EB Games Experiences

LSnatcher on 23/02/2017 - 09:46

Hi everyone,

Just wondering how your experiences with EB Games have been.

I haven't been using them for a very long time but noticed that they make up their own rules.
They happily sell you non sealed games as brand new. To top it off I just received 3 "new" games from their "epic clearance" sale.
One is clearly second hand, the other one was just the disc and the third one had a wrong cover (Wii instead of Wii U). I understand that these were cheap games but then do not advertise them as brand new.

How do you handle situations such as the above. Have you been avoiding them at all costs or do you just accept the fact that sometimes you end up like this?
I would love to hear some stories, good or bad. Feel free to post anything which comes to your mind.
I just cannot believe they think it is ok to sell items the way they do.

Cheers

Gaming

Related Stores

EB Games Australia
EB Games Australia

Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 23/02/2017 - 10:04
    +7

    you goto JB Hifi which is generally cheaper and if they are not they will match EB

  • lupiter on 23/02/2017 - 10:17

    I do buy from EB Games, but pretty much only their bricks-and-mortar store. Buying online I'd go for ozgameshop or DungonCrawl.

  • universe on 23/02/2017 - 10:56
    +2

    The way i see it, games are never new from ebgames. They are a solely pre-owned game store unless it is plastic sealed.

    It's like going to woolies and buying an open packet of chips that the checkout operator is telling you freshly sealed. Wouldn't do it.

    I personally dont shop at brick and mortar stores since changing to pc unless there is a good deal on. Mainly got my games from JB anyway.

    • Perthguy on 10/04/2017 - 17:32

      I have only used bricks and mortar shops to buy PC games from EB. All the games I have bought have been new.

  • Wystri Warrick on 23/02/2017 - 11:05

    I actually like EBgames, I have experienced easy hassle free returns when something was faulty (unlike Hardly Normal who make you go through hell) and easy returns when something was not as described.
    So yeah I'll buy from them and support them, though like Snatcher said some people have been sold secondhand games as new, not cool

    • aragornelessar on 23/02/2017 - 11:54
      +3

      Knowing that they'll just resell the game as a new is probably why they don't make returns difficult.

  • EnterTheShiftKey on 23/02/2017 - 11:48

    I believe gamestop in US had a similar controversy quite recently. They are failing businesses, desperately trying to make profit.

  • universe on 23/02/2017 - 11:54

    Too bad EB dont suffer the same fate as their parent company

  • itschrisraymond on 23/02/2017 - 12:12
    +1

    I don't mind EB games, it just depends on the store you go to. The ones I've been to have great, really chatty and even give me some discounts if I spend quite a bit.
    They also do price match, if you show them proof.

  • plmko on 23/02/2017 - 12:23

    Nothing can be as worse as JB, so I'll continue to buy from EB games. Have been F'ed me over too many times by ignorant JB, not having my PSVR preorder ready even though I paid 5 months in advance was the final straw! EB games have never once done me over, except one time they forgot my DLC code but were courteous enough to have HQ call me and send me one.

  • ItsMeAgro on 23/02/2017 - 12:26

    You must have missed all the online sales they had recently here on OzBargain. Most people had terrible experiences: EB sold obviously used and "ex-display" games as "new", cancelled half the order but still charged $40 postage for the missing items, etc.

    Certainly not a store you'd buy anything from online unless it was 75% off prices elsewhere, and even then, you have to be cool with the fact that it's gamble.

    For secondhand, CEX generally is both cheaper to buy and pays better when selling.

  • godofpizza on 23/02/2017 - 13:12

    even stores like target/bigw/kmart (not anymore) used to store their game discs behind the counter. When the cases when missing they would put the game on clearance. but they were labelled as clearance/soiled stock. the problem is that with eb, they don't point this out and even with they're used/preowned stuff from the online store its pretty much a gamble if you get the manual or orginal coverslip.

  • loke on 23/02/2017 - 13:30

    I've bought these recent items from memory (price matched if the opportunity came about) have been taken from the back as a new sealed copy. This was all walk in to the physical store.

    Overwatch (ages ago at launch)

    Farcry 4 complete

    Farcry Primal

    AC Syndicate

    Dishonored 2 (via boxing day sales)

    Battlefield 1

    Fallout 4 + Season Pass Card + Artbook (artbook condition varied a lot since they were on the store floor/display, I saw them in absolutely perfect condition at Doncaster for example, but they were of course missing either the Game or the Season Pass)

    I also bought a bunch of second hand games (bought that xbox one elite combo and bought a bunch of gears of war and halos and sunset overdrive) that went for cheaper quite soon after - think I was out slightly on the however-many-days return policy but the staff was happy to accommodate me.

  • Prok on 23/02/2017 - 15:04

    I only price match at EB Games due to their 7 day return policy which I find quite generous.

    I guess that's how they end up selling obviously "new" items that have been used/returned.

    I always specifically ask if I can get a shrink wrapped or "new" one from out back, they usually at least put the effort in to look for me. If something is obviously second hand I throw it back in their face.

  • huckleberryhound on 23/02/2017 - 22:29

    I have bought two new Wii U games from EB online, one Kirby And The Rainbow Curse for $30,looked like a new case and game but not shrink wrapped.

    The other a week or two ago was Rodea The Sky Soldier on sale new for $19.It was in a really scuffed up case looked like it had been on the shelf for about a year or more, inset was torn, but the instruction booklet and discs looked new.So from now on I'm making all new EB purchases will be in store asking for shrink wrapped games, the online shop is too dodgy.

    • Tal_Shiar on 24/02/2017 - 02:21
      +1

      Wii U games aren't sealed in Australia

      • silverrat23 on 25/02/2017 - 11:00
        +1

        Unless it's by a third-party publisher, like my copy of Just Dance 2014.

  • jikijiki on 25/02/2017 - 00:40

    Is this a console exclusive thing? Not trying to get all PCMR but every PC game I've bought in store has been sealed.

  • Tihocan on 25/02/2017 - 16:03

    I've never had a problem at the Indooroopilly QLD store. I think that some store managers are very shady though, going by a conversation I had with Indro guy about that overtime debacle a while ago.

  • htrans on 26/02/2017 - 10:38

    EBgames stores aren't that bad…But I do question why new release games aren't shrink wrapped anymore. I recently purchased RE7 PS4 and only realised when I got home that the copy was already opened and not wrapped - it still looked new and shiny so meh..

    Also, I do love taking advantage of the return policy, especially for games I'd like to give a go. 7 days for new games & 14 days for preowned games - receipts aren't required if you have an EBgames card too.

    • Tal_Shiar on 02/03/2017 - 17:20

      It doesn't hurt to ask for sealed games, sometimes they have them

  • Snatcher on 28/02/2017 - 22:15

    Just wanted to say thank you for all the input!

    What about trade ins? Worth it or do you get peanuts and if so why are so many doing it? cheers

    • silverrat23 on 01/03/2017 - 22:52
      +1

      What about trade ins? Worth it or do you get peanuts

      Here are two possibilities. Choose one:

      • Save time by trading in almost any game at EB, but you'll get very little in return. Also, you'll get store credit only (or 20% deducted for cash in some states).
      • Spend a lot of time selling privately (ebay, Gumtree, etc.), but you'll get a lot more back. Also, you'll have to deal with ebay fees or lowballers/no-shows/time-wasters on Gumtree.

      and if so why are so many doing it?

      Because of the first option - saving time and hassle. To a lot of people, any money received is better than no money received at all and better yet, trading in instantly is a great way to clear wardrobe space quickly (as most people who trade in have been holding stacks of games for years).

  • typhoonadventure on 02/03/2017 - 21:43

    There are two groups on facebook covering eb's shortfalls.

    It's also been exposed that quite a few times on their facebook page and even here on ozbargain employees (inc a few managers who are notorious for it) have been putting up fake good feedback and trolling people making complaints.

    From past experiences with the company it does have some severe culture problems, there are some great staff there and some absolute muppets who drink the koolaid and will gladly work for free and defend them online it's pretty sad.

  • cheepwun on 14/04/2017 - 13:10
    +2

    I won't be buying from them ever again.

    • sell used games as new (multiple insatances, years apart, online orders) I've had enough of the blatant lies. I'm not going to bother with returns. I will just not buy from them ever again. To their credit, they can send you a prepaid shipping label for you to return items. I highly suggest you do this so that they pay for their deliberate dishoinesty. I feel sorry for some of the cool customer service people working their phones. I do.

    • discount-baiting: they list a huge number of items for a super-low price (like $1) & claim they are in stock. When the order is processed, of course none of them are available and you'll get their typical " oh no something is missing…" email giving you the truth in black-and-white. In my particular case I decided to test their claims with a 40-item order. All items were listed as $1 and in stock. I even called before making this order to confirm stock. They simply can't and don't do that. I asked if it was a mistake or not. I was assured by customer service that the prices are accurate. My main concern was postage: postage is never discounted when they take away items from your order (saying they are not in stock). I was assured I could get a refund on postage if this happened. So I make the order. Postage was $29.16. Guess how many of those miraculous $1 games were sent? Only 1 out of 40. And surprise, surprise: they sent a second-hand disc, not new. Yep, the typical EB Games we know and love. The postage was for the total original order but of course they don't change postage to reflect the fact that only one game out of 40 was sent (it was sent from a local store just ~4KM from me). So that sort of website deception gives you some idea about the intent of the retail operation here & the tactics they use to get you to place an order. You'll get EB Games' typical "your order is on it's way" email followed by their typical "Oh no something is missing…" email & then there's a very high chance you'll get second-hand surprises too. Only a tiny percentage of games I ordered were new from EB. All the rest were clearly second-hand. Especially older titles, you have a very, very, very very high chance of second-hand.

    EB Games deserve to be wiped off the Australian retail landscape, just like 95% of other retailers in this country. I will shit on them at every opportunity for the lies and deception they use to keep the sales flowing. The worst part is: a lot of people simply don't care.

  • [Deactivated] on 17/04/2017 - 09:03
    +1

    I only go to eb games to see the sale items and anything else that interests me. Now i have been using stream for my pc purchases now because they have better sales but let's not go there as they have a dodgy reputation as well.

    Last game i purchased from them was skyrim complete edition and a wallet all up cost me 30 bucks.

  • godofpizza on 19/04/2017 - 11:26

    unfortunately there's no many physical gaming stores left in most shopping centers.
    After dicksmith/harvey norman/kmart/toysrus/myer no longer selling games, there jbhifi/target.

    As much i don't like how eb sells used titles as new or new titles as preowned (to avoid price matching).
    you really need to research your purchases.

    • mekktor on 22/04/2017 - 06:48

      dicksmith/harvey norman/kmart/toysrus/myer

      Damn, times really have changed haven't they? There were so many options back then, especially when it came to older games getting cleared out. Strange though… even with all that competition I think games were actually more expensive at launch, weren't they?

    • Bands06 on 22/04/2017 - 08:23

      Hopefully Amazon do some good when they come.

      • cheepwun on 24/04/2017 - 09:20

        Hopefully Amazon do some good when they come.

        The question to me is:
        How much of our tax dollars were spent (and will be spent) so that Amazon could decimate independent retailers here, while employing all the loopholes so they only pay a token amounts of tax (like Starbucks, Google, Apple and just about every other multinational corporation does). I wonder what the per capita figure on that is.

        And all this is while Amazon has deals with the filthy CIA. Do I have to get into the filth they get up to around the world? Just another criminal, parasitical retailer feeding off the hand-outs of the public purse. I'd love to see any struggling business get the sort of treatment & tax breaks Amazon does around the world. No doubt we'll be fed with the usual BS about how it's "creating jobs" for Australians. At least that's the line the muppets are fed. All-the-while it silently decimates thousands more jobs than were 'gained'…which nobody reports on because it doesn't compare to the announcement of a huge, impressive facility that will 'create jobs'. Especially when it already owns some lamestream media publications itself, you can bet nothing critical will be reported.

        It wouldn't surprise me if one of the conditions of Amazon setting up here were the abolition of the current tax-free threshold, which again puts the burden on the tax-paying slaves. The per capita cost to Australians would be very interesting to work out, but of course slaves have no business knowing where their taxes go. Too many sweet payoffs to fund for that.

  • Ctn on 23/04/2017 - 12:15

    EB games are horrible for anything apart from their 2nd hand titles.
    They sometimes have great bargains for some rare hard to find 2nd hand titles.

    Their 2nd hand titles are sometimes cheaper than gumtree.

  • puthpaul on 29/04/2017 - 20:31

    Well there aren't many brick-n-mortar games around anymore. I remember their use to be a few independent game stores around Melbourne (Dungeoncrawl etc.)but now there are only EBs and in other stores gaming is just a small section.

    Also +1 for some cheap rare 2nd hand title

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