chorus of outrage.
Weird, I know.
I had the same issue with walmart.com and trying to buy a PS3 on launch day. Long story short, I ordered one from walmart.com and then went to the Sony store in NYC on the way to work and picked one up there. I charged both of them to the same credit card, and the cashier at the Sony store had to call the CC company and verify that someone didn't steal the card.
I tried cancelling the walmart.com order, but the CSR told me that they could not accept ANY cancellations after hitting the \"Submit Order\" button. I would just have to wait to receive the PS3 and send it back, to await a refund that can take up to one month. However, Walmart cancelled my order later that day because my credit card couldn't be verified (due to the fact that I bought 2 PS3s totallying $1100+ in the same day).
Despite the fact that walmart.com charged my card immediately after ordering, they \"refunded\" the funds to my CC in about a week.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-146933-100x100.png\")
If there's one company \"Going corporate\" with won't matter, it's Walmart.
If the item goes on back order, they should email you asking if you want to cancel the order or if you want to wait.
It could be one of those rogue computer errors that just happens where an item was processing for oh...a month or two. Continue to bug them, speak to supervisors, request that you have these charges dropped on your card.
Tell them you want to talk to someone from the financial department in Bentonville. They're going to tell you that they can't give you the number, so insist they call for you. If they won't do that either, tell them you want your issue forwarded to the finance department and you want a call the next day.
I'm unsure if you'll actually get that call, I never was able to follow up with customers, but they're supposed to. Keep bugging them every day until you get your money back. EVERY DAY.
I wrote the number down to the financial department before I left that hell hole, but I have no idea what happened to the paper I wrote it on. Sorry.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-127623-100x100.png\")
@AaronZ: Living in a dense Chicago neighborhood, I doubt she drove. Knowing Uptown, they probably rode their bikes :)
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-388919-100x100.png\")
38 and loving my 360 and standalone BD/HD DVD player. (Only Profile 1.1, but BD was never about the extras, right?) It's not about age; it's about the games.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-152502-100x100.png\")
Please look up this word (Penultimate) in the dictionary. You do not know what it means.
@SoCalGNX:
But it sounds better.
I even put a \"u\" in behavior for added legitimacy, get off my crank.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-371007-100x100.png\")
@ all the PS3/360 Bashers
I own both a PS3, and a 360. I love my PS3's multimedia capabilities, and fewer DRM issues. I love some of the XBox 360s exclusive titles (Mass Effect, and Infinite Odyssey).
Both consoles have their strengths an weaknesses. Also as far as price difference. If you spec out a 360 with all the (possible) same options as came with the higher end PS3 I paid $599 for ... the PS3 actually comes out cheaper (yes I did the math).
@ the OP: You made a mistake ... NBD. I think a dispute through your bank would be an excellent idea. Either that, or SCC. I totally understand about being overwhelmed by moving, and missing a few details. Done it too many times to count.
\"don't shop at Walmart.\" You mean don't buy anything from their site. It's overreacting after buying an expensive thing, that probably was a risky purchase considering its rarity. There are MUCH better reasons to not purchase anything at the Smiley Face.
Aargh, these bundles keep getting rarer and rarer. Why doesn't Konami and Sony just make more bundles anyway? MGS4 is a must have game for the PS3, and they're already bundling movies with it, so it's a no brainer to include it with the system.
@Hamm Beerger: yeah, well, it's still a pain in the ass. if I hadn't actually bought the one at Blockbuster, I'd be kicking myself for not having a PS3 by now. & it's frustrating to be in limbo not knowing when $550 is going to come out of your account.
@AaronZ: I don't \"shop\" at Walmart, but I tried to buy something from them in this instance because it seemed like the only option. as for the other stuff, I'm trying to get out of the habit of using credit cards, period (& while Walmart sucks in many ways, it's not like they're some shady fly-by-night outfit who are gonna steal my information). & I actually have Blockbuster Online & was trading a mailed movie in for a different one in-store when this all took place. but, hey, 2003 wasn't a bad year.
@Kaisum: thanks for the tip. now I'm kind of wishing they had charged my card already, since it would probably facilitate making a bigger stink, but for now I guess all I can do is sit & wait & check my checking balance religiously.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-428567-100x100.png\")
@Angryrider: That's not how consoles sell these days (nor some popular games). The idea is to have them hard enough to find that you can't get one when you want one. Counterintuitive? Possibly ... well, certainly. (Then again, it's been happening at least since the NES, so about as far back as post-crash consoles go.)
I can find 360/PS3 \"debates\" on virtually every other site I visit. They both have their benefits, some people have one, some people have both ... let's see, I think we were discussing the merits (or lack thereof) of purchasing items from Wal-Mart (online/offline) and with a debit card vs. a credit card ...
@alfundo:
Um, yeah. It's a heck of a deal. Personally, I loathe Sony and despise blu-ray, but I can't deny the fact that it's a value-packed machine. Still won't buy one though.
Also, Wal-Mart sucks.
![\"user-pic\"](\"/mt-static/support/assets_c/userpics/userpic-255368-100x100.png\")
Can't cancel the order? Nonsense. They haven't shipped it, can't tell you when they can ship it, then make them cancel it. If the distributor ship so fast, then why haven't you gotten it yet? Stay on the phone with them, refuse to let them end the call, until you either get a shipping number or a cancelled order. Keeping the call open screws up their call center performance numbers, and sometimes it's amazing how fast things start getting done when they know they can't end the call.
@SacraBos: When you purchase items from Walmart.com, right before you finalize your order it says on the page that orders cannot be cancelled after they've been made.
It's a dumb policy, but Walmart is an awful company that doesn't care about you, me, or anyone else. They just want that money.
From a former CSR for Walmart.com
DO NOT EVER BUY ANYTHING FROM THEM.
AND IF FOR SOME REASON YOU DO, DO NOT GET IT SENT SITE TO STORE, YOU WILL NEVER SEE YOUR STUFF.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-358777-100x100.png\")
This is why I never use a debit card. The only time I even take it out of the drawer is to get cash at an ATM.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-144932-100x100.png\")
bleh..that stinks about Walmart, but not surprising they're being d-bags about it.
next time you're looking for a hard to find item, check out www.itrackr.com
It's how I got a Wii last spring and how I'm looking for one for my girlfriend's b-day. They email and/or text you alerts when the item you're looking for is in stock at the stores you select.
Though, when you get the alert...you gotta go! otherwise you'll miss it.
@Kaisum: I should've paid more attention to the terms, but I was so excited to have the opportunity to buy a new bundle that I was only focused on clicking through while it was still available (even though it's obvious now that that was never the case).
@SacraBos: ...& it will probably surprise no one here that they don't have a phone number listed for customer service with online orders.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-144421-100x100.png\")
So you emailed 3 times, but didn't try calling? It seems like calling customer service would have a better shot at resolving this somewhat strange issue as you'll be able to tell an actual person the problem instead of getting useless form email responses. Try calling regular customer service before you escalate to corporate, but if that fails go all out.
@The Unicorn: GTAIV came out for the xbox at the same time as it did on the PS3. Not only that, but the 360 version gets exclusive downloadable content that the PS3 version will never get.
In fact, games are more likely to hit the 360 *first*. The Darkness, Rainbow Six Vegas, GRAW 2, Bioshock, Overlord, Alone in the Dark, Unreal Tournament 3... all hit (or will hit) the 360 before the PS3.
By the time the PS3 finally gets Bioshock, it will have been out for the 360 for over a year... and games like Gears of War and Mass Effect will never hit the ps3.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-178471-100x100.png\")
Calling the execs to complain that the online customer service isn't helping you should be a good enough reason.
As for the 360 vs. PS3 debate... why? They're two very different systems that have their own good (and bad) qualities. I own both, and am over 23. Heh.
Can't wii all get along?
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-346324-100x100.png\")
@invaderzim: \"BluRay discs look -goo-d but not as -great- as they do with a stand alone player.\"
Not quite...
Any review you read online will tell you the PS3 looks just as good as the best stand-alone player you can find in terms of image-quality. I can second that.
Watching Planet Earth on Blu-ray is worth the price of a PS3 alone!!
@NameGoesHere: I'm over 30. I only own the 360. I'll consider the ps3 when Little Big Planet comes out. Until then, there aren't any ps3-exclusive games I'm interested in. (I can't stand JRPGs)
This has \"chargeback\" written all over it.
@NameGoesHere: I love RPGs (I heart bioware).. mass effect, baldur's gate, planescape torment, etc.
I love western RPGs. I don't like JRPGs.. for much the same reasons I don't like MGS, too many cutscenes, not enough gameplay.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-207120-100x100.png\")
The 80gb MGS bundle is not limited, it is meant to replace the 80gb Motorstom bundle. The only limited edition MGS bundle is the 40gb 'steel' colored PS3.
This sounds familiar, to a point. I ordered my PS3 MGS bundle from Walmart on Thursday, 6/12. It was sheduled to arrive between Wednesday (18) and Monday. The Friday after I ordered it I got a phone call from them where they asked me to confirm some billing information. They said the product was on hold for security reasons and they would release it right away.
On Tuesday (17th) the website still hadn't changed from \"processing\", so I phoned them at 1-800-966-6546. I ignored the automated responses until I got a live person and luckily she was helpful. I asked if she could check on the package because it didn't look like it would arrive on time. She put me on hold and called billing who said it had been released and should have been sent by now. She said she put in a request with shipping to look into it and contact me. She said if shipping couldn't send it I could then cancel the order.
I didn't get contacted by shipping, but later that day the arrival date changed from Wed-Mon to Fri-Tues. Even later that day I got a tracking number from UPS. It shipped that evening from Addison, IL and arrived in Chicago the next morning (the 18th.) So, in the end, it arrived on time.
Best of luck. I hope you find someone who can take care of it for you.
I even put a \"u\" in behavior for added legitimacy, get off my crank.
Legitimacy is not gained that way either. Its something to do with one's parents.
So how about removing the word \"Hostage\" from the title of this article. If you search through the comments, you'll find out that this person was not charged $550 yet.
![\"user-pic\"](\"/mt-static/support/assets_c/userpics/userpic-21970-100x100.png\")
@jjeefff: So long as they won't ship the PS3 but won't allow her to cancel the order, they're still holding the money in limbo. She can't do anything with that $550 until Wal-Mart does something on its side. Hence, it's still being held hostage.
There are a few reasons that I went PS3 over X-Box.
1)Cheapest BluRay player on the Market period.
2)I have at least 4 friends that are on their 4th or 5th 360 (Unacceptable as far as I'm concerned)
3)Was able to get the 60 Gig version which has almost full backwards compatiblity with PS1 and PS2 games which are extreamly cheap in used game stores now.
4)Exellent Media Streaming from my PC Network
5)I plan to get a PSP in the near future.
Now that being said please some 3rd party company release a X-Box style controller for PS3 I would kill for offset analog sticks.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-465667-100x100.png\")
Strange that you were having issues finding a MS4 bundle in the Chicagoland area, everywhere I went I saw them.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-7115-100x100.png\")
When the charge does come on the card, if it hasn't already, I would...
1. I called to find out if Wal-Mart has any such thing as Customer Relations, and they said the CR for Web ordering is phone 800-966-6546 options 2, 3, 8, and they would at least listen and try to resolve for you. Failing that...
2. File a charge back with credit card.
3. File fraud charges with Arkansas and Illinois AG offices.
Good luck and have fun!
@alfundo: Umm as a matter of fact they do, you might actually want to read the news once in awhile outside of your fan boy universe.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-433752-100x100.png\")
Damn, why did you GO TO WALMART???? Seriously, you're lookin' for trouble.
@sean77: Umm fanboi, Unreal III release on the PS3 on 12/12/2007 last year. Sony also allows user created content on it, and Microsoft won't.
I doubt if a chargeback on the debit card will work. Banks do not care, even if they claim it's policy. I cancelled a check years ago, paid the $15 fee for it, and they STILL let the check go through.
I wouldn't hold out any hope that the $550 can be released until and unless Walmart ok's it. Walmart is screwy, banks are screwy, and debit cards are evil. Credit cards are evil too but equally evil to both sides, unlike debit cards which are friendly to the merchant.
Sorry, that comment was supposed to be directed at CharlieInSeattle.
Also, knock it off with the snotty \"umm\"s.
Sorry, that comment was supposed to be directed at CharlieInSeattle. And knock it off with the snotty \"umm\"s while you're at it.
(FIX YOUR COMMENTS, GAWKER)
@invaderzim: Hmm...The only reviews I can find online were done back in 2006. They all said that the PS3 was as good or better than the BR players they were comparing it to.
/shrug
@The Unicorn: I don't understand why you would shift over to debit cards, it seems to me that your money is more vulnerable when you buy with a debit card. With a credit card you can approve the charges later in the month. With a debit card, the money is immediately withdrawn from your account.
@cristiana: Even though the 80GB consoles are not labeled as \"limited\", last time I checked, they were harder to find than the so-called \"limited\" gun metal grey MGS4 bundles (you could still order them from Konami's website, the option was there but I never actually tried to order one). On eBay, the 80GB bundles are going for $100 more than retail easily. If Unicorn ends up actually getting a second bundle, might as well eBay that sucker.
@AaronZ: I totally agree with you (except for the Wal-Mart thing, no problems with them yet). DO NOT USE DEBIT CARDS FOR ONLINE PURCHASES! Ever! Don't most people have at least one credit card for emergencies or whatever? I'd be pretty pissed to have $550 tied up in my checking accout.
Call your bank.
Report it as a fraudalent website purchase.
Have them send you a new debit card.
GFY Wal mart!
Wow, I can't believe there aren't any comments on the inappropriate and excessive use of ampersands yet.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-446126-100x100.png\")
@alfundo: Yeah I bought my PS3 last night because I couldnt stand living without Halo... biosho...lost odys...mass eff...I think its time to return my PS3 and get a 360
@SearchX:
Yeah, the gun-gray models are easier to find, but, that is because of the stupid pricing, 100 dollars more for no bc and 40gb less hard drive space. But, yeah, for now the 80gb bundle is hard to find, however, since they were saving for a while, waiting a little longer couldn't have hurt.
@rzr: @Consumer007: wow, thanks for the phone number; I'm hoping I might have luck talking to a real live person versus someone whose job it is to cut & paste email templates.
@clnclarinet: when you're on your deathbed, you'll think to yourself \"so many... wasted... keystrokes... should've... used... ampersands... like... 'and'... but... quicker.\" whereas all I'll have to regret was this friggin' PS3 purchase.
UPDATE! okay, so, I just got a call from some California-based Walmart CSR, who \"was just going through some of their orders\" & noticed that my PS3 bundle hadn't shipped. she said they'd be getting some more in soon, but wanted to know if I'd prefer to cancel my order. obviously, I said yes, & I let her know that I'd tried to email their online customer support about it to no avail. she was very apologetic, & said they'd take care of the cancellation right away.
now, perhaps this is a coincidence, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if Walmart has someone monitoring their online mentions & perhaps put two & two together. & regardless of how this came to pass, I will gladly credit Consumerist for the victory. I didn't have to call & yell at anyone! hooray!
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-466466-100x100.png\")
For next time, you could have called your credit card company, explained the situation, and they would have removed the hold on your money.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-74749-100x100.png\")
people still buy ps3s? now thats news...