This weekend I recently went to my local GameStop(s) to take advantage of their periodic 'buy 2 used games get one free' deal. Throughout that weekend, I managed to buy six very solid games, but for some reason I felt that I was being cheated somehow; I didn't particularly feel GOOD coming out of the store. Why wouldn't I be happy with 6 "new" games? I began to think to myself about it...
It felt similar to the numerous times I've gone out to a Chinese restaurant. Before the economic recession, most Asian restaurants (Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Cambodian, Indian, etc) would most often times not charge me for extra rice. It's kind of an assumed norm that the respective restaurant owners have a policy for not charging for extra rice. However, just from my experience at the numerous Chinese restaurants I have eaten at, they will indeed charge me for the extra for rice I wanted (often times not telling me until I notice the extra charge on my check). In similar fashion, several dim sum places have charged me for extra plates (dishes) that I definitely did not order. I'm not saying that all Chinese restaurants are underhanded and cheap, but I felt the same way after walking out of GameStop that day; there would always be some kind of problem that would arise--and never be remedied later.
(Disclaimer: Despite being 3/4 Chinese, my generalizations toward Chinese people or any other Asian ethnicity are not legitimate in anyway nor should they be used directly. Stereotypes suck, but I'd be lying if they weren't funny.)
There have been numerous times where I have been inconvenienced by GameStop's policies and practices. Here's a short list of the times I have been taken advantage of by 'RapeStop'.
1. I ended up buying a used copy of Twisted Metal Black for $6.99. I asked the employee if he would allow me to check the condition of the disc before I bought it. It was fine. However, I never bothered to check the top of the disc because they had given me a demo disc version of TMB. Stupidly enough, I noticed it only until I got home. Frustratingly, I went back the next day explaining my situation, had an argument for five minutes with an employee, and was finally able to get a decent copy.
Afterthought: Who was the 'smart guy' working the counter when they bought back a demo disc version of TMB? In the end, I was the one who got shafted. Who cares if GameStop lost $1-$2 on their buyback.
2. I bought a used copy of Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones for $11.99. I happened to have a 25% off used PS2 games that week so it was a very good deal; checked the back of the game for scratches and it was clean. I made another big mistake of not checking the front of the disc and ended up with a copy of Prince of Persia: Warrior Within. Unfortunately, I didn't notice their mistake until after their 7 day grace period for returns on used games. I returned a little later (still within their 30 day policy for exchanges) asking if I could have the game swapped, but was denied. They gave me the option of trading Warrior Within for cash then to buy Two Thrones again. They gave me some other less than adequate options (store credit), but why was I supposed to be penalized for THEIR error? Essentially, they didn't believe my story and pushed me away. Dejected, I walked away with my Two Thrones box/manual with my Warrior Within game. Pssh.
Afterthought: To this day I still have not played that copy of Warrior Within, it's a constant reminder of the dreaded GameStop curse incessantly eating away my soul.
3. Mentioned above, I recently went to GameStop to take advantage of their buy 2 used games get 1 free deal. I was able to nab a very clean copy of Unreal Tournament and Viewtiful Joe for $4.99 each, in addition to a copy of NFL Blitz 20-03 which wasn't so clean. I saw it had a lot of dust on it, but couldn't see any scratches at the moment so I assumed I could just wipe it off once I got home. GameStop currently does not allow employees to wipe off or polish the used games that you buy. It's some tactic to keep them from getting into any other return/exchange mishaps. Before I left, they mentioned that if I wanted to exchange any of these games for any reason; I would have to do it before the end of their promo, which is Sunday...I bought these games on Saturday. Alright...ONE whole day to make sure these games are working fine.
Once I got home to test my games out, everything worked, 'cept for NFL Blitz. ARRGH! After I wiped off the thick layer of dust covering the game, there happened to be a very deep scratch in the game. Great...just great. What I had feared most had happened to me again.
I returned the next day preparing for the worse; I wasn't disappointed. That copy of NFL Blitz 20-03 was the only one they had in stock (understandable), so I couldn't get an exchange. They gave me two options: get store credit (no..just no), or pick out a game of equal or lesser value. Okay. So my defective copy of NFL Blitz was $3.99. Right...that really limits my choices. After about 20 minutes of searching through countless racks of used games, I found an extremely clean copy of Virtua Fighter 4. Hooray. Although I found a decent game to replace my copy of Blitz, I wanted it to work since it was the final decent Blitz game by Midway before they started 'leagues' or went 'all pro' on us.
Frustrated with not being able to keep my copy of Blitz, I went to another GameStop to check what they had (conveniently in the strip mall on the next block..). Before I walked in I said to myself,
"Okay I'm not going to buy anything unless there was something super-rare or awesome to buy. I don't feel like getting screwed over, especially twice in one weekend. If I do buy something, that's it. It's Sunday. Can't make any exchanges if I use that 2 for 1 deal."
What happened afterward? Oh, I happened to get 3 more games (Nightshade, Onimusha: Warlords, and SledStorm). Uggh. I really need someone to stop my impulse buying, even if it only cost me around $9 for all three.
Afterthought: I noticed that with my copy of Onimusha it was labeled with a 50% sticker, but I never got the 50% off on my receipt. Urrgh, Foiled again! At least the 50% discount would be off of $3.99, and I felt it would be too petty/frustrating for me to drive back and ask for $2 in return.
So basically what have I learned from my past experiences? Absolutely nothing. Well, maybe one thing...if you're going to shop at GameStop, expect some trouble. There are ways to avoid the issues that I mentioned above, but by no means would I recommend anyone to shop there. So why do millions of people including myself go there and put up with poor service on a periodic basis? Although it may be a cynical approach to it, but one must assume that there are A LOT of stupid people out there...and GameStop will always be there to make an ASS out of U and ME.
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