So, I bought my kid a video game for his Gameboy at this outfit called EB Toys, along with an updated player for it, which was his Christmas wish (among other things). He didn’t wish for the game specifically, but I thought he’d be happy to have something new to play on the new machine, so I guessed about the game.
Turns out he didn’t like it. So the day after Christmas, I go to EB Toys with the game in its still-pristeen package, and with my receipt, and I’m informed by the manager that they can’t refund my money, they can only give me $3 “trade-in” value on the game (they also sell used games – this one cost $20 and it was new.)
I turned the manager’s kind offer down and walked out. Now, when I used to buy video games on disk back in my C64 days, I understood they couldn’t accept returns because people would just copy the game to a blank disk and return it. But this game is on a chip – I’d need some unusual hardware, an Eprom reader and the right software – to make a dupe of it. I don’t think a whole hell of a lot of people own such devices. So why can’t EB Games accept my return, put some plastic wrap on it and sell it to someone who wants it, and give my kid a game he’ll actually like? I didn’t really want just my money back and would gladly have made up the difference in cash if he’d wanted a pricier game.
I returned several other gifts after Christmas with no problems at all, since I had the receipts. What the heck is up with EB Toys? They wouldn’t even give me a store credit.
Needless to say, they’ve lost my biz forever, but I was wondering if they were even allowed to pull this kind of stuff. There weren’t any signs anywhere that I could say which declared “All Sales Final.” What’s the deal on situations like this?
And is there any kind of crap I can lay on EB Games other than dropping them, calling the home office to complain, and telling everyone to be very careful before buying from them. I’d like to cost them at LEAST $200 in sales if I can.
The same sort of thing happened to me yesterday at Target. I had bought Call of Duty, but when I tried to install it up I got all sort of messages about various video card accelerators on my computer not being compatible with the game. So, I figured I would just return the game since all my other games work fine and I didn’t feel like trying to upgrade my machine for this one game. The rep at Target told me that they won’t accept returns on opened video games because they can’t re-sell them. Which I find hard to believe. I’ve bought discounted video games at Target that appeared to have opened and then re-sealed. grrrrr.
With computer games the standard policy is no refund unless the game is unopened.
Some stores will buy the game back with store credit (you usually get 10% to 20% of what you paid.
BTW Ave if Call of duty is asking you to upgrade, it probably means you’re going to have problems with most games hitting shelves next year. I’d recommend you start looking for a new video card in the near future
There’s another issue beside copying the game. For at least certain games and players, players just want to beat the game and have no interest in the game after it’s beaten. If they can buy a game Monday, play it until they beat the game on Thursday, and then exchange it for another game, they would be in heaven. Sure, the person doesn’t still have a copy of the game, but he’s gotten what he wants out of it- like a person who returns a dress after wearing it to a party, or returns the big screen TV after the Super Bowl.
YMMV, but the standard I’ve seen for video games is the same as the ones I’ve seen for DVD’s, CD’s and computer software- no returns on open boxes unless defective, and in the case of a defect, exchange for the same title only.
Because there are folks out there who have the hardware to duplicate cartridges like that. They usually just read the ROM, then save it to a CD and let their buddies play it on an emulator, but it’s still a lost sale.
That’s how it is with video games at all the toy stores these days – unless it’s still shrink-wrapped, they won’t take 'em.
Toys 'R Us definitely spells out their policy on this issue in their stores; not sure where EB Toys kept their return policy stuff, but I’d wager it’s the same “once you open it, you keep it” rule.
(By the way, was it EB Toys or KB Toys? KB Toys has a national chain, though their prices tend to be higher and their selection a bit crummier than the others)
Well, the key word there is DISCOUNTED. I certainly won’t buy a game or program that looks like it’s been previously opened at full price. I’ll want some sort of price break on it. And games and computer programs have had this policy for about as long as I’ve been buying them…and my first computer was a TI99/4A.
I bought my mom a computer game for her laptop (?Morrow Wind). I was unsure if her video card was good enough. We had the clerk put that we could get a credit exchnge (in writing) BEFORE purchase. The clerk asked the manager, who said fine. The video card was okay, though.
It’s EB Games, not KB Toys. I think it may be a spinoff of Electronic Boutique that’s in all the malls (just guessing from the initials and the related biz.)
And OK, it’s policy everywhere, but I wouldn’t call it a fair or reasonable policy. There probably are some gamers out there who can beat your average game in a day or two and then return it, but I imagine they’re a small percentage of total gamers, and I also imagine that the ones who’ll rip stores off in this way is a fraction of THOSE gamers.
And as I said in my OP, there are some people out there with eprom readers, but I’ll bet it’s a vanishingly small percentage of game buys – one tenth of one percent, maybe.
I’ll definitely never buy another game on guesswork.
Eh, while there might be a very few people with eprom readers, they tend to distribute a LOT of pirated games. I read a lot of gaming related websites. I’m sorry that you got burned on this, but it’s a case of a few people spoiling it for most.
well…u could…
go buy another copy of the game, and leave it unopened
take back ur copy, and say its defective.
now you have two unopened copies, and two receipts.
when u bought the game, did one of the employees recommend it? even if store policy is to not accept returns, if you tell the manager one of the employees recommended the game, and u didnt like it, you may be able to get the answer u want.
Have bothered to read your state’s consumer protection laws? A store manager can say all they want and point to the store’s return policies, but the overriding factor is your state’s consumer laws.
Or buy some shrink wrap and…well I don’t think they’d know the difference Just return it to a different store in case the same employee happens to remember you and wonder how the game mysteriously became unopened.
Just return it to a different store in case the same employee happens to remember you and wonder how the game mysteriously became unopened.