Last straw with Gamestop and what not

RobbingBandit

cynicaljam wrote: »

Right so while we all have our keyboards out let me tell you someone worse than GameStop.
CeX are robbing people blind, their ENTIRE stock consists of used products. They would buy a system from you and sell it for 200+ more, then buy games from you and practically double the price and put it back on the shelf. I myself haven't bought anything over a tenner there.

But I noticed a scheme one of my friends was doing, so i thought I'd try it. Back in the day when the Collector's Edition meant something, i was gonna buy the Buccaneer Edition of Assassin's Creed IV for €19.99 while it was on sale and then sell it to CeX for €39.99, I felt like bending them over for a change. I went to do this six times in a row until I walked out with a profit, then I **** you not; I seen the staff of the Onni CeX walk in like the seven dwarfs all carrying Xbox and PlayStation copies of Assassin's Creed Buccaneer, guess who recently sold their entire stock? (GameStop, just around the corner from them.)

These clever clogs figured out my friends plan before it could be put to action and they had the audacity to sell them for a higher price even though the cheeky ****ers only paid €19.99 for them. Are you's having a laugh? Nobody screws you worse for price than CeX. Face it lads.

Sounds like Gamestop misdirection to me... :p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:p:D

cloud493

What, cex are generally better value than gamestop, and they keep their prices online, wish more places did that.

nerd69

cloud493 wrote: »

What, cex are generally better value than gamestop, and they keep their prices online, wish more places did that.

not really not for older second hand games at least which is what iv been mostly getting lately.

to be honest i dont understand the complaining about either if you dont like the price go somewhere else and with regards the insurance and loyalty cards in gamestop they ask me i say no end of story iv lost maby 2 seconds of my life god knows iv wasted more than that on here for example .

TerrorFirmer

Actually I find CEX have better trade in-prices and shelf prices. Every single Xbox One game I compared against Gamestop the other day was cheaper in CEX, something up to €15.

I think they're much fairer than Gamestop overall, but their customer service in general is atrocious - god help you if you ever have to return something returned online. I bought something online, they sent me the entirely wrong item altogether. It's ongoing a month now and still no resolution, and they do everything through email - no phone support, and you can't bring any online purchases to retail stores. In fact they wouldn't even reply for over a week until I posted to their Facebook page.

I'll continue having a look in the local store here in Galway as it's pretty OK and the staff are decent enough, but I'd never touch their online store again even if it meant paying more in Gamestop.

cloud493

It never feels like cex is big enough, or theres enough staff, or just that its not well organised. Everything in there is all over the place, and the staff quite often seems to be standing outside having a smoke or doing nothing in the back, while one person on the tills struggles with large queues. And the testing time for consoles, phones, etc, can take up to 24 hours.

TrustedApple

cloud493 wrote: »

It never feels like cex is big enough, or theres enough staff, or just that its not well organised. Everything in there is all over the place, and the staff quite often seems to be standing outside having a smoke or doing nothing in the back, while one person on the tills struggles with large queues. And the testing time for consoles, phones, etc, can take up to 24 hours.

My Local CEX there seems to be a hell of a lot of staff standing around doing notting at all and its even worse when you won't to trade something in there line can be nuts like there is no proper line in the place where people will cut like crazy and the only way to get looked after is to give a odd look to one of the staff working there LoL.

But there handiest place to have opened for trading stuff it. As i am in luck to get a 20% discount off all new games on amazon so games always work out about €42 new for a xbox one or PS4 game for me and i can easily trade them in 2 weeks later when i am done for about €38 cash so i get 2 weeks play time for less then a bottle of bear on a night out its nuts !!!

CiDeRmAn

Interesting fact, fact fans...

I know the guys who started Gamesworld, the independent retailer who was eventually bought up by Gamestop.
They based their business model on CEX, then a young business themselves based in London.

Both did much the same thing early on, though Gamesworld stocked new games and consoles and they developed a good relationship with Sony, who had a policy to foster good relations outside of the major chains, a mistake that cost Sega dearly.

So it's interesting that they come in for similar flak here.

I used to find the service in HMV poor at times myself, I do miss not having a Game or EB branch around.
But GS, CEX, Smyths and Xtravision are miles better than the previous which was trawling little toy shops, video rentals and shops like Eason and Clerys for games, like back in the mid 80's.

Mr.Saturn

Considering it's a franchise, I dunno what may have been in those franchisee packs that renders the experience in all CeXes universal.

Their fairness in trade-ins has furnished about 60% of my collection in the last couple years.

On topic, Gamestop seem to be dumping a lot of their non-1st party Wii stuff for relative pennies, so that's always welcome. You can nab a decent light-gun collection by barely breaking a score.

Overheal

DARK-KNIGHT wrote: »

You are doing a lot of presuming there to be fair.

and I did nothing illegal so hop off your high horse.

Nobody said illegal. They said taking the piss. Its analagous to only visiting a grocery store for the free samples or tying up a cashier for an hour to use absurd combinations of coupons. Frankly they would have a right to tell you to feck off for **** like you're doing. Its people like yourself that screw things up for normal people that want trades and returns on honest business. **** like that is why in a lot of business, product vendors give similar but different products to different retailers, affording retailers the benefit of knowing whether the product was sold in one of their stores or not.

Illegal or not, its unethical: you're effectively taking a product out of their inventory and preventing them from making an actual sale on it, then you return it back to them later. In their inventory controls, it will show up as a sale, which determines how many units they re-order. If there are 20 people like you, they'd restock eg. 20 units, get 20 units returned, and end up with 40 units all of which they are unlikely to sell, especially at the launch price. You are, accurately, a nuisance to the business operation.

J Mysterio

LandonRicketts wrote: »

I remember i went in to check if they were stocking the Mario Kart 8 special edition in my local Gamestop. After I asked about Mario Kart 8, the staff member replied "for which console?". Shocking how they employ people who probably wouldn't know how to turn on the consoles.

Used to shop in gamestop but the last straw is when they were charging 75 bones for Watch Dogs on the PS4. Luckily I traded in 2 games I got from that XV Marketplace fire-sale and got it for 9.99. Do all my games buying from VGP+. May take a week or two to get here but worth it since your only paying around €46 for a new release!

Whats VVP+?

DARK-KNIGHT

Overheal wrote: »

Nobody said illegal. They said taking the piss. Its analagous to only visiting a grocery store for the free samples or tying up a cashier for an hour to use absurd combinations of coupons. Frankly they would have a right to tell you to feck off for **** like you're doing. Its people like yourself that screw things up for normal people that want trades and returns on honest business. **** like that is why in a lot of business, product vendors give similar but different products to different retailers, affording retailers the benefit of knowing whether the product was sold in one of their stores or not.

Illegal or not, its unethical: you're effectively taking a product out of their inventory and preventing them from making an actual sale on it, then you return it back to them later. In their inventory controls, it will show up as a sale, which determines how many units they re-order. If there are 20 people like you, they'd restock eg. 20 units, get 20 units returned, and end up with 40 units all of which they are unlikely to sell, especially at the launch price. You are, accurately, a nuisance to the business operation.

look at all the ducks I give...

Thanks for that input though.

cloud493

J Mysterio wrote: »

Whats VVP+?

VGP+ is a site that does good prices for PS4 games, although its the US versions of them.

https://www.videogamesplus.ca

Real good prices, only downside is a 10 day wait for it.

Umaro

Overheal wrote: »

Nobody said illegal. They said taking the piss. Its analagous to only visiting a grocery store for the free samples or tying up a cashier for an hour to use absurd combinations of coupons. Frankly they would have a right to tell you to feck off for **** like you're doing. Its people like yourself that screw things up for normal people that want trades and returns on honest business. **** like that is why in a lot of business, product vendors give similar but different products to different retailers, affording retailers the benefit of knowing whether the product was sold in one of their stores or not.

This'll be an unpopular opinion around here, but you are right. From working in retail, I remember that my heart used to sink when I saw a customer like this entering the store.

cloud493

Aye I know the feeling. There's people banned from my work for taking the piss with SVP vouchers or certain deals, gamestop is no different.

CiDeRmAn

Umaro wrote: »

This'll be an unpopular opinion around here, but you are right. From working in retail, I remember that my heart used to sink when I saw a customer like this entering the store.

I used to be the same, with people who were laden down with trades and vouchers but that was really my own problem, they were entitled to do it and it might have occurred everyday it wasn't happening all day.
I just did my job, smiled, was helpful and kept my opinions to myself.
The customer in no way should be able to sense that the staff have any discomfort with the transaction, you were simply employed to give people your assistance with their purchases, as well as any other tasks required.
That's how it used to be at least,
I was taken on in Gamesworld as I was doing a mural painting job in their then new Liffey St store and was helping people who asked my multiple questions, then the manager offered me a job, worked there for about 4 years in the late 90's and a couple of Christmases after that.
Good times tbh.

Ol' Donie

I really miss GAME.

Off topic, i suppose, but I loved those shops.

cloud493

Its a shame theres no competitor to gamestop, least in terms of a solely dedicated games shop. I'd love it if Game came back.

DARK-KNIGHT

cloud493 wrote: »

Its a shame theres no competitor to gamestop, least in terms of a solely dedicated games shop. I'd love it if Game came back.

game and hmv can piss off they treated Irish staff and customers like **** when they closed... wouldnt be bothered with either online is way to buy games now

CiDeRmAn

But, like books, there's a certain pleasure to be derived from browsing shelves and finding treasures.
A physical game, boxed with maps, Instructions and so on is a lovely thing and I prefer them to digital releases.
If a game on PSN+ is really good I'll buy it as well, just so I have it in the collection.

cloud493

That also links to games no longer coming with proper instruction books, but thats a different issue altogether.

gaynorvader

DARK-KNIGHT wrote: »

game and hmv can piss off they treated Irish staff and customers like **** when they closed... wouldnt be bothered with either online is way to buy games now

Umm...both went into liquidation. As it they went bust. GAME thought they would be bought by Gamestop and so be able to keep their employees. They weren't allowed to discuss the deal before it was finalised and Gamestop ended up pulling out anyway, leaving GAME employees unemployed and the shops sold to their creditors.
HMV also went into liquidation, were bought by investors and merged with Xtra Vision to try and and stay afloat. They treated staff and customers about as well as could be expected in the circumstances. There was a bit of a kerfuffle with the vouchers, but they thought they were going under and had no guarantee that the new owners would honour them.

DARK-KNIGHT

gaynorvader wrote: »

Umm...both went into liquidation. As it they went bust. GAME thought they would be bought by Gamestop and so be able to keep their employees. They weren't allowed to discuss the deal before it was finalised and Gamestop ended up pulling out anyway, leaving GAME employees unemployed and the shops sold to their creditors.
HMV also went into liquidation, were bought by investors and merged with Xtra Vision to try and and stay afloat. They treated staff and customers about as well as could be expected in the circumstances. There was a bit of a kerfuffle with the vouchers, but they thought they were going under and had no guarantee that the new owners would honour them.

Having had family members working in both stores it was not all sunshine and lollipops... I'm sure I was told both companies were profitable but we're sacrificed to save UK market.

Another there's the vouchers tut tut tut

gaynorvader

DARK-KNIGHT wrote: »

Having had family members working in both stores it was not all sunshine and lollipops... I'm sure I was told both companies were profitable but we're sacrificed to save UK market.

Another there's the vouchers tut tut tut

Yeah, working retail is never all sunshine and lollipops. The GAME stores were in such dire financial states that publishers (EA and Capcom) were refusing to release new games to them. 277 stores were shut down, not that many of them were Irish as they'd never really taken off over here (evidenced by how few stores actually existed).

nerd69

gaynorvader wrote: »

Umm...both went into liquidation. As it they went bust. GAME thought they would be bought by Gamestop and so be able to keep their employees. They weren't allowed to discuss the deal before it was finalised and Gamestop ended up pulling out anyway, leaving GAME employees unemployed and the shops sold to their creditors.
HMV also went into liquidation, were bought by investors and merged with Xtra Vision to try and and stay afloat. They treated staff and customers about as well as could be expected in the circumstances. There was a bit of a kerfuffle with the vouchers, but they thought they were going under and had no guarantee that the new owners would honour them.

i never heard that and dont understand why they would at least in ireland when they already have stores in close proximity to most game stores, it sounds like a cop out on the owners part.

also didn't they give staff a weeks notice or something like you dont go into liquidation over the coarse of a week theres ways to do things and they did it wrong

cynicaljam

In CeX I have seen them leave all the DLC and booklets in the Collector's Edition cases on the shelves. Like you can literally walk up to Mafia II Collector's Edition on the shelf and see that the Collector's Artbook is still in the case and not the CD. They don't give a **** in CeX. They just do whatever and because there are only four other outlets for retail gaming in Ireland, they know have you by the balls. CeX don't give a **** whether you come in or not because they'll always have someone coming in trying to sell their iPhone and getting ripped off by 200+ euro.

Online is the best way in my opinion. But you are always free to buy from wherever you want really.

CiDeRmAn

cynicaljam wrote: »

In CeX I have seen them leave all the DLC and booklets in the Collector's Edition cases on the shelves. Like you can literally walk up to Mafia II Collector's Edition on the shelf and see that the Collector's Artbook is still in the case and not the CD. They don't give a **** in CeX. They just do whatever and because there are only four other outlets for retail gaming in Ireland, they know have you by the balls. CeX don't give a **** whether you come in or not because they'll always have someone coming in trying to sell their iPhone and getting ripped off by 200+ euro.

Online is the best way in my opinion. But you are always free to buy from wherever you want really.

I bought a lovely Castlevania for the PS3 in CEX, it was a collectors edition and it came with all the DLC and the 3DS title, Mirror of Fate on it as well.
The guy behind the counter assured me they were on the disc rather than code based....
Honestly, the guy would probably say mass, got it home and it was basically the standard version on disc, the rest were, indeed, code based and, though the codes were included, they were all used up.
Back I went and got my money back, but it was a pain in the backside.
I also picked up Battalion Wars 2 and, my bad, didn't check the disc before getting home, the disc was in terrible condition, looked like someone had had a crack at it with a sander.

cloud493

Well cex is essentially a pawn shop.

J Mysterio

It's a ****hole. They get a fair amount of their stuff through repossessions etc.

CiDeRmAn

J Mysterio wrote: »

It's a ****hole. They get a fair amount of their stuff through repossessions etc.

Any links to prove this is the case?

cloud493

Well at least they're not pretentious about it.