GameStop Will Not Accept Defective PS3 Exchange Because Of Serial Number Mistake

Via The Consumerist:

"Reader Ben's receipt doesn't match the serial number on his defective PS3, so GameStop and Sony are refusing to repair or exchange it.

This same kind of problem has happened to one of our readers before. It turns out that an employee had inadvertently entered the SKU instead of the serial number on our Reader's XBOX. He was eventually able to prove that he hadn't switched the XBOXs, but Ben is having a much more difficult time."

[toughNAME]

no...no I won't go there

[decapitator]

Why in the world anyone still goes to GameStop for their needs is beyond me. The are part of the reason why certain parts of the game Industry is suffering with all their ridiculous trade in deals which is reality is ripping off uniformed customers.

[ArduousAndy]

all the guy has to do is goto the gamestop he went to. Tell them "look your guy behind the counter scanned the sku instead of the actual serial number. Present the recipt present the box. And tell them to go look at the other 80gig boxes in the back to show that it is the same sku. They can refuse all they want. But the proof is right there. Then call customer service and complain. So he can get the situation fixed.

The End. Does the guy do any of that. No he goes to gamestop they say no and he walks home with his tail between his legs. He needs to man up and shove the proof in there faces. I'm an asst manager at the gamestop where I live (Florida) and let me tell you if i made that mistake. I would have post voided the transaction and created a new one. Then defect the ps3 (Cause you need the recipt info) and give the guy a new one.

[LKane]

Gamestop with its practice of selling overpriced used games and (and in some cases, more-expensive-than-others "new" games) makes them a bunch of douche bags.

When you think they can't get any worse, they start pulling some crap like this (and many others, actually).

[BrianC6234]

"Why in the world anyone still goes to GameStop for their needs is beyond me."

I go to Gamestop because I have one across the street from where I live and another is near my office. It's really easy to go to both stores. And they get everything the first day it's out. I've tried other stores. Toys R US isn't around me anymore and when they were they never got the games I wanted. Best Buy is a lot better now than they were but they're harder to get to and don't get the games the first day. Target is close but don't always get the games.

I say the main reason for me though is I know I can get the games I want as soon as they're out. I don't buy used games so I don't care about that issue.

[shysun]

It could have been his friends stolen PS3. I know people who do stuff like this. :(

[VaeVictus]

Usually, these numbers are different in length. Where I worked, the system would reject the serial number format fit. I won't name the business, but it wasn't exactly a company that "kept up with the times." I have a hard time believing that these #'s were confused and that the system even accepted it.

When we'd scan the item's barcode for the serial # and so forth, the entire amount of information tied to each item would print on the receipt. As crappy as Gamestop is, I can't imagine they wouldn't have preventitive measures in place to avoid mistakes such as this. Big businesses usually take the likelihood of human error out of the equation when it comes to registering products in a system.

[Says you]

you XBox 360 fans can bash this if you want but it doesn't do jack in what your going to type!.

Wow I had facts and people just disagree and by the way InYourDad you don't even have that console you're just lieing!.

[InYourMom]

You go PS3 fanboy! You go!

btw - I've had 2 bad PS3's so far both with Blu-ray drive problems.

I still won't argue that the defect rate for the 360 is waaaay above exceptable while the PS3 is at or below acceptable.

[JBaby343]

Either you have the worst luck of anyone on Earth or you're lying. Less than 1% failure rate and you get two of them in less than one year. No machine is perfect and everything does break from time to time but having two go bad already is pretty tough to believe.

[AceLuby]

I bought a bajillion PS3's and they all broke... ;) There is no way this guy owns or has probably even played a PS3. Quit the trolling. You are the reason this site is in the shape it is. Oh, and it's 'acceptable' not 'exceptable'.

[Bubble Buddy]

Yo InYourMom: I've had 50 broken 360s, not hard to lie over the internet eh?

[ReBurn]

Who even complained about a PS3 failure rate? Seems to me like you brought it up.

[socsca]

"Who even complained about a PS3 failure rate? Seems to me like you brought it up."

What he said.

[beavis4play]

when i got mine (at gamestop) they took it out of the box and got the serial number. i asked what he was doing and then checked to make sure the number on receipt was same as on system before he put it back in the box. what person doesn't do this? in todays world, too many people are trying to rip stores off. so, i can't blame them for this. and, when i told the store employee to make sure he got the number right, he said the serial numbers were diff. from the other numbers and that the system wouldn't accept these other numbers for serials. anyway, if the dude didn't check this before he left the store; it's his problem, not someone else. this story sounds fishy.

[beavis4play]

when i got mine (at gamestop) they took it out of the box and got the serial number. i asked what he was doing and then checked to make sure the number on receipt was same as on system before he put it back in the box. what person doesn't do this? in todays world, too many people are trying to rip stores off. so, i can't blame them for this. and, when i told the store employee to make sure he got the number right, he said the serial numbers were diff. from the other numbers and that the system wouldn't accept these other numbers for serials. anyway, if the dude didn't check this before he left the store; it's his problem, not someone else. this story sounds fishy.

[Lotto]

A person can make crap up and email it to consumerist.com since they don't need any proof of what his saying is true.

[InYourMom]

and had no problems exchanging them. I don't know about this Gamestop place, it seems to get a lot of bad press for shady business.

Third time has been a charm and I finally got one with a working Blu-ray drive. There has been many reports that the 40gig SKU and it's BR drives are coming DOA.

I've had no problems with my 360(go figure).

[chrno6]

Seriously, everyone knows that u are freaking lying. You are the biggest xbox fanboy here, and u claimed u have 2 defective ps3?? right..

[KillaManiac]

If you have honestly had 2 defective PS3s..I expect you to also tell us that you have at minimum 30 defective 360s

[darthv72]

why is it so hard to believe that a ps3 can be defective? Maybe it is hard that a person could have gotten two but it can happen. Just like it can happen that an original launch 360 could be perfectly defect free. Mine is a dec 05 and has never given a bit of trouble with red rings. It locked up one time in a video only because the batteries in my controller died while I was trying to access the info pane. A swap of new batteries and a quick press of the button on the front of the unit and I was back in action.

Try not to generalize too much when it comes to these kinds of situations. Just because it happens to some doesnt mean it happens to everyone. I feel bad for you IYM on having had 2 bad ps3's but you got a working one now so that is good. Just like those who complain about having a bad 360. You get it fixed and things are good again, until....

Bottom line, this kind of thing isnt news nor is it even interesting. If it is true then I feel bad for the person it happens to and I wish them a speedy recovery.

[clevernickname]

Never mind what is on the receipt, 80 GB PS3s have only been manufactured for less than a year, they are warrantied regardless of the receipt situation. If all else fails, the person in question could simply explain to Sony that they have no receipt as it was a gift.

[season007]

has one of the below....
1) purposely break both of them
2) bought more than say at least 50 of them
3) the luck to have getting super lotto 2nd prize.....

[Grown Folks Talk]

It's called profit. They don't make squat on new merchandise. That's the whole purpose of the used markup. That's why you get 20% less for cash. Everyone acts like they're the only ones that do it. That carpet that you spent $1.08 a square foot on at Menards costs them 14 cents a square foot. Best Buy & other stores can sell the games cheaper from time to time because they make up for the loss with the 42" plasma they sold right after you bought the game. If they mis-scanned the serial, that's 1 thing. Who's to say he didn't buy 1 & then jack 1 from somewhere & is trying to get a free new system? Thus the reason you need the reciept with matching #s.

[dork]

ok...you guys are a bunch of idiots. Try and return a console to any store where the serial doesnt match the receipt. You guys like to act like gamestop is the only place like this.

Believe it or not people try and scam retailers into getting free crap.

SEE: guy returns xbox with phone book inside
SEE: people returning their friends broken xbox's under their warranty so they can get a new one.

idiots

[Rocko]

Won't ever shop there again, or gamestop.

[Maddens Raiders]

first time I've ever agreed w/ you. 8D

[Enigma_2099]

That's all there is to it.

[aliveinboston]

There is no way that a PS3 that is bought will have a different serial number than what is on it's receipt that is electronically scanned and entered with no human error possible.

On the other hand, customers lie all the time! I have had to deal with hundreds of pathetic low-lifes who have no morals! They try sympathy, they try being angry, they try threats. We say thank you bye bye and they come on to blogs and insult the companies who they tried to scam. I used to work at a BBig well known electronics store and never once tried to scam a customer. On the other hand, I've had hundreds of customers who tried to scam the store. Atleast a handful every day!

The PS3 he took back is not the one he bought. In hundreds of court cases judges and jurys have decided that a store scanner is accurate enough send people to jail for life. The evidence is overwhelming. This is a case of attempted fraud.