What store let's you return Video Games if you don't like them? (1 Viewer)

[Michael D. Bunting]

I would like to pick up: High Heat Baseball 2004 for the PC (It's out as of today)

However, I'm not sure that I'll like it....

Does Electronics Botique (or any other retailers) let you return games within so many days if you don't lik ethem?

Thanks for any input/knowledge!

 

[Romier S]

EB has a 7 day return policy. Game must be sealed to get your money back but you are allowed to return an open game for another title ONCE and only ONCE. (At least that is the policy in my area)

Babbages, Funcoland and Gamestop (all under the same umbrella) has a 10 day return policy. Same as the above, sealed to get cash back and return for another title only once. (again those are the policies in my area)

 

[Michael D. Bunting]

Thanks Romier!

Looks like I'll just check the policy at the store when I go in to buy.

Thanks again

 

[Dave Falasco]

Unless you are buying obscure games, you could always rent a game first to see if you like it. 5 bucks for 5 days seems like a pretty good deal if it saves you $50 on a game you don't like. Easier than returning an opened videogame at most stores, anyway.

Just a thought...

 

[Paul_Fisher]

Does that work also with PC games? I thought that was just for console games.

 

[Paul_Fisher]

EB will actually stop allowing returning an opened game for a different game on March 17th.

 

[EdR]

My local EB exchanges games (or hardware, like controllers & wheels) up to 14 days after purchase.

But the report above is bothersome. if they stop allowing returns, I won't buy as many games from them.

 

[Scott Bourden]

All the local EB's no longer exchange opened games for anything other then a replacement of the same title.

The manager told me this is the new policy for all the stores.

Though I've never returned a game, having the option there was always nice. I'll have to rethink the occasional spur of the moment game purchases due to this change in policy.

 

[Graeme Clark]

There has been some mixed signals about the new EB policy, but it is supposed to be effective now, and for exchange of the same item only once opened. Some stores may still be under the assumption that it does not take effect until the 17th (which was the original date).

 

[JamesH]

I heard the new EB policy is in effect. Even if it's not, I'm not sure if their return policy lets you bring back PC games.

 

[Steve Bjorg]

And a big thank you goes out to all pirates, crackers, and abusers for reducing once more our consumer freedom. There are quite a few games I would never have purchased, kept and enjoyed, if it hadn't been for this wonderful return policy. First it was CompUSA with their stupid restocking fee (haven't purchase there since they introduced it) and now my beloved EBX store.

Well, to piggy-back on a well-known current slogan:

Pirating... harmless?

PS: it's late and I'm suffering from tunnel vision; could well be that there were additional motivations for changing the policy.

 

[Graeme Clark]

heard the new EB policy is in effect. Even if it's not, I'm not sure if their return policy lets you bring back PC games.

The old policy covered nearly everything in the store. The new policy is probably going to be the biggest problem for PC games because of the number of returns that were from people that can't get the game working on their computer, or who buy PC games without knowing what their system even has in it. For these people, exchanging the disc isn't ever going to help.

"But how am I supposed to know if it will work if I don't open it?"

I suspect this will be heard by EB employees even more than before.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Our local GameStop has a 7-day return "if you don't like it" policy and a 30-day "if it breaks" policy, though I'm not sure if this is for brand-new games or only old games.

 

[Joe Szott]

Michael,

I hate to say this because I do understand, but I suggest you hold off a week and read some reviews. Maybe d/l a demo (if possible) before you buy it.

What I mean is once you buy it, I would consider it yours unless it is actually unplayable/broken. It is so hard to make it as a game developer (look at all the recent bankrupt closures) that to intentionally buy something just to return it because of personal preference is kind of dishonest. Like seeing an entire movie and deciding it wasn't your taste, so you demand your money back from the theater. You bought the ticket, sat in that seat (so they couldn't sell it to someone else), you watched it, that's what you paid for. Whether or not you enjoyed it can't be controlled by the business, they just provided the service that you wanted. I would say it is due diligance for you to figure out if you will probably like it before you buy it, or you understand that you are taking your chances.

It's too hard for game companies to survive and make any money, please don't make it any harder.

 

[Bill Griffith]

Yeah I got the Norton Internet Utilities and it works so well I can't access the internet through any browser anymore. Loooked up information tried a bunch of things then called in the big guns (friend) to see if I was setting it up wrong. Nope, for some reason it just didn't work. Took it back and got another one, same problem. Took it back (to Best Buy) and told them this was the second one I got and it just won't work right. They said they can only exchange it for another copy.

So I said "fine" give me another copy. I'm on my fourth copy right now. I take them home open them load them they don't work then I take them back. I'm getting bored though and not sure how much longer they'll let me keep exchanging them. I guess they have to though don't they since its there rule?

 

[EdR]

What I mean is once you buy it, I would consider it yours unless it is actually unplayable/broken. It is so hard to make it as a game developer (look at all the recent bankrupt closures) that to intentionally buy something just to return it because of personal preference is kind of dishonest.

Interesting point of view. I truly never considered that it might be dishonest to do this.

I admit I've done this several times. I've bought games that I wasn't sure I'd like and returned them when my suspicions turned out to be true.

However, there's a flip-side to this too. Now that my local EB won't take returns of this kind, I probably won't take the risk and buy a game I'm not really sure about. So I'm not sure the developer is any better off.

In fact, they may be worse off because some of the times I bought games I wasn't sure about, I ended up being surprised (Beach Spikers is a good example) and kept it.

The other thing to consider is that EB doesn't give you your money back, you have to spend it and they only give you one return. So even though I returned a game, I always got another one...one developer didn't get my money (indirectly), but another one did, so where's the problem? Why not vote with your wallet?

 

[Joe Szott]

Bill - I had a copy of Shogun Total War from BB that would not load at all on my PC, so I returned it. I tried a 2nd copy with same results, then I just stood at the returns counter and demanded a refund. I had to talk to 2 employees and 2 managers, but they did refund to my CC the full amount. I was very nice, but also determined and stubborn, eventually they just want you to go away. So take their policies with a grain of salt, if it doesn't work they will take it back.

EdR - I did the same for a long time, but once I thought about it I decided it was wrong. Think of it this way: you buy a new game, take it back for whatever reason. Now the EB or whomever has to ship it back to the distributor/developer, log the problem, test out the disc, and either repackage it or throw it away. All this costs money and who pays for it? Not EB, not the distributor, but the developer (who makes the least of all three to begin with.) The distributor will charge the developer for returned titles, or jus tnot pay for replacements in the amount they are 'owed'. Game Developers really get shafted on the money end.

I kind of compare this to cable theft. Although it is true that the full signal comes into your house regardless of whether you pay for all of it or not, I consider not paying for what you watch as dishonest. If you like the shows on HBO or Showtime enough to steal the signal, then please just pay them for the service. If it isn't worth that price to you, then don't watch those stations. Cable companies aren't as hard up as game developers, but still: no one is forcing us to buy their product.

We do speak to companies with our wallets, but the honesty is for ourselves. Just IMHO, I'm cool with people living their own lives however they believe is right

 

[Michael D. Bunting]

Well guys, thanks for your input and suggestions...

I went looking for the game (High Heat 2004) for the PC and I found it at a software store in my local shopping mall.

Long story short: I didn't buy it and I will wait another week or so and hopefully read some more reviews from other owners who actually bough it on release, and then maybe rent the XBOX version if it is available here locally.

Thanks again for all your suggestions!

 

[EdR]

EdR - I did the same for a long time, but once I thought about it I decided it was wrong. Think of it this way: you buy a new game, take it back for whatever reason. Now the EB or whomever has to ship it back to the distributor/developer, log the problem, test out the disc, and either repackage it or throw it away. All this costs money and who pays for it?

Whoa...hold on a sec. When I took a game back I always specified why; "I didn't like it" - in fact, bfore I offered a reason, they would usually say to me "...just not your kind of game?", to which I'd reply in the affirmative.

And I know for a fact that the game would immediately go on the shelf of pre-owned games, where if it was new, they'd sell it for $5 less than list.

If I was returning the game and insisting that it was broken, that's another story...but then EB has no business letting me exchange it for a different game in that case.

 

[Graeme Clark]

And I know for a fact that the game would immediately go on the shelf of pre-owned games, where if it was new, they'd sell it for $5 less than list.

Or even the same price most of the time. As far as I know, none of the stuff that Ed mentioned happens if it's returned as "Didn't like".