Poll: Should pre-ordering automatically make you eligible for a refund?

[jwonno]

Any product or service you have paid for on good faith, which turns out to be advertised falsely or provides misleading information is eligible for refund. How misleading the information is determines whether you are entitled to a refund.

In the case of Aliens: Colonial Marines it depends of exactly how the gameplay trailer was presented, described and if it was said that it may not be representative of the finished product.

 

[Legion]

You should be given the chance to back out until it gets dispatched or enabled online or whatever.
If you get it, play it and think it's bad, well... tough shit, basically. You knew you were taking a gamble, and if you're being smart you really shouldn't order something unless you know you're near certain to like it.

This. Most places such as Amazon do not charge you until it is shipped anyway, so buying from places like them is normally the best idea unless it's cheaper elsewhere.

Once it is sent, then it is tough luck, and that is how it should be. Nobody forced you to buy it before it was released, so if you are not happy with it then you shouldn't get special treatment just because you chose to buy it blindly.

You could also try being sensible and not pay for shit you don't know, then they would have to abandon this bullshit all together.

I understand what you mean, but you make it sound like it's a gaming thing only. Pre-ordering was primarily created so that people could buy things like books or DVD's on the day of release so that they could guarantee getting a copy. Although of course the difference is that with a film the chances are you would be pre-ordering it because you already saw it in the cinema, and with books it's likely that you are already into the series so are definitely going to get the next one.

Unfortunately gaming has a lot more "risks" involved, but people still choose to buy blindly. Especially now demo's are becoming increasingly rare, and developers don't bat an eyelid when they make up or exaggerate a whole bunch of crap to sell their games.

This is why the majority of games I actually fork money over for, I wait a few days to see how it is actually recieved, and watch some gameplay videos, etc.

And no, I don't think so, because honestly what is keeping that person from picking up the game, going home, playing through it, and then bringing it back for a full refund? You see the problem? I suppose on a release day basis, because honestly, you should only need maybe an hour or two with a game to know if you really want to keep playing or not.

I don't really see the problem, no. Most industries are subject to laws forcing them to offer full refunds to some extent, why gamers must be "entitled" for expecting the same i don't know. It's actually perfectly legal for you to go out and buy a dress, wear it for 1 night out then return it with a full refund. Apparently the clothing industry hasn't collapsed yet, so it can't be that disastrous a concept.

That depends on the shop. Most will tell you that you can return it as long as it is in the same condition that you bought it in (as in, not worn) and still has all of the labels etc. attached.

I am pretty sure if there was any actual evidence it had been worn, that wouldn't be the case. Although perhaps different places have different rules.

In the cases of games it is actually the same thing. If you return the game sealed, you get a refund, if the game has evidence of being used, then you don't.

 

[Eternal_Lament]

I'd say it depends.

I think if you pre-order a game, find out it's shit before you get it, and want to put the pre-order money to something else then that should be fine (maybe this is already done, since I'm pretty sure the EB Games I go to offers that option)

Full refund after you get the game though? I'm not sure. If you were to do that then there should be an obvious timelimit, maybe like you have a week and then otherwise you only get the store-credit for trade-ins, but even that's sketchy. If the game is clearly broken (either the disc is damaged on purchase or the data is corrupted from purchase) then obviously that should be allowed, and I'm pretty sure that's offered even for non-pre-orders. However, if the game just isn't up to your standards (or anyone's really) it's not really the job of the developer/publisher to refund the game. Technically, they held up their portion of the transaction by providing a product that is at least "functional", as in the media it came on functions like any other, then it's more of how you feel about the final product more than anything else. While getting spoiled, rotten, or under/overcooked food at a restaurant will get you a refund, eating the meal and then saying it wasn't good won't necessarily get you a full refund. Perhaps some improved service, a small discount, or maybe something for free, but rarely do you get a full refund, because they technically provided a "functional" meal.

There is an exception though, and one I think could apply to Aliens: Colonial Marines. Even if the disc isn't physically broken, if it has a major bug on it (such as the save-wipe glitch) that actively prevents you from playing or completing the game then and is NOT exclusive to the disc but rather an aspect of the game, then a full refund should be considered fair.

 

[Lord_Jaroh]

No. Buying the game, whether it is pre-order or not, should entitle you to a refund if you are not happy with your purchase, plain and simple. It should not be dependent upon whether you ordered in advance or not.

 

[DrunkenMonkey]

Automatically, hell no...

You know people kind of forgot what pre-ordering used to be about before places like gamestop started pushing it as the only way to purchase something on the day of release. Preordering used to be the idea that this was a game a customer just had to get his hands on the day it came out, reviews be damned.

Besides nobody really is forcing you to get the game the first day or even the first week if you are doubtful of it, that is left entirely up your own self control to wait for reviews.