Should it be considered "New" if it's already opened?

[BarbieGirl]

As a general rule, no. However, in most cases if a customer makes a big enough fuss about it we will go ahead and accept the return. This has happened many times.

A lawsuit was filed by customers not impressed by the deception and so in response to the suit the company stopped doing new game returns unless sealed (at least officially).

Now to me that is just shady dealing, 'We'll sell it to you opened, but the second you buy it there is no way to return it unless it's sealed.' it's not that big of an issue if you're buying for yourself and know what you want, but for those that are buying gifts and the person has it already it really sucks. If a store tried to sell me something opened as new I would walk away and get it somewhere else.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Now to me that is just shady dealing, 'We'll sell it to you opened, but the second you buy it there is no way to return it unless it's sealed.'

Not to mention confusing as hell, since the OP stated in a separate thread that his store does not accept sealed games for trade-ins.

It seems to me that in trying to avoid lawsuits and bad press and cover all the bases, the OP's company has made the return policies as confusing as possible.

Not that any of this is his fault, of course. He can only do what he's told from above.

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

Not to mention confusing as hell, since the OP stated in a separate thread that his store does not accept sealed games for trade-ins.

It seems to me that in trying to avoid lawsuits and bad press and cover all the bases, the OP's company has made the return policies as confusing as possible.

Not that any of this is his fault, of course. He can only do what he's told from above.

Right, let me clarify one point though.

If you buy an opened new game, we are required to put a little clear sticker across the part you would open up. This sticker (according to policy) restores the games status as "sealed" with regards to the return policy. Therefore if you bring a game back to us and it still has the little sticker on it, you can get your money back.

[Android Kaeli]

Now to me that is just shady dealing, 'We'll sell it to you opened, but the second you buy it there is no way to return it unless it's sealed.' it's not that big of an issue if you're buying for yourself and know what you want, but for those that are buying gifts and the person has it already it really sucks. If a store tried to sell me something opened as new I would walk away and get it somewhere else.

That's why gift cards to a local game store or even a Visa gift card works when not knowing what game to buy for someone else. Or just ask the person in question what games they want, because it's better to ask then to not know.

[TeaHouseLackey]

What confuses me most about placed like GameSplat™ that gut new games, is that corporate sends the stores a huge amount of empty dvd boxes and a large stack of printed covers for those boxes. Instead of things like "Buy sell trade!" "sign up for rewards card" "10% bonus on trade on" etc.. why not send out fake covers of the games themselves? No guts, no fuss, everyone's happy right?

[Hyndis]

I don't understand why they don't have a single empty box on the shelf for display purposes and then a bunch of full, sealed boxes in the back, under lock and key.

But if I want to buy a game, it better be in a factory sealed box. Or I better get a reduced price on the game.


Otherwise, I'll just go to another store.

And I do!

I don't buy anything from this store for this reason. I may look, but I do not buy anything unless its sealed. No seal, no buy. After all, these days what you're buying is the keycode. Without it the game CD is utterly worthless.

[persephone]

Just putting in my two cents.

I feel the same as most everyone else. If the game is not factory sealed, I refuse to pay "new" price for it and am extremely suspicious. I know CrazedClerk would never do something nefarious, but lets face it, some people would.

Put a dummy box or two on the floor and have the new, sealed copies under lock and key and everyone's happy. It seems your company has some pretty dumb policies.

[cinema guy]

Right, let me clarify one point though.

If you buy an opened new game, we are required to put a little clear sticker across the part you would open up. This sticker (according to policy) restores the games status as "sealed" with regards to the return policy. Therefore if you bring a game back to us and it still has the little sticker on it, you can get your money back.

That makes sense. Thank you for explaining that.

[mandaliz8704]

Even a color photocopy of the game box cover slid into a DVD case to use as a dummy would be a better subsitute than breaking the factory seal on a brand new game.

I wouldn't buy an opened anything for the same price as a new one. What a dumb policy.

[Dreamstalker]

I once bought a "new" game at GameSplat (love it) and the manual was missing. Of course to discover this I had to break the seal, and could only trade it back (for less than half of what I bought it for due to the missing manual) even though I had the receipt.

At my first bookstore job, we were allowed to check out books; woe betide anyone who returned one in non-sellable condition (whoever returned it pays MSRP for the title and it's shuffled into the used-book section, three times and their borrowing privileges are suspended for as long as the boss felt like it).

[cinema guy]

I once bought a "new" game at GameSplat (love it) and the manual was missing. Of course to discover this I had to break the seal, and could only trade it back (for less than half of what I bought it for due to the missing manual) even though I had the receipt.

Surely that would qualify as faulty, and be suitable for exchange, especially since you had the receipt?

[Ghengis51]

I don't understand why they don't have a single empty box on the shelf for display purposes and then a bunch of full, sealed boxes in the back, under lock and key.

But if I want to buy a game, it better be in a factory sealed box. Or I better get a reduced price on the game.


Otherwise, I'll just go to another store.

And I do!

I don't buy anything from this store for this reason. I may look, but I do not buy anything unless its sealed. No seal, no buy. After all, these days what you're buying is the keycode. Without it the game CD is utterly worthless.

Media Play used the same system. They do just use one as the display, but when it's the last one in stock, it's gonna get sold that way. I personally have absolutely no issues with this, as long as all the materials are included when i purchased it. I'm known on sight by all the guys at the gamestop I work at, the one time I bought the last one and it was missing the manual, they informed me of it and offered the 10% discount.

[EricKei]

What confuses me most about placed like GameSplat™ that gut new games, is that corporate sends the stores a huge amount of empty dvd boxes and a large stack of printed covers for those boxes.

The idea of using these has merit; however...

I worked at gamesplat (love it!) for 3 years or so, myself. I have indeed seen these replacement covers of which you speak. Twice. EVER. In other words, they showed up once a year or less often than that. When they arrived...

- 80% or better of these "covers" were really, really cheap photocopies

- 20% or better did not even remotely resemble the actual box art used in the final product

- There would seldom be more than one copy of any given cover (except, of course, for games that nobody ever buys)

- Many of the games were ones that had been out so long that there was little chance that we would even have new copies in-store (as in, still getting cover art for PS1 games right about the time the XBOX 360 came out)

- They were not in any sort of order (you try sorting thru a thousand+ non-alphabetized bits of paper )

- They were not full-size; they were the front cover only. In other words, no info on the back to show screenshots or the usual game description on the back.

- Even these were meant for use in generic Used cases, not new ones

Put simply, there would only be one realistic way to accomplish this -- the publishers would need to send us extra coverslips for every new game they sent us, more for games where we'll have to gut half a dozen copies (read: Madden) to make bigger displays. GameSplat corporate isn't gonna do it for the simple reason that their profit margin on new games is slim enough as it is ($5 is standard on new games). the thing is, publishers are unlikely to do it, either.

Also, "back room" storage space is typically at a premium in stores. Mall locations, in particular, often wind up keeping game systems locked in the bathroom (yes, up on shelves and away from the toilet, but still)...At busy times like XMAS, it's not uncommon to have it packed so full that employees can't even use the facilities. Picture the Cash Wrap area (the counter and shelves behind it) and extend it by about five feet. That's about how big the entire backroom area is at most stores (again, especially mall ones) -- that's the "room" plus a corner for the SM's desk plus the bathroom and walls. Every conceivable surface is covered with slotboard and racks to hold stuff as it is. Not much room for several hundred more empty cases taking up space that could be used for live stock.
--------------------------------

I can vouch for the 10% off thing. If it's been gutted, ASK for that discount -- and you *must* ask. On a $50 game, the discount brings it down to Used price. On a $60 game, that makes it LESS than Used.

[Dreamstalker]

Surely that would qualify as faulty, and be suitable for exchange, especially since you had the receipt?

My local one seems to have some weird policies; I have been able to return "new" games that wound up having something missing, but that seems to depend on who's working at the time (I've been able to do it no questions asked if the guy processing the return is the same one who sold it to me).

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

My local one seems to have some weird policies; I have been able to return "new" games that wound up having something missing, but that seems to depend on who's working at the time (I've been able to do it no questions asked if the guy processing the return is the same one who sold it to me).

This is a typical experience. Some managers are more lenient than others and some employees are more inclined to help someone they dealt with before.