GameStop Offers Up a Sort of Apology for the Whole Deus Ex Thing

50 bucks sounds alright.

A lol cat? Seriously? fo' shame

@Evercaptor: Just because Gamestop employs people does not mean that the practices of the company can be excused.

Lots of companies do questionable things and deserve the grief they get for their actions.

FUCK, I SHOULD HAVE BOUGHT IT.

 What gamestop are doing is the very definition of anti-competitive. They are leveraging their market dominance in the retail space in an attempt to squash a competitor in the digital streaming space before they even enter it. Thus ensuring dominance in the digital streaming space as well. I know some genius is going to say that you can buy games elsewhere and that is true.  Yet, while GameStop may not be the only place to get games, they are often the only place to get certain things like exclusive deals that they obtain by being the dominate games retailer. So, as I said at the beginning of my post, this is the very definition of anti-competitive. Further proof of their dominance can be seen in just how many commenters across the net are willing to take the funny money and run instead of actually fighting for the consumer protections to which they are entitled.

I think a $50 gift card is a fair replacement for a coupon that most people probably weren't going to use anyway.

Then I suggest doing as I will do, and never, ever purchase anything from this company again.

@avidwriter said:

So I guess if I went into today and maybe they had a copy left, bought it then turned around and asked for this $50 card I'd get denied? haha

Well you couldn't, because they sent all the remaining copies back to square.

They'll keep opening games and selling them as new... Still won't give them any of my money.

@Swoxx: Alex is to lolcats as Rorie is to puppies!

@NoelVeiga: Then go to Kotaku or any other such site. Complaining about this kind of stuff is like going to an ice rink and being upset that there's ice. Personality driven content is what GiantBomb is all about. If you don't like it that's absolutely fine but it's stupid to complain about it.

Not loving this "sorry we got caught" pseudo-apology. If they had a problem with the coupons they should've just sent the games back to the publisher in the first place.

You guys really failed at the possible headlines you could have done with these GameStop stories. Something like "GameStops Seliing Deus Ex Due To Coupon Insert" would have been good.

God dam it? $50! I wish I had of bought that game.

@datarez: @datarez: @Summoboomo:

We still have strait news reporting, it's called Patrick Klepek and I much prefer it. Alex's reporting comes off as rant-y and unprofessional, especially when I don't agree with his opinions. Come on, this ain't Kotaku.

Hell, even when Jeff rants about things he hates, he at least understands why they exist.

@NoelVeiga: Then go to Kotaku or any other such site. Complaining about this kind of stuff is like going to an ice rink and being upset that there's ice. Personality driven content is what GiantBomb is all about. If you don't like it that's absolutely fine but it's stupid to complain about it.

I don't understand the uproar. I know people say they want squeaky-clean, immaculate copies of their new games, but it used to be Gamestop's policy that employees could take copies of games home and play them, so long as they returned them without a scratch. That copy could be sold again as new (I believe...). The resulting uproar was... nonexistent. The hinge of people's fury in this case seems to be that they were selling the copies as new after said copies were opened (and a competitor's offer was, quite reasonably, removed). How is this different? No one really seemed to care back then.

I would rather have the $50 credit than the onlive copy

I would rather have the $50 credit than the onlive copy

It's about time a legitimate websites used this amazing picture in an actual news story.

What have we learned now children? If we cause a big enough fuss we will get out way, or at least a new toy!

@Popogeejo said:

@NoelVeiga: Then go to Kotaku or any other such site. Complaining about this kind of stuff is like going to an ice rink and being upset that there's ice. Personality driven content is what GiantBomb is all about. If you don't like it that's absolutely fine but it's stupid to complain about it.

Haha, I think we have different opinions on what Kotaku is like. Normally I feel bad about complaining about someone on their own website. Like you said, I'll just go somewhere else that has the content I want. But my problem is that this WAS the site that was my alternative and it's really only Alex's style that annoys me.

While I despise and refuse to shop at GS, but this is a perfectly adequate apology package.  No need to give it the shifty eyes and reiterate hate for the compony.  We get it.
 
Obviously it's been done for business in mind.  To give 50 funbux to the 11 people that buy Deus Ex week one... buy the boxed copy of Deus-Ex week one... wait.. buy the boxed copy of Deus Ex week one at Game Stop, is definitely an acceptable loss.  It's less to appease those people, more about looking good to all the people who read about this story and considered not shopping there.

lol I love how butthurt Alex is in this post. Gee whiz, get picked on by one of the clerks there or something?

@Branthog said:

You guys really failed at the possible headlines you could have done with these GameStop stories. Something like "GameStops Seliing Deus Ex Due To Coupon Insert" would have been good.

GameStop Stops Stopping Games Flyers Full-Stop, Offers Stop-Gap Apology and Free Games From GameStop.

I'm actually impressed by their offerings as a form of apology. They still should fucking admit that they did the wrong thing by removing those coupons from the box though (without directly letting consumers knew that they were doing it).

@CitizenKane:

My thoughts exactly, truely Alex is ushering in a new era!

While it's good they're doing this, it's clearly just to avoid losing business. No sense of obligation to the customer beyond doing what is necessary to keep them coming back.  
 
I've never had much of problem with GS up until this event, but I'm now through with them, despite whatever pre-order bonuses they may have in the future. Their "apology" is just to save face.

I think Gamestop is going to far with this. I don´t like the fact that they are selling opend boxes for 5 bucks less as used games.
That´s what kills the whole usedgame-market and that´s the reason why the publishers act with season-pass and so on.
But selling an opend gamebox as new, that´s ridiculus.

I don't understand the uproar. I know people say they want squeaky-clean, immaculate copies of their new games, but it used to be Gamestop's policy that employees could take copies of games home and play them, so long as they returned them without a scratch. That copy could be sold again as new (I believe...). The resulting uproar was... nonexistent. The hinge of people's fury in this case seems to be that they were selling the copies as new after said copies were opened (and a competitor's offer was, quite reasonably, removed). How is this different? No one really seemed to care back then.

The amount of sass in your news posts are making you quickly become one of my favorite writer's on Giant Bomb, Navarro.

Gain back trust?

Now THAT'S funny.

These free things don't mean they will stop selling opened games as new.  Business as usual for them.

No matte what, you'll never make everyone happy. Most people that are ranting bought a different version of the game. The ones who did buy PC probably dind't care/know or use the OnLive pass. I called all my customers today that bought the PC version to let them know about the bonus, and all of them said the same thing "I didn't really care either way, but I'll take the free 50$ gift card"

@Alex_Carrillo said:

The amount of sass in your news posts are making you quickly become one of my favorite writer's on Giant Bomb, Navarro.

I find Alex's writing so distinct that he's one of the few that I can read an article and know he wrote it even if his name's not on it. Not to mention he's fun to read.

This is more of an apology that they were caught rather than admitting it was the wrong thing to do.

They should have pulled the copies of the store shelves in the first place instead of opening them. Gamestop head office is probably pissed as hell at Square Enix for this bad press

i think everyone should just have their own opinion of gamestop instead of hating them because alex navarro does.

I hate Gamestop and what they did was wrong, but Square kind of put them in a hard place

Never bought a game from Gamestop, never will!

Square Enix apologized because they need Gamestop waaaay more than Gamestop needs them.

Yeah they're sorry, that they got caught! Pissing off PC gamers was probably not the best move as if they are competing in cloud gaming, that will be their userbase.

i hate gamestop for all the reason there have been, this and the hole pre-order deal and so on. But for me persoally, i hate the fact that a game here used to cost 550 (rougly 106 us dollars) but some months ago a tax got removed so it would only cost 450 (rougly 87 us dollars) but gamestop and ebgames wich are the same still sell it for the 550 while everywhere els its 450 so they are basicly conning 19 dollars out of people without right to do so. the only good thing i can find about em is that they are trying to sell used games but at unrealisic prices who in there right mind wanna boy a used game when all you save is 2 dollars so good on them for fucking that up aswell, since its less likly people will buy them used

i have said it before and ill say it again FUCK GAMESTOP.

@christ0phe said:

$50 is nothing to turn your nose at

unfortunately, gamestop seems to have played the only possible card to make us forgive them for some unethical bullshit

I purchased the Deus Ex Augmented Edition  from Amazon and there was no onlive coupon either... did it just not come with the augmented edition?

While I in no way agree with retailers removing publisher approved content, the uproar regarding the opening of the game in the first place has me confused. When I worked at Gamestation here in the UK we were instructed to remove every piece of shrinkwrap that came into the stock room. The instructions and discs were removed and filed into drawers and the empty boxes were put on the shelves. This was both before and after GAME bought over Gamestation BTW. We never had one complaint about it (although I did stash a sealed copy aside if it was a title I was personally buying obviously).