Video game retailers

[Transient Curse]

2 hours ago, ann coulter said:

Depending on the range of games Poundland offers, yes, Game might be fucked - and by extension, people who still trade in games. In theory, an individual will be able to rock up to a local Poundland, buy every game on the shelf and mince into Game to sell it on - unsustainable, and the end of expensive second hand games. On the other hand, if Poundland stocks a very narrow range of ancient, pedestrian shite (years-old Fifas, Call of Dutys, Assassin's Creeds) then it might not have much of an impact.

Remember the Christmas that Game bought up all the consoles that Sainsbury's were selling on a promotion? 

 

Surely they will just buy all the games that are worth anything and plonk them on their shelves. 

[mogawoods]

Bloody hell, I hadn't thought of that.  Never mind doomed, then. Game saved.

[Girth Certificate]

sweet, one of the pound shops near me were selling longboxes of random musicmagpie dvds, 100 for £20. Imagine that for games

[wev]

Oh might add, the Pound Land near me had one XBox One title and it was an old FIFA.

[davidcotton]

The one at Castlepoint, Bournemouths gone. Going to be a shoe locker.  Right between a Mountain Warehouse and a JD direct, so that will do as well then.

[Gloomy Andy]

Has anyone had any experiences with failed orders on Games website using their wallet as a payment method?

I tried to order some PSN credit today as I've done countless times.  

Got an error message saying please try again later.

 

Loaded up again this evening but noticed my wallet amount is now down by the amount I tried to buy earlier. 

Looking through my order history there's no trace of anything and I've not received any emails etc. 

I'm not hopeful on a solution tomorrow when I call their customer services. "Fortunately" it's only a fiver but that's not the point, they need to sort this shit out.

 

Guess I'll clear down my remaining credit in store and then never look back. 

[Down by Law]

Good luck. I had to raise a dispute with my bank to get my money back, and that took two months. With Games own currency... Yikes 

[KriessG]

I had to get my bank to refund the money when they filled their wallet for a PS4 Pro bundle yet the order wouldn’t go through. I kept trying their customer services phone number and Twitter for a week, then I had to get the bank involved and wait 14 days before the refund. I’ll never use Game online again. 

[Qazimod]

I can't really blame them for taking advantage of this, but if you want to know where their interests are at the moment, there's a poster in the window of my local Game headed "TOP UP HERE!"; below that are images of Overwatch, CoD, Rocket League and (I think) Fortnite, and below each image is the caption "Loot boxes". Personally I couldn't care less because I don't buy loot boxes and haven't shopped in Game for a while, but I wonder how much of their business is coming from parents buying wallet funds...

[instasis]

Or kids spending pocket money rather than mithering their Mum and Dad to add their credit card details to their account and they promise they won't buy anything else...

 

There's a market for it, for sure but it isn't any kind of retail experience that's at all enjoyable. 

[Dudley]

And once the legals catch on I can see those top ups that can buy loot boxes start to attract age ratings.

[deerokus]

So much for that 'concessions in Maplin' idea. 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-43219651

[tnman]

6 hours ago, deerokus said:

So much for that 'concessions in Maplin' idea. 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-43219651

 

How the hell does Toys R Us end up with an unpaid £15m VAT bill?

[Sexton Hardcastle]

It’s money they haven’t paid the taxman. 

[gossi the dog]

3 minutes ago, tnman said:

 

How the hell does Toys R Us end up with an unpaid £15m VAT bill?

 

Surely that’s just a timing issue? They sell stuff inclusive of VAT, and then hand this over to HMRC in arrears?

[deerokus]

Someone's been using the VAT to pay other bills.  

[ontwofronts]

On 21/12/2017 at 14:12, sandman said:

I think this is utter bollocks - retail is having a massive surge in people going and BUYING things this Xmas (rather than browsing and then heading to Amazon)

 

‘Remembered this, which was a response to me posting that word was the high Street was having a tough December and citing Maplins as a rumoured distressed company.

 

its actually worse than thought, Maplin and Toy’s r us into administration, the High street restaurant chains taking an absolute kicking and more rumours that several big chains had to go “time to pay” on the first VAT quarters of the new year. Game, however, isn’t a name I’ve heard mentioned.

[grounded_dreams]

I still have no idea why the company doesn't allow pre-ordered via their website to be placed using instore credit via a gift card. I've even contacted their Customers Services department and they just say it can't be done and provide no help nor reasoning why.

So weird.

Just another reason to purchase games from other online retailers :/

[Hideous Kojima]

Just been told that the Game in Grimsby is closing down, despite it being one of the branches that make them a profit. Apparently the higher-ups don't like paying the inflated rent prices and taking out such a long lease in the shopping centre it's based in. Inflated prices? Forcing them to buy a "bundle" of sorts to get what they want? Hm...  

[gossi the dog]

1 hour ago, Brother Tendo said:

Just been told that the Game in Grimsby is closing down, despite it being one of the branches that make them a profit. Apparently the higher-ups don't like paying the inflated rent prices and taking out such a long lease in the shopping centre it's based in. Inflated prices? Forcing them to buy a "bundle" of sorts to get what they want? Hm...  

 

Sounds like their lease was up for renewal. The landlord's asked for a lot more and on a longer lease term than GAME would like. So they've walked. It sounds like GAME learnt something from when they went bust the last time.

[gossi the dog]

On ‎24‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 06:59, neoELITE said:

I didn't want to start an ask the forum topic but I have £17 in my "game wallet" but I can only redeem £2 in points reward at the checkout on the online store. I can't see any option to spend my whole "game wallet" on an order online. I went in store and my phone was having issues and I had my reward card and when they checked, my balance was showing at £6 credit. The girl behind the counter could see I had more in my game wallet as it appears on my app but it kept scanning £2 only. I traded in COD WWII for £38, bought Minecraft for £15 so that meant at the time, I had £23 credit - I spent £6 of that the other day so the £17 balance is correct but, I can't see anyway to use it.

 

Did you ever get this resolved? I've had £30 disappear off a gift card (I was trying to buy something when the systems went down - looks like they took payment each time the person in the shop tried to take payment, but didn't process a sale).

 

I've tried their customer services, but this automatically hangs up on you if you ask to do something non standard. I feel I'm on a hiding to nothing and should just write it off and blacklist Game, but at the same time the principle!

[BossSaru]

24 minutes ago, gossi the dog said:

Did you ever get this resolved? I've had £30 disappear off a gift card (I was trying to buy something when the systems went down - looks like they took payment each time the person in the shop tried to take payment, but didn't process a sale).

 

I've tried their customer services, but this automatically hangs up on you if you ask to do something non standard. I feel I'm on a hiding to nothing and should just write it off and blacklist Game, but at the same time the principle!

 

This is the kind of stuff that Twitter is great for. I reckon that a polite Tweet about this would get Game's attention - not great publicity if customers are losing gift card funds!

[Gloomy Andy]

23 hours ago, gossi the dog said:

 

Did you ever get this resolved? I've had £30 disappear off a gift card (I was trying to buy something when the systems went down - looks like they took payment each time the person in the shop tried to take payment, but didn't process a sale).

 

I've tried their customer services, but this automatically hangs up on you if you ask to do something non standard. I feel I'm on a hiding to nothing and should just write it off and blacklist Game, but at the same time the principle!

 

I've been emailing them for a while after a similar issue on their website. 

They've acknowledged that there was an issue and I've been affected and that they need to refund me the credit. 

Of course that was days/weeks ago and I've heard nothing since. 

Need to give them ANOTHER chase.

I think I mentioned at the time I've used the last of my credit with them and won't be using them again. 

I "only" lost a fiver, £30 I'd be spitting and definitely on at them all day everyday until resolved. 

[SeanR]

northern types, get out and support Grainger Games, yeah?

 

 

[ahsoka]

Are Grainger Games actually any good in general then?

 

I've only ever been in the Doncaster branch a couple of times and it just felt like a combination of Game Station and CEX. Certainly not the kind of place I'd want to rush back to. I can appreciate that may have been the Doncaster influence though.

[RadgyAdgy]

Grainger were definitely cheaper than Game and you didn’t have to spend 10 minutes telling them you didn’t want any extra shite they were selling (£1 disc insurance FFS). It’s a shame the one in York has already closed, presumably because of the outrageous rents and business rates are in the city.  

[SMD]

They were miles better than Game and CEX in Liverpool, the only other shop who actually knew their business was Level Up. Sad to see them struggle.

[christaylor]

The Grainger in Leeds always had more of an indie feel about it, reminded me of Gamestation from a decade ago, where you could actually go in and pick up a few bargains. It seems to have changed its identity somewhat since relocating into Trinity from the top end of town, so it's now much further away from my office so I've not been in ages now.

[MattyP]

1 hour ago, Ajay1986 said:

Grainger were definitely cheaper than Game and you didn’t have to spend 10 minutes telling them you didn’t want any extra shite they were selling (£1 disc insurance FFS). It’s a shame the one in York has already closed, presumably because of the outrageous rents and business rates are in the city.  

 

Didn't know the one in York has shut.... however don't go into the centre that much these days.... being opposite CEX won't have helped it - think Game is also in the same street (or was!)....

[SozzlyJoe]

Losing credit support pretty much means you're done for, right? Isn't that what happened Maplin too? (And the previous incarnation of GAME)