I have been a dedicated consumer to the Game Crazy company for many years. They have served my gaming need since they were established whatever many years ago. Which is why I really do feel like a jackass now that when I have actually needed to use one of those warranties/service contracts/game guard insurance contracts/etc. I find out that what I paid for was... Well.insurance against nothing.
The biggest complaint I have (believe me, there are many, but this kinda takes the cake) is the "service contract" I purchased for my Sony PSP system. Now, granted in the END of all this I WAS able to get a replacement, but ill explain how and why in just a moment.
I traded in my old system (PSP) toward a new one about a month and a half ago. (i only recently found out about this site) and literally 7 days afterwards the circular tin-colored "sticker" on the back lid was beginning to peel off. "Luckily" I bought myself that "service contract" right? Wrong...
When I originally purchased the contract, I was informed by two employees simultaneously that the contract would cover ANY and ALL failures of my system even if I was to take it outside 5 minutes after purchasing it and smash it on the concrete... I would just come back inside, show them my "contract", and be on my merry way with my new system... Of course, this would then fulfill the contract and I would have wasted $30 just testing a theory.
On the contract itself it says very little... But one thing it DOES say is that the effective date was equal to the date of purchase, and that the contract term was for one year. When I took my defective product in with my "useless" contract, I was told that sony was responsible for any and all repairs on the unit until their original warranty was expired (which was 1 year from purchase date) and that the contract I purchased was only good AFTER sonys manufacturers warranty. I asked them how the hell that was supposed to work when my contract clearly states that the effective date was 1 week prior, and was only good for one year, and nobody could give me a valid explaination.
When I asked about why Sony had to be involved when I purchased the contract SPECIFICALLY! For the reason that I did NOT want to go to sony EVER for service because it takes entirely too long to go through the process... To me? Thats what an in-store warranty is about. I may have to pay a little more, but it saves me the hassle. Their response was that their agreement with sony was to let them handle any warranty repairs for the 1st year.
I asked them how their agreement with sony became my agreement, and once again, nobody could give me an answer. I love how they say "we would LET sony" as if sony came to them and requested that they handle the brunt of the repairs... I highly doubt that... It was just their way of screwing the consumers in any way they can. Nobody likes to cash out an insurance policy, but legally you have to if criteria is met.
I WAS able to return it for a new one, but only because my memory served me well that evening and I was able to call them on the fact that they have a policy in place that allows me to return any defective products within 7 days of purchase regardless of any warranty purchased at time of sale... So after about 45 minutes of their employees calling various managers and other reps to see if they could weasel out of it, they finally just gave me a new system.
I personally know several employees AT THAT LOCATION! And they have all told me the same thing... Their job rides not on customer service, customer satisfaction, or any other "real world" qualities, but they are hanging on threads professionally on the fact that if they do not sell these contracts and game guard insurance services, they will not have a job.
So with that said, how can they be expected to do business professionally, and honestly, when everything they rely on financially, rests on their ability to sell OPTIONAL services? These optional services (when fulfilled) probably go against their sales reports also. Thus making them that much more reluctant to want to cash them out. I have been told before (when being pitched to buy game guard insurance) that the service would cover my disc if anything happened to it, and if they didnt have another used copy of it, they would HAVE to give me a new one... Once AGAIN when I attempted to fulfill my agreement, I was hassled, refused, and given a list of reasons why what I was told was total bull sh*t.
All i get is a "sorry" and a kick out the front door... No attempts to make good on their agreement even when the associates ADMIT to me that the people I speak of have had a past of falsely informing consumers of the service to make the sale...
I hereby amend that if in the future, when I present my service contract to them and my PSP is faulty (hopefully it doesnt happen, but if it does..) and they tell me they wont honor it? Im going to kick the glass till it shatters, take a new system from the case, leave my busted one with the "useless" contract on the counter, salute the staff and walk my happy ass out the front door!
Going forward... Im only doing business with EB Games... Hopefully they dont share the same lack of good will toward their customers. Ive heard they are much better about that.
Anyone know how to file a class action against Game Crazy to get them to refund all the service contracts they have sold since nobody can use them? Id love to see that happen...
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