Leechboy's experience at EB is no different than with any retailer. Some people are not cut out for customer service orientated positions. Even on a bad day that employee was wrong. Most retail employees either take their jobs too seriously or not seroius enough. Too few understand the use of proper judgement and the long term consequences of their actions. Why would they when they most likely have not long term vested interest in the company other than a paycheck.

I worked at EB 10 years ago. We were able to sign out software and video games. We were responsible for taking care of the product and resealing it upon return. We did have instance where an employee would forget the return a disc or manual.

In theory it was a good practice in that the employees were very knowledgeable on the product offerings and it was a decent perk. However, claiming something is brand new when it has been used is pretty much unethical. Surely, EB can use it's clout to get free demos or full versions of popular titles for each store to pass around. Or partner with Blockbuster on a discouted gamers pass.

Having said all that the store I worked at was great. We had a great cross section of backgrounds and experience. We had console gamers, pc gamers, programmers, and PC productivity app users. Unfortunately pricing was the problem. I know people came to us for our explanation of the product and opinions and then headed to circuit city or best buy to make the purchase. We got smart and recognized this and offered the price match policy with many conversations. You wouldn't believe how many people said " well XYZ has it for $xx". And then we get the sale.

I had concerns about EB going public becasue of the big box stores but now it seems like those stores are dedicated less and less space to these products. EB should have as much buying power to compete on price with anyone. And they have the knowledge to sell products.

Eventually, the whole industry will have top come to grips with a lower MSRP and then EB and the like will benefit.


I am sure I was not always pleasant when I worked there either.

That was my use for them as well, but they've cleaned all that out now.

I think mall security would have to be called had an employee done that to me.

The only problem with my local EB is that the employees are too eager to talk about vidoegames with me. I try to browse and they go on and on about a new game I've never heard of. At least they are friendly.

A new EB openned up in Brewster, NY and this place is awesome!

My Gamestop has tons of SNES and NES games.

There are a few here that still do, but they've generally been cleaned out of any decent titles due to the extra sales they've had on these titles (30%-50% off). Most of the locations have shipped their entire stocks to other stores, and soon (very soon) the stores that still carry them will probably just trash what hasn't sold (or ship it to a warehouse).

Nothing is better than walking into Circuit City or Best Buy, physically pick up the game I want, walk to the counter, buy it and leave. Ahhhhhhh, no nerd hassle, no "would you like 5 memory cards to go with it" lines, you can't beat that.

You should say, "Sure, why not, hell, give me 10 memory cards to go with that! Just joking, foolya!"

I was buying games at EB and asked for some unopened ones. The sales guy gave me a weird look, WTF I thought, who wants a game with finger prints and scatches (which they've probably made copies of for themselves).

Places like Futureshop are the best place to buy games, they're sealed and cheaper.

You clearly have not gone to the Best Buy in Hawthorne, CA.

There's this guy who we call Ogre (tall guy who overlooks the DVD/Games section) - I picked up Soul Calibur on release day and he tried selling to me their fighting controller.

I've picked up other things, and he's always around to offer products that tie in to what you have in your hand.

I run away when I see him....

You actually have a list of businesses which have judged you're not worth having as a customer? Seriously?

Did this line not strike anybody who critiqued the skills of the employee? If this actually has happened repeatedly, I don't think the problem is the retailers'.

It makes me wonder what "argued back and forth" specifically meant, in this case.

On a unrelated note, I got talked into buying a guide for Thief Deadly Shadows because it as $3 off

Damn EB

"D00d wtf, I am da customer, you will respect my authuri-tih"

So, how do you pronounce the zeros in d00d?

I've had it with EB myself and actually their main office/distribution center is only 15 min away from me in West Chester PA.

Last week I found a preowned copy of Mall Tycoon 2 that I knew my girlfriend wanted...so considering I had that EBEdge card (Don't ask!) and get 10% off using it with preowned games I thought I'd use it. It was a measly $13.77. I ask the guy "Listen, this is for my girlfriend's old laptop and I am wondering if it has problems if I can bring it back without a problem?" and he says "Sure, not a prob". The box was beat to crap, resealed by EB themselves but the manual and disc were in nice shape. So I get home, install it for her...so far so good...We click on the game icon to start it. Screen goes black, flickers and pops me back to the desktop. Nothing. Tried again.....Nothing....etc. So a week later I take it back hoping for a refund. I explain the situation. And he says "Well, I can't give a refund...Its been opened" and I say to myself well no S**T thats how we found out it didn't work right. I said "It was ALREADY opened by your store." And he's smacking his gum the whole time (One thing I HATE people do) and shrugs and says "Well, you could have copied the game with a CD drive and just brought it back" now he is calling me a thief. I mean its $13 friggin dollars. So he gives me a gift card for $13.77. So now this stupid a** company not only has my $13.77 but can now go and RESELL that game. I said to him "You know, I bought 3 other games with this and this is the only one that had a problem with and I am never shopping here AGAIN" What adds insult to injury is this is the same idiot that said I'd have no problem returning the game. I always went to EB due to the selection, lots of older games are still on the shelf. Never again. I ended up going to another EB store near my girlfriend's house and used the giftcard towards the Unreal Tournament 2004 DVD set, I mean if not this would be $13 totally down the drain. This is my final purchase with this chain.... While at the register I explained what happened and why I had this gift card to use and the clerk shook his head and said "Thats rediculous" and seemed apologetic.

Anyway, its OK in the end...because inside the Unreal Tournament 2004 case were TWO CD keys. I'll give one to my brother and EB can jump in a lake

As someone who has shopped for software at EB since the Commodore 64 days when it was known as "Games N Gadgets" in the early 80's, I am really hurt by this type of situation. I remember back then how friendly they used to be. I guess its just another way society in general likes to piss on each other these days.

I'd tell you but I'd have to pull out your tongue.

Sorry to come across as an ambassador for EB but once again this is not an EB only problem. Many retailers have such morons working for them. They used to have a sign with an 800 number right on the counter. I would have politely asked to use the phone to call it right in front of them. And I would not have stopped even when they gave in. The only way to make this go away is to alert management and/or owners. Otherwise you leave, they lose your sales and they are clueless why.

The scenario he said does happen but they keep a log of all the returns. So repeat offenders will show up. We knew them all when I worked there. They were never going to buy anything unless they could share it with a group of 50. Some even laughed about the fact that they were not allowed to return anything unless it was for the same item. Who cares. They don't represent revenue. But the risk of offending a paying customer is greater.

Too bad EB management doesn't read this stuff. I would be mad as hell if this was going on ay my business.

Sure no store is perfect...But then again, I don't see ANY other stores (GameStop seems to have stopped this practice around here) that sell games as "New full price" and then go pull the game CD and manual from a drawer, take it out of the ziploc baggie...YES ZIPLOC...put it in the case you gave them from the shelf and stick a clear "Sealed by EB" sticker on the edge of the package. And then when I try to return it get some crap about it NOT being sealed. This doesn't apply in my particular case but it goes against the very policy they tout and I may as well have bought that game used on Ebay in that condition. I know back when I bought a PS2 the guy tried to give me a Devil May Cry in this manner and when he was doing the said above I promply said "Ok, now...Please go into the back room and get me a nice factory sealed one". And for the record, there is NOTHING relating to this on the receipts.

Its scary because now I gotta check this "NEW SEALED" Unreal Tournament 2004 and make sure the damn CD key works for fear it may have been opened, CD Key used and then rewrapped.

Bottom line:

You can't go and give a customer a bunch of BS about a game not being sealed when the game you bought wasn't sealed to begin with. Are all EB's like this? No I guess not...but it shouldn't matter because the employee's represent the company and when all is said and done, its STILL an EB store that I paid services to. Like I said, I've shopped there for years but their policies have turned to real crap and it bothers me that a place I once used to look forward to going to is now at the bottom of my places to shop at. Actually it used to be GameStop was in this position but I've been getting BETTER service there lately than EB has given me. At least the clerks there are clear about their policies BEFORE you buy something.

I just know who will be getting my Halo 2 preorder and its not EB.

And just as a side note...this is first game I have tried to return in about 7 years. And where I could understand if my excuse was "I didn't like it" but I had a honest problem with the product and have since read about similar instances with it.

Time to cut and paste this stuff and make up a nice formal letter

Yes because obviously this was the customer's fault. I'm sure he still would have raised all hell if the employee treated him with just an ounce of respect and concern for the people that make the business possible.

I am not defending customers who spout off or try to rip off a business but in this case EB was clearly at fault.

I'm sick and tired of people always attacking the customers. Guess what it is your job to deal with irrate people. If you don't like it/can't handle it then leave. Just because you have your own issues doesn't mean you can attack the customers.

There are tons of EB's, Gamestops and others, including several used CD/DVD places that also sell games in the Chicago burbs. My wife and I find all kinds of stuff at them games and movies. As for the sealed stuff, the EBs and Gamestops always have tons of sealed copies behind the counter. If it's used I check the disc before paying, and if I don't like it I ask them to run it thru the cleaner or I just don't get it. And I rarely have customer service issues, it's all about your attitude, you have to go in knowing what you want.

Just today at one of the used places I found a copy of Wild Arms for $7, and checking ebay they're going for nearly $30. It's near mint, only a small crack in the front cover, so I just swung it around.

I can't handle how hard these places try to push pre-orders. They make it seem like if you don't pre-order the game you won't get a copy. I sometimes wonder if these employees have ever left their tiny stores...

One guy told me his job depended on it. I told him I'd think about it.

For EB, if it was an 'opened NEW display' game, don't they put a big YELLOW sticker over it, so you can't open it without breakin the seal? If the seal is 'broken' it means you opened it, hence you can't return it as 'new'? Am I correct? If so, I can understnd why they won' take back those games once the seal is broken. The seal is, infact, the 'shrinkwrap'.

However, I know for CD games its a bit different. Once its opened, its yours. If you tried going to Best Buy and buying a game, and finding out it won't work on your system, your SOL. Heck, even Wal-Mart does this. Once software is opened, its only returnable if defective, and for the same game.