UK retailer GAME has had a few issues in the past that have been damaging to its reputation, and it's certainly rattled the faith of Nintendo fans this past week. At the start of the week it charged some customers up to five times for their Super Mario Maker pre-order; this was then exacerbated the following day when, rather than fix the issue, GAME managed to charge some customers yet again.
The company has charged some customers - including this writer - seven times in total, with subsequent consequences of over £300 being claimed from accounts. Some have been unfortunate in that this has led to exceeding overdrafts, credit limits or even had their bank accounts temporarily locked. Despite an initial promise to refund customers 'within 24 hours' on Monday, the issues has lingered on.
As an affected customer your humble writer has now received the following email, with GAME expressing an aim of repaying charges in the next couple of days.
On Monday we became aware of an issue with some isolated orders. This has impacted a number of customers who pre-ordered the Wii U exclusive, Super Mario Maker. We have been working through crediting any pending transactions with our banking partners as a top priority. You should see these appear on your account over the next couple of days as we resolve everything ready for the product release on Friday.
Our warehouse are working hard and are packing everyone's order ready for Friday. Please keep an eye out for your shipment confirmation email.
If you have any questions please contact our customer service team on this dedicated hotline number 01256 784400 or email us at [email protected]. We will also be posting updates on our @GAMEHelps twitter page.
Thank you for your patience and we apologise for any inconvenience caused.
Catherine Wilson
Head of Customer Services
Not surprisingly considering the modern trend of companies prioritising bottom lines over customer loyalty, there is no default compensation offered with the apology. If anyone has been affected by bank charges or severely inconvenienced by the issue, though, they should certainly following up with GAME using the details provided.
Are you an affected customer, and what do you make of GAME's handling of the issue this week? Let us know in the comments.
Comments 49
"there is no default compensation offered with the apology"
I wouldn't expect anything less from such a rip-off company...
Like the article points out, GAME are too busy worrying about their bottom line rather than looking after their customers. They seemingly have forgotten the fact that if you look after your customers, the bottom line looks after itself...
"On Monday we became aware of an issue with some isolated orders."
That seemed a bit more than "some" isolated orders.
"We are so sorry your rent check bounced because we charged you 5 times for this game...we will get your money back to you next week...we promise!"
It's always sad when processing goes wrong... I deal with this the first two weeks of every month with my job (from the apartment collection side) and I just feel so bad for the consumer but there is nothing that can be done to speed it up.
Meanwhile, I get an email from GAME this morning saying the price of my Shivel Knight amiibo pre-order has gine down by £2... Are they trying to compensate fir this nonsense? Probably not.
Tried calling the Hotline number but only kept on hearing some rather cringeworthy pop music and like heck I was going waste my lunch break listening to that!
I know there's licensing issues and all but GAME are just completely terrible when it comes to music in stores and helplines. They should take advice from the Japanese Embassy, their "hold" music sounded like something out of a Final Fantasy 8-bit Overworld Theme.
Anyways, back to the subject at hand, this is likely to have some long term impacts on them especially since they so far have offered no sort of compensation and have been so slow in getting word out. That email, or even a brief and short one, should have gone out immediately to all preorderers just asking them to check their accounts and that it was being looked into, the moment they noticed something iffy going on.
Game should compensate all those inconvenienced by this. End of story. Any decent company will do this. Giving a decent discount is the least they can do.
Thats the last time I'm buying from GAME, that email could have been sent on Monday, but I was left with very little knowledge of the situation for 3 days! What do I get for my troubles - nothing! Appalling customer service!
So their systems have been proven to fail multiple times and quick succession. We are supposed to be trusting them with our credit / debit card details, but does anyone have any faith in their abilities any more? I would have expected them to tell us they will be working round the clock to iron out whatever kinks have crept into their system over the last few months because there are a lot:
Multiple emails for the same orders - often when an order contains multiple items you get one email per item per order plus those email don't always tell you anything about the items in that order.
I could not cancel or amend any orders at the weekend.
When the website kicked me out I couldn't log back in. It wouldn't let me reset my password either.
What a bunch of incompetent tools!! I'm luckily not involved in this except as a spectator , but as a person who already despises GAME I am soo mad with how badly they handle these things. Would they treat a cod or figs launch crowd the same way?.....I think not!!!
I had no problem with mine since i used paypal (ive noticed this mostly effects CC users) but as consequence for GAME'S shoddy behasviour I will join and boycott GAME. I vote with my wallet, game has lost another customer.
As much as I dislike what's going on with GAME, way to keep up a passive-aggressive attitude Thom. Very profesh, along with the constant first-person references throughout your pieces.
There was a clear cut REASON why GAME went bankrupt once before, this should be more than enough incentive for people to boycott them and make them go bankrupt a second time, only this time, with no chance of coming back from it.
I wonder if there will be people claimining for bank charges incured by this, and they should too.
I'm still in shock about £3000 amiibo guy that came to light when this story was posted on Monday (they had pending charges done over 200 times for a Ganondorf amiibo).
In my case it is several repeat payments could trigger an automatic lock on my account affecting my ability to use the card at all even more than a lack of balance would.
@GloverMist That is just them matching the Amazon price on the amiibo.
@Starwolf_UK And a good thing, too. They shouldn't have the guts to purposefully overcharge just because they're one of the first retailers to have it on sale. If anything, they should match the Nintendo UK Store price of £10.99 but hey, I'm not complaining with money saved!
I've not spent a single penny at GAME for about 9+ years, ever since they sold me a copy of Kirby on DS which was supposed to be brand new (at the new, full price), which when I got home had save game files on it!
When I took it back to complain they didn't believe me and basically told me there was nothing they could do! Grrr...
It still angers me to this day and they have lost out of my custom for the last decade because of it, so their loss...
@datamonkey
Hate when that happens. Woolworths sold me an empty Pokemon Crystal box back in the day and I've never forgotten it, lol. I did eventually get a replacement but not before they'd accused me of stealing it first. Also ordered The World Ends With You from Amazon and got a pirate copy. That got returned. Grrrr 😡
We over charged and over drafted in some instances your accounts, we'll get your money back soon.
Wow great PR Game.
@Fandabidozi Ouch! I suppose I was lucky compared to you as at least I got the game in the box! Glad you got it sorted though in the end...
It's funny as if these companies actually treated us fairly we'd probably be more willing to buy from them. As it happens my experience left such a sour taste in my mouth, I've refused to spend a penny with them since and considering I spend quite a lot on gaming, they've definitely lost out in the long run.
@Mario_maniac Yeah He's understandable furious, they should have tasked this to someone unaffected.
The Word Sorry gets used so often it, doesn't mean anything any more.
GAME should contrite to everyone affected
@GloverMist They're just price-matching Amazon with the Shovel Knight amiibo, I think.
I checked my bank account today and BOTH charges had gone, the proper and duplicate one. They better not have cocked up again and cancelled my proper pre-order, although the pre-order is still showing on my game account page. GAME are the unfunniest joke in the business!
@Mario_maniac There's only one right and wrong here, and having been one of those affected means I've been able to share information from that perspective; that's useful, I would think.
Passive aggressive? Hardly, just pointing out that GAME's been in the wrong, nothing passive about it.
This is hardly journalism focused on peace talks in the Middle East. Just about a company screwing up badly with consumers - I adjust tone and approach depending on the topic.
I only wondering how people who bought Black Wii U with Super Mario Maker Limited Edition and charged for this 7 times feel after blocking their funds on account? (260 GBP per pack multiplied by 7 its 1820 GBP)
They probably want to kill someone but it wont give them money to life...
And explenation to bank that store f*** it, not themselves. Lots of time wasted. No money to live because of account lock/block.
@Mario_maniac: Are you serious??? This guy got screwed over like many other people, and yet because he works for NintendoLife; he's not supposed to be upset or give his opinion? People like you shouldn't even be allowed to comment on this site with their blatent stuidity.
@ThomasBW84: Don't even pay that moron any mind. I'd be furious in the least with GAME. You are completely in the right here.
My last two pre-orders with game;
Splatoon - Truck goes missing, causing me to miss getting the squid Amiibo
Mario Maker - Charged multiple times
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice... shame on... can't get fooled again.
The key phrase is 'consequential loss'. GAME have the responsibility to put each customer back into the position they were in before the mistakes happened, and had the mistake never Took place at all. I would def aim for some compensation too.
Re-ordered from Game Collection and now actually have the game in hand! Stuff GAME. IF they send out the order as they were supposed to, they will get it back, even if I have to pay return postage. Protected by Paypal to some extent, but incompetency on this scale can't go unrewarded, so they lose the sale. And future sales.
I have just been refunded for 4 copies and the original payment of 46.99 has been taken, still awaiting refund for 2 more charges now. Hopefully that is sorted soon, I just want this mess to be over with now.
I was hoping for calm after the storm but I have still have not received an email from game that my order has been dispatched. So in the next few days or so I will get my 6 refunds, however if I get the game on friday I will be happy.
@Sakura You can return the item at your nearest game instead of posting it back....
Well I guess I'll make hopefully the last video about this! I can't believe the clumsiness of GAME!
@Starwolf_UK Amazon have the Shovel Knight Amiibo listed now? Well looks like I'll be buying that from a company less likely to fudge up my payment so badly…
@Pj1 Unfortunately not. I used Paypal to pay, so no store return because funds have to go back on the card used for purchase. However, it did stop me getting five charges. Instead, I only got one extra charge which has actually been refunded, pending a hold placed by Paypal. I do have a dispatch email, but honestly no idea whether it will turn up. Too late now anyway. GAME is getting it back. Prepared to take the hit just so I can tell GAME where to go.
I got that email an they told me they wouldn't give me a PS4 as compensation
Still no sign of the 'shipped' email.
I can't see any charges or refunds on my bank account yet, though I think it may just be slow to update. I got lots of emails from GAME, so I assume I've been overcharged. It's the last time I'm preordering there.
As for whether orders have been shipped, I sent an email yesterday evening asking to cancel one of my Super Mario Maker preorders which are marked as unshipped (I accidentally ordered it twice, so I'm doubly affected by this), and they replied this morning saying they've both been shipped and can't be cancelled. I have no idea what to trust or whether I'll get to play Mario Maker on Friday.
Not sure what all the fuss is about, they'll repay the money so no harm done.
@Folderoll There is harm such as overdrafts and people being locked out of their bank account! Also they'll be people who may be unable to go shopping due to the lack of money
Funny how a lot of people are quick to trust Amazon again after the fiasco with Super Smash Bros Wii U and the Gamecube adapters last Xmas Just goes to show that this will likely blow over for Game as well, even though this has been a disgrace by any company's standards.
@datamonkey They did exactly the same to me, but with Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga on the Gameboy Advance!
The save file showed that someone had been playing it for 24 hours. I took it back to the same Game store less than 24 hours later to show them, and their excuse was 'it came from the factory like that!' I couldn't believe what I was hearing! They didn't offer me a replacement so I pretty much demanded 'one that didn't come from the factory like that then' and tested it on my GBA in front of them, and that was one of the incidents that has almost completely stopped me buying anything from them unless I absolutely have to.
I reported them to Watchdog as well at the time, but they replied basically just telling me just not to shop there if I didn't like how they treated customers. GAME really need to be investigated by an undercover reporter I reckon.
jesus I truly hate Game, it just stands for everything that's wrong in gaming. I hate the stupid emo assistants with their dyed green hair and nose rings who know absolutely %€#@ all about games unless it's assassins creed. I hate the way they give Nintendo about 1/1000th of the floor space,I hate the way the website still looks like it was made in the 90s by student on placement, and I hate the way they try and rip us off when we go to exchange games and then end up re-selling them at practically full price. The sad thing is I still occasionally purchase from them so I only have myself to blame.
I have spoken with GAME Customer Service and one of the staff have told me that orders will be processed in bulks from now on instead of all at once and the issue should not arise again. I have not lost faith in GAME.
They despatched my order perfectly on Monday at 2.56pm.
@Deanster101 I only really go to GAME Stores for the promotional stuff and to attend store events these days. I have not bought anything from a GAME store since the first wave of amiibo back in November 2014.
Absolutely dreadful company. I can't believe how slow they have been to resolve this issue!
@Starwolf_UK link?
@DoctorOverbuild They shouldn't leave their bank account so short then. Or pay by cash or credit card.
@Uberchu Assuming you're talking about the amiibo order. DakeyrasUK comment here:
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-09-07-game-apologises-after-234-super-mario-maker-mix-up
@Folderoll So your advice is leave over £300 in your account in a case a retailer charges you 7 times. I dislike this pseudo victim blaming.
@Starwolf_UK I'm saying that I'm surprised so many people willing to stump up launch day price from game are skint enough they barely have anything left for an emergency or a situation like this.
Well, my order from GAME arrived (without the bonus badges!), but then GAME refunded the payment and sent another copy without charging or notifying or anything. Really, if a company is run that badly they kind of deserve to go under. So, if you do purchase via GAME again, then certainly use PayPal. It does protect you from being overcharged and you might be lucky and get the game free, though no idea if GAME will let that situation stand. They be idiots to do that...oh, wait....
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