GameStop Apologizes for Deus Ex Coupon Kerfuffle

[faefrost]

Was talking with the manager of my local Gamestop during my lunchtime walk this afternoon. While he couldn't say too much, he did indicate that the corporate management nitwit who thought that pulling the coupons out of the boxes, then simply pulling the product, is now exploring other more exciting career opportunities in the "you want fries with that" industry. If that's the case I'll cut Gamestop some slack on this one. Just because it would be refreshing to hear about some corporate toady actually being held responsible for this sort of stupidity.

 

[Shifty Tortoise]

More bribery than apology >.>

How can we get back your trust? Will money help? Money always helps

 

[Sabrestar]

Has GameStop bought back our love?

Yes. I'm satisfied with this response. They recognised they had done wrong, apologised, and did something to make up for it. I say that's a good response, and I forgive them. Water under the bridge.

I'll still only buy from them when my local indie store doesn't have what I want, but that's no different than how it was before, so it's a wash.

 

[emeraldrafael]

They honestly should have just pulled teh game from the shelf in the first place and told customers to go piss and whine to Square Enix.

but since Id idnt buy the game, I'm not bothered. I've never not liked Gamestop, but then my local one is rather good at its job and I have to say fair (though they dont seem to operate like regular gamestops). They simply refused to sell the games in the first place and gave customers the email and mailing address to Square Enix offices and said tell them about it, we're not executing deals that werent spelled out to us in the initial contract.

 

[Regiment]

There's no use in holding a grudge. This is a nice thing to do. They messed up and they're acknowledging it. I can't fault them for it.

I don't imagine you were one of the people who suffered an offense in the first place. Am I right in assuming this? Am I also correct in assuming that you were always in their corner anyhow? Oh wait I don't have to assume I can quote your other posts:

If your game hasn't been played and if all of the paperwork is still present, it's new. Just because it's been opened doesn't make it less so.

You couldn't fault them at their worst, so the measure of the means falls short by any estimate you can provide. You failed to understand exactly what they did wrong in the first place. Of course you can't hold a grudge. But that isn't a matter of their virtue so much as your bias.

I understand what they did wrong, but they're giving a full refund and a token coupon. If you bought the game from them and didn't get the OnLive ticket, you're $50 ahead. Granted, that's only usable at GameStop, but you essentially got your (incomplete) copy of the game for free.

I didn't buy the game, and I would be annoyed if they had pulled the ticket without my knowledge, and I wouldn't buy an incomplete game from them. I'd still think that getting Deus Ex for free - even one copy of it - was a win for me.

I'm not in anyone's "corner". It isn't us versus them. GameStop was wrong to pull the tickets, but saying "we're sorry we took the second copy of your game, so the one you got is on us" is pretty nice. And besides, all I meant to say was that holding a grudge is never good. GameStop screwed up, but then they apologized and offered to pay for their mistakes, literally. It's a nice thing to do.

 

[Fursnake]

Gamestop removing the OnLive coupons from the games didn't offend me at all, it was surely a stupid thing for them to do especially considering that Gamestop's Cloud service isn't even public yet.

I will still buy from Gamestop because the local Gamestop is close, I am on good terms with the employees and know some of them personally. But Gamestop is and never was the only place I would buy gaming stuff from, just if their preorder deals are sweet enough. I;ll buy from eBay or Amazon equally as much as Gamestop.

I have no interest in OnLive or Cloud computing/gaming in general so the whole affair was not that big of a deal to me, but it is good for a laugh at yet another example of how dumb and out of touch the corporate element of the game industry is.

The gift card and the used games deal is a nice offering from them and I will take them up on it hehe.

 

[Lim3]

I'm fairly sure that Gamestop owns the EB franchise here in Australia.

And i HATE EB. So steam all the way!

 

[jthm]

My local gamestop manager laughed at that initial email and sold the pc copies unopened. See the thing gamestop fails to realize is, a lot of their employees are gamers too and some of them have integrity.

 

[Ghengis John]

And besides, all I meant to say was that holding a grudge is never good. GameStop screwed up, but then they apologized and offered to pay for their mistakes, literally. It's a nice thing to do.

I'd like to agree with you in theory, because conventional wisdom holds that bearing a grudge is a pretty ugly and uncharitable thing to do. And then again conventional wisdom also holds to the notion "once bitten, twice shy." There are occasions where "holding a grudge" is simply the intelligent thing to do. If you've loaned someone money and they never pay you back it would be foolish to loan them more. Likewise if someone continuously undermines you despite your attempts at reconciliation it would be foolish to grant them another opportunity to do so. There is a reason we evolved the greasy black emotions that form a "grudge". And that reason is that sometimes a "grudge" is useful. Sometimes "grudges" protect us. Sometimes a "grudge "is simply the result of accumulated wisdom. This would happen to be one of those times.

 

[crazyfoxdemon]

They fucked up BIG TIME... I think that this is an acceptable apology. But they still really screwed up..

 

[mjc0961]

There's no use in holding a grudge. This is a nice thing to do. They messed up and they're acknowledging it. I can't fault them for it.

I don't imagine you were one of the people who suffered an offense in the first place. Am I right in assuming this? Am I also correct in assuming that you were always in their corner anyhow? Oh wait I don't have to assume I can quote your other posts:

If your game hasn't been played and if all of the paperwork is still present, it's new. Just because it's been opened doesn't make it less so.

You couldn't fault them at their worst, so the measure of the means falls short by any estimate you can provide. You failed to understand exactly what they did wrong in the first place. Of course you can't hold a grudge. But that isn't a matter of their virtue so much as your bias.

Nice job on that ownage, man. I always love to see it stuck to people who claim opened copies can still be new. They aren't. Remove the shrink wrap and it's used. Don't believe me? Not even GameStop will let you return a game you bought new if you remove the shrink wrap. GameStop even knows that removed shrink wrap = not new. They just don't care enough about the customer to hold themselves to the same standard when they open new games and then sell the now used game at a new game price. Anyone who defends GameStop for doing that clearly loves a corporation that doesn't love them back or even care about them way too much.

 

[Royas]

Gamestop lost my sale from the very start by virtue of not having adequate stock of the game at their store. I was prepared to buy it, they didn't have it, the local Target got my gaming dollar instead.

That said, combining their lack of a real PC gaming selection with this kind of underhanded BS (if they open the box, it's not new any longer, period) makes me very disinclined to buy from them in the future. I don't want to be wondering if there was something in the box that bothered them in the future, leading to them removing it. Yes, they are trying to make up for it, but this sort of thing is indicative of the Gamestop mindset. I just don't feel I can trust the company at all.

 

[Singularly Datarific]

Well, I still think ripping open boxes is a dick move, but this is a damn better apology than Sony and their kerfuffle. (OMIGOSH, kerfuffle is a real word!)

 

[tlozoot]

They try to undercut a competitors deal and then 'make up' by providing incentives for you to do your business at Gamespot? This isn't an apology, this is some pretty sly marketing.

 

[Arkham]

How would one go about redeeming this offer if the e-mail was not received?

 

[duchaked]

$50 gift card would be a nice tough, tho I wouldn't be too satisfied with the buy 2 get 1 free preowned deal because I see those happening quite a lot at my local GameStops lol

 

[gsf1200]

I bought the game for my grandson. Gamestop called me today, and told me to bring in my receipt and they would give me a $50 gift certificate. Guess I'll buy me a free copy! I'm cool with that! I didn't recieve an email, so I guess that it's not necessary.

 

[Use_Imagination_here]

Huh? Oh I'm sorry I couldn't hear you over the sound of how stupid it is to shop at gamestop.

I joined the the fuck gamestop train years ago. You should hop on board, the scenery is nice and the ticket price is having to pay about 10 euros more for your games, but actually supporting the developer.

 

[The Lugz]

who even shops at game-stop any-more? anyone that ignorant deserves cut down games
( they've pulled this shiz before, it's really nothing new )