GameStop marketing scam

[RoBoTeq]

I recently ordered an item from GameStop on-line to be sent to my son for his birthday. I filled out all of the credit card information on a card that I have used for years with no issues. I get an email claiming that there is a dispute over information I gave them for my credit card and that I needed to fax a copy of my statement to them with the last four digits of the card number, my mailing address, the card company name and address and my name on the statement.

So, after calling them and complaining about this situation, they informed me that it was my card carrier that requested the information. So, I reluctantly fax in the upper portion of my statement with all of the information they requested. Next, I get this email;

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Important Information Regarding Your Order: Please Respond

Thursday, July 29, 2010 9:58 PM


From:
"orders(at)gamestop.com" <Orders(at)gamestop.com>
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To:
"roboteq(at)roboteq.info" <roboteq(at)roboteq.info>



Dear Valued Customer,

Our records indicate that you placed order number 4100722235566222 with us at GameStop.com or EBgames.com. Thank you for your business.

We have received your credit card statement; however it was missing one or more of the following pieces of information or did not match completely with the information input on your order:

1. Name on Order
2. Billing Address
3. Last 4 digits of the credit card/debit card number
4. Current Date on Statement (within the last 60 days)

Unfortunately we are unable to accept your credit card statement if all of the information requested is not provided or does not match. In order to expedite the processing of your order please resubmit your credit card statement with the correct information.

To expedite the processing of your order please:

• Fax your credit card statement to 1-817-722-7720 and for international orders, fax statement to 001-817-722-7720.
• Feel free to block out all other numbers or other information on the statement.
• Note that the credit card statement billing information must match exactly as you have provided on your GameStop.com order.
• Write your order number at the top of the statement.

All of the information listed on this email was on that portion of the statement I sent them. So, I call them. They tell me they need the entire statement. I tell them that the only information on the rest of the statement is my recent purchases. They tell me they need that information to verify that the card is active. I tell them they are scamming me into giving them personal information about my buying habits and that I won't do it. They tell me that is the only way they will process my order. I tell them to go to hell and cancel the order.

Anyone else had any other companies try to pull this crap for online orders?

It looks to me like GameStop/EB Toys marketing idiot's are pulling a stunt similar to Radio Shack's required address and phone number a few years back. They are obviously collecting buying information from credit card statements.

It is also interesting that GameStop/EB Toys is not putting it in writing that it is the purchases on the statement that they want to see.

I have just sent an email to mosques across the country reporting that GameStop/EB Toys is giving away free pork with the purchase of games involving the killing of Muslims. You may want to avoid these stores for a while.

[Mr Chesapeake]

I pre-ordered a game from those guys once and had absolutely horrible dealings with them after that. That was 10 years ago. I have never done business with them since, and I tell my buds to stay away from there.

[RoBoTeq]

My son says that in store they are great. That is why I went with them initially. After their not allowing me to use my credit card without faxing them a statement with recent purchases on it, I went to Best Buy's site and actually got a better deal on what I was buying.

I spoke to three different people at GameStop/EB Toys and everyone of them were like robotic drones citing that they could not continue with my order unless I faxed them a full statement with purchases on it. Everyone of them kept saying; "That is our policy".

I am going to bet that I will not be the first to complain to the BBB for this.

[Diceman]

I told ya long ago that corporate America is the ones who invade your privacy way more than the gov. All to make more money off of you.

As far as the gov, they are so screwed up they can't keep track of anything.

[RoBoTeq]

I told ya long ago that corporate America is the ones who invade your privacy way more than the gov. All to make more money off of you.

As far as the gov, they are so screwed up they can't keep track of anything.

And I told ya back that the worst that corporate America can do is the least that government does and that government can get away with it because there is never a loss of revenue to counter their actions.

When enough consumers balk at GameStop/EB Toys unethical if not illegal practices, just as was done with Radio Shack's address and phone collection policies, GameStop/EB Toys will also stop with their obnoxious policy.

[RoBoTeq]

In checking out GameStop I am finding all sorts of negatives about this company. In Illinois, GameStop has a "F" rating with the BBB and here is another complaint that makes me think I dodged a bullet by not giving GameStop all of the information that they demanded;

Category: BBB Better Business Bureau



Submitted: Friday, January 02, 2009

Last posting: Monday, March 01, 2010

Bought a game from Game Stop/EB Games on the internet and they gave my bank information to Reservation Rewards for a monthly $12 membership. Reservation Rewards reply was if a $10 coupone offered online is used, it also authorizes them to start a membership and deduct money from bank accounts. I am still looking for the "fine print" that states that. Obviously it is hidden, or I wouldn't have bought from Game Stop. Bad business!!!

Ddot01
Brooklyn, Ohio
U.S.A.

[Stamas]

I told ya long ago that corporate America is the ones who invade your privacy way more than the gov. All to make more money off of you.

As far as the gov, they are so screwed up they can't keep track of anything.

Why do you need a game when you got this?

[Diceman]

The biggest threat to our privacy is corporate America, all for profit.

I need to invent a game around that, like Monopoly only more devious.

[RoBoTeq]

The biggest threat to our privacy is corporate America, all for profit.

I need to invent a game around that, like Monopoly only more devious.

I suppose you think we should let government take over all business so we don't have those awful corporate Capitalists benefiting from our work.

[craig1]

My son says that in store they are great. That is why I went with them initially.

Around here the gamestops are horrible high pressure sales hellholes. You're not getting out of there unless you pre-order another game, buy a strategy guide or subscribe to some stupid magazine. They'll probably sell you Zerol Ice too.

You're best off shopping at an independent store or a big box (best buy, target, wal-mart) yes, even wal-mart is better than gamestop. Otherwise order online from Amazon for a great price and real customer service if you need it.

[Diceman]

I suppose you think we should let government take over all business so we don't have those awful corporate Capitalists benefiting from our work.

I think you need to read what the founding fathers said about corporations.

I like free enterprise, I have been in it for over 30 years.
But as bad as big gov can be, and we all are wary of that, big biz is virtually unchecked, all in the name of free markets.
Ask anyone who got screwed by Enron or Bernie Madoff .............or people who shop at Game Stop.

[RoBoTeq]

I think you need to read what the founding fathers said about corporations.

I like free enterprise, I have been in it for over 30 years.
But as bad as big gov can be, and we all are wary of that, big biz is virtually unchecked, all in the name of free markets.
Ask anyone who got screwed by Enron or Bernie Madoff .............or people who shop at Game Stop.

There has never been and never will be any big business that is worse then any big government.

This issue has nothing to do with big business overall, only the practices of GameStop.

[jrbenny]

Around here the gamestops are horrible high pressure sales hellholes. You're not getting out of there unless you pre-order another game, buy a strategy guide or subscribe to some stupid magazine. They'll probably sell you Zerol Ice too.

You're best off shopping at an independent store or a big box (best buy, target, wal-mart) yes, even wal-mart is better than gamestop. Otherwise order online from Amazon for a great price and real customer service if you need it.

It's rare that Amazon has the better price. Always price check them. Always.

[Diceman]

There has never been and never will be any big business that is worse then any big government.

This issue has nothing to do with big business overall, only the practices of GameStop.

The problem is we all know gov needs to be watched and a system of checks and balances, left to itself gov can run amok, no doubt.
But we let big biz do what it wants to do, big biz runs the gov in many instances, look at the lobbyists and influences it has.
There aren't any g-men sitting around a room looking over your past or listening to your phone calls, but just like game stop, there are many companies tracking everything you buy, everywhere you go and how they can get your money.
Run a credit report, look at all the crap in it, unreal, and it wasn't the gov who compiled all that.
Both the gov and big biz are made up of people, like you and me, we all need to keep each other in line.

[RoBoTeq]

The problem is we all know gov needs to be watched and a system of checks and balances, left to itself gov can run amok, no doubt.
But we let big biz do what it wants to do, big biz runs the gov in many instances, look at the lobbyists and influences it has.
There aren't any g-men sitting around a room looking over your past or listening to your phone calls, but just like game stop, there are many companies tracking everything you buy, everywhere you go and how they can get your money.
Run a credit report, look at all the crap in it, unreal, and it wasn't the gov who compiled all that.
Both the gov and big biz are made up of people, like you and me, we all need to keep each other in line.

We all have complete control over big business by voting with our dollars and communicating faults at a grassroots level such as we are doing here. There is absolutely no comparison between big business screwing over Americans and government screwing us over. I know you are an average guy with an above average family and that you have lived the American dream with all of it's ups and it's downs. For that reason, I just cannot understand your way of thinking that big government is somehow better then big business.

I had a beef with big business. I took my support away from them and I am passing the word of my experience to warn others. I did not lose my money and eventually the way this big business operates will cease due to the natural order of capitalism. Conversely; I had a beef with big government. I tried to take my support away from them and I was fined even more for doing so. I complained about my experience to others who are also complaining about the same problem. Nothing has changed and we all wound up paying even more money then we were originally being robbed of with some being jailed for their efforts.

I think I'll stick with big business over big government.

[RoBoTeq]

Back to the subject. My post on epinions seems to be somewhat helpful to helpful to everyone reading it so far; http://www.epinions.com/content_5196..._~allors/s_~na

[WAI_reeb]

Just don't buy anything over the internet period. Everyone is scamming everyone nowadays and it's easier to go see it and pick it up yourself anyway.

[RoBoTeq]

Just don't buy anything over the internet period. Everyone is scamming everyone nowadays and it's easier to go see it and pick it up yourself anyway.

Being chemical sensitive and with so many scented products now in stores, I have found Internet shopping to be so much less unpleasant. This is the first time I have had anything like this happen.

Ironically, GameStop just sent me a notice yesterday saying that they have decided to accept my order. My guess is this is to appease my complaint to the Better Business Bureau.

[RoBoTeq]

GameStop is desperately trying to get my complaint resolved with the BBB. They have been emailing me with lie after lie after lie for the past two weeks.

GameStop is claiming that it was a misunderstanding that they would not process my order without the portion of my credit card statement that has my puchase history on it. That is just bullcrap!

No less then three GameStop employees, including one who claimed to be a customer service manager, told me that they would not process my order without my sending them the portion of my credit card statement that has my recent purchases on it. They even gave me the reason that GameStop needs to see that I have recently used that card for purchases.

I could not get anyone at GameStop to put that stipulation in writing, and now, after offering me first a $20 discount and free shipping for an order and then a $40 gift card to be used either in their store or on the Internet, GameStop is denying that they ever made that demand.

Oh well, maybe they at least won't be aggravating other people buying from them as much.

[Savage16]

GameStop is desperately trying to get my complaint resolved with the BBB. They have been emailing me with lie after lie after lie for the past two weeks.

GameStop is claiming that it was a misunderstanding that they would not process my order without the portion of my credit card statement that has my puchase history on it. That is just bullcrap!

No less then three GameStop employees, including one who claimed to be a customer service manager, told me that they would not process my order without my sending them the portion of my credit card statement that has my recent purchases on it. They even gave me the reason that GameStop needs to see that I have recently used that card for purchases.

I could not get anyone at GameStop to put that stipulation in writing, and now, after offering me first a $20 discount and free shipping for an order and then a $40 gift card to be used either in their store or on the Internet, GameStop is denying that they ever made that demand.

Oh well, maybe they at least won't be aggravating other people buying from them as much.

hmmmm....go unions