Ever from Gamestop!!! I bought a PSP from them and wanted to return because I wasn't happy with how slow it loads. They told me, "Unless it is defective, they won't take it back once it is open". They would exchange it if I thought it was defective. They said that is just there policy. Are you kidding me??? I have never had any place not take back consoles. UNBELIEVABLE!!!

That's the policy at a lot of stores. They'll allow an exchange, but not a refund.

I should have just bought at BestBuy. They will take anything back. Never a problem!! I would have even taken a store credit and just bought a PS3. I have a call into the corporate office though. We'll see!!

Yeah, that's pretty standard practice. Unless it's a used console, hardly any take it back.

Yeah, that's pretty much every store now. You have to do alot of research before you buy things these days. They won't take games back just because you don't like them anymore, it has to be defective.

bummer

So even videogame hardware isn't returnable? They used to charge a 10-15% "restocking fee", but I guess that wasn't enough.

Ever from Gamestop!!! I bought a PSP from them and wanted to return because I wasn't happy with how slow it loads. They told me, "Unless it is defective, they won't take it back once it is open". They would exchange it if I thought it was defective. They said that is just there policy. Are you kidding me??? I have never had any place not take back consoles. UNBELIEVABLE!!!

research, research, research. as the others have said "uncommon" would actually be the retailer taking it back.

Their return policy is clearly posted on the wall behind the register and on the receipt. It's US law.

I guess I am used to BestBuy/Circuit City, etc. I don't expect them to take back games. I guess I will just keep going back and exchange because it is "defective" until they have had enough of me and give me my money back!! :D

Actually there are many retailers out there that will still allow returns on consoles (not games) , I have recently returned a couple of consoles to BB and CC that were within a few days of purchase and they had both been opened . Gamestop/EB do not allow any returns on new consoles (unless defective) but they do allow 7 day returns on used ones .

--- Jason

If you bought the PSP at Costco, they would have taken it back and refunded your money..

Although returning a console or handheld because of load times seems unnecessary.

Not sure why they would accept it back,the PSP loading slowly is not a reason to return it.Perhaps the lesson here is when making these kinds of purchases,to try and play one first.I can't recall ever buying a console prior to playing it.

Not sure why they would accept it back,the PSP loading slowly is not a reason to return it.Perhaps the lesson here is when making these kinds of purchases,to try and play one first.I can't recall ever buying a console prior to playing it.

Or at least read up on it first. I *have* bought consoles without having ever played them: PS3, PSP, PS2, Wii, DS, GameCube, N64, SNES, NES, Atari 7800, Atari 5200, Atari 2600... Seems there are others but I'm getting old and have CRS (Can't Remember Squat).

:D

-Dan

PS: Holy Crap! I just re-read that list. I shudder to think how much money and time I've spent on video games. Not that I regret any of it, but still...

This doesn't matter, but I had specifically asked how well this thing loaded and he said GREAT!! No big deal!! If I have to keep it, it was only $200 including Madden '08. I can always donate it and write it all off!! I still won't buy any game console from them or games for that matter. BestBuy and CC will be the only place because they ask no questions about any electronics.

That's the beauty of choice.No-one is forcing you to spend money in a particular place.Having said that,returning a console because it 'loads too slowly' seems like abuse of the return policy to me,but that's just my opinion.If you believe what the guy said about the loading instead of trying it yourself,that's neither his fault or Gamestop's.BTW, I have some prime real estate in the Sahara desert to sell ya,very scenic,with nearby beaches....

Or at least read up on it first. I *have* bought consoles without having ever played them: PS3, PSP, PS2, Wii, DS, GameCube, N64, SNES, NES, Atari 7800, Atari 5200, Atari 2600... Seems there are others but I'm getting old and have CRS (Can't Remember Squat).

:D

-Dan

PS: Holy Crap! I just re-read that list. I shudder to think how much money and time I've spent on video games. Not that I regret any of it, but still...

I'd rather not know.My list of consoles owned past and present looks pretty similar.

Ever from Gamestop!!! I bought a PSP from them and wanted to return because I wasn't happy with how slow it loads. They told me, "Unless it is defective, they won't take it back once it is open". They would exchange it if I thought it was defective. They said that is just there policy. Are you kidding me??? I have never had any place not take back consoles. UNBELIEVABLE!!!


Check with your Credit Card company. Some of them offer return purchase protection allowing you to return something when a retailer wont accept it.

returning a console because it 'loads too slowly' seems like abuse of the return policy to me,but that's just my opinion.

For the sake of debate why would you call it abuse? I can return a book shelf stereo at Target 90 days after I bought it, even if I don't like the color. If he doesn't like the load times on his PSP that's fine, he should be able to return it if it's in the same condition he bought it.

It's the fact that he's dealing with Gamestop/EB. They are some shiesty mofos. Buy from Costco or Target next time.

Learn not to cry.

If you bought it with American Express, you can return items within 90 days through American Express.
Don't leave home without it, helps protect customers just like you!
Mo!

do they register the serial number? if not buy one at best buy, return the new one to game stop, and return the old one to best buy.

For the sake of debate why would you call it abuse? I can return a book shelf stereo at Target 90 days after I bought it, even if I don't like the color. If he doesn't like the load times on his PSP that's fine, he should be able to return it if it's in the same condition he bought it.

It's the fact that he's dealing with Gamestop/EB. They are some shiesty mofos. Buy from Costco or Target next time.

Why,because it doesn't TO ME seem like a legit problem.It's not broken or faulty in any way,it just loads too slowly for his tastes.That's not Gamestop's problem,or anyone else's for that matter.I mean where does it stop?What next,he's gonna return a game because he doesn't like the disc art?I mean come on...

Play the thing first,just about every Best Buy/Circuit City/Gamestop etc has a kiosk where you can try out the game consoles.You think I was gonna fork over $500 for a PS3,or $400 for a 360 without some prior knowledge and experience with the system?If he wants to blindly buy things that's his perogative.Just don't come on a message board and piss and moan that it loads too slowly or something like that.If he had played it before,he'd have known that.

You can't return a car after you buy it just because you are not happy with it why would you think you could do it with a fairly low dollar purchase? Do you research before you buy something.

More informative thread title next time please!

Yeah, I don't buy new things from EB/Gamestop just because Best Buy is so non-hassle when it comes to returns.

I feel that you should be able to return a glitchy, bug-ridden, crappy video game to the store where it was purchased. Why? Because the next time a publisher decides to cut it's testing department to the bare mininum, they'll think twice after Best Buy screams at them for a gazillion returns. Hell, I think ****** games PERIOD should be able to be returned within the first couple days. I believe in the saying "Let the buyer beware" unfortunately, so that will never happen. ANd as for Gamestop, you're talking about the company that wil give you $5 for a game you spent $50 for to trade in. It's more economic to keep the disc and use it as drink coaster then to let Gamestop have it. It just makes me cringe.

I feel that you should be able to return a glitchy, bug-ridden, crappy video game to the store where it was purchased. Why? Because the next time a publisher decides to cut it's testing department to the bare mininum, they'll think twice after Best Buy screams at them for a gazillion returns. Hell, I think ****** games PERIOD should be able to be returned within the first couple days. I believe in the saying "Let the buyer beware" unfortunately, so that will never happen. ANd as for Gamestop, you're talking about the company that wil give you $5 for a game you spent $50 for to trade in. It's more economic to keep the disc and use it as drink coaster then to let Gamestop have it. It just makes me cringe.

Ya, but how would you deal with the abuse of people treating it as a rental? And what is the retailer supposed to do with the game after they receive it back? Send it back? Let's say people really abuse it for renting, that's a lot of games they have to send back to the publisher/distributor because someone wanted to rent the game for free.

Ya, but how would you deal with the abuse of people treating it as a rental? And what is the retailer supposed to do with the game after they receive it back? Send it back? Let's say people really abuse it for renting, that's a lot of games they have to send back to the publisher/distributor because someone wanted to rent the game for free.

Yeh, probably the same reason you can't really return books to the bookstore... "this book sucks I want my money back!" suckers! I read the book and loved it for free! People suck and can't be trusted, so other people get punished by companies who make more money that way. It's a vicious self-justifying cycle that only benefits one of the parties involved.

You can't return a car after you buy it just because you are not happy with it why would you think you could do it with a fairly low dollar purchase? Do you research before you buy something.

Yeah you are right! I'm sure you have returned a pair of pants or shirt and you even tried that on. Same difference!! I am not trying to abuse the system, I am just used reputable companies and my point was I will never buy from Gamestop again.

Yeah you are right! I'm sure you have returned a pair of pants or shirt and you even tried that on. Same difference!! I am not trying to abuse the system, I am just used reputable companies and my point was I will never buy from Gamestop again.

The bottomline is,if you had tried the system first,you'd have known it loaded slowly for YOUR tastes,and you would have then made the choice not to buy it presumably.You still haven't given a reason as to why you didn't try it out first.The first mistake was taking the Gamestop employee at his word when you asked how it loaded.He gave you HIS opinion.YOU chose to take HIS opinion as gospel.

The smart thing to do would have been to try for yourself.The dumb thing is to go ahead and buy something you obviously weren't sure about,and use someone else's opinion as the catalyst for your purchasing decision.Is the screen cracked,the UMD tray broken,the shoulder buttons don't work?Those are signs of a faulty console.Loading too slowly for YOU is not the sign of a faulty console.I have a PSP,and it loads fine for me.See how opinions vary?Next time make sure you know what you're getting into.

The main loading problem I have could be more from Madden 08. In the franchise mode, it is unplayable if you want to play that mode. It takes ten minutes for it to SIM all the weekly games. Any suggestions? I will probably just keep the system because it is not expensive. I just don't like their return policy and I won't buy anything from them ever again. I just appreciate companies that stand behind everything they sell. That was my original point!

The main loading problem I have could be more from Madden 08. In the franchise mode, it is unplayable if you want to play that mode. It takes ten minutes for it to SIM all the weekly games. Any suggestions? I will probably just keep the system because it is not expensive. I just don't like their return policy and I won't buy anything from them ever again. I just appreciate companies that stand behind everything they sell. That was my original point!

Well that seems to be an issue with Madden then,not the PSP itself.Try some other games to see if they load real slow as well.Try and get another copy of Madden and see if it does the same.They should exchange Madden if anything.If the PSP is faulty,then by all means they should accept a return.If it is not faulty,then I don't see how they are in the wrong.In any light,it is your choice whether to patronize them in the future,but personally I don't see any wrong-doing on their part in this case.

There no real way to try a system out completely. Demo stations at stores don't cut it. With the high price of consoles, nowadays, returning one should be acceptable no matter what the vendor. If the vendor doesn't offer this - don't buy from them. Gamestop, Ebgames are ripoff stores. They were one of the places requiring you to buy bundles on release days for consoles. It's not good enough for them, that you'll buy the system and come back for games over the years - NO, they wanna make a huge mint off you on day one or it's no deal. Walmart was guilty of the same crap, though, but their return policy is much more liberal.

Why can't a demo station be enough?It allows you to get a feel for the system,that's the point of them.The OP hasn't said anything negative about the PSP besides the load times.Playing the PSP prior to buying it would have given him some idea of what to expect,including the load times.I played the PS3 at various kiosks when it came out,it allowed me to sample a few demos,get a feel for the controller,see the main screen interface,etc.If you want to get a greater feel for a system,go to Blockbuster and rent it for a week.Anyway you look at it,there is every opportunity to test something before buying it.

I'm not defending Gamestop as a whole,I agree they have some shady practices,especially their trade-ins,which is daylight robbery.But I can't see why they would accept a return on a system that is not broken.What are they gonna do with it after that?They can't resell it as new,unless they sell it used.

do they register the serial number? if not buy one at best buy, return the new one to game stop, and return the old one to best buy.

I had the same thought.

I had the same thought.

Most stores do track serial numbers, it should be there on the receipt.

If gamestop only accepts used consoles back, I'm sure the receipt would say "Used PSP". Therefore, you could buy all the new consoles you want at every other store under the sun, but you're not going to be able to return any of them back to Gamestop. You're pretty much stuck.

Why can't a demo station be enough?It allows you to get a feel for the system,that's the point of them.The OP hasn't said anything negative about the PSP besides the load times.Playing the PSP prior to buying it would have given him some idea of what to expect,including the load times.I played the PS3 at various kiosks when it came out,it allowed me to sample a few demos,get a feel for the controller,see the main screen interface,etc.If you want to get a greater feel for a system,go to Blockbuster and rent it for a week.Anyway you look at it,there is every opportunity to test something before buying it.

I'm not defending Gamestop as a whole,I agree they have some shady practices,especially their trade-ins,which is daylight robbery.But I can't see why they would accept a return on a system that is not broken.What are they gonna do with it after that?They can't resell it as new,unless they sell it used.

Wow... All i can say is Wow from reading all of you post.

I return crap all the time at WM,BB,CC with no questions asked.. I returned a 360 before for the hell of it.. They gave all my money back..

They said why are you returning it. I told them I dont want it.. They said OK..

As long as it was returned in 30 days..


If the guy wants to return his PSP there shouldnt be any problems..

I have returned 3 1300 dollar tv's in one day.. I told them i didn't like the black levels on 2 of them.. I got all my money back.

Buying a console is not like buying a car or a house. I buy and return stuff all the time with no problem..

I can't believe this thread is still going....OK here it is:

1) I've had my PSP for 1.5+ yrs now - slow load time depends on the game being played, but overall it's ABSOLUTELY nothing to get your shorts in a twist over, the PSP is a solid portable gaming system!

2) See all the previous post on turning retailers into renters - pretty much says it all.

3) What are you doing buying a PSP now for anyway, didn't you know that Sony is coming out with a new version on September 10th with a slimmed down foot print ....AND FASTER LOAD TIMES!!!

4) Oh yeah and try to do the suggestion of buying another PSP at BB and returning it to GS...that way you can have two. "slow loading" systems!

A little research now will save you a lot of crying later.

Wow... All i can say is Wow from reading all of you post.

I return crap all the time at WM,BB,CC with no questions asked.. I returned a 360 before for the hell of it.. They gave all my money back..

They said why are you returning it. I told them I dont want it.. They said OK..

As long as it was returned in 30 days..


If the guy wants to return his PSP there shouldnt be any problems..

I have returned 3 1300 dollar tv's in one day.. I told them i didn't like the black levels on 2 of them.. I got all my money back.

Buying a console is not like buying a car or a house. I buy and return stuff all the time with no problem..

Personally I don't agree with being able to return a functioning electronic purchase to a store simply because you 'don't want it'.Where I live,you can't buy something,open and use it, and then return it because you just don't like it.At some point companies are gonna tighten their return policies,making it more difficult for people to return for legit reasons in part due to the people who buy and return things for the hell of it.For you to say you bought 2 TVs and returned them because you didn't like the black levels??What,you couldn't come to that conclusion when you were in the store looking at the tv initially?

I return crap all the time at WM,BB,CC with no questions asked.. I returned a 360 before for the hell of it.. They gave all my money back..



What is the purpose of returning a 360 for "the hell of it"?

Unfortunately, the collective actions of people like you have resulted in stricter return policies at many stores. Costco used to have an excellent lifetime electronics return policy that was recently altered because it was abused by many people.

2) See all the previous post on turning retailers into renters - pretty much says it all.

3) What are you doing buying a PSP now for anyway, didn't you know that Sony is coming out with a new version on September 10th with a slimmed down foot print ....AND FASTER LOAD TIMES!!!


What is the purpose of returning a 360 for "the hell of it"?

Unfortunately, the collective actions of people like you have resulted in stricter return policies at many stores. Costco used to have an excellent lifetime electronics return policy that was recently altered because it was abused by many people.

QFT - You guys beat me to it.

For you to say you bought 2 TVs and returned them because you didn't like the black levels??What,you couldn't come to that conclusion when you were in the store looking at the tv initially?

Whatever the merits of his other return, this is definitely off base.

I take it you've never heard of calibrating a TV. Of course you can't judge the black level in the store. The ambient light level plays a large role in this. Good luck seeing anything decent in most stores. Add in that TVs are generally set far from ideal calibration in store and it ruins any real attempt at judging accurate color rendition, greyscale tracking, or black level in a store. If you're serious about image quality, you have to get the set home and do some basic calibration. It's the same with speakers. These are a couple of items that simply cannot be adequately demo'd in a store.

Whatever the merits of his other return, this is definitely off base.

I take it you've never heard of calibrating a TV. Of course you can't judge the black level in the store. The ambient light level plays a large role in this. Good luck seeing anything decent in most stores. Add in that TVs are generally set far from ideal calibration in store and it ruins any real attempt at judging accurate color rendition, greyscale tracking, or black level in a store. If you're serious about image quality, you have to get the set home and do some basic calibration. It's the same with speakers. These are a couple of items that simply cannot be adequately demo'd in a store.

Ok fair point,you got me there.But this scenario does not apply to the original point of the thread,and that is the return of the PSP because it loaded too slowly for his tastes.There are no special conditions required to get a good idea of how the PSP runs if he tried it prior to purchase.I still maintain that you have every avenue to try a PSP before buying,whether it be trying a friend's(if you have a friend that owns one),renting it for a week say from Blockbuster,or trying it in a gamestop/Bestbuy, etc.

... Sounds like standard policy. Should've read the fine print before purchasing.

Ok fair point,you got me there.But this scenario does not apply to the original point of the thread,and that is the return of the PSP because it loaded too slowly for his tastes.There are no special conditions required to get a good idea of how the PSP runs if he tried it prior to purchase.I still maintain that you have every avenue to try a PSP before buying,whether it be trying a friend's(if you have a friend that owns one),renting it for a week say from Blockbuster,or trying it in a gamestop/Bestbuy, etc.

I understand the policy. I think it's not good for the consumer, but the company has to keep profits up. In this one instance, it may be right. If different games have different load times, then it's no good. I don't really think a customer should be forced to rent a unit to see if it's any good because the retailer won't back up the sale. And if the load time varies between games, what good is a demo station that may or may not show the worst case or your particular common usage pattern? I've discovered things on my consoles that bug me (and also delight me) that I would have never seen on a demo unit because many of the settings are locked out from even being looked at.

I often over-analyze purchases like this by reading all the reviews I can. I especially focus on negatives at places like Amazon or Newegg, to see if somebody has run into something that just really irked them that may irk me as well. It's a hard thing, and it's made even more difficult by retailers trying to maximize profit at the expense of customer relations. I say do what's already been suggested, and that's buy from a place that has a return policy you feel comfortable with. I don't think blaming the guy for this is really called for, though.

It generally boils down to the following: if the customer is unsatisfied and asking for something reasonable, the business should probably accommodate him for the sake of customer relations. This particular case doesn't seem unreasonable to me. He thought he could live with the thing, got it home and played with it, and finds that he just can't handle it. Given Gamestop's policies, they would probably reshrink the thing and turn around and sell it as new, anyway.

And again for this particular thing: Trying the PSP out in a Gamestop was enough to convince me the load times don't work for me. I tried to play the game in it for a couple of minutes waiting for the guy at the counter to get freed up, and that was definitely a mistake. Something like the complaint about simming weeks in Madden probably wouldn't be obvious on the demo unit, not least of all because it probably isn't even running Madden. Whether it's a bug in that game or not, if it's got a problem like that and that's what he mainly wants to play, it won't work for him, and it's weird to penalize him for finding something that you're only likely to find after you've bought the thing anyway.

That was a little longer than I expected, but that's about all I have to say on it anyway.

I bought a networked dvd player one weekend. The company had no tech support to help me set it up. The unit probably functioned fine but I returned it anyways, simply because tech support refused to answer their phone. If I spend money on a product, it should work, or it's a waste of money. Companies forget that it's we the consumer that are doing THEM business a great service by buying their crap and making them rich. Not the other way around. If you're selling a shoddy system with slow loading times, maybe a slew of returns will stop you from selling it or put pressure on Sony for less crap.

I bought a networked dvd player one weekend. The company had no tech support to help me set it up. The unit probably functioned fine but I returned it anyways, simply because tech support refused to answer their phone. If I spend money on a product, it should work, or it's a waste of money. Companies forget that it's we the consumer that are doing THEM business a great service by buying their crap and making them rich. Not the other way around. If you're selling a shoddy system with slow loading times, maybe a slew of returns will stop you from selling it or put pressure on Sony for less crap.

if their service sucked so much, how about telling the audience what manufacturer made the device you returned.