NEWS FEEDGamestop Sells Customer Demo Disc
11.24.07
“Last week when I was in Gamestop, there was a new copy of Steambot chronicles on the wall. I had some extra cash today so I went by to see if it was still there. It was, so I grabbed it and a used game and left. I didn’t look at the disc much when I placed in the ps3. I started playing about an hour ago and when I finally got to a save point I was told you can’t save during the demo version. O-o I pull out the disc and finally take a look at it. “
Pretty insane screwup. I’ve had the Gamestop employees harass me to pre-order and have actually had them open a new box right in front of me and try to sell me the disc itself but never this. Who else hates that they try to sell opened games as new?
Via NeoGAF
if your to stupid to look at the disk in the first palce when you pick up the game and even when you put it in the system then the blame should not be on gamestop, it should be on your own self.
it’s actually pretty common for gamestop to sell opened games as new. i believe 1up.com or ign.com did an article about that and interviewed a handful of gamestop employees. either way it sucks but it’s just a part of life.
That is pretty bad…but you know they are humans and make mistakes too. Besides GameStop has to “gut” games to put the boxes for display on the walls so some new games have to be opened but that doesn’t mean they aren’t new.
What you takin bout?? Gamestops in Texas dont sell opened games as new. Hmmmm. Must be them other fu*ked up states. Texas be real with they shit.
I worked at Gamestop for a year or so and this has happened before… with a USED game, but with a new one? That’s absolutely crazy. Gamestop is one of the most corrupt and ignorant corporations though, so it doesn’t surprise me one bit.
Doubt it happened.
Are you serious? Who cares! It’s an honest mistake. Most stores have at least five employees working, if not a lot more during the holiday season, and on average, at most, three will know what they are doing. The drawers (where all stores keep games) are so tight on space and easily disorganized. It was an honest mistake that has happened at nearly every physical retailer. It’s quite funny, and should be regarded as so, nothing else.
gamestop messes up a lot and they know it. they are always willing to fix a problem like that. don’t waste your time complaining about it on the internet.
Yeah, I don’t like that they try to sell used stuff as new. And it truly is used, as employees are allowed to take it home for ‘product research.’ So they take it home, play it, and bring it back, and sell it as new. It’s a load of crap.
Seriously, get off your high horse. You should be able to easily return the disc to Gamestop. People make mistakes. And on the note of “selling open games as new,” the games are new. Games are open for display and security reasons.
Mistakes can happen, deal with it and move on.
Hm…interesting. I used to work at a GameStop about 2 months ago and you’d be surprised at how much stuff goes on “under the table”. I can support this claim about being sold a demo because they encouraged us to do this in my store as well saying, “They usually don’t look at the disc until they get home and by then they’ve already opened it and they can’t return it.” So kudos to you man, break that disc in half and stab it into the manager’s car tires!
Bet you’ll be checking your game discs in the future.
I don’t understand why people are so against pre-ordering. It doesn’t cost you anything and it guarantees that the game you want will be waiting for you on release day. Is that really so bad?
It’s for a pretty good reason.
If they leave games out on the shelf, and the game inside, then they are risking theft from idiot 13 year old kids who want to lift some games. Why should they charge themselves five to ten dollars to make it a used game just so they can advertise that they have them in stock to consumers? They make 3-10 dollars MAXIMUM on new games anyway, so I’m pretty sure they’re not going to make themselves take losses because you don’t like the plastic being off of your case.
Mistakes happen. Instead of crying online, why not go into the store and have them replace it. Oh wait, I’m sorry, it’s Gamestop, the evil video game empire, out to get you.
/violin
Oh no, employees try to get you to preorder and put down money (that goes towards the game) on games that you’re most likely going to purchase anyways. Get the hell over it.
New game = one that has not been played
Used game = a game that has been played and is resold at a cheaper cost.
Having worked at Gamestop before, all the games they open and sell you have not been played, and while open, are NEW. You’re going to open it anyway in order to play it. As much as I hate the company, the games are new seeing how they have never been played. They are opened so people won’t steal them from the shelves.
O.O! Wow! Haven’t had gamestop do that before… recently became a member of them and whatnot… that’s hilarious man!
yeah, i really wish someone would open a legit gaming store.. one where you can try the game out before you buy it.. maybe pay like a buck or so for a few mins of gameplay so your not getting screwed. I always give em shit when they try to open my new games.
One store in 5000 made a mistake and I can’t play my generic PS2 game and now I’ve got to ask Mom to borrow the Buick to return it to them! You’ll get a full refund, quit your bitching. All this time spent posting on the internet and you could be playing the actual game by now.
People make mistakes, this is kind of out of hand for people trying to crucify GameStop for every mistake they make. If you don’t like that they have to open some of their games to display them so you can look at them… shop at wal-mart where you can just see the cover. I’m sure they fixed the problem for you.
Why is it that every other place that sells games (best buy, target, walmart) is able to give you an unopened, new copy of your game? The answer is that they have ACTUAL security measures in place that don’t violate a buyers right to have an unopened game. Security cases, magnetic security tags, glass displays, blah blah. They only need ONE display case out there for customers to read (much like in video rental stores) and the rest they can just keep behind the counter or in the back, safely in their unopened cases and way from sticky fingered 13 year olds. it’s bad enough they charge you nearly the FULL price for used games, but these opened “new games” which are essentially EXACTLY the same thing, go for the full price.
it’s not okay- games are popular gifts, how would you look if you gave an opened game to your nephew for his birthday? hint: like a jerk who grabbed an old copy of a game you were finished with on the day of his party and tried to pass it off as your thoughtfullness. They do this because they are woefully inefficient and disrespectful, as well as backward- it’s easier to leave the games alone then take them all out and file them into that disaster of a drawer and then have to deal with all the mistakes (like this one) that come with it.
All you people who are like “OMG ITS OPENED??” or ” THIS ISNT NEW ITS OPENED OMG”.. I would like to know…what do you consider new? The game was never played, only opened so that we could put a display case out on the floor..
If you say “Thats crap why cant just keep it in there and put in security!”
we have tried this, we used to keep PC games in their cases until finally enough got stolen that we had to take them out of their case as well. Let alone all the accessories that get stolen…
I dont understand why you get so uptight lol..
The sad thing is the games that are opened are probably not new by the time you get them.
Employees of Gamestop have the option of “previewing” the games. In other words they can take home the opened copy of the game to see how they like it then decide if they wish to purchase it or not. Recently a friend of mine and worker at Gamestop was upset because he had to purchase a game he hated.
He had taken out a DS Strategy game (the name escapes me) to see if he liked it. Well because he saved the game, and cannot delete his save from the DS cartridge he was forced to purchase it by the manager.
In short, when you buy their “Display Copy” your basically buying the store “rental” copy and this policy should be fully and completely abandoned in my opinion.
How many other people here have gotten the last one of the shelf and found it to have a scratch or a weird shaped smudge/scrape upon the bottom.
How many of the “employees” have tried out that opened copy before you got your hands on it. I think they are only allowed to keep it for a night but that is still ridiculous.
You are a complete moron. I am an employee at gamestop. Target is allowed to have one display case because they do not have customers who grab the case and bring it to the counter, it becomes a tedious task to contionously return a case to the shelf every half hour because it’s a popular hit. Yes we are allowed to preview the games, so that when you come to us with a question, we are able to answer it with a personal touch seeing as how, we have played it. If the disk is in anyway damaged we are reliable for its purchase. And for the comment above about being ‘harrassed’ to pre-order a title, thats complete crap. We suggest that you pre-order titles, because one, we get ranked on it, and two your going to purchase the title anyway, so why not put down $5.00 to the total cost and have a copy guarenteed for you when you arrive? Sounds like people need to grow up.
I bought a new (unopened) Wii game (Resident Evil), when I got home and opened it it had a smudge mark that made the game unplayable. I took it back and they almost didn’t switch it out. I have been playing games since the 2600 days and have never seen an unopened game with a mark like that. But I bitched enough and they game me a new copy. Now every time I buy a game form them i make them open it and check the disk.
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To Above Comment: if you’re “too” stupid to even spell correctly and/or use the correct words when they are called for, don’t go around insulting people on the internet. You just look like a douchebag. xP
I bought a new NDS Lite from gamestop about a year ago, and despite demonstratable problems with the lower screen they refused to take it back or exchange it for another. I went back 3 different times to try to return it, but they kept turning me away (the manager was a jerk about it, too).
And as far as opening new games goes, there is a certain pleasure to be gained from doing it yourself instead of it already being opened. Like opening a present, a feeling of anticipation, excitement, etc, especially if it’s a game you’ve been waiting for. It’s sort of anticlimactic to just open the box and stick it in your system.
um….. I don’t know what Gamestop these people work for, but at the one I work for we can only “check out” USED GAMES new ones that are opened are just opened, put in a sleeve, and sit there until someone buys it. It really is not that big of a deal. If there was the actual copies on the store floor GameStop would have to hire people to sit by the door for Asset Protection much like Wal-Mart or Target. Quit complaining, it is not that big of a deal.
That is one of the many reasons I do not shop at Gamestop any longer I don’t like that they open New games and try to sell them as new. Unless they are only a week old or so but still I am showing them with my wallet by not buying games from them.
i think everyone defending gamestop are a bunch of morons!!!They screw you every chance they get.I sold 2 games last night, due to “laser burn.”That was what the guy said the lines on the disc was.I also sold my gamertag on the memo card.I came back five mins later, and he already put price stickers on the 2 games that he told me I would never be able to use again.They are dirty, and they sell broken stuff every chance they get.
ok for all u retards that have a problem with new opened games for sale, if u had a shop would u wanna put ur live copies on the sales floor ? NO, if u had a shop, would u display everything behind the back counter.., ? NO IMPOSSIBLE NO ROOM, if u had a shop and wanted to use fake cases , good look finding cases for more then 1 million games out there,
then u say , well put fake cover art with just the name, well has it ever happened to u that u shop around and u find a case with no art on it, how do u talk urself into a buying a game where no screenshots are show, u see people they need to open all games nessesary to display, and for u guys who say hey i got 5 bucks for 7 games i traded in, HAVE U EVER BOUGHT A CAR? when the game is freakin the bouncer on PS2 of course its gonna cost 1 dollar… morons!
if u dont wanna get ripped off then keep em, or sell em on em,
and for u people that think we harass u to preorder… its for ur own good, my god have i had so many dumbass customers that come in after a new release and find themselves without there fav game cuz it s sold out…well u should have preordered it, were not taking ur money just gaurenteeing u a copy…fudge!!!
by the way… if u get laser burn on a disk it can be refurbished and sellable… so that sticker u saw on it 5 min later might have a been a sticker so that they can send it back to get it fixed…
morons…
Gamestop employees are no longer able to checkout new disc.
I work for Gamestop.
There is no “Check out” policy in place.
If I want to play a game, I have to buy it. If I don’t like it, I have to deal with it. I have to either take the hit and trade it in, or keep it.
Of course we have gutted cases out on the floor. Would you rather have blank boxes with “GRAND THEFT AUTO 4″ written on it in permanent marker? Would you rather have us lock everything up in glass cases? Gutted copies are brand new. They go straight from the game case to the paper sleeve and put in a drawer. We never play them, we never sit there and damage them (like I would spend my free time smudging up a disc, just for the hell of it). We always have one copy gutted (at least, up to 4, depending on if it’s a new release or not) to display, the rest are sealed.
They are unplayed and still NEW.
If you are such a baby, and you want it to be sealed we can seal it up for you if you want.
Just don’t sit there and make false acusations like we purposefully damage discs and we play the games and then sell them as new or whatever bullshit you’re trying to throw.
If you don’t like the policy, you don’t like the trade in credit you’re going to get then go elsewhere.
FYI: Games depreciate just like a car. Of course we’re not going to give you $20 for NHL 2004. We can’t sell a used copy for $2, why the hell would we give you $20 for it? Of course it’s only worth $1 trade-in credit, it makes perfect sense.