When I first started gaming, as it is with all gaming noobs, I bought a game that was a first class loser. The box said I would have the best gaming experience ever. Well, that didn’t happen and I was stuck with it because the fine print on my receipt said, "No Returns on Opened Software."
So I only had one solution. Go to the used video game store to trade it in for cash or store credit.
I entered the store and saw the manager behind the counter. I know him by name. His name is Caesar. Caesar is the type of guy who thinks he knows everything about games and is always trying to impress everyone that he does. Whenever I’ve asked him a question, he seems annoyed that I have disturbed his environment. He doesn’t ever greet anyone, nor does he smile. He just stares at you as if you have intruded into his perfect world of boredom, and in a way, you have done just that. (For the record, he was fired within the year for lecturing a kid for wanting to buy a GameShark while the mother stood and listened to him rant, "What, how are you going to be good in life if you cheat all the time!")
Never-the-less, I am on a mission to dump my horrid game unto him. I grit my teeth and offer him a greeting by saying, "Hi. I’d like to see how much credit I can get for this." He stares down at the game and says to me, "Man, this game sucks. I’ll give you a $15 store credit or $12 in cash." Astounded, I plead and say, "But I paid $50 for this stinking game." "Not my problem, dude. Take it or leave it." I stare him in the eye and say, "I’ll leave it," and walk out the door.
So now I’ve got a game that has not only made my wallet lighter by $50 plus tax, I can’t do anything to get my full purchase price back. At this point, my anger is focused on the manager of the video game store. But after sulking for an hour at my bad fortune, it suddenly dawns on me that it isn’t the store manager’s fault, it was my own fault for not doing my research on the game before buying it. I was duped into the glossy ads and game packaging. But at the heart of all my woes was the game publisher who produced this offensive piece of trash. How could they let this kind of game reach the store shelves?
We can ask for refunds on everything, it seems, except video games. I can return a book to my book store if it’s not satisfactory. I can return food from a supermarket if it’s not satisfactory. I could have even returned my pet dog if I wanted to when I bought him from the breeder. (Of course I wouldn’t have ever done that, Mac.) But video games? I don’t even have one day to consider my purchase. Once I pay for it — till death do us part…until I try to sell it for less than a third of my original cost.
Game publishers should be held accountable for games that suck. If we, the gamers don’t have the right to return substandard games, the publishers couldn’t be happier because a sale is a sale. What we need around here is a one-day return policy in this country. I know that publishers will rant about people trying to copy their software, but good software sells anyway and gamers will want to keep the good ones…not return them.
I want the right to return a game for a full refund within a reasonable amount of time to find out if it sucks. Don’t you?
