GameStop to Deus Ex PC Customers: You Mad Bro? Here's a $50 Gift Card
GameStop to Deus Ex PC Customers: You Mad Bro? Here's a $50 Gift Card
Posted 08/29/2011 at 5:55am
| by Paul Lilly
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GameStop is in full damage control mode after being caught tearing into retail copies of Deus Ex: Human Revolution and kidnapping coupons that would have allowed PC gamers to play the game for free on Square Enix's OnLive gaming service. That dirty deed didn't sit well with gamers, some of who resorted to using the "C" word (class action lawsuit), and GameStop wants everyone to know it's sorry. As in, here's a $50 gift card and a 'Buy 2 get one 1 free' coupon for pre-owned titles.
Here's the full text of the apologetic email GameStop is sending out to customers and sales associates, according to Joystiq.com:
Dear GameStop customer,
Earlier this week, GameStop removed a competitor's coupon from standard edition PC versions of Deus Ex: Human Revolution, a recent release by Square Enix. We were not aware that the product box would contain this competitor's offer. We regret the events surrounding this title release and that our customers were put in the middle of this issue between GameStop and Square Enix, the publisher of this game. And for this, we are truly sorry.
For your inconvenience, we would like to offer you a free $50 GameStop gift card and a Buy 2 Get 1 Free pre-owned purchase. We want to earn back your trust and confidence in the GameStop experience. Please bring in this email and your store receipt or order confirmation from GameStop.com and present it to a Game Advisor.
Sincerely,
Paul Raines CEO,
GameStop
That doesn't erase what GameStop did, but it does amount to a full refund of sorts, making this a costly apology for the retailer.
So what's the verdict, is all forgiven or do you still hold a grudge?
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Eoraptor
August 30, 2011 at 4:08pm
Okay, so Gamestop engages in blatantly illegal anticompetitive practices, and their answer is to say "oh, here's a way to buy even more of ~our~ products."
Greeeeeaaaatttt.
Marthian
August 30, 2011 at 6:14am
unfortunately, I'm going to have to side on Gamestop on this one. This was pretty much a competitor's product that they didn't want to advertise. However, on the other hand really, I don't see much in OnLive anyways, odds are if your playing this, you are a PC gamer, and you probably have a nice computer capable of playing this game, so I wouldn't really care if they sold it to me like this, so long as the code still works and the CD isn't scratched, some people overreact like they took out the disk and spat on it.
Also again, I don't really like Gamestop (except for the occasional good deal.)
Holly Golightly
August 29, 2011 at 10:11pm
I would not have forgiven them... But damn, a $50 offer? 2 for 1? Damn... I will admit, a bit tempting. I did not buy the game. I do not buy new games unless they come with their plastic seal. I also do not buy used PC games because of the whole DRM mess... *Greed* Last time I purchased a game from them, it was Alice: Madness Returns, it seemed to have included everything. I am unsure...
LatiosXT
August 29, 2011 at 3:28pm
Some thoughts
1. Why are you buying PC games from Game Stop?
2. If you're going to a Game Stop to buy games, chances are you're not going to buy a PC game.
3. Part of me wants to say... were you even going to try Deus Ex: Human Revolution on OnLive, where you know, you can't sync with your actual game file?
I understand that it's more about a corporation doing the wrong thing. But honestly, Game Stop is a console game store. That's like asking a PC gaming snob to give a damn about a console game.
TommM
August 29, 2011 at 10:53am
Too little, too late.
Basically, a knee-jerk reaction after they were flamed to no end by everyone and their sister and on every social media/tech website that exists.
It's like the only reason they're sorry is that they got caught.
ElvisClone777
August 29, 2011 at 8:06am
Funny, when I read the first post about GS caught pulling the coupons:
"GameStop Stops Selling Deus Ex Human Revolution After Being Caught Removing Coupons From New Copies"
it seemed that GS *DID* indeed know in advance the coupons were in the retail PC boxes and ordered employees to remove them.
Thieves *and* liars???
"Thinks that make you go 'hmmmm...'"
TerribleToaster
August 29, 2011 at 9:29am
Gamestop opens every game, of course they know what's inside (and what isn't). What I was referring to is the deal between Square Enix and Gamestop about what Gamestop would be selling, particularly:
"As part of Deus Ex: Human Revolution’s boxed offering on PC, Square Enix included a third-party coupon, GameStop was not made aware of this inclusion [...]" (taken from Square Enix's response to the whole thing).
Basically, Gamestop got the games, open them up saw the coupons, checked if they were supposed to be there (they weren't, at least in the written contract) and pulled the coupons. Now this is what folks from the industry call a "dick move"; however, it is not "stealing", just entirely unethical. So any class action lawsuit against Gamestop would fail gloriously because, sadly, it is not illegal to be a douche.
Teeebs
August 29, 2011 at 11:15am
As the retailer, Gamestop's ONLY job is to sell the product. Opening the packaging and rummaging through is just product tampering, and reason enough for PC users to stop buying from this Mickey Mouse outfit entirely...
A bit like the grocery store digging through my box of Corn Flakes and removing the prize...then sealing up the package and selling it like nothing happened....
TerribleToaster
August 29, 2011 at 11:33am
"As the retailer, Gamestop's ONLY job is to sell the product."
And that is what Gamestop (and Square) has said as well. The coupons weren't listed as a product in the contract thus Gamestop opted to remove them from the package as they weren't part of the agreed upon product. Douche move? Yes. Illegal move? No. I just like to call it like it is.
"A bit like the grocery store digging through my box of Corn Flakes and removing the prize...then sealing up the package and selling it like nothing happened...."
When I was in High School I worked at a grocery store owned by one of the many monikers under the A&P megacorp. Sometimes we would get products into the deli that had coupons and the likes on them that corporate would require us to remove before selling because they weren't in the contract (a.k.a. we weren't suppose to honor those coupons, so there was no point in putting them out there). So yes, grocery stores do go through your food and do occasionally remove things. The difference here (as you pointed out) is that they were for coupons that only our store could honor ($1.00 off per a pound, buy one get one free, etc.) while here Gamestop was removing coupons that only another firm could honor. But I think it is of note (as an aside) that it is fairly common place for distribution companies to "inspect" their products before selling them.
TerribleToaster
August 29, 2011 at 7:43am
Actually, Gamestop was never informed of the coupons in the first place and were legally allowed to remove them before they put them on the shelf since it wasn't part of the deal. That said, when things like this happen in the business world normally, ethics normally says you take it in stride. But since Gamestop is founded upon the idea of spitting on business ethics, it's not really surprising.
Captain_Steve
August 29, 2011 at 7:41am
This was actually my first thought when I read this. Don't give out an in-store refund, give out actual refunds so people can buy their game from a retailer that didn't try to rip them off, even if the service offered was real crappy.
draven913
August 29, 2011 at 7:01am
GAMESTOP: "We're so sorry that we stole that $50 from you, here take this gift card at get yourself a free game of two?
Customer: "Oh well thanks gamestop, at least you are trying to make it right."
GAMESTOP: "We really are sorry, here, we'll even throuhg in coupon for used games that you can't use cause your a pc gamer!"
MrSelatcia
August 29, 2011 at 8:48am
Which is further evidence that GS has no idea what PC gamers even are. They use the same tired crap that they use for everything. "You mad bro? Pick up some used games that we paid pennies for and marked up 10,000%, we'll even give them to you 2 for 1 so we only make half a bajillion dollars on them."
GS cares nothing for gamers, and even less for PC gamers because there is no used market for us.
All of this is just pr. Thousands attacked them on twitter, facebook, and irl for this and they are just trying to minimize the damage. They still care nothing for us.
Wingzero_x
August 29, 2011 at 6:25am
I have to admit this is pretty big of them not too many retailers would do something like this.
Mastro Antonio
August 29, 2011 at 6:21am
From a business perspective this was the right thing to do. OnLive sucks anyways and that makes sense they would have to have an offer like that to pull in subscribers.
Skrýmir
August 29, 2011 at 10:44am
Your connection must suck, because i use Onlive regularly without any problems.
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