Target Reverses Course on PlayStation 4 Preorder Cancellations

[Andy Chalk]

Target Reverses Course on PlayStation 4 Preorder Cancellations

Target has apologized for canceling PlayStation 4 preorders that were bundled with delayed games and is handing out $100 gift cards to make up for the hassle.

It came to light earlier this week that Target had canceled preorders [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/128850-Target-Cancels-PlayStation-4-Preorders-Bundled-With-Delayed-Games] of PlayStation 4 bundles with delayed games like Watch Dogs and Drive Club, a revelation that went over about as well as you'd expect - which is to say, not very well at all. Gamers who thought they had a PS4 locked up were suddenly cast adrift and told they'd have to jostle with everyone else for a new round of "first come, first served" preordering scheduled for October 25.

But in a statement sent to Kotaku yesterday, the retailer acknowledged that it done wrong. "We sincerely apologize to guests who were inconvenienced and are working directly with them to ensure they receive the console they selected by their original order date," it said in a statement. Emails have also apparently been sent out to customers who had their preorders canceled.

"We apologize for your recent Target.com experience. We are working on a solution that will ensure you receive the video game console you pre-ordered," the email says. "We are committed to shipping your game console by the date on your original order. Additionally, we are emailing you a $100 Target eGiftCard for your inconvenience."

As aggravating as it no doubt was to have a preorder canceled this late in the day, I'd say that makes up for it pretty well.

Source: Kotaku [http://kotaku.com/target-apologizes-making-good-on-cancelled-ps4-pre-ord-1450168096]


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[fix-the-spade]

So, why the about turn, was it the PR storm, did Sony get on the blower and threaten them, did a customer threaten them, did their CEO swing in through the window wrestling a Snow Leopard and boot the decision maker down some stairs?

We'll never know, but you've got to wonder why they didn't go down this route to begin with.

 

[tippy2k2]

Well done Target

For obvious reasons, you probably shouldn't put yourself in stupid situations like this to begin with but other companies should take note; if you do something stupid, fix it. If you do something REALLY stupid (like canceling a very expensive and rare product and telling the people you've canceled on "tough shit"), do something to fix it and then do a little more.

 

[Weaver]

Semi-Related: Target just opened up in Canada and they fucking LOVE gift cards. I haven't been there much, but every time I have they're giving away free gift cards for one reason or another here.

 

[weirdee]

Semi-Related: Target just opened up in Canada and they fucking LOVE gift cards. I haven't been there much, but every time I have they're giving away free gift cards for one reason or another here.

it's basically one of em commercial traps, you shop long enough somewhere and then you never leave, hahaha

 

[Ninmecu]

Semi-Related: Target just opened up in Canada and they fucking LOVE gift cards. I haven't been there much, but every time I have they're giving away free gift cards for one reason or another here.

it's basically one of em commercial traps, you shop long enough somewhere and then you never leave, hahaha

Eh, speaking as a guy who grew up poor, is currently a student on disabilities for Autism and plans his life on a month-to-month basis, I've noticed that most gimmicks like that fall flat on me. I go wherever I can get the most for my dollar, no free gift cards change my bottom line. But I've seen people who spend at the same store out of sheer force of habit. So, I'll admit it works on some.

Anyway, OT: I figured this would happen-I'm just miffed I didn't pre-order through them to get 100 bucks off my console. But eh, we shiv and burn.(And truth be told, I didn't pre-order, with no ETA on Kingdom Hearts 3 or any real RPG games out there, I feel no real need to jump on that bandwagon.) Once I graduate and move on to career mode and have more or less double my monthly income-Maybe I'd be more inclined, but right now, my pc (that took 6 months to save up for) kicks ass right alognside next gen consoles, so I'll sit pretty and wait patiently for PC ports that will inevitably crop up more frequently given the architecture changes.

 

[NightHawk21]

Semi-Related: Target just opened up in Canada and they fucking LOVE gift cards. I haven't been there much, but every time I have they're giving away free gift cards for one reason or another here.

it's basically one of em commercial traps, you shop long enough somewhere and then you never leave, hahaha

Eh, speaking as a guy who grew up poor, is currently a student on disabilities for Autism and plans his life on a month-to-month basis, I've noticed that most gimmicks like that fall flat on me. I go wherever I can get the most for my dollar, no free gift cards change my bottom line. But I've seen people who spend at the same store out of sheer force of habit. So, I'll admit it works on some.

Once you have some more money the situation changes. It becomes more a question like, "Okay so this item is cheaper here by x amount, this by y amount, and this by z amount. I could go to that other store and buy them there, or I could save myself the half hour to hour and just by it here for a miniscule increase". So ya you'll get the most for your dollar by going to different stores but at the cost of time and its associated annoyances.

 

[Saltyk]

Well, good on them. They shouldn't have to do this in the first place because they shouldn't have cancelled the preorders to begin with, but at least they are trying to make amends. Which is commendable. And the extra spending cash would certainly be appreciated. You could buy an extra controller and an extra game with that.

 

[Battenberg]

$100?! And they're still going to try and ensure their customers get the PS4 they ordered? Well fair play, good to see a big company owning up to their mistake and actually taking real action to attempt to fix it.

 

[Ninmecu]

Semi-Related: Target just opened up in Canada and they fucking LOVE gift cards. I haven't been there much, but every time I have they're giving away free gift cards for one reason or another here.

it's basically one of em commercial traps, you shop long enough somewhere and then you never leave, hahaha

Eh, speaking as a guy who grew up poor, is currently a student on disabilities for Autism and plans his life on a month-to-month basis, I've noticed that most gimmicks like that fall flat on me. I go wherever I can get the most for my dollar, no free gift cards change my bottom line. But I've seen people who spend at the same store out of sheer force of habit. So, I'll admit it works on some.

Once you have some more money the situation changes. It becomes more a question like, "Okay so this item is cheaper here by x amount, this by y amount, and this by z amount. I could go to that other store and buy them there, or I could save myself the half hour to hour and just by it here for a miniscule increase". So ya you'll get the most for your dollar by going to different stores but at the cost of time and its associated annoyances.

I've been told that-But I'm almost OCD when it comes to checking Flyers for adds. I even get them in my E-mail now for the ones I most often frequent and I'm not talking minuscule savings like 20 cents here or 40 cents there, where I live(In a shitstain part of Canada) the difference can be in the dollars for similar/same products. 1,99 a lb of Ground Beef(Don't really care how lean it is) is a rare occurence and I make the most of it(I eat about 40lbs of Ground Beef/monthly, sometimes more, sometimes less.) as an example, common price is about 3 bucks a pound.

 

[NightHawk21]

Semi-Related: Target just opened up in Canada and they fucking LOVE gift cards. I haven't been there much, but every time I have they're giving away free gift cards for one reason or another here.

it's basically one of em commercial traps, you shop long enough somewhere and then you never leave, hahaha

Eh, speaking as a guy who grew up poor, is currently a student on disabilities for Autism and plans his life on a month-to-month basis, I've noticed that most gimmicks like that fall flat on me. I go wherever I can get the most for my dollar, no free gift cards change my bottom line. But I've seen people who spend at the same store out of sheer force of habit. So, I'll admit it works on some.

Once you have some more money the situation changes. It becomes more a question like, "Okay so this item is cheaper here by x amount, this by y amount, and this by z amount. I could go to that other store and buy them there, or I could save myself the half hour to hour and just by it here for a miniscule increase". So ya you'll get the most for your dollar by going to different stores but at the cost of time and its associated annoyances.

I've been told that-But I'm almost OCD when it comes to checking Flyers for adds. I even get them in my E-mail now for the ones I most often frequent and I'm not talking minuscule savings like 20 cents here or 40 cents there, where I live(In a shitstain part of Canada) the difference can be in the dollars for similar/same products. 1,99 a lb of Ground Beef(Don't really care how lean it is) is a rare occurence and I make the most of it(I eat about 40lbs of Ground Beef/monthly, sometimes more, sometimes less.) as an example, common price is about 3 bucks a pound.

I'm with you on larger produce. I was living in Calgary over the summer making 2 grand a month (which for calgary is not that much). For me, meat and produce I would usually go to where it was cheaper (I had like 2-3 stores I liked to hit every week or two), but stuff like milk and cereal I would usually just buy it at the store like 100m from my house unless it was on some super special, cause more often than not the price difference was less than $1.

 

[Terramax]

$100 is a huge amount to give away. Of course, people have to spend it at their store, an presumably, it means people will likely buy lots of more stuff from them at the same time meaning they'll still make a profit, but that still damn good.

You're lucky to get £5 give voucher at Game back in the UK if they mess you about a bit.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

That's a pretty good way make for their terrible decision. I'm not a huge fan of retailer specific gift cards, but $100 is like a free game and a half.