Ravensmash
Member
What? Never had any issues with them at all, so if they are crooks and swindlers then they're doing a fairly bad job at it.
That said, I have heard of this uneven past - but that hopefully doesn't seem like today.
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UK Retailer GAME is dead | Brera's Lament
- Thread starter CrunchinJelly
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What? Never had any issues with them at all, so if they are crooks and swindlers then they're doing a fairly bad job at it.
That said, I have heard of this uneven past - but that hopefully doesn't seem like today.
Ravensmash
Member
Guys, can I use my Game gift card in Gamestation?
From what I recall they have a pretty decent selection, and I've got a few cards with a few £ on each so wouldn't mind seeing if there are any bargains prior to SSX.
I know they're separate stores, but being owned by the same people and seeing situations before where you can use a store voucher across a number of places, unsure.
From what I recall they have a pretty decent selection, and I've got a few cards with a few £ on each so wouldn't mind seeing if there are any bargains prior to SSX.
I know they're separate stores, but being owned by the same people and seeing situations before where you can use a store voucher across a number of places, unsure.
McBradders
NeoGAF: my new HOME
Fuckity fuck fuck fuck.
ME3 LE order moved to ShopTo.
Game, you are poo. Get better.
ME3 LE order moved to ShopTo.
Game, you are poo. Get better.
checkeredknight
Member
JustAnotherOtaku
Member
The give you credit if that happens though, which is nice. I can't fault them. Started using them a few months back and it's been Wednesday or Thursday releases every time. Reward points are a nice new feature as well.
Igor Cipolletta was banned from operating and/or owner of a business for 1 term of 5 years in 2004, after his original computer company went bankrupt through suspicious means. In 2007, the same man set up Shopto, quite clearly a violation of the order. Plus with all the gray imports they used to sell - tax evasion. Two clear violations. Not to mention the bullying tactics they used to perform with customers when the site first opened, which you can find by doing a standard google search as well. Used them for one order and never again after the way I was treated.
catashtrophe
Member
Does all this doom and gloom affect Gamestation getting new games as well?
I have about £10 store credit for Gamestation and am planning on getting Mortal Kombat Komplete edition on the weekend (If they are getting it in stock that is)
I have about £10 store credit for Gamestation and am planning on getting Mortal Kombat Komplete edition on the weekend (If they are getting it in stock that is)
I hate how shopto and zavvi have introduced reward points after I've ordered dozens of shit of them both
Ravensmash
Member
So, not to defend dodgy practices if that is the case - but that was then, and this is now?
I've heard about the past, but I think you'll be hard pressed to find any complaints about the current state of the business (from what I've read on here, and my experiences).
dude, its 2012 now... theyre the best e-tailer out there, theyve improved everything in every area
I feel like a crook who has swindled Cipolletta/shopto because of their low prices and pre release day deliveries!
checkeredknight
Member
Yes. Since GAME own the GameStation brand, unfortunately it does. We had no Ubisoft titles on the Vita at launch and no Tekken 3D's. I can't imagine us getting Mass Effect 3.
As an ex-employee and someone who was made redundant recently, let me give you all some advice: don't bother bitching to the staff about your order getting cancelled. If they are losing hours and have the fear of redundancy hanging over their heads, they really aren't going to give a shit.
KennyLinder
Member
If GAME does go down the toilet (and it sounds likely) then I feel sorry for the store employees who will lose their jobs - there must be a lot of them!
I don't, however, feel sorry for GAME at all, they are an awful, awful chain who serve absolutely no purpose in the marketplace. More expensive than everywhere else with zero benefit for shopping there.
I don't, however, feel sorry for GAME at all, they are an awful, awful chain who serve absolutely no purpose in the marketplace. More expensive than everywhere else with zero benefit for shopping there.
So this. I know what it's like to work on the sharp end.
I'm pretty sure all Game retail employees don't like this situation and wish they could go back to the days when the company was booming.
SuperEpicMan
Banned
I'm beginning to think I am cursed lol, I used to do customer service for Setanta Sports and it went bust. I was working at Peacocks until it went into administration and closed down. I also used to work at Game, and now they are in trouble.
If there is a shop anyone loves, tell me and I will try not to get a job there lol
If there is a shop anyone loves, tell me and I will try not to get a job there lol
heliconsoul
Member
Seriously, whatever (mostly unfounded) activity went on in the past they are the best games e-tailer bar none. Been using them for over three years exclusively and not once had a problem with them.
What on earth are you on about?
Firstly, as has been pointed out many times the credit card problems were a result of ShopTo's payment provider, and NOT ShopTo themselves. ShopTo got rid of them, moved to a new payment provider and carried on with the good prices and fantastic dispatch and delivery. They could have communicated the facts of the matter clearer to customers, but labelling the owner a crook is ridiculous.
I've used ShopTo many times, as well as other sites, and they've always been the fastest in terms of dispatch and delivery. They aren't as cheap as they used to be for some games these days, but that's a price I'll pay for pre-release delivery.
Stay away from Burger King!
Mr. Luchador
Member
There were loads of stories and rumours about ShopTo being dodgy when it first emerged, obviously they've gained a good reputation over the years now. I remember being really sceptical about them due to the 'bad press' I had read, admittedly, on the internet about them. This was a long time ago now.
Fair enough. I guess I must have started ordering from them after this had happened, they've always been okay for me.
BlazingDarkness
Member
This is really terrible news. A lot of people have preordered Mass Effect from our shop and I am NOT looking forward to apologising on behalf of the company and getting them their deposits back. Guess it's time to look for a new job.
That's the worst bit, guys like you have to take the repercussions directly from the customer because your employers are incompetent idiots
I feel sorry for the staff, they really haven't done anything wrong here, and yet they'll be the ones most badly affected. I can't imagine what it must be like to have staff who are committed and hard-working, yet have to report to management that are so out of touch and incompetent.This is really terrible news. A lot of people have preordered Mass Effect from our shop and I am NOT looking forward to apologising on behalf of the company and getting them their deposits back. Guess it's time to look for a new job.
If you work in GAME you should ask every customer that comes to the check-out if they've pre-ordered an EA product with yourselves and explain what's happened. Might as well nip it in the bud quickly rather than let the people come to you already irate.
Also, refer to your company as 'they' in conversation to customers about this policy, it wasn't a 'we' decision and it doesn't help you guys.
Just a few tips on damage control. I'm sure your management have other ideas.
Also, refer to your company as 'they' in conversation to customers about this policy, it wasn't a 'we' decision and it doesn't help you guys.
Just a few tips on damage control. I'm sure your management have other ideas.
CrunchinJelly
formerly cjelly
ShopTo took 3,000 orders in an hour: http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/shopto-experiences-mass-effect-3-order-surge/091963
Edit: Can a mod please review the banning of ShopTo?
Edit: Can a mod please review the banning of ShopTo?
This please.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the payment stuff was the fault of their payment provider, not them. Not saying that excuses the problems, just that it seems a bit extreme to blame ShopTo instead of whoever they used to process payments with, who they've now dumped and moved to a new payment provider.
Diablohead
Member
That is huge in such a short time, me and my cousin can count towards 2 of those CE orders
checkeredknight
Member
To be honest, I quite like ShopTo. Before I got a job at GameStation I used them quite a lot. They never let me down and have always had pretty good prices. I'm not surprised a lot of people are shifting their pre-orders over from GAME to them, I would.
Anasui Kishibe
Banned
shopto really is good, with the fastest shipping I've seen, but since amazon.co.uk is always a bit cheaper I always go for the poor man's solution
it really blows for GAME, though, but it was to be expected with the casual market being near dead in UK; adding that to the fact their game selection has always been less than average and you have your 16-ton weight prop on yer head
it really blows for GAME, though, but it was to be expected with the casual market being near dead in UK; adding that to the fact their game selection has always been less than average and you have your 16-ton weight prop on yer head
Ravensmash
Member
So I went to my local shopping place earlier, and went in to GAME.
Still got a fair amount of stock (primarily pre-owned though).
Went to HMV next door and actually thought that they're a better specialist games retailer than GAME. Dozens of new titles (not just the latest ones either), alongside a healthy preowned section all neatly categorised.
Might have just been my local HMV, but just thought it was interesting. Obviously GAME are in financial difficulties at the moment, but I don't recall them ever really having that much of a new selection in my local store anyway.
Still got a fair amount of stock (primarily pre-owned though).
Went to HMV next door and actually thought that they're a better specialist games retailer than GAME. Dozens of new titles (not just the latest ones either), alongside a healthy preowned section all neatly categorised.
Might have just been my local HMV, but just thought it was interesting. Obviously GAME are in financial difficulties at the moment, but I don't recall them ever really having that much of a new selection in my local store anyway.
Some guys on an unnamed forum (rllmuk) are still mocking my purchase of game shares. I'm still confident that long term they will recover. EA are clearly trying to break GAME so they can negotiate better terms for themselves.
I've got 7500 shares. They're worth £488 right now, down from a high of £850! I paid £500 for them in December! I bought another £100 last month at 3p a share and sold half of them for £100 when they bounced back so free money!
I'd lying if I said I wasn't bricking it but I'm in it for them long term!
Unban me you fuckers! I've been banned 6 years now! That's a long time in gaming terms!
Edit: clarifying the profit. I'll buy again at 2p
I've got 7500 shares. They're worth £488 right now, down from a high of £850! I paid £500 for them in December! I bought another £100 last month at 3p a share and sold half of them for £100 when they bounced back so free money!
I'd lying if I said I wasn't bricking it but I'm in it for them long term!
Unban me you fuckers! I've been banned 6 years now! That's a long time in gaming terms!
Edit: clarifying the profit. I'll buy again at 2p
What, what do you mean by the banning of ShopTo? What have I missed, are you not allowed to link to their website or something?
There was some issues with them back in 2008, and some GAF members claimed ShopTo were responsible for some credit card fraud they had.
They were summarily banned (if you type the url *********** it appears all starred), but by all accounts have since turned the business around. I've started using them for the first time and years, and I concur with the current evaluation: they're ace.
This is essentially what we've been doing in our store today - asking customers if they had placed any orders for us so we can inform them about it straight away, and had three customers who had put down ME3 orders who have now ordered online and will come in in the next week so we can refund them their deposit.
None of them complained about it at all either, which did actually surprise me. They were more like "oh damn, where can I get it from" and when we explained they could order it from Amazon/Play/Zavvi etc they just went "oh cool, I'll do that this afternoon then".
Lord knows what's going on with the business suits. Local management are pretty much shocked, my manager called it a complete joke. I actually couldn't believe it when we found out this morning. Might be time to update the 'ol CV!
Pre orders are just a stupid waste of time.
Never done it, never will. It's just corporate brain washing. Ordering it online at a good price before a release isnt the same.
Why anyone would walk into a shop and put a deposit down on a disk at rrp is just alien to me. The days of N64 shortages are long gone!
Never done it, never will. It's just corporate brain washing. Ordering it online at a good price before a release isnt the same.
Why anyone would walk into a shop and put a deposit down on a disk at rrp is just alien to me. The days of N64 shortages are long gone!
It depends on the game, really. Some titles won't even be stocked unless the store can guarantee they'll sell, which is where the benefit of pre-ordering comes in.
But for something like Mass Effect 3? Yeah, that's some Grade-A Bullshit.
You can, Eurogamer got that wrong. They're giving cash back + £5 store credit. Not giving you your money back would be illegal.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/suppliers-positive-after-game-retail-summit/092041
It's not all doom and gloom.
By the looks of it, EA, Nintendo and UBI played hardball. UBI have since given in.
How EA take this, who knows, but you can be sure EA are just as pissed about losing all that shelf space and street level advertising. They will renegotiate, just like UBI.
Nintendo may be a problem though long term especially with the WiiU.
At the end of the day, it's a two way relationship and GAME have tight credit right now, they can't afford to take in te large numbers that EA want to sell in. It's pretty embarassing and I've I weren't an investor, I'd be with you guys, pointing and laughing cos I fucking hate GAME but I smell money in this tale of woe and I'm not the only one. There is much more adult and balanced discussion going on in finance forums.
It's not all doom and gloom.
By the looks of it, EA, Nintendo and UBI played hardball. UBI have since given in.
How EA take this, who knows, but you can be sure EA are just as pissed about losing all that shelf space and street level advertising. They will renegotiate, just like UBI.
Nintendo may be a problem though long term especially with the WiiU.
At the end of the day, it's a two way relationship and GAME have tight credit right now, they can't afford to take in te large numbers that EA want to sell in. It's pretty embarassing and I've I weren't an investor, I'd be with you guys, pointing and laughing cos I fucking hate GAME but I smell money in this tale of woe and I'm not the only one. There is much more adult and balanced discussion going on in finance forums.
Pie and Beans
Look for me on the local news, I'll be the guy arrested for trying to burn down a Nintendo exec's house.
Amateur shareholders trying to spin news positively is certainly a new GAF meme in the making.
glaringradio
Member
Please show us this more adult and balanced conversation, because you clearly mustn't be a part of it, or are you dumbing down your posts deliberately so that us children can understand them?
Link?
I'm putting my money where my mouth is!
Like I said, I would never think of shopping there as they've always had shit prices, shit trade in deals, shit staff (usually) and run the place like its a currys.
GAME right now remind me of DSG, they were really struggling about 8 years ago. Very similar company to GAME in their treatment of customers, up selling etc. Comet was making a killing an walking all over them. 8 years later, DSG is still going strong while Comet was sold for £1 last year.
GAME are too evil, too devious and too aggressive to die. They've told EA to go fuck themselves and refused to stock any of their March line up, that's going to hurt EA more. GAME don't have to worry about the unsold copies of ME3 that will be selling for the traditional uk bomba price just before the end of the financial year.
My money is safe. I've got another £500 waiting to pump into GMG when it gets to 2p a share!
Like I said, I would never think of shopping there as they've always had shit prices, shit trade in deals, shit staff (usually) and run the place like its a currys.
GAME right now remind me of DSG, they were really struggling about 8 years ago. Very similar company to GAME in their treatment of customers, up selling etc. Comet was making a killing an walking all over them. 8 years later, DSG is still going strong while Comet was sold for £1 last year.
GAME are too evil, too devious and too aggressive to die. They've told EA to go fuck themselves and refused to stock any of their March line up, that's going to hurt EA more. GAME don't have to worry about the unsold copies of ME3 that will be selling for the traditional uk bomba price just before the end of the financial year.
My money is safe. I've got another £500 waiting to pump into GMG when it gets to 2p a share!
http://www.lse.co.uk/ShareChat.asp?ShareTicker=GMG
Much more cautious and less complete doom and gloom. Don't get more wrong, on the face of it, it looks bad but GAME have been here before, just before the best years of its existence.
Much more cautious and less complete doom and gloom. Don't get more wrong, on the face of it, it looks bad but GAME have been here before, just before the best years of its existence.
glaringradio
Member
You're making the line between troll and moron so fucking blurry it's making me want to go for an eye exam.
I'm going to predict that sales for Mass Effect 3 are huge, no more EA titles or Nintendo titles in stock at all, then GAME will die before the end of the Summer. I'm basing this on absolutely nothing but a desire to see a company get its comeuppance.
I'm going to predict that sales for Mass Effect 3 are huge, no more EA titles or Nintendo titles in stock at all, then GAME will die before the end of the Summer. I'm basing this on absolutely nothing but a desire to see a company get its comeuppance.
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