GAME ripping off irish consumers

sleezyandy

I think nearly everyone who games knows of the store GAME but i bet they didnt know that GAME are charging us nearly 50% more than in the UK.

Surely this cannot be legal.

Ill give you an example F.E.A.R 2 is coming out in 3 weeks time and i bet you its gonna cost us irish 60EUR

But in the UK the game costs 30GBP and at the current exchange rate that is equal too 31 euros.

Robbing C**TS

AlmightyCushion

sleezyandy wrote: »

Surely this cannot be legal.

How exactly could this possibly be in any way, shape, or form be illegal? Don't get me wrong I hate it too but it's not illegal.

sleezyandy

yeah true saying its illigal is a bit much but still if they valued their customers they would hardly do something as ****ty as this

Dont be at yourself

Differing overheads such as rent, rates, taxes, minimum wage in both economies, as well as a higher VAT rate and additional costs in Ireland result in price discrepancies.

At the moment, the discrepancies are more pronounced because of the currently weak sterling.

At the end of the day, different countries, different economies, different costs, different prices. You wouldn't believe how cheap a beer is in south-east Asia, but I don't expect my local publican to match them.

sleezyandy

Lets become vigilanties and fix em!!!!

CCCP^

sleezyandy wrote: »

Lets become vigilanties and fix em!!!!

*Grabs pitchford* Yeah burn it to the ground! Somebody light my pitchfork!

Overheal

1) Grab picket sign
2) Stand outside of GAME
3) ????
4) profit! freeze to death.

Pyr0

A brilliant idea would be to buy the game online in that case, instead or ranting and raving on an internet forum.

Genghiz Cohen

sleezyandy wrote: »

Ill give you an example F.E.A.R 2 is coming out in 3 weeks time and i bet you its gonna cost us irish 60EUR

But in the UK the game costs 30GBP and at the current exchange rate that is equal too 31 euros.

Pyr0 wrote: »

A brilliant idea would be to buy the game online in that case, instead or ranting and raving on an internet forum.

I'm actually planning on buying FEAR2 off Play.com tonight, I hear they will have it at my door on the day or the day after release.

If more people did this GAME would lose business and be forced to compete.

zero19

Is it odd that i almost feel bad for importing most electronics etc from the UK now? EVERYTHING is so much cheaper!

seraphimvc

i'd say the culture thingy is the problem too!!there are still many people buy it from GAME!!or so i heard gamestop is worse....

savemejebus

Genghiz Cohen wrote: »

I'm actually planning on buying FEAR2 off Play.com tonight, I hear they will have it at my door on the day or the day after release.

Was gonna do that but they're a lot more expensive than the hut and/or sendit so i'll be avoiding play for this preorder.

goodlad

I have bought all my games from game.co.uk for months now.
Only 3 sterling delivery to Ireland too

Fizman

sleezyandy wrote: »

GAME are charging us nearly 50% more than in the UK.

Ill give you an example F.E.A.R 2 is coming out in 3 weeks time and i bet you its gonna cost us irish 60EUR

But in the UK the game costs 30GBP and at the current exchange rate that is equal too 31 euros.

Robbing C**TS

Isn't that more like almost 100% dearer?

I know there are many factors to take into account, and a direct currency conversion can't be expected, but a lot of things are getting exposed. I had to laugh at a Sky Sports advert on TV for the upcoming WWE Royal Rumble. Its Pay-Per-View, and its along the lines of 15GBP in the UK, but it costs us Irish over 21EUR. Now that is a joke.

MOH

sleezyandy wrote: »

I think nearly everyone who games knows of the store GAME but i bet they didnt know that GAME are charging us nearly 50% more than in the UK.

Surely this cannot be legal.

Ill give you an example F.E.A.R 2 is coming out in 3 weeks time and i bet you its gonna cost us irish 60EUR

But in the UK the game costs 30GBP and at the current exchange rate that is equal too 31 euros.

Robbing C**TS

Fizman wrote: »

Isn't that more like almost 100% dearer?

Yes, almost. And it's also 100% made up.

So aside from thinking the price for everything should be the same in every country, and comparing actual prices against made up prices, using a made up exchange rate, the OP has failed to even do that properly.

Seriously, is this a troll?

Fizman

Genghiz Cohen wrote: »

I'm actually planning on buying FEAR2 off Play.com tonight, I hear they will have it at my door on the day or the day after release.

You 'hear' they will have it on your door??

Were you in direct contact with them regarding this? Play.com are pretty bad (from my own experience and from reading several posts on here) when it comes to having games on your doorstep for release day. Be warned!

noodler

I am glad someone mentioned the differences in rent, VAT, minimum wages and other overheads.

No doubt there is still a discrepency but it is nowhere near what it looks on the face of it.

There are also many examples where firms had bought stock a few months back when the rate was not so favourable to the Euro and simply can't afford to sell them at the new rate (a case of better to sell none than sell 1 at a loss).


PLAY will never have anything at an Irish door at the release date EVER!

pablomakaveli

Fizman wrote: »

You 'hear' they will have it on your door??

Were you in direct contact with them regarding this? Play.com are pretty bad (from my own experience and from reading several posts on here) when it comes to having games on your doorstep for release day. Be warned!

I pre-ordered GTA 4 from Play.com and got it over a week after the release date. Given i only saved about a fiver it was'nt really worth it.

koneko

Genghiz Cohen wrote: »

I'm actually planning on buying FEAR2 off Play.com tonight, I hear they will have it at my door on the day or the day after release.

If you live in the UK. Even then I don't think they can deliver on that promise. To Ireland? Absolutely no way. On average, for me, it takes about a week. You get games faster from Canada (videogamesplus.ca) than you do Play.com

Genghiz Cohen

Oh look, The Hut has it for super cheap, whats the delivery time like?

Absolam

sleezyandy wrote: »

I think nearly everyone who games knows of the store GAME but i bet they didnt know that GAME are charging us nearly 50% more than in the UK.

Surely this cannot be legal.

Ill give you an example F.E.A.R 2 is coming out in 3 weeks time and i bet you its gonna cost us irish 60EUR

But in the UK the game costs 30GBP and at the current exchange rate that is equal too 31 euros.

Robbing C**TS

??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
F.E.A.R 2 is coming out in 3 weeks time; you think you may have guessed what GAME may charge in Ireland. You know what F.E.A.R 2 costs in the UK, although it isn't released yet.
You're speculating wildly.
Surely this cannot be legal.

Absolam

sleezyandy wrote: »

yeah true saying its illigal is a bit much but still if they valued their customers they would hardly do something as ****ty as this

But they haven't done it?
OK, on reflection... troll.

Fnz

Some decent prices mentioned; I'll add that Asda has F.E.A.R 2 for a competitive price with free delivery to Ireland. [Link]

Like the others say - don't depend on Play.com for fast delivery. Dunno where offers the fastest delivery - heard shopto.net was good (on message boards) but that might have been a shill (it was a message board ).

goodlad wrote: »

I have bought all my games from game.co.uk for months now.
Only 3 sterling delivery to Ireland too

£3 stg is, pretty much, the most expensive delivery charge I've seen for a game.

inforfun

NekkidBibleMan wrote: »

Differing overheads such as rent, rates, taxes, minimum wage in both economies, as well as a higher VAT rate and additional costs in Ireland result in price discrepancies.

At the moment, the discrepancies are more pronounced because of the currently weak sterling.

At the end of the day, different countries, different economies, different costs, different prices. You wouldn't believe how cheap a beer is in south-east Asia, but I don't expect my local publican to match them.

I read this excuse a lot on these kind of threads and i am getting a wee bit tired of it.
For sure there is not much wrong with what you say. rents are probably higher and so are the wages here in IRL
But back in the time when the exchange rate was £1,00=€1,50 the costs you are talking about were higher in IRL too.
So why was it that back then i did pay exactly €15 for something that in the UK would cost £10? In other words not a cent more because of higher rent/wages.
The logic would be that if now £1 = €1,10 i should pay €11 for something that costs 10 in the UK.

No, now all of a sudden i have to pay €13,50 because of higher rent/wages.

I might be overlooking something but... i dont know. it just feels like being ripped off.

noodler

Well you just don't understand the economics of the situation. Thats all.

The exchange rate is an anomaly. Forget about that for a moment.

We live in a country with 4m people. The UK market is massively larger. The economies of scale in the UK dictate that firms can sell more at a lower cost.

When the firm makes the move to Ireland it has to put up with higher VAT rates, higher rents, a much higher minimum wage (thats if they only use the minimum wage) and a much smaller market of 4million people. Obviously the company is going to be hard pushed to make a comparable turnover in the same market.

I think people get confused by the access to NI. It is another country, deal with it. Whether you like it or not it is akin to comparing prices to any other part of the UK.


All that being said however, and with all the different extra costs involved in the ROI taken into consideration, prices are still a bit higher down here. Again, just nothing like face value.

Overheal

Damnit Genghiz - do you want it cheap or do you want it now? You can't always have both.

Sadly the Noodler makes a lot of sense with the Economies of Scale argument. Though I cant recall if thats what it was called - had something to do with a Home Market somethingsomething.

Azza

I was in Game in Northern Ireland this month and the games seemed only marginally cheaper up there. January sales where on both sides of the border so that could of distorted the pricing though.

Granted overheads, wages, vat etc are different but its difficult to see how that accounts for all of such massive differences in prices in general.

its frustrating as well that online shops don't keep up to date with the current exchange rate

inforfun

noodler wrote: »

Well you just don't understand the economics of the situation. Thats all.

The exchange rate is an anomaly. Forget about that for a moment.

We live in a country with 4m people. The UK market is massively larger. The economies of scale in the UK dictate that firms can sell more at a lower cost.

When the firm makes the move to Ireland it has to put up with higher VAT rates, higher rents, a much higher minimum wage (thats if they only use the minimum wage) and a much smaller market of 4million people. Obviously the company is going to be hard pushed to make a comparable turnover in the same market.

I think people get confused by the access to NI. It is another country, deal with it. Whether you like it or not it is akin to comparing prices to any other part of the UK.


All that being said however, and with all the different extra costs involved in the ROI taken into consideration, prices are still a bit higher down here. Again, just nothing like face value.

I do know i shouldnt just take the exchange rate in mind.
Maybe i should have added 1 thing in my post. The fact that i had only the shops in mind that are displaying £ and € on their price tags in the Irish and UK shops.
My post was more with that than with specifically Game in mind.

I guess you noticed numerous complaints about that fact, shops still displaying tags with £10/€15.
And for those shops your arguments shouldn't count as i tried to explain in my first post.
Shops that never used double currency tagging i can not really blame for having me pay more here that in the UK.

noodler

I don't see your point?

The shops are British based and can't be arsed making a seperate price tag for their stock so do it that way in order to have stock that can be easily transferred North or South.

The British price is still cheaper for the reasons stated above. Its not meant to reflect the exchange rate.

Furthermore, many businesses bought stock a few months ago at a different rate and can't afford (or are unwilling) to take such huge losses on it now.

evad_lhorg

this isnt just GAME you know? go look at your other game shops too

PaddyTheNth

Surprised no one has linked to this yet...Forfás published a study at the end of last year comparing the cost of doing business in the North with the cost of doing business in the Republic.

A summary of the report by the Tánaiste:

The sliver of delight that is Mary Coughlan wrote:

while we accept that the cost environment in Ireland is a contributory factor to higher retail prices, it does not explain North-South price differences of the magnitude that continue to exist

Full report - http://www.forfas.ie/publications/2008/title,2623,en.php

Basically, operating costs (VAT, rent, minimum wage etc) do not account for the differences in price.

Genghiz Cohen

Genghiz Cohen wrote: »

Oh look, The Hut has it for super cheap, whats the delivery time like?

Bump...

KerranJast

GAME have always been dearer than Virgin/Zaavi, HMV, Smiths & Gamestop. Just shop around or shop online. There is plenty of choice in the market you know. Rumours are that Gamestop want to buy out GAME anyway to get a foothold in the UK market.

Attol

So the price *might be* 60 euros but you have no evidence whatsoever of any concrete euro price. Get a grip. Come back when you have the actual euro price then feel free to rant.

CiaranC

I dont understand people moaning about being 'Ripped off' in high street retail shops in Ireland. Its not as if they are dragging you in and forcing you to buy a game at gunpoint. There is no monopoly. The games are available to you cheaper, so buy them cheaper from other channels.

This is how the free market has worked for decades, why is it so difficult for Irish people to grasp?

noodler

PaddyTheNth wrote: »

Surprised no one has linked to this yet...Forfás published a study at the end of last year comparing the cost of doing business in the North with the cost of doing business in the Republic.

A summary of the report by the Tánaiste:


Full report - http://www.forfas.ie/publications/2008/title,2623,en.php

Basically, operating costs (VAT, rent, minimum wage etc) do not account for the differences in price.

As has been said already about 5 times in this thread.

PaddyTheNth

noodler wrote: »

As has been said already about 5 times in this thread.

I have the strength of ten tigers. Prove me wrong.

ShiverinEskimo

CiaranC wrote:

I dont understand people moaning about being 'Ripped off' in high street retail shops in Ireland. Its not as if they are dragging you in and forcing you to buy a game at gunpoint. There is no monopoly. The games are available to you cheaper, so buy them cheaper from other channels.

This is how the free market has worked for decades, why is it so difficult for Irish people to grasp?

Possibly because we fancy enjoying the feeling of being able to purchase something and have it in your hands as you pay for it like people in other countries enjoy. I think most people look at how we have to order online and wait a week for your product to arrive while joe soap across the border can stroll down, pick it up and start playing within the hour.

Yes, it's available cheaper elsewhere and it's unfortunate that we as irish consumer's have to resort to travel or online buying to get the products at a reasonable price. But the fact remains we are right to start giving out about how we are being ripped off on the high street - unless you want the entire irish commerce sector moved onto the internet....

And the shops can harp on about delivery costs etc but it's a well known fact that many of the north's shops are stocked by trucks arriving through Dublin and Rosslare and yet the items retail at almost half the price and the euro price is based on 4 year old exchange rates.

Which also reminds me about Play.com - people should avoid play.com and their ignorant policy of forcing Irish customers to pay in the Euro price which is also based on Jurassic exchange rates.

Example Call of Duty: WaW 39.99 sterling, 51.99 euro. Robbing bastards.

http://www.play.com/Games/Xbox360/4-/5575126/Call-Of-Duty-World-At-War/Product.html?cur=257

astrofool

ShiverinEskimo wrote: »

Which also reminds me about Play.com - people should avoid play.com and their ignorant policy of forcing Irish customers to pay in the Euro price which is also based on Jurassic exchange rates.

Example Call of Duty: WaW 39.99 sterling, 51.99 euro. Robbing bastards.

http://www.play.com/Games/Xbox360/4-/5575126/Call-Of-Duty-World-At-War/Product.html?cur=257

It's not an exchange rate, it's the extra cost for them to do business in Ireland, inc. delivery.

ShiverinEskimo

In fairness astrofool the cost of delivery to the UK and Ireland shouldn't vary much when your products are shipped from Budapest.

Cuddlesworth

You do all realise that the weak sterling is going to lead to a drastic increase in prices in England right? Given time and the assumption that Sterling will remain weak, prices are going to level out again.

ShiverinEskimo

Not for the likes of Game.co.uk and other british retailers who's principle market is the UK. They will be trying to stimulate sales so an increase in prices is unlikely especially in the games market which doesn't seem to be suffering as hard as the other markets.

If anything with the VAT rate drop in the UK they will increase the margins and leave overall price the same.

noodler

I always put forward the added costs argument for ROI stores but Play have no excuse.

Plenty of other Jersey based online retailers let you buy in Sterling and Play is supposed to have free delivery in any case.

Cuddlesworth

ShiverinEskimo wrote: »

Not for the likes of Game.co.uk and other british retailers who's principle market is the UK. They will be trying to stimulate sales so an increase in prices is unlikely especially in the games market which doesn't seem to be suffering as hard as the other markets.

If anything with the VAT rate drop in the UK they will increase the margins and leave overall price the same.

Unless the disks are made in Britain not likely. Unless the publisher is based in Britain and sells solely from Britain unlikely. Their currency has gone to pot, everything they buy abroad is going to cost them more. In the same way they have gone much cheaper for us. All the other company's that buy abroad are going to see costs go up. Inflation will go through the roof there quite quickly or the currency will strengthen.

ShiverinEskimo

Cuddlesworth wrote: »

Unless the disks are made in Britain not likely. Unless the publisher is based in Britain and sells solely from Britain unlikely. Their currency has gone to pot, everything they buy abroad is going to cost them more. In the same way they have gone much cheaper for us. All the other company's that buy abroad are going to see costs go up. Inflation will go through the roof there quite quickly or the currency will strengthen.

It's only the Euro and the Dollar that are doing well against sterling. I imagine the disks are manufacturered in the eastern bloc or the far east where currencies are also struggling which means nothing should change for UK suppliers.

Only suppliers who purchase from Euro-zone or US markets will suffer and I imagine that's why we saw the end of Woolworths and the EUK supplier. HMV afaik use far eastern sources so should be able to weather the storm - in fact profit from it as you can see by their taking over of a few select Xavvi stores here in Ireland.

Mantel

Anyone know what the RRP from the publisher is for FEAR 2? I'd be intrested to see if GAME is just going along with the publisher RRP.

astrofool

noodler wrote: »

I always put forward the added costs argument for ROI stores but Play have no excuse.

Plenty of other Jersey based online retailers let you buy in Sterling and Play is supposed to have free delivery in any case.

Free as in the price of delivery is included in the price of the good, it clearly costs them something to send it, and the cost of sending it will affect the price of the good. Now clearly, the cost is probably less than the euro/sterling difference, but it's up to them to price a good at what the market will accept, and they clearly feel that Ireland (and any euro area) will accept this cost. Maybe being in Jersey gives them easier access to the UK market, and hence lowers the cost they can supply goods at.

Just comparing a price using current exchange rates is meaningless, you may as well give out that the US is cheaper than the UK.

Griffin87

I heard fear 2 is using steam as the drm method. Not sure though will i be able to from retail and it to my games list and be able to use the autopatching through steam ?

Vyse

astrofool wrote: »

It's not an exchange rate, it's the extra cost for them to do business in Ireland, inc. delivery.

???????? Never heard this one before. Play.com use to allow you to purchase in sterling but I reckon that they just got greedy. They don't "do" business in Ireland they simply post the goods here. If the likes of sendit.com can still allow you to purchase in £ than play.com should be able to as well.

I would agree with you on the fact that they have decided they can charge outside the UK in Euro if they feel they can. They lost most of my business when they did this. Occassionaly, when they have a really good bargain, I'll purchase from them.

noodler

astrofool wrote: »

Free as in the price of delivery is included in the price of the good, it clearly costs them something to send it, and the cost of sending it will affect the price of the good. Now clearly, the cost is probably less than the euro/sterling difference, but it's up to them to price a good at what the market will accept, and they clearly feel that Ireland (and any euro area) will accept this cost. Maybe being in Jersey gives them easier access to the UK market, and hence lowers the cost they can supply goods at.

Just comparing a price using current exchange rates is meaningless, you may as well give out that the US is cheaper than the UK.

You are looking at this all wrong. The website is quite clear that they have free delivery, not free delivery to the UK. Perhaps they do find it cheaper to post to the UK (In theory, I mean Jersey isn't part of the UK so we are only speculating because they are closer geographically).

However the fact they used to sell to us in sterling , as their Jersey competition still do, tells us they never used to make the distinction. Now if they find it dearer to post to Ireland I would like to be charged an up-front delivery charge of 3e or so. The fact is, Play's exchange rate was a joke before the Sterling's slump and they took an age to rectify it, now they eventually did modify it to make it more favorable for us but it still lags behind the truthful price.

Finally 'Free as in the price of delivery is included in the price of the good' is not free delivery. I mean by definition, it clearly isn't.
Check out thebookdepository.co.uk who do free worldwide delivery for a definition of real free delivery.

Vyse

noodler wrote: »

You are looking at this all wrong. The website is quite clear that they have free delivery, not free delivery to the UK. Perhaps they do find it cheaper to post to the UK (In theory, I mean Jersey isn't part of the UK so we are only speculating because they are closer geographically).

However the fact they used to sell to us in sterling , as their Jersey competition still do, tells us they never used to make the distinction. Now if they find it dearer to post to Ireland I would like to be charged an up-front delivery charge of 3e or so. The fact is, Play's exchange rate was a joke before the Sterling's slump and they took an age to rectify it, now they eventually did modify it to make it more favorable for us but it still lags behind the truthful price.

Finally 'Free as in the price of delivery is included in the price of the good' is not free delivery. I mean by definition, it clearly isn't.
Check out thebookdepository.co.uk who do free worldwide delivery for a definition of real free delivery.

Spot on, couldn't have said it better.