A Lesson In Purchasing Games
March 5th, 2008 at 11:35 am
This is a lesson I learned quite some time ago, but figured I’d give it another shot and see if anything had changed. So I pre-ordered games from Amazon. Today, I got this:
We wanted to let you know that there is an unexpected delay with your video game order (Order# [removed]) you placed on [removed]. Unfortunately, we are unable to ship the product(s) as soon as we expected and need to provide you with a new estimate of when they may be delivered:
“Army of Two” [Video Game]
Estimated arrival date: 03/10/2008 - 03/11/2008
We apologize for the inconvenience caused by this delay.
I received a similar e-mail for Bully, which I canceled yesterday after finding it at a Best Buy. This seems to happen almost every single time I hear about someone pre-ordering a game from Amazon.
So the lesson, once again, don’t pre-order games from Amazon unless you don’t mind waiting a week or so to get your order. As for me, I guess I’ll go pick it up at Best Buy, which has easily become my favorite place to buy games because it’s generally hassle-free, with no people begging you to pre-order stuff, and they usually have enough copies in stock on the day of release, nice and easy. Like it should be.
I decided to give Amazon another shot because I was thinking of ordering GTA4 from them, since I have an Amazon Prime membership that gets me very cheap shipping, but forget it. I’ll just have to pay for shipping via Best Buy or GameStop or something this time. No way I’m willing to wait a full week for GTA.
March 5th, 2008 at 11:41 am
i´m anxious to see people´s reaction to army of two , i love co-op games , is there an option to play co-op on the same system ?
March 5th, 2008 at 11:46 am
My experience with Amazon pre-orders has been decent for the most part. The only game that got delayed I had pre-ordered was skate., but that got delayed EVERYWHERE. It does seem to matter when you pre-ordered too. If you pre-ordered way in advance, you typically get yours shipped out right as soon as they get it. If you pre-order the week before the game, it seems like you get put on the second order batch, which might account for the week delay.
March 5th, 2008 at 11:47 am
This just in……Smash Brothers Brawl is a minor change Melee!
Army of Two looks cool. I’m not too sure about getting Bully. I do have $50 store cred at Best Buy
March 5th, 2008 at 11:48 am
As a Gamestop employee myself I must say that I’ve grown tired of the way we are required to do things. I canceled all of my reserves for last fall/winters releases (we ended up getting twice as many copies as we needed for every game on my list). On top of that I must also say that bugging a customer to reserve a new, Nest-Gen game who’s complaining about the price of a three year old used game is just plain dumb. The managers there are so robotic and stale with their pitches it’s just like they’ve lost all ability to discern each situation for themselves. The trade in market is shitty, the reserve market is shitty, shilling for magazine subs is shitty, the whole damn store is a problem and avoid it if you can.
Also first to comment? Twice this week, W00T!!!!!
March 5th, 2008 at 11:49 am
When i started typing I was first…….. but i digress.
March 5th, 2008 at 11:52 am
Generally I find that only the true triple A titles like Smash Brothers and Halo 3 are worth pre-ordering because they do end up becoming hard to find. Other titles you can just walk into the store as they are sufficiently stocked and pick them up without letting Gamestop or EB gain interest money on your pre-order money.
March 5th, 2008 at 11:54 am
They did the same thing to me with a PC game I bought, however it ended up being a good thing because I decided I didn’t want the game anyway.
March 5th, 2008 at 11:55 am
I have tried to buy some games from Amazon in the past and had as much luck as you. Amazon is pretty terrible when it comes to games.
March 5th, 2008 at 11:57 am
I pre-order GTA4 from Gamestop close to my house, so when it finnaly arrives I can just drive to it and pick it up. I never like to pre-order games online and wait till it ships, I guess its all about the anticipation of actually driving to a store and pick up the game that you’ve so long waited for.
March 5th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
Wow, that surprises me. I’ve only just recently pre-ordered a dvd from amazon, but that’s the first time that I’ve pre-ordered something from them. Every time that I have ordered something from amazon I choose normal shipping and get in less than a week. The only game that I’ve gotten online was Mass Effect a couple days before it was out and got it on it’s release date.
March 5th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
…If by hassle free you mean you successfully ignore all the people who try tackle you and force you to look at computer parts and televisions when you’re only there for movies or games.
Yellow and blue. It’s right for you.
March 5th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
It’s not just video games. I’ve found that when I order from Amazon 2 out of 3 times I’ll get the “it’s gonna be a while longer” email.
March 5th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
I had a bad experience when I pre-ordered The Orange Box from gameplay a couple of months ago. I paid 1st class delivery to ensure the game reached me on launch date and ended up getting it about a week later.
I am trying out Game (I live in the UK) for my pre-order of Bully this week. They sent me an email yesterday stating it had been shipped and would reach me in time for this friday’s release. So far, so good then.
Based on this I’ve also pre-ordered GTA 4 from them too, and got a very nice double reward card points and 500 MS Points for doing so. I thought this was a pretty good deal and if they continue to deliver on-time then I will continue to use them and earn reward points, which I can use to get money off future purchases.
As for Amazon, the UK store has always given me excellent delivery service, but I rarely order games from them.
March 5th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
I must have been extremely lucky. I preordered Rock Band from there and received it on the release date.
I nearly cancelled it when I heard you mention their abysmal track record for fulfilling preorders on time, but decided to risk it since it was so close to the release date already.
March 5th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
I used to always pre-order all of the Legend of Zelda games to ensure that I would receive the Limited Edition Gold carts.
Now days, I can usually find whatever game I want to play on the day it comes out, even big budget franchises like Halo, Grand Theft Auto, etc. Best Buy is definitely one of the best places to look though, I never cared for ordering games from Amazon.
March 5th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Amazon.co.uk are one of the best for pre-orders, i am yet to be disappointed.
March 5th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Best Buy is by far my favorite place to purchase games and movies. They don’t care that you’re buying a game, they don’t follow you through the store, and they wear happy blue shirts. It’s great.
March 5th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
I experienced the same things with damned mass effect before it came out! I even paid for the overnight shipping or w/e and I didnt get it until a week after the game came out! They offered to give me my overnight shipping money back but I just said F it and decided to never pre order from them again. I expect to get just as pissed by pre ordering Brawl from my local gamestop i’m hoping their okay here with pre-orders tho!
March 5th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
Yeah I just hit Best Buy as well. They’ve got plenty of copies, you can just grab your copy (you can touch the actual game, take that Gamestop!) and go. Sometimes I even go to the local Circuit City as both they, Best Buy, or even Target will sometimes have deals ($5 or $10 off) the weekend after release. Imagine that a deal on a new game
March 5th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Thats kinda funny….because i ordered Army Of Two in hopes to get it earlier than normal from Play.com…and while i havent got any delay notes…they still have taken way longer to do everything.
March 5th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
I make most of my purchases through GameFly. It’s rare that I get a game the day it is released, but they are always cheaper thanks to member discounts. I got Assassin’s Creed the week it was released for $38, and I just recently bought Mass Effect for $35 (better late than never).
What I like most about them, is that since it’s a rental service, I can test the game out before I buy it. If I end up loving a game, I can click “Keep It” on the website and they’ll send me the case and book. If I end up hating it, I just send it back and get the next game in my queue. It’s a perfect system for someone like me, who can’t afford to purchase tons of games thanks to never ending student loans.
March 5th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Is your copy of Bully freezing up a lot too. I have played through the first three missions of the game and the game has locked up twice. I am about to take it back, but the game looks like it could be really good and I’ve never played the original.
March 5th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
I know a guy who actually pre-ordered a Wii and Twilight Princess from Amazon.com, back when pre-ordering the system was a super hot thing to do and you needed to be lucky to nab one.
Dude’s Wii and Zelda showed up about 2 days before the system’s street date. I was kinda jealous.
So maybe if it’s something they definitely have on hand in their warehouses before the street date (rather than the super vague ship date), they’re better about it… I dunno.
March 5th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
Yeah no way in hell i wait a extra week to play GTA! Im having a hard enough time waiting for Gamefly to ship my copy of Army of Two! errrr being poor is fun!
March 5th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Damn, that bites … surely they should know how many copies they need to satisfy pre-orders. These two you mentioned are hardly titles that going to vanish instantly, or so I’d have thought before hearing this tale. I don’t really have the luxury of walking into a store to get new releases and generally I value saving some £££s over waiting a few extra days. As it is neither AoT or Bully are region-free so UK prices I must pay and they’re both enroute to me as I type - tomorrow may be a busy night.
March 5th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
5hmm wish there was a best buy in england. we only have like 2 dedicated games shops and their owned by the same company
March 5th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
I like best buy, most of my games and pc related stuff are usually bought from one of their stores.
March 5th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
Word, Gta4 demands perfection in all ways and things.
March 5th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
yea, I just went to gamestop, pre-ordered and payed in full for the game 2 weeks ago when I had cash on me. I’m glad I did, now knowing I can walk in, get the game, and walk out.. and not have to wait, or fork over anything. GTAIV baby. (are you getting it for ps3??) I hear theres going to be sixaxis control
*BTW* please do.
March 5th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
It’s a shame, because Amazon is so great for everything else. What do you think of Amazon Prime, by the away? I’m thinking of getting it.
March 5th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
jeff, you should give newegg a try for buying games online. From my experiences they usually have fast shipping and stuff.
March 5th, 2008 at 4:59 pm
I actually pre-ordered my copy of GTAIV right from Rockstar warehouse. I pre-ordered GTA San Andreas from them as well, and I had good results as it came on the day of the release. I’m hoping for similar results this time around..
March 5th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
I’ve had the same thing happen the last few times myself at Amazon. No matter how far in advance I pre-ordered it I’d get that e-mail all the time, and once they said they wouldn’t be able to ge the game to me for a month. It’s a shame because games that are out they are fine with, and their sales are good to. It’s odd though a few years back they were the best, they would get stuff early to the point where they would ship it to you so you got it in the mail on the release date.
March 5th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
,,,,,360 version right? Damn, I mean who’s actually getting the PS3 version, what with the 360 DLC.
March 5th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
I went to GameStop today to buy God of War for my PSP and there was a guy in front of me who bought Army of Two.
March 5th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
i hate my local gamestop if you dont reserve a game they say they cant sell it to you on its release day you have to wait 1-2 days before you can.like they dont ever order beyond the reserves.i usually stay away from it and go to best buy im in and out in like 5 mins and all i get asked is if i want to get a best buy card or get insurance for my game both are no.i do have gta4 LE reserved at gamestop though =(.
March 5th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
yeah I gave up on Amazon too. I preordered the Steven Colbert book there, and when it came out i had to wait a week to get it, not like they couldn’t ship it before or on the day of release. You would think they would know you wanted it, and have all the boxes ready to ship, but no. Took them 3 days after release to get it in the mail and then a week after that. So i was sitting in target reading the book while i waited for my copy to come in the mail. I reserve at Gamestop when i feel concern about getting something day-of, or if I want a chance to get it midnight day before, like Halo stuff. Otherwise, Target (discount for working there), but yeah, Best Buy is a good place, hasn’t let me down yet. =)
March 5th, 2008 at 8:33 pm
I actually went to a local game store called gamedude (located in North Hollywood ) and they had several copies of Army of Two in stock. I don’t preorder games cause gamedude usually gets a big supply of almost every new released game.
March 5th, 2008 at 9:21 pm
The only reason I continue to shop at Gamestop is because I can talk “game” with the sales associates and customers. Let’s face it. Its a lot more satisfying walking out of Gamestop with GTAIV in your hand than Best Buy. Everyone at Gamestop knows what a great game your getting. The people at Best Buy could care less.
March 5th, 2008 at 9:32 pm
Jeff, I am a Amazon Prime member as well and I never pre order games but I still can usually get them within 2 days of their release. All you got to do is order when the game you want is in stock and it’ll ship the same day and arrive 2 days later or pay the extra $4 and get overnight. I had to wait a day for Army of two to be in stock because I guess this game is more popular than it led on but I ordered it on the 5th and it already shipped before I got home from work.
March 5th, 2008 at 10:10 pm
While I just rent all my games from Gamefly Brand new, then buy it from them for 40 bucks, the few games that I buy I get from Gamestop.
Gamestop stores suck, Gamestop employees sucks, but they usually get games on day one of when they say they will get them. Until that last bit a of quality drops in Gamestop I will shop there till then.
March 5th, 2008 at 11:13 pm
the reason these things happen is simple - no one at amazon, best buy or any of those other online stores gives a shit. if ur not happy, don’t buy from there.
March 7th, 2008 at 11:17 am
Amazon is great for games, just not pre-orders. Pre-orders in general suck. A lot.
March 9th, 2008 at 3:37 am
Amazon are rubbish for pre-ordering - I’ve never received anything on the day of release from them.
March 10th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
Best Buy is a fine place to buy games. But woe be unto you if you intend to buy any piece of hardware at Best Buy, or as I like to call it, “Beset By” (100 people trying to upsell you crap you don’t need), or as my SO calls it, “Must Buy” (the extended warranty, the monster cables, etc…)
When I bought my HD TV there, I had to tell THREE different people I didn’t want the extended warranty, had to answer “do you mind if I ask why?” (it’s a horrible ripoff), had to answer why I don’t want the Monster Cables or the “power cleanser”, blablabla. Seriously. Salesman, cashier **AND** floor manager try and scam me. For shame.