I promised you the story about what happened to me when I went to pick up my copy of Battlefield 2. Well, here it is.
Just like thousands of others, the first place I look when purchasing agame is
EBGames. They have been around for a long time providingconsistant, good customer service. You can get whatever you wantonline... or walk into a retail store and find what you need.
My outlook on EBGames is now tarnished. I can no longer shop with them and trust that I will get what I expect. This story doesn't start and end with my purchase of Battlefield 2. It actually starts late last year when I ordered DOOM III.
I preordered my copy of DOOM III from EBGames.com. They used to be awesome about getting games shipped fast and making the whole buying experience easy. EBGames.com is allowed to ship games the day before the street release date so that you could very well get your copy of the game delivered to your home on the date of release. The games actually used to ship from the same warehouse that the retail stores use (based on conversations with store employees). Something must have changed during last year before the release of DOOM III because my copy of the game wasn't shipped on time and I didn't receive my copy until almost a week after it's release. I could have gone to the store instead (note that this is what I decided to do for future game purchases).
I wrote a letter to EBGames.com telling them about my disappointing experience. I don't want them to think that this is an acceptable practice. Hopefully my letter would count for something among all the other letters they would receive. I know that I was not the only unhappy customer.
EBGames.com was nice enough to send me a gift card for $20. “Wow”, I thought. “This is a company that must really care. I will continue to shop with them.” Perhaps I should have taken the hint that may not be my last disappointment.
I had actually preordered Battlefield 2 prior to the poor release of DOOM III. To cover my bases, I figured that requesting store pickup would be a better solution. I canceled my online order and went to the nearest retail location.
While ordering and paying in full for the game, I asked the clerk if I would receive the same preorder bonus that is advertised on the web. The store clerk paused his conversation with his friend long enough to say, “I don't know. Probably.” All without getting off of his stool. Come on. I expect a little customer service. I mentioned to him the poor handling of DOOM III and that I just didn't want to go through that again, and also, that I want to receive the free headphones that come with the game. I figure it's like when you are a young kid and you parents let you pick out a box of cereal. The box says that there is a toy inside. You don't need the toy, but you certainly do expect to find it in the box.
Well, I wasn't going to get any more information out of this clerk. He had other things on his mind. I finished my order and went on my way. Heck, it was February 6th, and I had plenty of time to find out more about what I could expect with my purchase.
The month of May comes around and I need to find out what's coming with my preorder. I walk into the same store and ask for clarification of what I am to get. The clerk (a different clerk now and I'm sure the other clerk is long out of a job) types up some stuff in his computer and says that I should be receiving the headphones. Ahhh, an answer.. the answer I was hoping for.
Now, as many of you probably learned from experience, EBGames.com posts the shipping date of a game on their website. This means that if a game is being released on the 2nd, then the shipping date posted on the website is the 1st. It's a little confusing because it makes you think the game can be picked up from the store on the 1st when in fact it can't be. The date of release is known as the “street release date.”
EBGames.com posted that Battlefield 2 would be shipping on June 21st. This tells me I need to pick it up from the store on June 22nd. OK... (crazy man planning his day here, lol).. so if the store opens at 10am and I can get out of work and to the store to pick it up by 5:20pm... that's 7 hours and 20 minutes past the release date that I can get my copy of the game.
Why am I being so insane about the amount of time I wait before picking up my copy? Well, I am getting to that part.
I walk into the store and tell them I'm here to pickup my copy of the game. I'm excited about getting my hands on the new game. The clerk looks up my name in the database, pulls a copy of the game off the shelf, and says, “Here you go. You're all set.” I say, “Can I have a DVD version like I ordered?” The clerk had pulled a CD version of the game off the shelf for me and this is not what I wanted. I don't like all those extra CDs. He asks the manager if it's alright before handing me what I purchased. Then I asked about the headphones. Again, back to the manager for clarification who states, “We don't have anymore [headphones].” “Huh?” I respond. “Since I preordered my game, don't I get the headphones?” “We ran out,” she replies.
I begin to head out in disappointment and instead decide to go back and get what I ordered. “Shouldn't I get the headphones since I preordered, paid in full, and picked up the game on the day it came out?” She then goes to tell me how the corporate office didn't send them enough and that the bonus is “while supplies last.” WTF. It's been out for 7 hours. How could supplies be out? The manager continues to repeat, “While supplies last.”
I head home.
I decide to ask the corporate office about this and write them a letter. I explain to them what happened and an hour later get a response containing the same phrase, “while supplies last.” Uh, uh... not good enough. Why is it that I get worse service from a retail location then online? I write back to the corporate office for a better explanation. The response I get,
Thank you for contacting EBgames.com.
Your message has been forwarded to our store support personnel. They will be better able to handle your questions and concerns. You should expect a response back within 2 business days.
So much for 2 days. It's been 8 days since that letter and nothing has been said.