Returning Games
Andrew Walsh
stores with any brains won't take back a game once it's been o
opened. Is it all a matter of finding a really dumb store and
telling them it didn't work or you didn't like it?
______________________________________________________________
I "I was young and foolish then, I feel old and foolish now."I
I - TMBG, "Lucky Ball & Chain" I
I "Get three coffins ready." I
I - Clint Eastwood, "A Fistful Of Dollars" I
I Andrew Walsh/Batman/The Phantom/Nightshade | awa...@mta.ca I
I <<<<<<<It's all the same, yet completely different.>>>>>>> I
--------------------------------------------------------------
Ed Driscoll
>How do you buy a game, beat it, and return it to the store? Most
>stores with any brains won't take back a game once it's been o
>opened. Is it all a matter of finding a really dumb store and
>telling them it didn't work or you didn't like it?
>
Umm.... You rent the game instead of trying to rip off some poor retailer?
Yes, folks, guys like this are the REASON it's so hard to return games for
what I would consider legitimate reasons. Thanks for nothing, pal.
--
Ed Driscoll
Cimage Corp.
e...@cimage.com
Shannon R. Adams
> How do you buy a game, beat it, and return it to the store? Most
> stores with any brains won't take back a game once it's been o
> opened. Is it all a matter of finding a really dumb store and
> telling them it didn't work or you didn't like it?
>
> ______________________________________________________________
I am guilty! I have done this three or four times. About two
weeks ago I shelled out 70 bucks for Sportstalk baseball and was not
satisfied and in about a week I took it back with the receipt and they
gave me my money back. I have taken back games without the receipt
and exchanged them. As long as the store carries them, they will
take them back with no questions asked. I have done this at a store
called Rose's located mostly in the South. There is usually a young
girl at the counter who could care less. I am sure at a software store
it would be different. They know the deal. I only do this if I am not
satisfied. I don't make a habit of it. So, the way you do it is take it
back to a department store that carries the game and say you bought it
and did not like it and it won't be any problem.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ <GRS0...@appstate.bitnet>
(_ |_| |_| |\ | |\ | | | |\ | |_| | | |_| |\/| (_ Appalachian State
_) | | | | | \| | \| |_| | \| | | |_| | | | | _) University
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andrew Walsh
Alright, alright, let me set the record straight.
I DO NOT SUPPORT THE ACTION OF BUYING A GAME AND RETURNING IT BECAUSE
YOU DON'T LIKE IT.
It has become quite obvious that my words were wholly misinterpreted.
There have been recent posts where Gamegod 'A' says, "Yeah, I bought
that yesterday at Babbages', beat it twice, and exchanged it the
next day for SF XXVIII." My question was merely how the hell do they
pull this off when any store with common sense has a policy where they
do not accept returns on opened games.
Once again, I DO NOT CONDONE THE ACTION OF RETURNING A GAME ONCE
YOU HAVE PURCHASED IT. Unless it's broken, of course.
I suggest in the future you read articles from a different angle
before you decide to flame someone.
>
>--
>Ed Driscoll
>Cimage Corp.
>e...@cimage.com
______________________________________________________________
David Isaacson
>How do you buy a game, beat it, and return it to the store? Most
>stores with any brains won't take back a game once it's been o
>opened. Is it all a matter of finding a really dumb store and
>telling them it didn't work or you didn't like it?
>
game for any reason as long as you have the receipt and it's within a
reasonable amount of time (I think w/in 5 days). From what I've been
told, this is company policy for all stores, but some individual store
managers have had too much trouble with it and gone against it. I even
told the lady that I was buying both games to try out and that I was
going to return one of them and she said that was fine.
--
David Isaacson Unix: cir...@elm.circa.ufl.edu
Fh...@nerix.nerdc.ufl.edu
VAX: Frae...@maple.circa.ufl.edu
Freenet: ca...@cleveland.Freenet.Edu
Dave_...@vos.stratus.com
> >How do you buy a game, beat it, and return it to the store? Most
> >stores with any brains won't take back a game once it's been o
> >opened. Is it all a matter of finding a really dumb store and
> >telling them it didn't work or you didn't like it?
> >
>Umm.... You rent the game instead of trying to rip off some poor retailer?
>
>Yes, folks, guys like this are the REASON it's so hard to return games for
So why do Babbages and EB allow you to return carts that you "just didn't
like?" I've brought back carts to both places and they've never had a problem
with that reason.
Maybe they're smart enough to keep track of games that get returned and use
that information like they would use a marketing survey - if they always get
a lot of returns on games from company X then they know not to waste more
money stocking furture games from that company..
>...Thanks for nothing, pal.
No, thank you,
-Dave
Dave_...@vos.stratus.com | Disclaimer: I don't speak for Stratus
Christopher Jon Petit
|> It has become quite obvious that my words were wholly misinterpreted.
|> There have been recent posts where Gamegod 'A' says, "Yeah, I bought
|> that yesterday at Babbages', beat it twice, and exchanged it the
|> next day for SF XXVIII." My question was merely how the hell do they
|> pull this off when any store with common sense has a policy where they
|> do not accept returns on opened games.
That's what I'd like to know, as well. No stores that I've seen will let you
return such a game. If I were a games dealer, I'd take it back, sure, but if
it wasn't broken, you'd only get 50% of your money back. And we'd check on
the premesis to make sure you are telling the truth if it's broken.
But, doesn't this say something pretty bad about the affairs of gaming today?
When you ARE able to beat a game in two days, and then it loses all of its replay
value. If we don't like these kinds of games, then STOP BUYING THEM!! Until
companies stop making profits off Ninja Slaughter: The Next Even Better Sequel,
then they'll just keep churning out the crap.
And what galls me is that some of these companies are then credited with
being "great games developers" or something like that.
How much are you willing to wager that these companies have little construction
kits they use in-house to make the next sequel in, maybe, 2 weeks?
--
Trust: A very precious social commodity, due both to high value and terrible
scarcity.
MATWDTM: Mothers Against Teenagers Who Drink Too Much (failed name for MADD)
Gary Snow
>
>So why do Babbages and EB allow you to return carts that you "just didn't
>like?" I've brought back carts to both places and they've never had a problem
>with that reason.
>
>Maybe they're smart enough to keep track of games that get returned and use
>that information like they would use a marketing survey - if they always get
>a lot of returns on games from company X then they know not to waste more
>money stocking furture games from that company..
Both of those places will take back games only if they are still in MINT
condition. They will then re-shrink wrap them and sell them. I have seen
them actually doing this at EB.
Gary
--
-----
Gary Snow
uunet!clark!gsnow or gs...@clark.edu
Dennis E Thomas '**
: In article <1992Nov3....@cimage.com> e...@cimage.com (Ed Driscoll) wrote:
: >Umm.... You rent the game instead of trying to rip off some poor retailer?
: >Yes, folks, guys like this are the REASON it's so hard to return games for
: >what I would consider legitimate reasons...
: Maybe they're smart enough to keep track of games that get returned and use
: a lot of returns on games from company X then they know not to waste more
: money stocking furture games from that company..
Actually, the return policy at EB is monitored. You have to give useful
information like your name, address and some form of ID when you return
a game. If you keep returning games, you will eventually be told you
can't return anything anymore. If it is a widespread problem, the store
may simply stop accepting returns.
As for the notion of tracking which companies make crappy games, I don't
think that is a company policy. That decision is made on a more of a
game by game basis, rather than a company by company basis. Imagine what
it would be like with companies like EA that produce a combo of great
stuff (Desert Strike, NHLPA 93) and absolute shit (Fatal rewind, shadow
dancer)? The same is true of a lot of other companies. Some games are
hits, some are misses.
One final note: the response of the original poster after getting flamed
into oblivion was a little out of bounds. I re-read the original post,
and it did sound a whole hell of a lot like he was advocating using EB
or babages as a free rental place. Maybe *he* should read his postings
with a little more of an unbiased eye. We don't know what he means,
we're not mind readers.
later days!
--dt
*yes, I do work for EB. So there!*
--
Dennis Thomas '**
Nerd For Hire, Budding Unix Weenie, and Mythical Figure.
deth...@unix.amherst.edu
ro...@aux1.amherst.edu
Dave_...@vos.stratus.com
>>
>>So why do Babbages and EB allow you to return carts that you "just didn't
>>lem with that reason.
>> [...]
>Both of those places will take back games only if they are still in MINT
>condition. They will then re-shrink wrap them and sell them. I have seen
>them actually doing this at EB.
>
because you didn't like it or because it was pitifully easy, we're not
ripping anybody off.
If it's a good game but just not to my tastes (I returned Taz), they can
just sell it to somebody else. They lose a little because they've got to
re-shrink it but they've got one (more) real happy customer. . .
On the other hand, if the game just-plain-sucks and they can't keep a copy
out the door for more than a week, they've learned something valuable about
both the cart itself and the company that produced it.
No flames intended - I'm just sick of the having to wade through 30 clones
to find 1 game that looks like it might be good...
James Hague
>
> But, doesn't this say something pretty bad about the affairs of gaming today?
>When you ARE able to beat a game in two days, and then it loses all of its replay
>value. If we don't like these kinds of games, then STOP BUYING THEM!! Until
>companies stop making profits off Ninja Slaughter: The Next Even Better Sequel,
>then they'll just keep churning out the crap.
The most disappointing game I've bought was Ultimate Qix for the Genesis.
The second time I played I got through all sixteen levels and didn't have
a speck of fun. The fact that anyone would even put something like this
on the market--for $45 nonetheless--is ridiculous.
> And what galls me is that some of these companies are then credited with
>being "great games developers" or something like that.
Those ads in which a company pats itself on the back are really
funny. For some odd reason, VG&CE gave Whip Rush the "Best Science
Fiction Game of 1990" award, something which Renovation kept reminding
everyone about in ther ads. I bought Whip Rush and, even considering
when it was released, it was just a mediocre side-scrolling shooter
without any spark (memorize the patterns, etc.).
I think there is a warped view perpetuated by the "popular video
gaming market" of what constitutes a good game. Imagine going
into record stores, picking up music magazines, etc., and EVERYWHERE
all you hear about are the The New Kids on The Block. Yes, they
are (were :-) popular, yes they make millions of dollars, yes they
are at the top of the charts, but this doesn't mean anything to
someone who just likes to listen to "good" music and isn't a smitten
teeny-bopper.
Perhaps the problem is that there aren't many companies/people who
truly get into what they do and are just manufacturing a product.
Remember EA's "software artist" approach of the mid-eighties? I
think things might be better if games were considered a form of
creative expression, as are music and film. The "product" and
"regular programming job" methods don't seem to work.
Flames to email please, if this annoys anyone. Remember, the
whole point is to have fun.
--
James Hague
exu...@exu.ericsson.se
Ed Driscoll
>
>Alright, alright, let me set the record straight.
>I DO NOT SUPPORT THE ACTION OF BUYING A GAME AND RETURNING IT BECAUSE
>YOU DON'T LIKE IT.
>I suggest in the future you read articles from a different angle
>before you decide to flame someone.
I RARELY flame anyone, but the truth is that I don't like how difficult
it is to return games, so I'm pretty peeved at the behavior that has
MADE it difficult to return them. As far as reading articles from a
different angle, let's have another look:
In article <1992Nov2.1...@jupiter.sun.csd.unb.ca> awa...@mta.ca writes:
>How do you buy a game, beat it, and return it to the store? Most
>stores with any brains won't take back a game once it's been o
>opened. Is it all a matter of finding a really dumb store and
>telling them it didn't work or you didn't like it?
Nope. Sorry, but the tone still seems the same to me. Note that you
specifically asked how to "buy a game, beat it, and return it to the
store", as opposed to "I don't really support returning games because
you don't like them, but I'd like to know how to return one for these
reasons". Note also your suggestion that one possibility is to find
a "really dumb" store and lie to them by telling them that it didn't
work or you didn't like it. Sounds quite a bit less than straightforward
honesty to me. Apologies if you feel misinterpreted; perhaps you should
have endeavored to make your position clearer to begin with.
For the record, I own 50 or so games. Only once have I ever returned
one: Klax for the TurboGrafx. I took it back to the Toys 'R' Us where
I purchased it, asked to speak to the manager, and explained that I
understood their exchange policy (which is the normal restrictive policy,
exchanges for same title only once you open it) but that I was extremely
dissatisfied with the game. I had decided to purchase it after playing
the NES version, and although the TG16 version cost almost twice as
much, it had WORSE graphics and sound (especially the lack of the music
in the NES version, which was the primary cause of my dissatisfaction).
I even offered to accept a trade of the NES version for my TG16 version.
The manager thought about it for about 10 seconds, and gave me a full
refund (in store credit, not cash). He explained to me that their restrictive
policy was really due to people that bought the game, played it for a few
days, beat it, and brought it back (oh, I should add that I took my game
back the very next day after I bought it). I was happy with the outcome
of the exchange, but I could just as easily have got some bad-attitude
manager who didn't feel like giving a steady customer a break, and
I would have been stuck with a lousy game.
Ever since then I've had a pretty strict policy of renting games
before I buy them. It has worked out extremely well for me, and it's
still the option I recommend to everyone, including you, who wants to
avoid shelling out 50 bucks for a lousy game. My personal favorite
rental source is my local BlockBuster. They get the games in stock
extremely quickly, as soon as they hit the shelves in most cases,
and they stock multiple copies of the popular games (for instance,
they had 6 or 8 copies of Street Fighter 2 in stock the same day that
I heard it came out). Also, their "3-night" rental period really gives
me plenty of time to evaluate a game. I can pick one up Friday afternoon
and not have to return it until Sunday night. Now if only they would
stock Lynx games...
Ed Driscoll
>with that reason.
The ones around me don't. They, along with just about everyone else that
sells games, have a policy -- posted prominently on the wall -- that
once you open a game all they will do is exchange it for the same title.
Now, it may be that you can get breaks on an individual basis. In fact,
I've already posted one followup where I detailed exactly how I've done
just that, by speaking to a manager at a Toys R Us. The point is, it
shouldn't be that difficult. As long as the restrictive exchange policy
is in place, I won't gamble 50 bucks on the odds that I MIGHT get a nice
manager/employee who will let me return the game if I don't like it.
>Maybe they're smart enough to keep track of games that get returned and use
>that information like they would use a marketing survey - if they always get
>a lot of returns on games from company X then they know not to waste more
>money stocking furture games from that company..
Maybe so, but I'd be a little surprised. Are they really going to stop
stocking games from Nintendo or Sega? I'd just as soon they DID treat
game returns that cordially, which is why I don't condone the behavior
that punishes them for it, and which makes them adopt the restrictive
return policies they have.
King Mosher
Absolutely! I only do business at Babbages 'cause I can return the games
that are lousy/too easy. I keep the ones that have some lasting appeal.
Only this way will we get more games with lasting appeal. I urge everyone
to only buy games from stores where you can return them in a reasonable
amount of time if you don't like them. There are too many ignorant people
out there buying shitty games from Toy's R Us, getting stuck with them,
and encouraging shitty game makers to make more shitty games. So, be informed,
rent before you buy, and only do business with stores with a fair return
policy.
--
Beer - It's not just for breakfast anymore.
Chuck Machala - Semiconductor Process and Design Center - Texas Instruments
Christopher Songer
>
>Alright, alright, let me set the record straight.
>I DO NOT SUPPORT THE ACTION OF BUYING A GAME AND RETURNING IT BECAUSE
>YOU DON'T LIKE IT.
>
I don't agree with this. The state of Video Game Advertising is such that
every game is billed as the end all beat all of video game. The advertising,
by its very nature, is simply hype and not informative. After all, it would
be very difficult to represent gameplay in a television or magazine add. Since
most stores do not let you try a game first, it really is a consumer beware
situation.
Even USENET is not always a good source. Both Tazmania and Super Mario
Kart have received glowing reviews here, but I liked neither.
Stores which allow the return of video games invariably charge more for the
games. It usually seems to be two to five dollars higher for new releases.
And though the analogy is not exactly correct, I consider this premium to
be: "Stupid game insurance." I am willing to pay the slightly higher price so
as not to get stuck with a complete dog. The stores know what they are
doing. They know they can charge extra for this service to their customers.
To buy at these stores and not return games one does not like is a foolish
waste of money.
Anyway,
-Chris
Gary Snow
>awa...@mta.ca writes:
>>
>>Alright, alright, let me set the record straight.
>>I DO NOT SUPPORT THE ACTION OF BUYING A GAME AND RETURNING IT BECAUSE
>>YOU DON'T LIKE IT.
>>
>
>I don't agree with this. The state of Video Game Advertising is such that
>every game is billed as the end all beat all of video game. The advertising,
>by its very nature, is simply hype and not informative. After all, it would
>be very difficult to represent gameplay in a television or magazine add. Since
>most stores do not let you try a game first, it really is a consumer beware
>situation.
Why don't you rent before you buy, then there is no risk what-so-ever?
>Even USENET is not always a good source. Both Tazmania and Super Mario
>Kart have received glowing reviews here, but I liked neither.
Well theres no accounting for taste, I liked Super Mario Kart alot.
>Stores which allow the return of video games invariably charge more for the
>games. It usually seems to be two to five dollars higher for new releases.
>And though the analogy is not exactly correct, I consider this premium to
>be: "Stupid game insurance." I am willing to pay the slightly higher price so
>as not to get stuck with a complete dog. The stores know what they are
>doing. They know they can charge extra for this service to their customers.
>To buy at these stores and not return games one does not like is a foolish
>waste of money.
Thats not true at all. Electronics Boutique takes games back (even if you
don't like it - thats a quote right from the manager of the local ED), but
they have the lowest prices....and will even match anybody elses price
if they are lower.
Stephen Jonke
Walsh, awa...@mta.ca writes:
>Alright, alright, let me set the record straight.
>I DO NOT SUPPORT THE ACTION OF BUYING A GAME AND RETURNING IT
BECAUSE
>YOU DON'T LIKE IT.
Hmm, I've asked Babbages and Electronic's Boutique and both
explicitely ALLOW returns of games if you don't like them (I asked
them "can I return a game if I do not like it?") The only
restrictions are a time limit (10 days -- forget exactly), it must
be in resellable condition (i.e. no obviously defacing and all docs
and other stuff papers/warranty, etc. still included) and the
original reciept. They'll give you an exchange or store credit. I
believe what they do is inspect it to make sure it's really like new
and then put everything back in it's package and reseal it. They'll
probably use the returned item as a display empty box and eventually
sell it when they are out of other copies.
Steve
------------------------
jo...@kong.gsfc.nasa.gov
------------------------
Daniel Cameron Daly
Respond via email.
--
Cam Daly Phone: (617) 225-7880
22F1 Internet: c...@athena.mit.edu
550 Memorial Dr "He who fights and runs away,
Cambridge MA 02139 lives to nuke the site from orbit"
Joel Kolstad
>>Alright, alright, let me set the record straight.
>>I DO NOT SUPPORT THE ACTION OF BUYING A GAME AND RETURNING IT
>BECAUSE
>>YOU DON'T LIKE IT.
Gee, do you support the action of buying, say, a stereo and returning it
because you don't like it? Or a food processor? Or a TV?
I would hope so...
The mass market discount stores have generally accepted that it's best to
let people buy things with the assurance that they can return it (in new,
resaleable condition). Take a look around... all the big stores have this
policy: Shopko, Kohls, Walmart, Toys-R-Them, etc.
With CD's and audio tapes, it's _perhaps_ understandable that the "super
discount" stores won't let you return them for cash or credit -- it's simply
too easy to duplicate them. The same argument can be made for computer
software.
That same argument can NOT be made for video games! (I mean, come on --
of all the people who buys cartridges at Toys-R-Them, probably 1 in 100,000
know what a game copier is, and probably 1 in 1,000,000 own them!) If I buy
a game, and beat it in a day or two, I think it's perfectly reasonable to
return it and demand a refund. Are games supposed to be of such low
quality today that you only get a few hours entertainment out of them and
then that's _it_!? I've always been under the impression that good games
should keep your interest for many tens, if not hundreds, of hours.
Renting games is a good solution to the PROBLEM of retailers who won't
let you return games. Unfortunately, it doesn't solve the problem for
many game systems such as the Atari Lynx.
Now, I think that the stores have the _right_ to have whatever return
policies they want, I just find the current policies disgusting, and
the reasoning behind it to be very weak. I think that most of the game
buyers are a lot younger than most of yes, though, and these kids probably
aren't about to complain about these policies when they're buying games
with their parents money.
Oh well... the reviews on the net here help a lot. I would never buy a
game that I couldn't return if I had not first seen a review of it. Keep
them coming!
---Joel Kolstad
James Hague
>
>Gee, do you support the action of buying, say, a stereo and returning it
>because you don't like it? Or a food processor? Or a TV?
You can argue that--unfortunately--video games are considered a short
term form of entertainment. That is, they are in the same class as
books and movies, something which has a fixed amount of possible
enjoyment. At the very least, with most games you use up more of
its "playability lifetime" in the first week than in the subsequent
six months. Compare this to, say, a television.
>If I buy
>a game, and beat it in a day or two, I think it's perfectly reasonable to
>return it and demand a refund. Are games supposed to be of such low
>quality today that you only get a few hours entertainment out of them and
>then that's _it_!? I've always been under the impression that good games
>should keep your interest for many tens, if not hundreds, of hours.
Me too. The first few hours or days with a game should just get you
started. It's no fun if you can just plow through. Something I
really don't like is that individual games are being lost in an
overall market blur. Most games are disposable. A significant
percentage are never reviewed and almost no games receive _decent_
reviews. I get the impression that there is this vague "video
game market" entity which is considered more important that the
actual products which make up that market
The Lynx market is a nice exception. The slow rate of release,
whether good or bad, has allowed *every* game to be properly
reviewed and temporarily be in the spotlight.
--
James Hague
exu...@exu.ericsson.se
Matthew Coohill
Sorry to bother everyone, but are there any plans for a CD-ROM
drive for the S-NES that will be compatible with the Macintosh. I have
heard tell that there will be a new NEC unit that you can also use on
your Macintosh. This doesn't sound too far fetched.
I am asking because (I have a Mac IIsi and a S-NES) I have heard
that there are several companies that are thinking of coming out with
CD-ROMs compatible with the S-NES.
Feel free to e-mail me directly since this is probably a FAQ.
Zio zZz
> In <1992Nov2.1...@jupiter.sun.csd.unb.ca> awa...@mta.ca writes:
>
> > How do you buy a game, beat it, and return it to the store? Most
> > stores with any brains won't take back a game once it's been o
> > opened. Is it all a matter of finding a really dumb store and
> > telling them it didn't work or you didn't like it?
> >
> > ______________________________________________________________
>
> I am guilty! I have done this three or four times. About two
> weeks ago I shelled out 70 bucks for Sportstalk baseball and was not
> satisfied and in about a week I took it back with the receipt and they
> gave me my money back. I have taken back games without the receipt
> and exchanged them. As long as the store carries them, they will
> take them back with no questions asked. I have done this at a store
> called Rose's located mostly in the South. There is usually a young
> girl at the counter who could care less. I am sure at a software store
> it would be different. They know the deal. I only do this if I am not
> satisfied. I don't make a habit of it. So, the way you do it is take it
> back to a department store that carries the game and say you bought it
> and did not like it and it won't be any problem.
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> _ _ _ _ _ _ _ <GRS0...@appstate.bitn
> (_ |_| |_| |\ | |\ | | | |\ | |_| | | |_| |\/| (_ Appalachian State
> _) | | | | | \| | \| |_| | \| | | |_| | | | | _) University
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
Well that's nothing to be guilty about. It is the sh*ts that buy the
game from "a really dumb store" and playing it for the full length of the
return policy and then returning it for various reasons. They are the
ones to hang!! You have an absolutely valid reason for your return, but
because of the other type of returners, you will have that much extra
hassle to deal with. To rephrase another replyers comment, "Thanks for
nothing, pal"...my sentiments exactly! Thank the gods for rental
places! Why the twits can't shell out a measly 3 or 4 bux... <sigh>
--
z...@Garg.Campbell.CA.US (Zio zZz)
The Land of Garg BBS -- +1 408 378-5108