Worst Advice Retail Ever Gave you

cherryghost

I remember years ago I was in the shop, my happy little head as I was about to purchase an N64 I was saving up for (console was almost 2 years out at that point). The guy behind the counter almost refused to sell it to me as 'The N64 is a bad console with no real good games on it'. I still remember it because I was ready to punch his dopey face.

Another one, I used to work in Smyths years back and the guy I worked with was a real fanboy of Microsoft, real idiot. Anytime customers came in and asked for a PS3 or a Wii, he's persuade a 360 purchase instead. He put other customers buying a console altogether, I ended up reporting that tidbit to the manager and he went beserk, and the guys only response was 'Well, I AM right'. tool.

Anyone got some gems?

KilOit

My first pc gaming build i got was in PC World, a good 9-10 years ago before building your own machine was more common.
you know the kinda service guys in there, anyways he gave me a cpu, motherboard and ram, they were the more expensive items in the shop but trusted the guy and bought them, he told me they were great etc
anyways get home and spend ages trying to put it together only to realise the cpu wasn't suitable for the motherboard!

I didn't know there was different types at the time, was so bloody angry and getting the refund, was a pain and they kept me waiting for ages at the service till.

I just got a complete refund and went with a bundle package in Maplin and worked fine for my first build.

I'm kinda thankful in a way, after my first build drama i always do my homework and research items for future builds, anyways nowadays building pc's is more like putting lego together

Gummy Panda

Not me but my parents went into town one Xmas when I was a kid to buy me a SNES with super Mario world. They rang me and asked would I prefer a megadrive as the megadrive came with three games - golden axe, streets of rage and shinobi.

They returned later with a megadrive 2 due to the advice of sales assistant and the 5 game sports pack. I'm not into sports so I had to enjoy those games until a friend in school gave me a lend of castlevania for the megadrive.

I should have got a SNES though

richymcdermott

A manager in gamestop told me to sell my games cause they had no value and I said I like to collect them , he replied I liked money and walked away with a smug look on his face.

Creamy Goodness

Gamestop manager told me I was crazy for cancelling my PS 4 pre-order, stating that "you won't get one until at least March next year (2014)"

Walked by them yesterday, big posters in the window "PS 4 in stock / Xbox One in stock".

Really wanted to walk in and buy one but really nothing to play on it :pac:.

Gunmonkey

Went looking for a 3 month PS+ card around October so went into HMV Henry St. Checked downstairs and didnt see it on the shelves so asked the guy at the counter about it:

"Scuse me, do you have any of the PS+ cards"
"Huh?"
"Its a subscription thing for the PS3, gives you free games and such"
"Oh the Playstation credit, they are over there"
"no, not the PSN cards, PS+, its kinda like the Xbox Live sub cards"
"Uh no, you might try Gamestop, were not big freaks for games here...um...uh...you know what I mean"
"Uh yeah...sure"

So there ya go, the people who work the GAMES COUNTER in HMV say dont buy PS+ as its only for freaks.....except for HMV (who are awesome and cool and totally not freaks) who were selling them a few weeks later when the PS4 launched so totally cool, awesome people (who are sooooo not freaks) can enjoy Call of Doodie and FIFA online. :rolleyes:


Why were we angry when that kip got closed last year?

Retr0gamer

I had the opposite experience. Went into GameStop on ps4 launch day and swapped my ps4 for a wiiu. The girl there said she was doing the same later.

The worst I saw was a girl in GameStop wanting to buy a GameCube because she loved survival horror games. The guys behind the counter told her to get a Xbox because halo was the best game ever. I had to step in there and tell her to get a ps2 or GameCube, she ended up with the GameCube because she had a ps2 and loved resident evil.

DanWall

I went to buy a Hi Fi stereo system years ago and the young salesman said the 25 watt RMS speakers was 25 watt "Recommended Speaker" I said do you not mean "Root Mean Square"

richymcdermott

Retr0gamer wrote: »

I had the opposite experience. Went into GameStop on ps4 launch day and swapped my ps4 for a wiiu. The girl there said she was doing the same later.

The worst I saw was a girl in GameStop wanting to buy a GameCube because she loved survival horror games. The guys behind the counter told her to get a Xbox because halo was the best game ever. I had to step in there and tell her to get a ps2 or GameCube, she ended up with the GameCube because she had a ps2 and loved resident evil.

I wanna marry that girl.....then you

krudler

Gunmonkey wrote: »

Went looking for a 3 month PS+ card around October so went into HMV Henry St. Checked downstairs and didnt see it on the shelves so asked the guy at the counter about it:

"Scuse me, do you have any of the PS+ cards"
"Huh?"
"Its a subscription thing for the PS3, gives you free games and such"
"Oh the Playstation credit, they are over there"
"no, not the PSN cards, PS+, its kinda like the Xbox Live sub cards"
"Uh no, you might try Gamestop, were not big freaks for games here...um...uh...you know what I mean"
"Uh yeah...sure"

So there ya go, the people who work the GAMES COUNTER in HMV say dont buy PS+ as its only for freaks.....except for HMV (who are awesome and cool and totally not freaks) who were selling them a few weeks later when the PS4 launched so totally cool, awesome people (who are sooooo not freaks) can enjoy Call of Doodie and FIFA online. :rolleyes:


Why were we angry when that kip got closed last year?

Hey I used to run a games section in HMV, some of us actually liked games lol aside from my dope of a manager who gave me hassle because the copies of the original Guitar Hero I ordered "would never sell" they were gone by lunchtime launch day, mwahaha in yo face!

MitchKoobski

Gamestop again.

Traded in a couple of games and was looking for Ultimate Marvel VS Capcom 3 but they didn't have it. Girl behind counter asked did I want to pre-order anything with the store credit instead. I said no I was fine I had everything I needed sorted already.

Girl insisted and said "Fast and Furious Showdown is out next week, you'll really have to pre-order that one to get a copy. Want to put €10 down on it?".

The guy next to her muttered "...christ..." and I had to stop for a bit, said no thanks and headed off.

For the curious: http://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-3/fast-furious-showdown

If you take only three sentences away from this review, let them be the next ones. Fast & Furious: Showdown is a cash-in that somebody didn’t use half their arse to create – they used one quarter of a buttcheek. The box may look pretty, but the disc inside is like a HD update of Burnout’s beta code. Like, the PS2.

Tipsy McSwagger

Anyone with a limited knowledge of video games knows more than those clowns who work in GameStop.

Zero-Cool

Queuing up in Gamestop before, adad was buying an xbox game for his son. The GS guy asked the dad if he wanted the game insurance. The dad says aaaaaahhh no thanks. GS guy says he should get it as the xbox discs damage easier than the ps3 ones. Now maybe thats true but sounded like shyte advice to me.

2Mad2BeMad

sheehy83 wrote: »

Queuing up in Gamestop before, adad was buying an xbox game for his son. The GS guy asked the dad if he wanted the game insurance. The dad says aaaaaahhh no thanks. GS guy says he should get it as the xbox discs damage easier than the ps3 ones. Now maybe thats true but sounded like shyte advice to me.

they don't damage easyier but the xbox damages them if you pick it up or move it while the disc is in it
so I guess it makes sense

Calhoun

2Mad2BeMad wrote: »

they don't damage easyier but the xbox damages them if you pick it up or move it while the disc is in it
so I guess it makes sense

Not really, only if you are an absolute cabbage. I never buy the game insurance and none of my games have ever been destroyed, they pimp it hard because it makes them money. Some of them are absolute tools about it and the sales tactics to parents who don't do research is shameful.

To be fair though i havent seen all gamestop staff be like this, i live near 3 and 2 of them i would give my custom based upon the staff.

2Mad2BeMad

Calhoun wrote: »

Not really, only if you are an absolute cabbage. I never buy the game insurance and none of my games have ever been destroyed, they pimp it hard because it makes them money. Some of them are absolute tools about it and the sales tactics to parents who don't do research is shameful.

To be fair though i havent seen all gamestop staff be like this, i live near 3 and 2 of them i would give my custom based upon the staff.

Yes but not all parents can predict when their child is going to move the xbox
all it takes is a slight movement then bam, lazerrrr burrrrn
children like moving things, and hit off things ha

Calhoun

2Mad2BeMad wrote: »

Yes but not all parents can predict when their child is going to move the xbox
all it takes is a slight movement then bam, lazerrrr burrrrn
children like moving things, and hit off things ha

Yah but they do it to everyone and implying that they just deteriorate for no apparent reason is out of order.

TerrorFirmer

When I bought my launch Xbox original, it was faulty out of the box and wouldn't read games, brought it back to Smyths. Conversation with manager was as follows.

"Did you read the manual?"
"What? Its brand new. It's not reading games."
"Sir, did you read the manual. If you didn't read the manual I cannot take it back."

:rolleyes:

Ol' Donie

The f*cker in Game in Tallaght who talked me out of buying the Wind Waker Gamecube. Apparently the Xbox is much better.

That was an odd day, though. He went ahead and showed me the brand new GBA SP, which I loved straight away, but he told me all they had was a display/demo one, and they weren't available yet. So, I took my cash, went round to Argos, and got one there. Then I went back to Game and got Street Fighter Alpha 3, showed my shiny new console to him (sighed briefly at the 'cube), and got the bus home.

I've never been able to decide whether or not I made the right call that day (ultimately the idea of playing Street Fighter on the bus was what made the decision).

Ended up getting a black 'cube with Resi 4 and Mario Kart Double dash in Liffey Valley a few months later. Now that was a good day.

Edit: Hang on, that was the day I didn't pick up the special Resi 4 cube in Game because the Mario Kart deal was cheaper in Virgin. That was a stupid, stupid day!

COYVB

if anyone wants to get their own back on the guys who constantly upsell (i know they're required to so it's not actually their fault), walk up with your stuff, preferably when you're buying a lot, and say hell followed by "this is all I want, and if you're going to try to upsell me on insurance or warranties I'll go elsewhere"

watch as their brains scramble to figure out if the manager is watching or not, and whether they can get away with not rolling out the warranty lines. it's a pretty horrible thing to do to them, but i live in north america these days and the upselling is absolutely ludicrous. im clearly not the target demographic, but i dont like the idea of them ripping people off with warranties that are no better than the included manufacturer ones so i get my entertainment where I can, and if that makes me a bad person, so be it

TerrorFirmer

Find it hard to take it out on the sales staff, after all they're just employed in a minimum wage job trying to satisfy the criteria to keep their jobs. I always firmly let them know I'm not interested, but I wouldn't ever take it out on them. As much as you don't want it, or to even hear about it, they don't want to ask you either, but they simply have to.

GarIT

That insurance is a joke. It's usually about €5-7 but if you break a disc all the manufacturers will replace them and the max they charge is €10.

I've had a few instances of staff not knowing their stuff but I can't recall any specificly.

Liam O

COYVB wrote: »

if anyone wants to get their own back on the guys who constantly upsell (i know they're required to so it's not actually their fault), walk up with your stuff, preferably when you're buying a lot, and say hell followed by "this is all I want, and if you're going to try to upsell me on insurance or warranties I'll go elsewhere"

watch as their brains scramble to figure out if the manager is watching or not, and whether they can get away with not rolling out the warranty lines. it's a pretty horrible thing to do to them, but i live in north america these days and the upselling is absolutely ludicrous. im clearly not the target demographic, but i dont like the idea of them ripping people off with warranties that are no better than the included manufacturer ones so i get my entertainment where I can, and if that makes me a bad person, so be it

Yup, when I was buying GTA over here I had tosay no to about 5 different questions before I got the game. It's not like I'd already waited 5 years and the whole day in work for the game

I know someone who was buying a Wii for their kid for Christmas as he loved Mario and it was all he wanted to play. Member of staff in gamestop told them to get the Xbox 360 as it had a much better selection of games and all the Mario games were available on it.

The day Sleeping Dogs came out I was in the store and waiting for the bimbo of the week to stop talking to her friends and give me my purchase when the guy behind me in the queue asked about Sleeping Dogs on the PC. A member of staff told him that they only had 1 or 2 copies of the special edition left and it was a bargain at €60 (could have been €50) and would be gone within the hour. He then proceeded to open a drawer and angle his body in such a way that the guy couldn't see the 30 or so copies of the game. The sales guy kept going on and on about how hard it was to get a copy and when he was asked if you needed Internet to play the game he replied that it was all on the disc before once again talking about how it was going to sell out soon. I was a little sick and tired or the line of crap so turned to the guy in the queue and informed him that you needed Stram for the game to work and that if he went online he could buy a Steam key for the game for €25, as I had done a few hours earlier. Felt good to watch the smug smile drop off the sales guys face

BizzyC

I had one occasion of great advice by an employee in GAME, but a dumb move.

Was buying a DS, came with a free game, was picking up a 2nd with it.
The guy behind the desk then informs me of R4 cards and tells me how great they are...
Put the 2nd game back on the shelf and went online that afternoon to order an R4.

pablomakaveli

Buying Skyrim in game a when it was released and went to the counter. Guy behind the counter was a douchebag I'd dealt with before and was always trying to push me to buy other stuff when I'd buy something. Anyway this time he was trying to persuade me to buy the official Skyrim guidebook. He was telling me that it would help me find all the cool stuff in it.

I told him that defeats the whole purpose of the game since half the fun is exploring. I remember the girl next to him smiling because she understood what I meant. It shut him up anyway.

nesf

Anytime I've been dragged into PC World by a relative to "help them buy a PC because I don't want to wait on you building one for me" has been painful. "This would make a great gaming or multimedia PC," "No, really it wouldn't and I didn't know you could buy monitors that resolution anymore which is interesting."

They leave me alone after about a minute. I don't blame the lads in there, the place goes out of its way not to hire people who know PCs well and just wants salespeople. I just tell them to come back to me in ten minutes and they can pretend to their manager that they sold me whatever I've picked. Win-win I suppose.

danthefan

I don't really buy stuff in shops anymore really but I needed a HDMI cable for my PS3 a while back so went to my local PC World to get it. The guy was trying to sell me the most expensive one in the shop obviously, I just wanted the cheapest one. In a last ditch attempt to get me to buy the expensive one, he proceeded to tell me the cheap one may not be able to carry an HD signal.

Faith+1

Gummy Panda wrote: »

Not me but my parents went into town one Xmas when I was a kid to buy me a SNES with super Mario world. They rang me and asked would I prefer a megadrive as the megadrive came with three games - golden axe, streets of rage and shinobi.

They returned later with a megadrive 2 due to the advice of sales assistant and the 5 game sports pack. I'm not into sports so I had to enjoy those games until a friend in school gave me a lend of castlevania for the megadrive.

I should have got a SNES though

The same thing happened to me! I guess our parents are related in some way!:eek:

krudler

TerrorFirmer wrote: »

Find it hard to take it out on the sales staff, after all they're just employed in a minimum wage job trying to satisfy the criteria to keep their jobs. I always firmly let them know I'm not interested, but I wouldn't ever take it out on them. As much as you don't want it, or to even hear about it, they don't want to ask you either, but they simply have to.

That's the thing, it's annoying being asked if you want all that guff but they have to do it.

Gandalph

I bought Lemmings CD-ROM and asked the guy at the counter would it work on my computer, the guy at the counter told me it had pretty low specs so it should work on any computer. Went home, put it in my xbox and it didn't work!

A lot of negativity towards the Gamestop guys, have to say the guys in my local in Drogheda are fantastic, no pressuring into buying anything, no cheap salesman tactics, none of this "You simple HAVE to buy x,y & z", it's all about "Well what do you like to play? I liked X but it's not for everyone, it's similar to Y if you like that etc etc". The only thing that did get me on that though is when I was pretty conflicted between a Nintendo 3DS & a Vita, I would of loved for one of the employees in the store to have told me to buy a 3DS instead when I asked about the 2 of them

runawaybishop

When the xbox one launched gamestop told people not to update over wifi as that could brick the console. They claimed they got that info from MS.

Calhoun

Gandalph wrote: »

I bought Lemmings CD-ROM and asked the guy at the counter would it work on my computer, the guy at the counter told me it had pretty low specs so it should work on any computer. Went home, put it in my xbox and it didn't work!

A lot of negativity towards the Gamestop guys, have to say the guys in my local in Drogheda are fantastic, no pressuring into buying anything, no cheap salesman tactics, none of this "You simple HAVE to buy x,y & z", it's all about "Well what do you like to play? I liked X but it's not for everyone, it's similar to Y if you like that etc etc". The only thing that did get me on that though is when I was pretty conflicted between a Nintendo 3DS & a Vita, I would of loved for one of the employees in the store to have told me to buy a 3DS instead when I asked about the 2 of them

I think on the first item unless you specified that you intended to play it on an xbox i would have made the mistake of giving the same advice.

As for GS, a company that large is always going to take flak because there are varying degrees of people that work there. The trick is to find a decent shop and take your custom to that one, as i said in a previous post i have 3 near me and i choose one in particular because of the staff being brilliant.

Cienciano

Nothing I hate more as a customer than going into a shop knowing what I want to buy and the sales assistant tries to convince me to buy something else instead. If I want a wii, don't try and sell me an xbox!
Same happens in car dealerships. Very annoying

jasonbourne.cs

had a sega gamegear as a young lad and wanted Micro Machines , guy in the shop convinced my mother to buy F1 racing instead , later when she tried changing it all the copies of MM were sold out ......best birthday ever ...:rolleyes:

Cravez

jasonbourne.cs wrote: »

best birthday ever ...:rolleyes:

And the glorious 10 minute playtime until the battery needs charging again.

jasonbourne.cs

yeap 6xAA batteries gets about 30 minutes if you were lucky ( and they were duracell )

snausages

cherryghost wrote: »

I remember years ago I was in the shop, my happy little head as I was about to purchase an N64 I was saving up for (console was almost 2 years out at that point). The guy behind the counter almost refused to sell it to me as 'The N64 is a bad console with no real good games on it'. I still remember it because I was ready to punch his dopey face.

Another one, I used to work in Smyths years back and the guy I worked with was a real fanboy of Microsoft, real idiot. Anytime customers came in and asked for a PS3 or a Wii, he's persuade a 360 purchase instead. He put other customers buying a console altogether, I ended up reporting that tidbit to the manager and he went beserk, and the guys only response was 'Well, I AM right'. tool.

Anyone got some gems?

That second guy reminds me of people with aspergers. They're kind of obnoxious without realising it.

GarIT

snausages wrote: »

That second guy reminds me of people with aspergers. They're kind of obnoxious without realising it.

So do a lot of people that are just assholes, it doesn't mean we need to label them all.

the_syco

Gandalph wrote: »

I bought Lemmings CD-ROM and asked the guy at the counter would it work on my computer, the guy at the counter told me it had pretty low specs so it should work on any computer. Went home, put it in my xbox and it didn't work!

Aye, Lemmings pretty much plays on any computer. I'm unsure how you didn't see the "PC CD-ROM" (or the "for Windows") on the box, though?

WhiskeyGoblin

Worst advice for me was definitely when I was younger, "wooaaah dude, you mean you DONT trade in games??"

Jesus how I regret listening to that

D

Unrelated to gaming, but I remember having a look at some of the early mp3 players and being told by a Sony rep that "mp3s will never catch on, mini-disc is where its at". I walked out.

Retr0gamer

D wrote: »

Unrelated to gaming, but I remember having a look at some of the early mp3 players and being told by a Sony rep that "mp3s will never catch on, mini-disc is where its at". I walked out.

I got a mini-disc instead of a mp3 player. In that case it was my own idiotic fault.

thebostoncrab

My wife loves the Professor Layton series, and it normally comes out around her birthday so it's a great present for her. Last year I didn't realise one was coming out until I spotted an ad online. I went into GameStop to pre pay it (I get paid monthly so it's easier for me).

"Professor Layton? Never heard of it, are you sure that's the name?"

"....yes, is a series of games, the full title is blah blah blah(Can't remember the name now)"

"Hang on let me check...no dude that games isn't appearing, are you sure it's for the 3DS?"

At this stage I was getting annoyed but I wanted to pick it up as a gift so I explained it again. He called his manager who straight away told me it wasn't coming out until December "because Nintendo want to be big for Christmas."

Fair enough I thought, I'll get it for her at Christmas instead. The next day I pass by and sure enough there is multiple boxes of the game for sale. The game doesn't excist and it's not out until December my hole! Was the last time I ever set foot in a Gamestop, Smyths and Amazon have been getting my business ever since.

Retr0gamer

It's quite embarassing asking for something obscure when the guys behind the counter haven't a clue about it (and I wouldn't expect them to know much about it). Going around dublin trying to find somewhere that stocked Ikaruga was a nightmare.

Retr0gamer

Retr0gamer wrote: »

It's quite embarassing asking for something obscure when the guys behind the counter haven't a clue about it (and I wouldn't expect them to know much about it). Going around dublin trying to find somewhere that stocked Ikaruga was a nightmare.

A friend of mine worked in a game store and has never played a game in his life. According to him all gaming is a waste of time yet he would on a daily basis be recommending games to people and telling them why such and such was great.

RobbingBandit

Retro shop over in Halifax in England 11 years ago guy had a sealed weird N64 game to this day I have never seen again, Aidyn Chronicles for £20 guy selling it said it was ****e, why did I listen it will join Symphony of the Night as the one that got away.

Retr0gamer

Deleted User wrote: »

A friend of mine worked in a game store and has never played a game in his life. According to him all gaming is a waste of time yet he would on a daily basis be recommending games to people and telling them why such and such was great.

Gamestop hire people to sell games. Knowing about games isn't a pre-requisite. I'm not surprised by that and if I was Gamestop and he was selling games I wouldn't care.

Jet Black

I went to xtravision on launch of san Andreas to pick it up. Get to the counter with it in my hand and the guy siad if I didn't preoder ive no chance of getting it anywhere. Told me come back in a week and I might get it. I wasn't the only one that left disappointed. Headed to smyths to try anyway. Asked the guy did they have any, he said 'eh yeah we have loads' Got it cheaper. Felt like going back to xtravision and telling the guy Smyth's have loads and its cheaper so send them down there.

danthefan wrote: »

I don't really buy stuff in shops anymore really but I needed a HDMI cable for my PS3 a while back so went to my local PC World to get it. The guy was trying to sell me the most expensive one in the shop obviously, I just wanted the cheapest one. In a last ditch attempt to get me to buy the expensive one, he proceeded to tell me the cheap one may not be able to carry an HD signal.

Those monster HD cables. Cost around €60 for one. They tried that on me saying I needed to have it.

Retr0gamer

Retr0gamer wrote: »

Gamestop hire people to sell games. Knowing about games isn't a pre-requisite. I'm not surprised by that and if I was Gamestop and he was selling games I wouldn't care.

We know that but he worked in Game and would repeatedly sell Xbox games to people looking for Playstation copies

jaykhunter

It's 1991. 8 year old Jay heads to Peats (Parnell St I believe) with weeks and weeks of saved pocketmoney. I ask the shop clerk what's a great game for the Commodore 64. He recommends this.

Harvery Headbanger. He says he can't show me the game because "all of the computers are down". I buy it and take it home. I play it. It's a ^&£($ awful broken piece of &£$*£ and I flip out. I return the next day saying it's horrific but the guy says they don't do refunds on games. So I'm stuck with this turkey. I vow to never, ever give Peats a damn cent again. Over twenty years later, I still haven't.