Returning games : Retailers policy

DannyD

Just shelled out €64.99 for Medal of honor Frontline on the xbox.I thought it would be totally amazing and offer multiplayer via a cross over cable and two xboxes.Nope

So I want to return it to Symths where I bought it.Their phone was busy this morning so any one got any advice ? I opened the package.Everything is perfect even the xbox seal which I didn't cut.What can they legally say ? Can I get my money back ? I only bought it yesterday.Anyone got any experience with this or Symths ?

Dr_Teeth

http://www.consumerassociation.ie/rights.html

Basically unless game doesn't actually work, you don't have a right to your money back. Some retailers may offer to exchange the game for another but they're not obliged to as far as I know.

Teeth.

Pugsley

Ask nicely for an exchange, doubt they would do it, but you could try to offer it in for a cheaper game (if it REALLY sucks [cant be worse than PC version IMO ]). Thats a big advantage of buying from game, 10day money back guarantee.

DannyD

Damn, I didn't know that game had such an offer.

I am really disapointed consider that this is one of the few games I have bought over the years.

CombatCow

I might get slated for saying this but just bring the game back to GAME ( i no u got it in smyths ) if it's in perfect condition like u say they will give u ur money back, they don't mind if u don't have the receipt,its worked for me every time,evan with games i dident think were worth the cash after completing them in a week.I feel so cheep


COMBATCOW. MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

_sheep

When this used to happen to me id get the mother to take it back and say she bought for the wrong console, then on offer of a different game she'd start to get flushered and ask could she have an instore voucher/money to go home and find which game she wanted for her little darling

Then in i head with my voucher and get something else. Works a treat if theres some female assistants there

Celt

Originally posted by Combatcow
I might get slated for saying this but just bring the game back to GAME ( i no u got it in smyths ) if it's in perfect condition like u say they will give u ur money back, they don't mind if u don't have the receipt,its worked for me every time,evan with games i dident think were worth the cash after completing them in a week.I feel so cheep


COMBATCOW. MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL

That's just evil (but Game deserve it)

DapperGent

Agreed.

New christmas project everyone try and bankrupt GAME!

Shinji

It's not that simple sadly. GAME lose nothing on this, because they're so big and powerful within the industry that they can demand insane terms from publishers and distributors.

When you return a game to them like that, they just hand it straight back to the publisher and get a refund, so the publisher (and the developer) takes the hit.

Now, if it's a really crap game or a game which took you a day to complete, I guess you may feel that that's fair enough. Course the really big problem is people buying a game, bringing it home, copying it, and then returning it... A lot of people are using GAME as effectively a free rentals service.

Dave Roe

I had a really bad experience with GAME's returns policy. I bought LOTF:1 for the Xbox, noting their sign saying "10 day no quibble return policy" at the time. I also bought a couple of magazines.
I didn't ever take it out of the box, but when I read the reviews in the magazines I realised that I'd bought a turkey, so I just brought it back. It was twelve days after I'd bought it before I was back in the store. The guy looked at the receipt, and said it was okay - just two days over. I claimed that it was an unwanted gift rather than saying it was just crud, and he was okay with that too, and I could replace it with another game - no prob I wanted to get Splinter Cell - same price. BUT when he opened the LOTR box he looked at the little booklet and said it was all crumpled - true - it was crumpled when I'd bought it , presumably becuase they wrap the CD up in the booklet with a rubber band around it - creases it up a little. Then he looked at the CD and said it was scratched and dirty. It was. I pointed out that I'd never even taken it out of the box, but he wouldn't believe me. Said it would never have left GAME in that condition. I argued but he was adamant. All I could do was trade it in as if it were second hand and pay the difference for the new game. I was furious, mostly because he was basically calling me aliar to my face.
After thinking about it for a bit, I concluded that the only explanation was that this was actually a second hand game. I noticed that they had second hand copies of LOTR on the shelves and very likely did back when I bought the new original twelve days before.
So - warning. When you buy new stuff in any place that sells second hand games, check the CD carefully. If it looks any way less than perfect, ask for a different CD. Even if they haven't taken it in second hand, with so many shops doing demos and the counter staff handling the CDs all the time, they can easily get mucky and dirty disks will eventually screw up your drive - especially the XBOX whicj seems particulary prone to the drive wearing out.

Sandrius

Well form experience they wont genrally take the game back unles it's serioulsy messed up. like eaten by the dog or someone has take a brillo pad to it.

Plus dont pick on the staff member who looks like ther head is about to explode. seriously they'll just look at you and tell you to bugg*r off or somethign so horribly unplesant will happen. (saw a woman freaking out at a member of their staff for something that the poor girl couldnt have helped with was really nasty)

As for if a game is still in the wrap and you dont have a reciept they WONT give you back money they legally cant they need prof of purchase apparently. Tried that one already, got a lovely new copy of splintercell thou : ) i think ther policies are nice eneough to be honest but hey that's just me

spooky donkey

tell them it wouldent run as you have windows XP works for me every time. Smith have no problem changing games for me when i use that one and hope fully they wont notice its an Xbox game.

Sandrius

Hmm might just work some of em are a bit well, lets just say for working in a game store they dont know much bout games or much else for that matter

sceptre

Originally posted by Sandrius
As for if a game is still in the wrap and you dont have a reciept they WONT give you back money they legally cant they need prof of purchase apparently.

More store policy than a legal requirement. That's fine though, no reason why Game should have to take back a game someone bought in Smyths (or robbed from Game) - receipt is normally just their way of protecting themselves.

Leaves them open to abuse of their offer, sure but it's probably a reason behind some people shopping in Game <cough> certainly ain't their prices </cough>

Q_Ball

Just to clarify:

GAME do offer a 10 day money back guarentee. You won't get your money back without a receipt. We are under no obligation to offer a refund after 10 days, and usually don't. You can on occasion get an exchange after 10 days but thats between you and the staff member. Some will get an exchange, some won't. Try it, but just don't EXPECT to get an exchange. 10 days is long enough to know if you like a game or not. As Sandrius said, try not to ask the staff member that looks like they're going to explode

And bear in mind that yes we do know that people in general are reasonable, it works both ways

As for people using the policy as a free rental service, we do try to keep tabs on who regularily comes back looking for exchanges / refunds. It does happen tho, but we try not to think about it.

I don't know about smyths tbh.

Dont be afraid to ask if you have any questions btw

pickarooney

Here's a suggestion - try reading magazine reviews and maybe even the back of the box before you go wasting your money on a game that isn't multiplayer or simply sucks. :rolleyes:

Arken Thell

Its quite ture some people are just so silly as to not think or find out what ther actually spending their money on.
Would you buy a car and not find out abotu it first even just a littel bout how it ahndels ect?
it's just a waste of your time and the people who work in the store's time and just cause nothing but hassle.
Trust me Sandrius has it right.
For some reason ppl alway pick on the member of staff who loks like their head is going to explode. At this time of year it encompass most of the satff so it's really not fun they are people too you know and if your going to be horrible to them then your not going to get very far weather you have a legimite claim or not.
rember you catch more flies with honey than with viniger

Placebo

I dont have the courage to return anything .
GAME are a pack of scavangers .

Arken Thell

They have policies inplace to eneble people to pick somethign that they really like then when you get bored with it ther's the trade in policy (which probebly has the best quality and prices going in the city at the moment)

The problems occour when people abuse the policy. And you cant say that allowing somebody to exchange a game for somethign else even without a reciept isnt fair. 'Cos really it is.

The major problems occour when Poeple start making crazy demands and are nasty to staff. Like i said there poeple too. It's unreasonable to assume that you'll get what you want simply by being rude and making horrible and unneccary deamds from them.

But i'm straying form the point. The Policies are reasonable and fair. its when the policies are abused and you dont get what you want and throw a tantrum like a teenager that you say ther not fair. I cant see ther reasonig behind this at all. or is my perspactive on things skewed?

segadreamcast

Hmmmmm...

GAME Receipt:

"NO FUSS RETURNS POLICY ALL PURCHASES MADE DURING NOVEMBER OR DECEMBER 2002 MAY BE EXCHANGED UNTIL THE 12TH JANUARY 2003."

I bought Unreal Championship on 22/12 for the XBox - my friend had bought it the day before, and I was going over to his house a few days later for some Halo link up action - so thought it would be good to do the same with my copy of UC.

So the game was left laying unused for a few days while I played Timesplitters2 and Splinter Cell... then I went over to my friends house with a few others... we had some cracking games of TimeSplitters 2 and Halo. Then at the end of the night I said to him "Oh... what about Unreal Championship?". He replied by showing me his version of the game in three player mode - absolute glitchy ****e - wobbles all over the place like an old man on viagra. Unplayable tripe from Atari.

Fantastic - I have my 'no fuss' returns policy from GAME... and I haven't even played my game yet. Right? Wrong ! I brought it into GAME on Saturday - where the manager said "hmmm, it looks like it has some scratches on it - I can offer you an exchange for any other game, but not a refund".

What's the bloody difference? Are my consumer rights effected here?

I think I'll do the cowardly thing... send a female in .

But can anyone tell me where I stand with regards to consumer rights here?

hussey

Caveat Emptor(let the buyer beware) which means that it's up to you to prove it had scratches on it before it left the shop.

Game are notorious for that type of thing, they have the discs stored in paper sleeves with the instructions wrapped around it with rubber bands, then they say (when you return it) 'The instructions are crumpled'

Ry

I often use games policy to play loads of games until i find the game I want to keep. I get one play it like a mof0 till i finish it or until i see that i won't finish it for ages and that it's a good game. If it's good I keep it if not bring it back almost like renting loads of brand new games and then keeping the one you like most! Also Buying a game burning a copy and returning it is also done by people though i wouldn't know anything about that kind of behaviour.

Ry

Bard

Originally posted by DannyD
Just shelled out €64.99 for Medal of honor Frontline on the xbox.I thought it would be totally amazing and offer multiplayer via a cross over cable and two xboxes.Nope

IF the staff in Smyths described the game to you as "a multiplayer game that could be used with a crossover cable and two X-Boxes" then you can demand your money back under the Sale of Goods and Services Act of 1980, as it states that anything you buy from a retailer must be, among other things, "as described, whether the description is part of the advertising or wrapping, on a label, or something said by the salesperson."

DapperGent

Originally posted by hussey
Game are notorious for that type of thing, they have the discs stored in paper sleeves with the instructions wrapped around it with rubber bands, then they say (when you return it) 'The instructions are crumpled'

I used to love doing that.

I remember once this guy got so pissed off that we wouldn't give him a refund that he refused to leave the shop (Grafton St. one), we said fair enough and he stood there for three hours or so asking if he could have a refund every 10 minutes or so and saying things like "Where's my customer service?". ****ing comedy gold I tell you.

Eventually he slunk away, a broken man.

Dave Roe

I actually think that Game's return's policy is very reasonable. I don't think that they should have to take back a game just because it's crud - they just sell the things, and it's up to the customer to read reviews etc.
In my case though, the man who was doing the exchange (and no, he wasn't the most hassled person there - he looked pretty senior) basically accused me of bringing back a second hand game. He was right, it was scratched and had finger marks all over it. The problem was that that's exactly how I'd got it. It hadn't been out of the case since I'd bought it. It may well be that it was a second hand game that they had sold me in the first place.
So, like the man says - check anything you buy while it's still in the shop, and if it looks anything less than pristine, ask for a different one. I could easily understand how the new and second-hand CDs and booklets could get mixed up accidentally. I don't think that GAME are selling old stuff as new as a policy, only that they may be accidentally putting old CDs in new boxes. I note that when you sell them an old game they mark the box with an indelible marker, but not the CD, naturally enough.

CombatCow

It could happen that they give you a game that has been traded in but it's more likley that its their storage methods.Basically a game comes in thats over a certan price so the insides have to be taken out,so all that happens is that the cd gets put into the manual and an elastic band is put around it and gets put into a box in the store-room.Not the best method of storage by any means.whereas in smyths they shrinkwrap the manual with the game inside whitch protects it from dust/dirt/scratches.when i was working in both places it would happen regulary that someone would come into game saying that the cd wont work because it was scratched when they got it,but theirs no way of the guy to prove it,so 99 % of the time a row would Ensue.Never when i was working in smyths did some 1 bring back a scratched cd wanting a refund/replacement.strange no ?


COMBATCOW

Absolam

Nice to see so many Game staff keeping in touch with the gaming community. It's also interesting to see the various opinions you all have on our Returns Policies. As a retailer, Game does TRY to keep all it's customers happy. It's worth noting though, that people who constantly return games purely because they can, quickly stop being considered 'customers'. And, yes, do spare a thought for those guys behind the counters. They put up with a lot, and deserve your respect. When they don't get it, you've got to expect a little bit of postal to come your way!

Happy GAMEing

Retr0gamer

I'd consider buying from them if they didn't up all the rrp prices by about 20%. I don't use returns policies cos I like to keep all my games and never buy bad ones. Therefore I'd rather pay the correct price rather than an extra 15 yoyos.