the retailer called Game thread

xanthor

steviec wrote:

So, the price matching, like blood from a stone. He informed me first of all that they won't match argos(nice deal, we'll match any price except the cheapest one), then he told me he wouldn't match any kind of special offer or sale price, then he informed me he would only match the price of a shop that had the game in stock. So having gone through all that, and me having explained to him that he's charging a tenner more than every other shop, he actually rang Gamestop to make sure I wasn't lying, like he wasn't aware his prices are a rip off. Then, when he gets off the phone(after asking for a price, asking them if that was a special offer, and making sure it was in stock) he finally agrees to price match, before checking and finding they didn't have it in stock! AGH!

The Argos thing is 'standard practice' in Game. The official reason is becasue 'Argos may not have it in stock.

Ringing the shop to check is standard practice too. As for the checking if it's a 'special offer' that speciffic bit is new to me.

Gummy Panda wrote:

Game on Henry st are terrible. I will never shop there again after they tried to flob off a faulty DS to me, even though i brought it back one day after i got it. Even had a security guard telling me there was nothing wrong with it.

Yes, I've seen him giving people product advice before....... wasn't awate that cross training was part of the policy in Game....

Gummy Panda wrote:

Stick to dawson st. Manager is much nicer.

I've wrangled with him about one or two things, he did the right thing in both cases.
I
n Henry St... I can't quite put my finger on it........ but several of them don't seem to be happy to be there.

I remember when the last Splinter Cell game came out, there was an advert for a free poster. They didn't have them at the counter, and the guy behind the counter seemed suprised that I should ask for it.

He did fish it out for me, but he didn't bring any others to the counter with him.

Now, I know a job like that can be utter crap at times, but the staff in Henry ST seem rather more unhappy than in Dawson ST.

Perhaps it's reflective of a difference between the average customer of the two brances.

tman

checked out the sale in Game, Galway earlier on today out of boredom.
after wandering around downstairs for a couple of minutes, wondering what the **** had happened to the Gamecube section, i decided to check upstairs.
believe it or not they'd actually expanded the Gamecube section!

I was tempted to buy another copy of Billy Hatcher from them out of principal (I haven't bought anything from Gamestop ever since they stopped stocking cube games)
given the size of Dublin, it's perfectly fair for you guys to knock them.
but seeing as they now have the largest Gamecube selection in Galway, i say kudos to them:)

monument

evad_lhorg wrote:

and they cant go price matching some random shop on the other side of the city.(ie town-blanchardstown or somthin).

Why? Is Blanch out side the pail or something?

And isnt the whole 'there's no-one better, so there's no point giving out' idea a bit old?

To add, one of my recent experiences with game was on the 360 launch day, a friend was trying to get a 360 for my off Game [I'm not saying where]. They admitted to having at least one in stock which was not pre-ordered, but a staff member was stopped by a manager from selling it ‘until all pre-orders were sold’, noting again this was an extra console not reserved for pre-orders. If I was there at the time, I may have been making a complaint to the Competition Authority, and most certainly the Advertising Standards Authority.

Maybe this manager and the manger in the opening post are just single cases. But there’s a lot to suggest they are more then isolated cases for Game, and the retail industry.

flogen

monument wrote:

Why? Is Blanch out side the pail or something?

And isnt the whole 'there's no-one better, so there's no point giving out' idea a bit old?

No, but the price match policy is any store within a 3 mile radius, or something like that.

Game Dawson st (as an ex-employee) is a good shop. I know some of the staff there now and they will do their best to help wherever they can. I don't know some of the other ones so I can't comment on them.
There was a worrying trend in Game that saw some sales assistants being hired for their ability to sell rather than their knowledge, naturally a nice balance is what suits the company perfectly but it was always my case that a person who is passionate about games will deliver great customer service (warn against bad games, for example) and will ensure a returning trade because people will learn to trust the guys at store X.
I can also promise you that the reps of EA, Sony etc. don't have any direct sway, but Game usually has deals with them (like the deal of the week), and each store is told to push a certain product(s) each week, usually in return for something free for the highest seller.
I would never, and I've never known anyone to pimp up a game over something else just for this reason, though. I would suggest it only if I thought it was a good game, or if it suited the buyer. I might also point it out just because it was on special offer (so they were buying something else, and I'd just say, you can get this for half price if you want). That would usually only be when the manager was around though, a well priced game speaks for itself in a place like Dawson St.
That's not to say people don't do that. Some get some caught up in a promotion that they say anything to sell it, and that pisses me off. If i sell someone a sh1t game just to get an extra sale under my name, what do I get? A reputation with that customer and their mates that I have sh1t taste and I'm not to be trusted with suggestions, a returned game within days and a load of hassle because I have to write out the return slip

Cake Fiend

OP, might be worth sending an email to Game management about this muppet if you can be arsed, particularly seeing as you've had recurring problems. Assuming they don't want to employ a manager who drives away customers, if they get enough complaints about an individual, hopefully he might be disciplined/sacked. I'd personally do it just to sort the fuxor out, even if I never intended to set foot in Game again :v:

Lemlin

evad_lhorg wrote:

im not so much defending game but more calling the "game bashers" a bunch of hypocrites. i dont give a crap about the company once i get paid im ok.

See my other post about this. You seem to give a good deal of crap if your posts are anything to go by. Why bother sticking up for them if you couldn't care less?

coffee_cake

Oh great...I have a Game voucher to spend too. Guess I know to avoid henry st.

Why? Is Blanch out side the pail or something?

outside a bucket...?

monument

Correction: the pale

coffee_cake

monument wrote:

Correction: the pale

*nods*
Precisely.

evad_lhorg

Lemlin wrote:

See my other post about this. You seem to give a good deal of crap if your posts are anything to go by. Why bother sticking up for them if you couldn't care less?

i dont care but i just hate hypocrites.

and having worked with flogen for a fair while and having seeing him fight about pushing ****e I agree but i agree anyways. Ifsomeone tells me to sell somethin because its a promo illl let it go in one ear and out the other and give my own opinion about how good something is. I couldnt care what we sell or how much i sell cause im not on commission.

I just love seeing the smiles on childrens faces(heheheh )

Jammer

They are charging €10 - €15 euro's more then Smyths/PCWorld/Dixons for everything to do with the 360. Games, peripherals, everything. Scumbags.

[offtopic] PC World are doing a nice deal on PC Games. Any 3 for price of 2. Thats incl Fear, COD2, FM2006, Q4 and a few more being reduced to €29.99.

Guy:Incognito

columok wrote:

Then it comes to there pre-owned games where you've loadsa games more expensive pre-owned than new. I never trade in at GAME anymore as I always find that I get a better deal at Gamestop.

I was looking for MArio Kart dd and resigned myself to the fact thta no shops in dublin seem to sell new gc games anymore. So i went in to Game in the square and the had a few preowned copies of it............for the princly sum of €49.97. WTF.

evad_lhorg

Jammer wrote:

They are charging €10 - €15 euro's more then Smyths/PCWorld/Dixons for everything to do with the 360. Games, peripherals, everything. Scumbags.

eh thats not true. youre saying smyths and the other two have games like perfect dark at 55 or 60 euro and the other games for the same price? and the controllers are 25-30 with wireless controllers at 35 or 40?

i think you may have made some rubbish up there

Laguna

I tend to avoid shopping in Game altogether as, in the past, most things I've bought from there have been scratched/scuffed/damaged in some way (finding this out when I get home), poor stock handlers IMO. Something else which really irrittates me (which all high street retailers do) is open the sealed games that have been shipped to them from the suppliers, stick the games in cardboard sleeves and fire the boxes out on the shelf for everyone to maul and **** around with. Call me traditional, but if I'm paying full price for a game, I like to have it *sealed* and *untampered* with.

Kintarō Hattori

Well I got €120 worth of vouchers for game and I'm NOT going to complain! I've always found them to be cheaper than the likes of HMV, and for myself who doesn't have a credit card, buying online isn't an option. I've never had a problem in ANY of the game stores and I don't have a problem with their pricing on new games. In fairness, their second hand games are over priced, but as a result, I just don't buy them. While they are over priced I do realise that it is an area where they can actually make some decent margin.

Also if you want to buy PC games, Smyths and GameStop have a WOEFUL selection of games, while I have always found GAME to have a large selection. Great! Sometimes I just wanna play on PC and not a Console. Smyths and Gamestop seem to supply mainly console games and usually just have a handful of the new PC titles.

I'm not a GAME lover or fanboy. I've been buying for years all around town and found them to be the best. I've never had any problem there, or with the staff. But I would agree that staff in Dawson Street are friendlier than in Henry Street, but then is that really surprising?

Finally, look at their demograph of customers? Could you say you'd really be happy each day knowing what's coming through your doors?

Over and Out.

Laguna

I take it no ones ever heard of www.Play.com ?, their selection of DVD/Games/CD's laughs at any high street retailers and costs half the price.

parsi

monument wrote:

If I was there at the time, I may have been making a complaint to the Competition Authority, and most certainly the Advertising Standards Authority.

What would the Competition Authority and the ASAI care about Game not selling you an Xbox360 ?

FWIW Game in Mahon Point seem to be decent enough though my memory of the one in Patrick Street was that it was staffed by snotty nosed gits...

Jammer

evad_lhorg wrote:

eh thats not true. youre saying smyths and the other two have games like perfect dark at 55 or 60 euro and the other games for the same price? and the controllers are 25-30 with wireless controllers at 35 or 40?

i think you may have made some rubbish up there

On launch day ...this is what i remember (clearly, blanch btw)...

Wireless adapter - 99.99 in game, 84.99 in PC World

COD2 - 79.99 in game, 64.99 in PC World

PD0 - 74.99 in game, 64.99 in PC World

EA Games - 64.99 in PC World, prices from 75-80 in Game

Wireless Controller - 54.99 in game, 44.99 in PC World

Play and charge - 29.99 in game, 19.99 in PC World

Never going in again after that.

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

GrumPy

Game suck imo, nvr had a good experience, best places smyths, xtra vision, or online.

columok

Even though the manager in Henry St. is being generally accepted to be an arse there is an blonde haired english bloke who used to manage Dawson St. who has always been a really sound bloke. Gives good advice on stuff and always has a friendly word to say. Dunno if he's still around.

srdb20

I take it no ones ever heard of www.Play.com ?, their selection of DVD/Games/CD's laughs at any high street retailers and costs half the price.

Ive bought of Play.com twice and each time it has taken up to and over 3 weeks for delivery, at one stage i actually cancelled my order but then 4 weeks later the games arrives!

Ive got to say im a bit weary of buying of play.com again, might try cdwow or something?

Jammer

If GAME were an ebay shop, what would their feedback be like?

I know i wouldn't touch them, hearing some of these stories....

Riesen_Meal

Gamestop are another shower aswell.......

I worked there bout 8 years ago when it was Gamesworld, anyhow, why im miffed with them -

Same story, got €80 vouchers off da sister for Xmas to buy a 360 game for myself, picked up call of duty 2, stood in the queue for 15 mins before I got to the top of the queue to be told the game wasnt in stock? Even though 2 packs on the shelf @ 10 in the Charts? Normally, us Irish dont complain enuff and I gave the Clerk a bit of an earful for having stuff on display if it aint for sale, I queued at least 15 mins patiently while all the lil kiddies bought their pokemon games, I just wanted to get my game and go home (I was coming from work, one of the unfortunates in work!)

Oh well, just have to wait til the game comes back in.......

steviec

Anyway I was complaining about the treatment of customers by Game in general rather than accusing them of breaking any laws.

The fact that they price match at all for example is a very good thing, it's the attitude of the staff when you actually request it puts me off. And again obviously there's exceptions to that and I'm mainly familiar with Henry St.

I'll always buy my game in Gamestop(or any other shop) if their the same price as Game, which is a habit I've gotten into from various experiences over the years with the different shops, even though the actual staff may have changed frequently in that time there always seems to be a difference in philosophy.

Crucifix

steviec wrote:

...The fact that they price match at all for example is a very good thing...

I don't like the whole price match attitude. Unless they're willing to give take off twice the difference or permenantly alter the price or some such, they're just chancing their arm charging the high price but still getting the sale from someone who knows it's cheaper elsewhere.

Lemlin

Crucifix wrote:

I don't like the whole price match attitude. Unless they're willing to give take of twice the difference or permenantly alter the price or some such, they're just chancing their arm charging the high price but still getting the sale from someone who knows it's cheaper elsewhere.

I agree. They're just trying to catch out the people who aren't fortunate to shop around or parents who wander in off the street and don't know any better.

I like to buy games at the store who had it cheaper in the first place and encourage them to keep their prices low.

evad_lhorg

gamestop sucks a fat one im outa here not bothered with all this rights bs.

monument

The "rights bs" (so, nicely put by a staff member of Game) has been moved...

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054868025

sprinkles

Nicely done.

On topic:

Was in game today and witnessed the manager "chastising" a member of staff for warning a mother against buying The Warriors for her kid who was obviously younger than 18. I thought he should have been congratualting him for warning her as the mother was buying a game in any case ( I think she went with King Kong). In any case what a wanker