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Life & Arts

Gamestop in need of a service makeover

Leet Speak

Derek Lanphier 

I have lost what little respect I had left for Gamestop. Some readers might recall the article I did on how Gamestop bought out its leading competitor, EB Games. EB Games was the only retailer that took personal computer game trade-ins. However, after the takeover, Gamestop imposed its policy on all the EB Games stores, and now no retailer accepts PC game trade-ins. There's more money in console games because more casual gamers own PlayStation 2 and Xbox units, but us hardcore PC gamers need love too.

But back to the business at hand. A couple of days ago, a good friend and fellow gamer came to me rather depressed. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was "released" (I use quotation marks because you can't find a copy anywhere; that's the reason there is no review this week) and my friend had it pre-ordered since Christmas of 2004. He pre-ordered a collector's edition copy and nearly all I have heard out of this mouth since has had something to do with the game.

He was downtrodden because Gamestop messed up his order. He was probably the first person on the face of the planet to pre-order the game, and the company messed it up. He went to the store three times, and every time the store's employees had the normal copy of the game but not the collector's edition. They told him they were expecting another shipment, and every time he got his hopes up for nothing.

Finally, he had to settle for the normal version just so he could play the game, but he didn't get any of the cool extras real fans like him want. You'd think Gamestop would care a little more about a customer who pays in full, far in advance.

The company has a complex system that reports to its main distribution headquarters to make sure this kind of stuff doesn't happen, but nevertheless, it did.

I've been in a situation in which I get a call from an EB store, or a similar retailer, to tell me that a game I pre-ordered is coming in. Sometimes it doesn't come until the day after, but I have never had an order botched to the point the game never comes in at all.

I'm worried that this is the beginning of a decline in costumer satisfaction for patrons of Gamestop. It now owns its biggest competitor, so the chain's top brass may think injustices such as this are no big deal.

I've been buying my video games from Best Buy, Wal-Mart and similar stores since Gamestop bought EB Games, because I anticipated stuff like this would start happening.

Another alternative is www.cheapassgamer.com. This site is basically a forum where gamers can go to converse about where to find the cheapest video games. Usually someone will find a good deal on a Web site or something and post a link on the forum. It's a great place to find great deals.

I told my friend that if I were in his position, I would have asked for my money back in the store. They would have had to give it back, too. Gamestop doesn't have a policy for botched orders. Let's hope similar situations don't start happening so often that the chain needs to institute such a policy. 

Hell, just boycott the store. This is video game injustice.

GAME DECK

The following is a partial list of video games being released Tuesday:

FarCry Instincts Predator
The only game to stand up to Doom 3 and Half-Life 2 is now available for the Xbox 360. It contains the single-player games FarCry Instincts Evolution and FarCry Predator.

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter
Advanced Warfighter is yet another installment in the Ghost Recon series. It should deliver everything that fans expect.

Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers
Of course, a new Full Spectrum Warrior game is released the same day as a new Ghost Recon. They are more or less the same game; which one you buy depends on you.

Kingdom Hearts II
The long awaited sequel to the strange Disney-Square crossover game will finally hit shelves. If you haven't played the first game, pick it up before you get this one.

UberSoldier
The game puts the player in the role of a super soldier who is pitted against Nazis.

compiled by Derek Lanphier
 

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