GameStop intentionally removing Deus Ex OnLive coupons from retail PC copies

[Day]

http://www.virtualshackles.com/img/gamestop_policy.jpg

[Guitarman]

Yeah I stopped going to GS when they tried to give me $4 for a month-old ps3 game. I used to get good deals from them on trade ins, but not anymore. Best to support amazon/steam/bestbuy or w/e your poison is than these shysters.

[Tekki]

Everyone who preordered pc version is getting a $50 gift card and b2g1f coupon and an apology. Anyone who bought it without rsvs will also get itwith reciept.
Sent from my HTC Arrive using Board Express

[Katlan]

So because of this I decided to cancel my Uncharted 3 pre-order w/GS and get it on amazon. I can't believe I didn't switch to Amazon earlier, same day delivery and I get to save sales tax. I guess only time to go to GS anymore is if its a mmo and no headstart from pre-ordering type of thing since it's a race to get the physical copy to reserve your name, ect... (and only GS because im lazy and bestbuy is 20 minutes away)

sucks GS has the pre-order bonus code I want for MvC3

[6souls]

Everyone who preordered pc version is getting a $50 gift card and b2g1f coupon and an apology. Anyone who bought it without rsvs will also get itwith reciept.
Sent from my HTC Arrive using Board Express

Expanding on that, here is the text from the e-mail sent out to those affected;

“Earlier this week, GameStop removed a competitor’s coupon from standard edition PC versions of Deus Ex: Human Revolution, a recent release by Square Enix. We were not aware that the product box would contain this competitor’s offer. We regret the events surrounding this title release and that our customers were put in the middle of this issue between GameStop and Square Enix, the publisher of this game. And for this, we are truly sorry.

“For your inconvenience, we would like to offer you a free $50 GameStop gift card and a Buy 2 Get 1 Free pre-owned purchase. We want to earn back your trust and confidence in the GameStop experience. Please bring in this email and your store receipt or order confirmation from GameStop.com and present it to a Game Advisor.”

[Melena]

Well at least it sounds like they are trying to make amends over this. Have to give them credit for this.

[Elrina]

It's nice that they're ordering it retro-actively, I suppose, but I can't imagine it isn't because of bad press. I'm not very impressed. To expand on the thought:

if there was a $50 off coupon for gamestop in a game at bestbuy you really think they wouldnt pull it from their shelves too?

There was no coupon for $50 off. It was a coupon for free access to the game on another service, and coupons and offers are part of what helps to sell the games. Furthermore, it required opening sealed games to remove something that came with them, and then passing them off as new. I realize Gamestop "policy" is that "if the disc is new and unused, it's a new product", but I'm reasonably sure that the vast majority of gamers would disagree, and claim that if the game box was opened and rifled through and anything removed (even if it was an advert slip they throw away anyway) then it shouldn't be classified as new.

If the argument is that Gamestop was simply removing a competitor's coupon from the game box, then they should have either a) immediately refused/sent back the shipment and dealt with the issue with SE, or b) informed everyone who bought the game from the beginning that it was unsealed to remove that coupon, assured them the disc was still unused and new, and offered a competing coupon in it's place (or the very $50 giftcard they're now offering). Competition or not, it required opening a sealed game to remove an item of value from it that helps to sell the game, and that shouldn't be done, ethically even if not legally, without offering a replacement. If it's because it's a competitor's coupon, there should have been a Gamestop coupon of similar value offered in it's place from the beginning.

[TacoTaru]

Well at least it sounds like they are trying to make amends over this. Have to give them credit for this.

You mean trying to making amends, after touting how they were 100% in the right and even Square Enix was apologizing over it proving just how right they were? For being so right, I see a bit of backpedaling.

[izembo]

It's nice that they're ordering it retro-actively, I suppose, but I can't imagine it isn't because of bad press. I'm not very impressed. To expand on the thought:



There was no coupon for $50 off. It was a coupon for free access to the game on another service, and coupons and offers are part of what helps to sell the games. Furthermore, it required opening sealed games to remove something that came with them, and then passing them off as new. I realize Gamestop "policy" is that "if the disc is new and unused, it's a new product", but I'm reasonably sure that the vast majority of gamers would disagree, and claim that if the game box was opened and rifled through and anything removed (even if it was an advert slip they throw away anyway) then it shouldn't be classified as new.

If the argument is that Gamestop was simply removing a competitor's coupon from the game box, then they should have either a) immediately refused/sent back the shipment and dealt with the issue with SE, or b) informed everyone who bought the game from the beginning that it was unsealed to remove that coupon, assured them the disc was still unused and new, and offered a competing coupon in it's place (or the very $50 giftcard they're now offering). Competition or not, it required opening a sealed game to remove an item of value from it that helps to sell the game, and that shouldn't be done, ethically even if not legally, without offering a replacement. If it's because it's a competitor's coupon, there should have been a Gamestop coupon of similar value offered in it's place from the beginning.

i agree it wasnt handled right immediately and they shouldnt have sold it period if they had the issue with it. however it is new product and 95% or higher of people have no problem with the gutted games, just so you know. go into a car lot and find a new car with 0.0 miles on it, you won't. that's even more used than a video game that has only been taken out into a sleeve so that you can look at the box. you know people are far more likely to buy things once it's in their hand, even moreso if it doesn't have a million security devices on it which is why the practice works so well. Unfortunately it doesn't work for everyone, but you'll never please everyone and it does generally better by gutting than leaving them all sealed so that people can see it on the floor.

[Correction]

Gamestop rips a coupon out of a game: it's still new, full price!
Gamestop guts a game, lets employees rent/play at home for 3 days: It's still new, full price!
Customer takes the shrinkwrap off: USED NO RETURNS.

'kay

Even the consolation prize is self serving. Here's 50 dollars you can only give back to GameStop! Don't lose that customer loyalty now!

[Katlan]

i dont think anybody can convince izembo otherwise, he will defend GS to the death

[Vandole]

go into a car lot and find a new car with 0.0 miles on it, you won't.

Actually, my car had 0.0 miles on it. then 5.5 after i bought it.

Jesus christ you're retarded.

[Elrina]

i agree it wasnt handled right immediately and they shouldnt have sold it period if they had the issue with it. however it is new product and 95% or higher of people have no problem with the gutted games, just so you know. go into a car lot and find a new car with 0.0 miles on it, you won't. that's even more used than a video game that has only been taken out into a sleeve so that you can look at the box. you know people are far more likely to buy things once it's in their hand, even moreso if it doesn't have a million security devices on it which is why the practice works so well. Unfortunately it doesn't work for everyone, but you'll never please everyone and it does generally better by gutting than leaving them all sealed so that people can see it on the floor.

Gamestop's policies and actions with their games are unethical, no matter how effective/accepted they are, so arguing why they do it when the problem is that they do it is pointless and avoiding the real issue. It is far from the only ethical breach Gamestop has had, but addressing the current topic, there is no excuse for unsealing a sealed game, removing some of it's contents (which have an actual value and is included as part of the purchase price from the publisher), and selling it at full price without informing the consumer of why it was unsealed, what was removed, and why. Period. Anything else is unethical and dishonest business practice.

And the game being resealed and sold as new afterward without the consumer being informed of all of the prior is as good as fraud. At least with an unsealed box it's obvious something could have been done with it, but when it's resealed it is basically hiding the fact that it was tampered with. It's a known fact (or should be, I can't be bothered to find out if there is any published media regarding it, but I know at least 3 different GS employees in as many states and it goes on at each of their stores) that Gamestop employees are known to use new games as rentals, so you never know if your disc is really "guaranteed new and unused" or "borrowed out and slightly used, but we're going to guarantee it as new anyway to hide that we did so".

If, as you say, so many people have no issue or complaint with the practice, then informing them shouldn't be an issue. But it is an issue, and would be an issue, if the customers were accurately informed. That is why they aren't. Because many people are willing to accept assurances of employees as truth, whether it is or not. Many people just want to go home and play a new game, without having to deal with additional hassle or strife. Gamestop is profitable despite it's policies and practices because it's often unethical and at times outright dishonest.

Tell me what would have happened to a random guy who was bored and wanted to help people, who had bought his copy of Deus Ex elsewhere and had an OnLive coupon, that decided to hang out at a Gamestop and inform everyone who bought a new copy that they had been opened and those coupons removed, and it was available in any copy of the game bought anywhere else. The employees wouldn't have allowed him to remain there long, because information is power, and it's the uninformed who have

no problem with the gutted games, just so you know.

[Celeras]

Correct me if I'm wrong: but isn't Impulse a shitty version of steam? And isn't OnLive something completely different that lets you stream shit without downloading it?

Where's the comparison to even warrant this kind of thinking to begin with?

[izembo]

spawn labs is what its direct towards, which gamestop also owns

again i'll say stop going to shady stores of every business and stop associating those stores with every store. customers should always be informed when selling the gutted copy, which on a new game accounts for less than 5 copies, most times 1-2 in a single day.

[Thiefami]

spawn labs is what its direct towards, which gamestop also owns

again i'll say stop going to shady stores of every business and stop associating those stores with every store. customers should always be informed when selling the gutted copy, which on a new game accounts for less than 5 copies, most times 1-2 in a single day.

The fact is the copies shouldn't be gutted at all.

Why can't you put the "Coming soon" game display up instead of the actual case copy, or hell.. how hard would it be just to make case copy placeholders for the lobby and give people untampered games???

If gamestop wants to allow their employees to play games they should purchase a few copies of each game, unsellable or deeply discounted, for that purpose alone. It's pretty retarded how you are avidly defending this nonsensical practice.

If I pay for brand new, I want just that.

It is only a matter of time before gamestop becomes fully irrelevant anyway. No one will miss them when they are gone.

[izembo]

fortune 500 company and growing, keep deluding yourself.

actual cases sell more copies than only like 20% of games have cover art that could be used as displays. that stuff is used in new release sections so that only 1 copy is indeed gutted.

[Thiefami]

fortune 500 company and growing, keep deluding yourself.

actual cases sell more copies than only like 20% of games have cover art that could be used as displays. that stuff is used in new release sections so that only 1 copy is indeed gutted.

dude, not even deluding myself.

the more digital copies become available it's one more nail in the coffin for gamestop.

True people would go to buy older copies, but it's pretty apparent that for most people it's convenience over cost. That's why gamestop spread like wildfire to maintain their edge.

Competition wise, since cornering the used game market prices have only increased so it is only a matter of time before someone offers more of a fair selling/buying price on used goods.

The next best thing + wider selection of digital console downloads WILL kill off gamestop pretty fucking quickly, and mark my words - will happen.

[Kerberoz]

Why would anyone want to use OnLive if they have a PC that can run DE:HR? Onlive is for people with computers from 2001 who want to play The Sims 3 in Youtube-SD quality with quarter-second input lag.

[BadKarma]

I'm mad cuz I love that new game smell.