New and used game retailer GameStop is well-known for its culture of encouraging pre-sales. Employees convince customers to reserve copies of future products by paying all or part of the balance in advance, pleasing their corporate overlords. Sometimes things don't go as planned, and in rare cases customers can get stiffed. More »
If you're going to pick a location to try to turn people away from a GameStop store, it would be right outside that store's front door. Or maybe the big empty wall directly next to it. More »
Considering that so much of the retail theft that occurs each year is a result of sticky-fingered employees, some stores like GameStop have apparently instituted policies that require staffers to be checked for pilfered product when they go to take a break during the workday. But one employee at the video game chain says these breaks cut into the amount of time allotted for mandatory lunch and rest breaks — and he's suing to get paid for that time. More »
Two months ago, Nathan took advantage of a Newegg promotion for $10 off his pre-order of the collector's edition of the game Dark Souls, which was released on Tuesday. Ordering ahead and getting a discount: points for planning and for shopping prowess. The day before the game was to be released, Newegg (and other retailers, Nathan later learned) had to cancel their pre-orders because they just didn't have enough product. This left him without a collector's edition on release day...unless he could find one in his city, in person. Was such a feat possible? Yes, as it turns out, with some luck and the help of a heroic Gamestop employee. More »
Tablet computers can be many things to many different consumers: An easy way to surf the Web, a portable digital-video player, a color e-book reader, or maybe a lightweight, laptop stand-in. But would you buy a tablet just to play video games? And would you buy one from perennial Worst Company In America contestant GameStop? More »
Apple devices have always been conspicuously absent from GameStop's wares, even as competing electronics trade-in services dealt with the likes of iPods, iPads and iPhones. That's reportedly about to change, with GameStop already accepting trade-ins of the istuff leading up to the rumored October release of the iPhone 5. More »
Last week, GameStop admitted to telling employees to pull coupon codes out of new copies of the PC version of Deus Ex: Human Revolution, then yanked the game from shelves. To make things right with customers who bought the game and didn't get the coupon, the company is reportedly emailing instructions for picking up a $50 gift card and an offer to buy two used games and get a third for free. More »
As we reported yesterday, GameStop fessed up to ordering employees to pull coupon codes out of new copies of the PC version of Deus Ex: Human Revolution. The company justified its shady directive by saying the publisher Square Enix didn't let it know the coupon — for a free version of the game from OnLive, which competes against GameStop's digital service — would be included. Now GameStop is reportedly yanking the game off shelves. More »
This news isn't going to garner any love for perennial Worst Company In America contestant GameStop. The video game retailer's Field Operations Manager sent out an e-mail — which has since gone public — demanding that stores open copies of the PC version of the game to remove a coupon containing a code that allows the buyer to play the game for free via the online gaming service OnLive. More »
UPS claims that it has done its job: Adam's package, a gift that his wife got for him from Gamestop, was "delivered." And it was. Just not to him. Or to his house. Or, as far as he can determine, to anyone in his neighborhood. See, he was home, and a large brown truck is hard to miss. More »
GameStop wants to make sure you're taken care of if you buy a PC game from its site, then lose it and need to re-download it. The seller is kind enough to add download insurance to your cart automatically, just in case you forget to pick it up yourself before you check out. Sarcasm aside, the pushy salesmanship is no doubt overlooked by those who just want to click buttons until their game starts to download. More »
Pre-order-pushing GameStop takes down payments and reservations on video games while developers are still working on them, so sometimes customers — who are free to cancel reservations and apply their credit to other purchases — end up putting $5 or more down on games that never come out. Some true believers hold out hope that their pre-ordered vaporware will someday see the light of day, as is the case with Duke Nukem Forever, which has been in off-and-on development for 14 years. The game will finally hit shelves June 14. More »
Patrick had a confusing experience at GameStop recently, when he bought a copy of God of War III. He asked for a new copy of the game, which was on sale, but received an unsealed copy of the game that looked more like a used game. Thanks to a sale, the price difference between new and used copies was only $2, but why did they sell him a not-so-new game in the first place? More »
For the sixth year in a row, we asked Consumerist readers to send us their nominations for our Worst Company In America tournament. And this year's response was the greatest by far. More »
When you buy a video game from Barnes & Noble online, the order is actually fulfilled by GameStop. A nice little bit of corporate synergy and specialization, right? The problem is that when you make a mistake or something goes wrong with your order, you enter a strange state of e-commerce purgatory, with each retailer claiming that the other is the only one empowered to change or cancel your order. That's what happened to Patrick, whose order has now lurked in corporate synergy purgatory for an entire month. More »
Here's a horrible Gamestop shopping experience that we never would have expected: a customer bought a few inexpensive used games, got them home, and discovered that they were terribly buggy. And by "buggy," we mean "the cases were filled with dead roaches and roach eggs." More »
Before Jim made a long walk through the snow to trade in his original Xbox accessories at GameStop, he made sure to place a phone call to make sure the store would accept his items. After getting the green light, then double-checking to make sure the woman at GameStop understood what he was asking about, he was turned down once he got to the store. More »
In a heist that was probably narrated by Morgan Freeman, a determined Tennessee man is accused of tunneling into a GameStop in order to pilfer its sweet, unguarded wares in the dark of night. More »
Bruce ordered an Xbox 360 bundle from GameStop, but says the package never arrived. UPS says it left the package at his door and told Bruce to complain to GameStop, which isn't responding. More »
Bryan wanted to get his hands on the Kinect motion-sensor controller for the Xbox 360, and ordered it on Sears.com, expecting it to come well before Christmas. That was a week ago, and Bryan has a Kinect now, but no thanks to Sears, on which he gave up due to broken promises and poor customer service. More »
B received the game Mafia II as a gift, but wanted Red Dead Redemption instead. Without a receipt, he went to GameStop, where it was purchased, hoping to swap games. When the clerk denied his request because it violated the store's return policy, B asked instead to trade the game in for store credit he'd apply toward the game he wanted. The clerk refused the trade because he wasn't sure whether or not B was trying to pawn off a stolen product. More »
GameStop employees now have more than just pre-orders, strategy guides and loyalty cards to pressure unsuspecting customers into buying. The game dealer has moved into selling downloadable content cards, and revealed it's getting a cut of the action, given it more incentive to convince players their games aren't complete without an extra map pack. More »
The bad news: the GameStop where Ambyr went to buy a copy of Call of Duty: Black Ops for her husband only had enough copies of the game to fill pre-orders. The good news: In GameStop's universe, to "pre-order" means that you leave the store that just refused to sell you a game, order that game online, and then return fifteen minutes later. Bad for logic, good for Ambyr. More »
You can't walk into a GameStop without having to fend off requests to sign up for a membership and preorder games. A former manager says he refused to take part in the often irritating environment, faced a demotion due to poor upselling numbers and lost his house as a result. More »
Last week, we learned that at least one Gamestop employee won't even sell to you unless you sign up for a rewards card. Why might that be? Reader Dragonfire81 has mysterious inside knowledge, and warns all good Consumerists to stay far, far away from the new rewards program that Gamestop is pushing. More »
Did you know that GameStop is a membership-only establishment, like a warehouse club? You're only allowed to shop there if you have their rewards card. I didn't know that, and neither did Jeff. He tells Consumerist that he foolishly tried to purchase a game, but refused to join the rewards program or give the cashier his phone number. The cashier, in turn, refused to sell anything to him. More »
GameStop dangled a comic book and t-shirt as incentives to get gamers to preorder Enslaved: Odyssey to the West during a promotional period, but when the game came out last week, the retailer couldn't provide the goods. More »
Tyler says that on four different occasions now, the Xbox Live points and subscription cards he's bought have been invalid when he redeems them. He had a friend at Gamestop help him out with the invalid subscription card, but he's stuck with useless paper when it comes to the points cards. More »
Sean has done some sleuthing and believes he has exposed a supposed GameStop exclusive game add-on is a fraud. The game-selling chain offered a "Boost Pack" for StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty to those who picked the game up at a midnight launch earlier this week, but Sean says the pack's codes are unnecessary placebos that don't give code-holders any more access than those without the Boost Pack. More »
If you play games on the website Kongregate—its founders say 10 million players stop by every month—then congratulations, you're about to become GameStop's new BFF. There's no word yet on how this will affect the Kongregate community; the site lets people play online games for free, and GameStop says that the its founders will continue to run things for now. If we start seeing offers to pre-order an upcoming online free game, I guess we'll know the takeover is complete. More »
Lu seems to have annual run-ins with stubborn gaming retailers. Last year, a simple GameCrazy purchase racked up illicit fees and an apology from the chain's district manager. This year, he writes that Gamestop decided to just deny an online purchase with no obvious problems. Why? Apparently Gamestop's system just doesn't like Lu. More »
With average prices of around $60-$70 for a new title, video games are a pricey prospect, especially for skilled gamers who can finish some games in an afternoon. GameStop and others have capitalized on this buyer's remorse by buying back used games, the money for which is often spent immediately at that same store. Tired of watching others capitalize on this model, Best Buy has announced a plan to allow customers to trade in their old games. More »
Perhaps in response to game publishers undercutting the value of its used games by stripping them of online play, GameStop is rolling out a new PowerUp rewards card that gives customers points for used and new game purchases, giving them discounts as well as coupons for food and movies. More »
Brian loves him some Mario, so he pre-ordered seven copies of Super Mario Galaxy 2 at GameStop. When he went to pick up his games yesterday, when it was released, he was stonewalled and told the store could only give him five copies. Never mind he already had paid for all of them in full. More »
Jason went into GameStop to trade in his Xbox 360, and experienced something odd. He says they refused to take his trade-in unless he bought new non-HD cables so they could test the system with the non-HD TVs they had in the store. More »
A former GameStop employee and Consumerist reader wrote in to share her story of why she decided to quit her gig as a "Game Advisor" after learning that her store was knowingly reselling video games heisted from the local Best Buy store. More »
A California man is suing GameStop because he bought a used game that lacked a valid code he needed to download contest promised on the cover of the box, IGN reports. More »
Nintendo Gal is accusing GameStop of taking a free demo for the Wii game Monster Hunter Tri and systematically refusing to give it out to customers, demanding they plop $5 for a pre-order in order to snag the disc. More »
Normally it's a walk of shame for gamers to lug a pile of games to GameStop to get pennies on the dollar in cash or trade-in credit for stuff they probably didn't finish and overpaid for. But a deal going on right now for the proverbial "limited time only" offers 50 percent in bonus trade-in credit for your games. More »
Responding quickly to Noah's gripe about ING Direct canceling his debit card without his permission, the bank called him and sent him a new debit card. More »
Adam tried to buy some games at GameStop by using his credit card, but balked when the clerk demanded he show his ID. He alerted the higher-ups that the denial was a violation of the MasterCard merchant agreement, but the complaint fell on deaf ears. He writes: More »
—>Kotaku reports that Toys R Us has gone nationwide with its video game trade-in initiative today. Now the chain is stepping on GameStop's turf. The site's Mike Fahey quotes a Toys R Us bigwig: More »
—>Blu-ray sales may be on the uptick, with sales up 72 percent so far over what they were last year at this point, but apparently the format isn't so hot at GameStop, which is apparently phasing out accepting the high-definition movie discs in return for cash or store credit. More »
—>Dan's son is learning an important consumer life lesson, which is that sometimes companies promise really fun things that just don't happen. GameStop sent out a promotional e-mail about a really cool contest involving Backyard Baseball '10. Except the contest isn't working, and no one knows who can help Dan straighten it out. More »
—>Last week Nintendo released the Wii Motion Plus, a box you stick on to the bottom of a Wii remote to make the cute little video game system's motion controls spaz out less and start obeying to your precise motion commands. Motion Plus only works with new games specifically made for the add-on, including Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 and Grand Slam Tennis. More »
—>A swarm of bees gathered yesterday outside the GameStop in Union Square, possibly to demand a higher trade-in value for their games. Store employees were trapped inside for hours and eventually hung a sign reading: "Look! ... closed due to bee infestation.'' More »
—>Video games are up, and books are down. GameStop says sales of used games jumped 32%, as the retailer posted a 13% rise in fiscal first-quarter earnings. Why is GameStop doing so well while other retailers suffer? Its used video game program has excellent profit margins. More »
—>Matt bought a used game from Gamestop, and there were two prices on the case. Instead of being charged the lower $14.99 price, the cashier charged him $19.99. Matt only noticed this after he left the store, so he returned and asked for an adjustment. The cashier refused, then tried to remove the cheaper tag in front of Matt. Update: Matt spoke with a District Manager and got a full refund. More »
—>Sometimes we think Gamestop is run by some sort of secret cabal of anti-videogame fanatics, and they use the store as a front to spread hatred of games and game purchasing across America. More »
—>If you don't like GameStop, how about Amazon? On Thursday, they announced their new "Video Games Trade-In" program (www.amazon.com/tradeingames), where you send in your used games for Amazon gift card credit. What we like about this is you don't have to spend the money on more games if you don't want to, so you can convert old games into anything Amazon accepts gift cards for. What we don't like is you can't just get cash back—but hey, if you hate GameStop, here's an option for you. More »
—>The conceit in this internal Gamestop training video is that you're watching a sort of nature video with a British anthropologist investigating a strange and mysterious species: woman— and how to sell to them. Offensive - or just a low-budget industrial video team trying to get its audience to pay attention? Take our poll inside and you be the judge, but either way, you can be pretty sure Gamestop never intended any customer to see this video. More »
—>As pretty much every retailer imaginable aside from Walmart loses money — one chain is not only doing fine, it's actually growing — GameStop. It seems that when the going gets tough — people just want to play video games. More »
—>Remember our post on student loan debit cards? The cards are pitched as a great convenience, or less expensive to distribute than paper checks, or more secure, when in reality they're germy with hidden fees that slowly nickel and dime your balance. Turns out, GameStop uses a similar system to pay its employees. More »
—>This Gamestop somehow ended up with extra bundles of the games that were supposed to be included in holiday Xbox 360 sets (the ones that shipped with Lego Indiana Jones and Kung Fu Panda). So what do they do? Why, slap a $100 price tag on them and put them on the shelves, despite their "not for resale" labeling. You can buy both games brand new for less than $80 total, by the way. More »
—>What were you most afraid of in High School? Getting turned down by that Cheerleader at the prom? Arriving at school naked, just before the big test you never studied for? Or, was it Mom and Dad finding all of your nudie-mags whilst looking for gift ideas? Look inside to see which terror Gamestop chose to highlight in their latest ad campaign. More »
THE QUOTE: “GameStop takes this situation quite seriously,” said Rory Rhoads, GameStop’s Regional Vice President of Stores. “We are pleased to partner with the ALERT Unit and have taken very deliberate steps to improve our operations. Specifically, we have suspended our cash-for-trade transactions in Shelby County and DeSoto County, Mississippi until February 2009.” More »
—>A disgruntled former employee of GameStop calling himself "WhistleBlowerZero" has created a 9-part YouTube video series which explains quickly, but in exhaustive detail, the many reasons why you, Dear Consumer, should not shop at GameStop. It's modeled after the popular "Zero Punctuation" game reviews, a fact that will probably be lost on anyone who doesn't already know the many reasons not to shop at GameStop. More »
—> We get a lot of complaints about people buying things from stores like Best Buy and Target and finding that once they get them home — there's a bunch of bathroom tiles in the box instead of the item, or that the item is used, broken or smashed. When they try to return the thing, the store tells them that they're out of luck. When you ask why they think they can get away with selling you a paperweight instead of an XBOX, they point to some bullsh*t policy and send you on your way. You don't have to put up with this. In this post, we'll tell you a) How to keep this from happening to you in the first place. b) How to equip yourself with tools that will help you in the event that this does happen to you. c) How to take advantage of these tools so that you never get stuck with someone's old broken PS3. More »
—>Some scammer out there has a sense of humor (and a shrink wrap machine), because when Greg opened his apparently "new" copy of Grand Theft Auto IV, he found a used copy of "Boys N Da Hood." More »
—> Reader Dave asks an interesting question. Should GameStop be charging sales tax on an XBOX live membership card? Generally speaking, only "tangible goods" are subject to sales tax, though every state is different. More »
—>Reader Ben's receipt doesn't match the serial number on his defective PS3, so GameStop and Sony are refusing to repair or exchange it. More »
"Shoppers who pay the full price of about $249 for an out-of-stock Wii on December 20 and 21 at retailer GameStop Corp will get a certificate promising a Wii 'sometime in January,'" sez Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime. Only at GameStop, urg. [Reuters] More »
G, a shift supervisor at GameStop, is tired of all the GameStop bashing that goes on on the internet, and has written us a very lengthy guide to shopping at his store. Some of it is useful. Some of it is a defense of GameStop's unpopular policies. All in all, if don't enjoy being harassed for reservations or sold opened, "gutted" games, you should probably just shop somewhere else. More »
—> The great thing about a used game is someone else has already worked out all the bugs and made it better—at least, that's what we assume this GameStop wants us to believe, since they've got the used version priced $5 more than the brand new one. That's why the sticker is golden, see, to show that it's more valuable. More »
—> It almost goes without saying that you should nevertrust Gamestop, but you'd at least expect them to honor ads that they've approved and printed. Gamestop pre-sold a Consumerist reader the new Medal of Honor game for Xbox 360 back in August. Part of the deal—according to their ad—was a card good for 400 free Marketplace Points for use on Xbox Live. But instead, they cancelled the card from his order, then gave him an incorrect reason for the cancellation, then admitted fault and promised to make everything right. As of today—almost a full month since the game was released—he still hasn't received the points. More »
—>Coupon merchant "Reservation Rewards" has infected GameStop, according to reader Mike. For those of you who are not familiar with "Reservation Rewards," here's how it works: More »
I called my local Gamestop, where I know most of the employees by name, and asked what to do. They said they couldn't help me directly, but to call customer service at (800) 883-8895. I called that number, waited on hold for a few minutes, got a CSR and asked that my name be removed from the solicitation list. I said that I don't mind the calls telling me my reserved games are in, but that the solicitations needed to stop. He said that the two systems are linked, and that I couldn't be removed from one without being removed from the other. I said that was acceptable, since I really didn't want the solicitations. He asked for my phone number, I gave it to him, and he said he'd "put in a request" to have me removed from the system. More »
"We hope you're enjoying your copy of Twiliight Princess, but if you're finished with it, why don't you bring it to the store and trade it in? We're willing to give you $35 in trade for your copy of Twilight Princess...." I hung up at this point, and try not to curse. I really don't like this sort of phone call, but I'm almost willing to tolerate it when they're telling me a game I want to buy is coming in.
It seems that GameStop has cross-referenced their reservation database with the records of what their customers purchase. Then, when they're running low on used copies of Twilight Princess or whatever, they can call and harass people to sell them back. Damn, GameStop. We know a lot of your customers are used to being treated like crap, but this is a new low. —MEGHANN MARCO More »
I stood there and watched the clerk open the cabinet and lift out a Sid Meier's Pirates designed users manual. I see him pop open an empty PSP case and slide it in. More »
ata on his new Xbox360. Only problem is that it came without a controller. So he returned it to Walmart. The next Xbox he bought had the "ring of death" failure. Another return. He tested the next one in-store, and it was fine, only to return home and have it not work when he tried to play any games on it. So he returned everything to Walmart, including games, got all his money back, and bought everything a GameStop. More »
Hey, did you pre-order a PS3 from Gamestop? Well, you should probably start making other plans because those assholes oversold their pre-orders (even though they took $100 deposits to secure them. ) From Gamespot:More »
• We continue to be baffled by Amazon's ridiculously low prices on cookware recently, like this Cuisinart Chef's Classic Stainless 6-Quart Sauce Pot with Lid for just $14. They must have over-purchased for the holidays. [via Slickdeals] Update: Reader Kim L. confirmed that the price is showing as $40 for her. It still shows $14 for us (although they are out of stock). A mystery!More »
