I'll start by saying, Gamestop is the only HUB I have for video games. Wal-Mart doesn't have any older games or whatnot, so, they're where I go.

My angry experience started yesterday, when I was trading in some games, and I learned how backwards and customer alienating their policies are.
I was trading in my copy of Crackdown as I hadn't played it in 6 months. It had ONE scratch. Tiny really, I didn't know it even exhisted until yesterday. They informed me I would only be getting half for it as they needed to refurbish it.
There, I stopped him.
Me: "How does that work? I just bought the Orange Box from you guys that you 1) Marked as new, and 2) I had to refurbish myself because it was broken."
GS Employee: "It's just our policy"
Me: "How can you then tell me it needs to be refurbished without testing it? How do you know that game actually needs refurbishing if you are in turn going to sell me one that needed fixing?"
GSE: *Dumb look* (seriosly, the guy has been there for 2 years, he needs to know what's going on)
Manager: "Is something wrong?"
Me: "Yeah, dude here is telling me this game will need to be refurbished, yet you guys have sold me a game that needed fixing, at full price."
Manager: *Looks at disk* "It's just a tiny scratch, we can overlook it. *walks off*

Doesn't end there. I also tarded in my copy of GTA4. After I finally beat it, I found it just wasn't worth having around. 20 dollars. For a new game, 20 dollars, that they in turn want 60 for, used. I won't complain too terribley much, it's just good business.

After my trading was all done I decided to look around at games.
A particular copy of Super Smash Brothers Brawl was 60 dollars. Now, that's not too bad for a "new" game. However, this sixty dollar game that was marked as new, DIDN'T HAVE THE BOX! It was one of those freaking Gamestop, "we didn't have the box, here's one of ours" boxes. Not to mention the copy next to it, which was also marked as new, was damaged. The box had four dents, and the cover was ruined. Still, 60 dollars.

Twilight Princess! USED! FOR THE GAMECUBE SHOULD NOT BE SIXTY DOLLARS!
Unreal Championship, should not be 20 dollars, neither should Madden 04'.

Anyway, all I see from my local Gamestop is that they know they're the only options for most gamers in this area. And it seems they do nothing but abuse us. 20 dollars for a game you're going to charge me 60 for, is ridiculous, even if yu're paying me for the game. 60 dollars if I don't get the box and is marked as new is just unacceptable. If I had any other options, I'd use them. But the last time Wal-Mart had Conker, Live and Reloaded, was a week after it came out.... 30 bucks by the way at Gamestop.

Rant over.

TheNecroswanson:

Doesn't end there. I also tarded in my copy of GTA4. After I finally beat it, I found it just wasn't worth having around. 20 dollars. For a new game, 20 dollars, that they in turn want 60 for, used. I won't complain too terribley much, it's just good business.

there's a reallife comic about that, i tried looking but i couldn't find it

as for certain games being expensive when being used and out for a while, it's simple they are very popular games

but i do kinda disagree with the trade in policy, if you are getting the trade-in value it's not close to what it would be if they resell it

Heh well our Gamestop "Aka EBgames" (They still have shirts that say Gamestop ;P)They dont take scratces that seriusly. I mean I have NEVER been turned down when "selling" a game and my brother isnt that carefull with them. if they have a lot of scratces they just use that diskcleaner/Scratchremover that you can buy for private use and when they sell you a game with no box you get a discount! I like them over any regular store and they pulled a nice advertising on GTA 4. (Turn in 3 Xbox360 games and get GTA4 + 100kr* to spend on other games, thats 800kr for me). And Guess what? i turned in DOA4, Saints row and that WWII game where you can order things and have a squad of 5 if you order it and so on so i made a real bargain if you ask me. It seems like it vary for place to place....

Sorry if this was inconsistnt

*6kr = 1$ us.
*10kr = 1 Euro.

Well, it probably depends on what GameStop it is, but the local GS at my neighbor hood is very reliable. they aren't really idiots, and they almost always have games in stock. And when my friend preorders games he gets them and if he didn't they say "Well, we have copies but they are all preordered we can't sell them to you," which in both of our eyes is pretty good managment as some stores would just sell the copies that they have. preordered or not.

Though the prices they buy games is ludicrous no matter where it is. My friend sold his old GBA games and they payed $7 for "Elmo's ABC adventure!"; $3 more than all the other games he sold. You're better off selling your old games at Ebay or your friends.

Search Youtube for "The GunStop Way".

It's a Halo 3 machinima that parodies GameStop and all of its infuriating ways.

When the PS2 first came out my friend scratched my copy of SSX and I got a replacement pretty casually. I made my claim then the guy behind the counter playfully tossed me another copy.

Gamestop takes scratched games and sand down a layer off the plastic then resurfaces it with a new layer.

The Twilight Princess thing is no surprise- the game sold well. If you look at old games (pre-PS1) that sold well and were not packaged with the system they can still sell for a tidy profit. If the demand weren't high then neither would the price.

Oh I hate how EB games works...
EB puts an empty box on the shelf, and therefore if you buy the last copy of the game, it's opened. Call me old fashioned, but to me, anything NOT pristine is either a used or demo-model product, and should be discounted as such. If they opened the box, even if it's in great shape and everything is intact, I still want 10% off for them selling me an opened product. In addition, I'm never quite sure if I AM getting a new game or a used one, they've more than once sold a used game as new.

And then there's their used games... $39.99 for Front Mission DS brand new, sitting beside a used copy for $34.99. Um, $5 isn't enough to knock off the price dudes. It's USED! Sell at 50% or less. It's like this certified pre-owned car bullshit. People won't pay much for a used car, but call it pre-owned and I guess it's somehow worth more than used price? Foamy the Squirrel said it best, "She's not divorced, she's Certified Pre-Fucked". Used is used is used. I am hesitant to ever buy anything used or refurbished because it's like gambling on whether or not it works, and I sure as fuck won't pay just slightly under retail-new for used.

Never trade in your games at EB, or GameStop. You can get far more money by selling them on Amazon.

I've heard a great deal about Gamestop from various Americans and they all seem to hold the same view that they rip you off and the customer service is shit. Just makes me glad we don't have any over here in England lol, wish we had Kool-Aid though:(that shit is tasty, oh yeah:)

I've never seen a used game at our local GS for more than $45, so that crap with $60 for used games is just plain stupid. Sounds to me your area is really getting shafted. My hat's off to you.

As for trading games, I never bother anymore. If I really don't want a game anymore, I can just sell it to a friend for about the same price I can trade it in for, with the added benefit of it not being store credit.

Khell_Sennet:
It's like this certified pre-owned car bullshit. People won't pay much for a used car, but call it pre-owned and I guess it's somehow worth more than used price?

you're missing the key word in the CERTIFIED pre-owned

that means you don't have to pay a mechanic to certify and safety the car and then pay for more work to be done on the car after you buy it so you can actually drive

so no it's not bullshit to charge more for a certified pre-owned car, they probly had to pay extra money to get it to pass the safety and be certified

The used car thing is a bit different. Cars are expenisve, high maintinence machines. You can go ahead and buy a used car for 500 dolalrs, I sure as hell did. It has 20 year old spark plugs, a muffler that needs to be replaced, and a busted starter.
When it comes to something like cars, Certification means alot.

Yeah, I really don't have any major problems with Gamestop/EB Games.

It's either go there, or Target, where the prices are just as high and the return policy is just as bad.

Sure, complain about it all you want. At least the stores exist. It's like a starving prisoner complaining when they get tossed some food and it isn't fine dining. At least it's something.

Steam is pretty good.

No muss, no fuss.

Pah, my friend just informed me, he saw Dead Rising there, not just any one, the platinum edition one, for 25 dollars. I'm not sure what their deal is, but you can get the platinum edition anywhere for 20.

WlknCntrdiction:
wish we had Kool-Aid though:(that shit is tasty, oh yeah:)

OMFGBBQ? Brits don't have Koolaid?
Pity level increasing.

cleverlymadeup:
you're missing the key word in the CERTIFIED pre-owned

that means you don't have to pay a mechanic to certify and safety the car and then pay for more work to be done on the car after you buy it so you can actually drive

so no it's not bullshit to charge more for a certified pre-owned car, they probly had to pay extra money to get it to pass the safety and be certified

Okays... I'm not saying the certified end of it doesn't add SOME value to the price, but come on. My friend is in the market for a new car, a G5 GT to be exact. This brand new ride will run her about 21K. Her trade in is an '01 Venture. They offered her at most, $2500 for this van. Mint condition, low KMs, only work needed is a new wiper arm on the passenger side. I took a look at similar vans on their lot, for one comparable to hers (actually in worse shape), it was Certified Pre-Owned for $10,000. There's a $7500 gap between her trade in value and what they will resell it for, and there's NO WAY that it costs them more than $500 to fix her van and certify it. Using their own staff, even if they make $50 an hour (which I doubt, more like $20), it takes less than a single shift to certify the van. Certified or not, dealer-bought pre-owned vehicles are a double-fuck deal. The one trading it in gets ripped, the one buying gets ripped.

Mr Wednesday:
Steam is pretty good.

No muss, no fuss.

bah! 2 weeks to download CoD4! thats just...downright AWFUL. It wasn't two sweeks straigh, the computer had to be turned off but it was still bad. I should have just bought it at a store

TheNecroswanson:

Doesn't end there. I also tarded in my copy of GTA4. After I finally beat it, I found it just wasn't worth having around. 20 dollars. For a new game, 20 dollars, that they in turn want 60 for, used. I won't complain too terribley much, it's just good business.

how do you tard a game in?

anyway, they are really bad. My friend went to trade in all of his old xbox games, they were getting 20 cents for them, and they were good games to (both red faction gmaes-20 cents each) and then they go and sell them for 20 dollars. This is just plain greedy and a rip off and he truly regrets traidng in both games. over all he got about 7 bucks for all the games he traded in.

my local gamestop is pretty good since a) I'm pretty much best friends with most of the employees b) they are all customers there themselves so they kindof rework some of the policies as needed (the trade in system used to be you need parental supervision for anything under 18, now it's only for consoles. my only complaint is that you have to wait one day for a preorder to come in since our shop is pretty out-of-the way.

You got hit hard, my local EB gave me 40 for GTAIV when I got sick of it.

WlknCntrdiction:
I've heard a great deal about Gamestop from various Americans and they all seem to hold the same view that they rip you off and the customer service is shit. Just makes me glad we don't have any over here in England lol, wish we had Kool-Aid though:(that shit is tasty, oh yeah:)

We used to have EB, I think. I thought I remembered it being pretty decent, though. Did it go to hell with the GS merger, or something?

bah! 2 weeks to download CoD4! thats just...downright AWFUL. It wasn't two sweeks straigh, the computer had to be turned off but it was still bad. I should have just bought it at a store

You still have dial-up, or something? You can't really blame them for poor load times if that's the case.

Hmm.. Im going to try an experiment on my local gamestop. Im going to go in, buy a BRAND NEW game, leave, give it to my friend, have him go in, and then have him trade it in to see if they give him full price back.

Okay dude I know the exactly what you are talking about thats why i buy all my game from ebay I honestly cant remeber the last time i spent full on a game just a sugestion.

Break:

You still have dial-up, or something? You can't really blame them for poor load times if that's the case.

no, I have the fastest internet provided by my internet provider, they have slow internet, there's no excuse. My dad has the slowest internet provided by his internet provider and its 10 times faster! lets review, my internet here is the fastest company A provides, company B's slowest speed is 10 FUCKING TIMES FASTER which is rather pertinent to the subject at hand.

That sucks, does your dad have optimum or something?

I have Dial-up *cry*

Soycopter:
Hmm.. Im going to try an experiment on my local gamestop. Im going to go in, buy a BRAND NEW game, leave, give it to my friend, have him go in, and then have him trade it in to see if they give him full price back.

You'll be wasting your money. The way trade-ins work at Gamestop:

-We take your game and scan it. The computer pops up with a price. If we think the game is in bad condition, we push a button and it subtracts from the price. It has absolutely nothing to do with when you bought the game.

I used to work at a Gamestop. All prices are set by Corporate, and they're the same at every single Gamestop. The company policies may be shitty, but try not to get fussy at the employees. We're not robots, y'know.

Soycopter:
That sucks, does your dad have optimum or something?

these companies are both local internet and cable providers. Company A is just a greedy peice of shit who wouldn't know good service if it bit 'em on the rump. I mean really there isn't an excuse for it, you are providing a crap product, you are charging the same, and it would cost you little to nothing more to provide a better one but because they're also a telephone company they're the only ones around and no one has any choice but to pay for their crap or go without.

Soycopter:
Hmm.. Im going to try an experiment on my local gamestop. Im going to go in, buy a BRAND NEW game, leave, give it to my friend, have him go in, and then have him trade it in to see if they give him full price back.

do you mean as a return or as a trade, because if you buy a new game, once the plastic wrapper comes off t only thing you can get is the trade in, which, as we have established, is a ludicrously low amount. It can be exchanged if its defective but by and large they wont give you your money back. of course it varies by the MOD (manager on duty). But yeah, normally the reason the customer service is poor is because our company policy is shit and there isn't anything we can do about it, trust me nobody hates gamestop more than us employees.

Sub_par:

Soycopter:
Hmm.. Im going to try an experiment on my local gamestop. Im going to go in, buy a BRAND NEW game, leave, give it to my friend, have him go in, and then have him trade it in to see if they give him full price back.

do you mean as a return or as a trade, because if you buy a new game, once the plastic wrapper comes off t only thing you can get is the trade in, which, as we have established, is a ludicrously low amount. It can be exchanged if its defective but by and large they wont give you your money back. of course it varies by the MOD (manager on duty). But yeah, normally the reason the customer service is poor is because our company policy is shit and there isn't anything we can do about it, trust me nobody hates gamestop more than us employees.

Nope, I've always been told that their policy is you can return the game for any reason within three days as long as you have the receipt. Or that might just be for used games. Now I'm not sure.

I just want to add my Two cents about the Crap at Gamestop/EB

Up here in Canada I have only seen EB and I was not happy with there trade in prices but it saves hassle of having to set up a selling acount with amazon or ebay. I only have a PC that I play on so I have a good collection of games. I recenlty went in to get Mass Effect for the PC taking some other games that I no longer played expecting to trade in to offset the cost of my new game.
The clerk replied that they were informed that they would no longer accept trading of any PC game.
What? Why?
Due to problems with serial numbers and the regestration of recent games. (Mass Effect, Bioshock even Half Life 2) it makes it imposible to trade them in.
I think the most insulting thing was as the clerk handed me my receit he commented to remember to bring in my old games to trade in. I had just done that but you would not accept my old PC games, Thanks for nothing.
Now I have lost any store loyalty I will be ordering Fallout 3 online and not look back.

Dantie22:
I just want to add my Two cents about the Crap at Gamestop/EB

Up here in Canada I have only seen EB and I was not happy with there trade in prices but it saves hassle of having to set up a selling acount with amazon or ebay. I only have a PC that I play on so I have a good collection of games. I recenlty went in to get Mass Effect for the PC taking some other games that I no longer played expecting to trade in to offset the cost of my new game.
The clerk replied that they were informed that they would no longer accept trading of any PC game.
What? Why?
Due to problems with serial numbers and the regestration of recent games. (Mass Effect, Bioshock even Half Life 2) it makes it imposible to trade them in.
I think the most insulting thing was as the clerk handed me my receit he commented to remember to bring in my old games to trade in. I had just done that but you would not accept my old PC games, Thanks for nothing.
Now I have lost any store loyalty I will be ordering Fallout 3 online and not look back.

That's been a Gamestop policy for a looooong time. It's for good reason too-- games with unique CD codes could easily be installed on your computer, burned or copied, then traded back in or returned.

I doubt any game store will accept used PC games anymore. If they do-- they're just begging to be exploited.

This kinda thing leads to Console/Hand held hacking and PC game downloading.

I know that the policy is good and I can see how it is to protect there interests
My main complaint is the sudden implementation up here as well as the clerks alienination of me when he reminded me to trade in old games

It is just a problem with having old games
in fact I have boxes of old games that EB would not even touch as they saw no resale value in. This was a couple of years ago. And my first edition of San Andreas they would not touch with a 10 foot pole.