Last year, I worked for Walmart.com as an inbound frontline agent, and was promoted to a resolutions agent several months later...so I know my stuff. This is my advice to the person with the issues with walmart.com.

I used to work for one of the walmart.com call centers a few months ago and have heard stories like this way too many times, especially with the Nintendo Wii bundles. That is part of the reason that they have removed the number from their website and require customers to send in emails now, that a good bit of the agents that are in the US instead of the Philippines barely read...which explains the reply you received. That experience is why I don't even shop at walmart now.

In Walmart.com world, the charge "supposedly" does not clear until the order ships. Until then, it is placed as a hold on your account. If the item has not shipped by the date promised, it can be marked as "lost in transit", even though it really isn't lost, it can be placed in this category according to walmart.com policies told to us agents. Some company documents specify a time period of a week after the estimated arrival date to be considered lost in transit. Because of the price, a supervisor will have to mark the customers account so that they can be refunded. After this happens, the funds will take around a week to be credited (even though a supervisor will tell you 2-3 business days).

Another way to get refunded is to have your credit card/bank card issuer to contact walmart.com and verify that the order is technically "lost in transit". This will verify to the bank that this item is not going to be shipped. By doing this, the bank can then lift the hold. Walmart.com agents can also contact your bank to have the hold removed.

These are the only two ways that I know of that walmart.com will be able to refund the money. Mind you, I did work there until late last year, so some policies may have changed. I hope that you will be able to resolve this soon. I know how hard it is dealing with walmart.com.

Sincerely,
A former Walmart.com Call Center Resolutions Agent

Update - 06/27/08: The Unicorn says Wal-Mart called her today and offered to cancel the order!

Update - 06/26/08: The Unicorn posted a slight correction after we published this story: "hey, just to clarify — after Chris (I think) responded to my email re: the Terms of Service issue, I doublechecked my bank account & the funds haven't actually been withdrawn yet." However, she notes that since she can't cancel the order, those funds remain unavailable.

Here's her full story:

So, the Monday before last (6/16), my husband & I came to the unfortunate realization that the 80GB Playstation 3 we'd been saving up to buy was only available through a limited-edition bundle, & that the Metal Gear Solid 4 bundles were basically unavailable in any store near us. After contacting every Game Stop, Circuit City, Best Buy, Target, etc. in the Chicagoland region, we reluctantly expanded our search to the Walmart website, & after checking back several times, all of a sudden an "add to cart" option appeared next to the listing for the MGS4 PS3 bundle. And rationalizing that patronizing Walmart was worth it in order to get a rare piece of game equipment, we placed an order for the system, which the site said would arrive between Friday 6/20 & Tuesday 6/24. After the order was placed, it showed up as "processing" in Walmart's order tracking system, & I was told I'd receive a second email whenever the system shipped. I figured that was good news, but I was a little worried, because the MGS4 bundle showed up as "out of stock" immediately after the order was placed, & it seemed like a crazy coincidence that I would've gotten the last one.

Here's the thing: don't ever buy anything from Walmart, ever. I knew this, & ignored it, & now I'm paying the price.

Coincidentally, that same Monday night, my husband & I rented a movie from Blockbuster, & in the course of some chitchat the clerk randomly told us that they were the only Chicago store to have the MGS4 bundle in stock. (This was the one in Uptown, for any fellow Chicagoans, although I don't know if they'd have any more.) Since the order from Walmart hadn't shipped yet, we decided a PS3 in-hand was better than the promise of one from a retailer we hated, we took the Blockbuster clerk up on his offer & went home with our new toy.

Our plan was to cancel the Walmart.com order, but as it turns out, it's not possible to cancel online orders once they're placed. Fair enough; we figured we'd just sell the second system at cost on eBay or Craigslist whenever it arrived, or else return it to the store & eat the shipping charges.

...Except, the order is still listed as "processing" in Walmart's order tracking system. It hasn't shipped, & it certainly hasn't arrived by this past Tuesday like it was supposed to. But Walmart was certainly happy to take $550.00 out of my debit account as soon as the order was put through back on the 16th! I've emailed them through their website three times now, explaining that I need the funds freed from my account so that I can patronize a brick-&-mortar store that has the systems in stock. (I figured it would needlessly complicate things to say I already bought another system; the only reason that was even an option is that we're currently flush with wedding-present money, & usually having $550.00 missing from my checking account would automatically preclude any other purchases of similar magnitude.) My last response from Walmart came on June 21st, & it was just a scripted message explaining that they can't cancel online orders in progress because their distributors usually ship things so quickly that it's impossible blah blah blah — clearly not the case here, when the order in question has been languishing unshipped for over a week & Walmart still doesn't have the item in stock. All of this makes me really glad that I actually bought a real-live PS3 when I had the chance, but given that I don't know if Walmart's even going to be getting any additional MGS4 bundles, I'm starting to get worried this order will be stuck in "processing" for the rest of time.

Do you guys have any ideas as to how I can get them to refund the money they're holding hostage? I saw your list of executive numbers, but I don't know that any of those would necessarily be appropriate for an online purchase, & as much as I dislike Walmart, I'm hesitant to call up random people in their corporate office who probably have no recourse to help me with this issue.

We say it's time to go corporate. Don't worry about bothering them—it's why they get paid, to make things happen. In particular, they need to be made aware that they're not honoring their terms of service as listed on their website.

Update!: A former Wal-Mart call center employee has shared some tips on how to resolve outstanding orders like this one.

Terms and Conditions [Wal-Mart]
(Photo: Clean Wal-mart)

We're also glad this was resolved in the customer's favor, which will probably annoy many of you who disagreed with or attacked Cliff in the original post. Here's why: Best Buy only honors price matches on in-stock items at competiting stores. Although it's quite possible that Wal-Mart was already out of stock by the time Cliff made it to the register, the manager never gave this as the reason for the denial, according to Cliff's story. The first time anyone at Best Buy brought up the in-stock condition was when a CSR said it to Cliff the next day over the phone. Since the manager made a distinction between the bundled PS3 and "any other PlayStation" but never mentioned stock being an issue, it's far more likely that he denied the gift card to Cliff for some other reason—confusion over the memo, perhaps, or a desire to protect his store sales on the day the Metal Gear Solid bundle was released.

According to Cliff, Best Buy reiterated its in-stock rule but indicated they would make an exception of sorts:

I received a call from someone at Best Buy this morning who had been made aware of the situation by Lisa Smith (Vice President Customer Care). She explained what she understood of the situation and pointed out that the company policy regarding price matches is that the item must be in stock at a competitors store.

However because of the situation and that I was a valued customer, they are going to send out a $100 gift card. I'm hoping to see it in the next 2-3 weeks!

I can't count how many times a day I refresh The Consumerist, but I'm certainly glad I've been reading it. If it weren't for your tips like escalation and knowing about the executive email carpet bomb, I would've walked away from a corporate authorized price match. Thanks for everything and keep up the amazing work!

We think they should have just left it at "because of the situation," because no matter who you are as a customer, in this case the store manager made a mistake.

Enjoy your gift card, Cliff!

RELATED
"Best Buy Ignores Internal Memo, Doesn't Honor $100 Gift Card Promo On Metal Gear Solid Bundle"

Hi Cliff, My name is Lisa Smith and I am responsible for Customer Care at Best Buy. I want to apologize to you for what happened in our Pasadena store on Thursday; I completely understand why that was a perplexing a frustrating situation. You had “done your homework” and chosen to give us your business and we disappointed you. I certainly appreciate the efforts you made and also appreciate you taking the time to let us know what happened. Someone from my team will be in touch with you on Monday in effort to make things right. Best Regards, Lisa Smith

Hey Cliff! Let us know what happens.

Update: Best Buy's VP of Executive Customer Care has emailed Cliff saying someone will follow up with him on Monday. What will happen? We hope Cliff lets us know...

Update 2: Best Buy has contacted Cliff! Find out what they said.

When he called customer service to complain, he was told that the bundle was pulled from the offer because Wal-Mart was out of stock, and they only match stocked merchandise. However, Cliff was 7th in line to buy the bundle the day it went on sale, and he was given the out-of-stock reason the next day by a distant CSR, not the store manager. The store manager never mentioned it as a reason to refuse the sale in the first place.

Here's Cliff's story. It's a long one, but we figured you'd want all the details unedited:

This is in regards to my recent experience at the Best Buy store in Pasadena, CA (Store 125).

On Thursday, June 12th, I went to the Best Buy in Pasadena, CA with the intent to purchase the Metal Gear Solid Playstation 3 Bundle and a 40" Samsung LCD TV. I arrived about an hour and 45 minutes before store opening and found myself 7th in line to purchase the Metal Gear Solid Playstation 3 Bundle.

At 10:00 am, a gentleman in a white button shirt, black slack, and walkie talkie came out and proceeded to give everyone in line instruction on how they would be handling the distribution of the Metal Gear Solid Playstation 3 Bundle. I was pleased to see that they were handing out numbered tickets and letting people in groups of 5 to enter, as not to create a rush for the systems.

Upon checkout I presented the Sales Associate with an ad I had found online from Wal-Mart. This ad (see attached) states that, "You'll get a $100 Wal-Mart Gift Card when you buy any Blu-ray player." From what I understand from websites such as slickdeals.net, Best Buy corporate had sent out a memo stating that they would honor the price match.

The Sales Associate reviewed the ad and stated that they could not price match the Playstation 3. I made mention of the corporate memo and asked for a supervisor. One was called over who also reviewed the ad, again she stated that they were not honoring the ad because it had expired. I explained to her that it was a new ad again made mention of the memo. She proceeded to radio her manager to find out details on it. It was at this point that I saw the gentleman who was handing out the numbered tickets responding to her questions. I now assumed him to be the store manager.

The store manager stated to me that they were not honoring the Wal-Mart ad. Once again I mentioned the memo, and he said to me, "You can buy any other Playstation and you can get the gift card, but not on that one." I pointed out that it was for any Blu-ray player and he just repeated himself. In frustration I gave up but went ahead and purchased it since I had already waited so long.

I decided to try Wal-Mart but unfortunately by the time I had gotten there they were already out of them. Despite all of this I returned to the Pasadena store and purchased a 40" Samsung LCD TV.

Imagine my frustration when I returned home to later find that people were successful in getting Best Buy to honor the price match, one that had already been authorized by corporate. I had just spent a total of $1,904.35 at a Best Buy store that denied me a price match that was authorized by corporate.

Today I called customer service to resolve the issue, but found that they were equally unhelpful. I first spoke to Cicero and was suddenly disconnected after explaining my situation. As a side note, I don't really understand what the purpose of asking for my phone number is if the CSR doesn't call back when you're cut off.

I called again and waited on hold to speak with Vanessa, who confirmed to me that corporate had issued a memo, but a possible reason I was denied was because Wal-Mart was sold out of the system. I later spoke to her supervisor, Daniel, who explained the same. His only reasoning was that Wal-Mart had sold out, however this was not the explaination I received from the Pasadena store manager.

I am extremely frustrated and disappointed with this whole situation. I chose to go to Best Buy over Wal-Mart and Circuit City because it my first choice when buying electronics. I expected Best Buy to honor the Wal-Mart ad as instructed by corporate, however I was first told that the Metal Gear Solid Playstation 3 was excluded from the offer. I was later told that it was because Wal-Mart had sold out, and it was against policy to price match unless it is in stock. This is the most frustrating part of it all because had the store manager explained that to me from the beginning I might have accepted it. They never offered to check the other stores stock, and when they did it was already a day later.

I find it unacceptable that Best Buy would send out a memo and allow a store and customer service to ignore it. The success people have had in price matching further adds to my frustration. While I do not have "Reward Zone Program Premier Silver" status, I wonder how you would feel had a "Premier Silver" member been treated this way.

It sounds like the Best Buy manager was protecting his numbers on the bundle, and that Best Buy is trying to close off the conversation by using the out-of-stock argument after the fact.

"Bought a PS3 from my local Best Buy yesterday. When I got it home I found out it was broken. On boot up it would say "Need to restore hard drive, press X to continue". Pressing X would cause it to say "Restoring..." then after a few seconds it would restart, and would come up to the same exact thing, and repeat.
So, I take in my broken PS3 to Best Buy today, to replace it of course, and they refused to because the serial number on the console is different from that of the box. They accuse me of trying to trade back a different PS3 than the one I bought (I guess there are idiots that do that), in order to get out of paying to have it replaced. This, of course, is total crap because I bought this EXACT PS3 the night before.

I'm pretty sure I've figured out what they are trying to do. See, before, people were getting away with trading in their, out of warranty, broken PS3's. This means that Best Buy had many PS3's that were broken, and had different serial numbers than the boxes they were in (Which, is only their fault because they didn't check the serials on return). Normally Best Buy would just send these PS3's back to Sony and get reimbursed. Problem is, Sony won't reimburse for PS3's with different serial numbers then the box. So, what is Best Buy to do with all these broken PS3's with different serial numbers than the boxes? Well, resell the PS3 to the customer, in order to make back their 400 dollars. Once that's done, the customer can't prove anything, and now has to go to Sony in order to get their problem solved. In the end, Best Buy gets their 400 dollars, and doesn't have to back up the product they sell, and the customer is stuck with the problem. I will be calling Sony to figure out what's up with these serial numbers, but I'm not going to let Best Buy get away with this. They are the ones at fault, and I'm going to get my PS3 from them."

Make sure to have all your receipts and relevant information at hand and then give them a call.

The more we see complaints like this, the more we realize that you absolutely must check your items while you're still inside Best Buy. They will literally sell you a box full of shower tiles instead of a hard drive and no amount of complaining and filing police reports and reporting them to your state's attorney general will make them realize that it's fraud. Way it goes.

I ordered a new 50 inch plasma tv on Sunday march 2nd from Newegg.com. We decided to get a PS3 to go with it so we could watch Blu-Ray movies. The PS3 was listed as SONY PlayStation 3 w/Spider Man 3 40 GB Black - Retail [link] [Ed. note: the current product listing does not mention Spiderman 3, but it may have been updated since this customer's order was placed.*]

I recieved the PS3 and TV on Wed March 5th. When I went through the package I noticed there was no Spiderman 3 Blu-Ray disk. I called NewEgg to see what they would do for me.

The lady their said it should have been in the box, and stressed that they do not OPEN that packages. I stated that in addition to their being no movie in the box, the box I recieved was also different than the one advertised on thir site. The box on the website shows a Spiderman 3 Blu-Ray disk on the box, and the one I recieved does not.

I have attached pictures of the 2 boxes.

What he ordered.

What he got.

She said that it is not her problem if Sony does not include the movie anymore. I responded that I did not order a PS3 from Sony I ordered one from NEWEGG.COM and that NEWEGG says i'm getting Spiderman 3. Also, as the box I recieved is different from the box pictured, they should have known that the movie was not included, and not advertised it as such.

She ended with, "Not our problem, call SONY" I ended with "I will call Sony, but it is not thier job to resolve this, and if they do not, I will be calling back and you WILL be making this right!" (At this point I have not yet booted the PS3 and was not 100% certain that the movie was not on the pack-in disk of trailers and such)

I called Sony, and after a 10 minute hold I got a nice guy who listened to the compliant and said "No Problem, I can resolve this for you" So I had to fax Sony my reciept, name, address..... and an Authorization # he gave me, and they said they would mail the movie within 2 days of recieving the info.

I do not believe Newegg.com will be changing their listing to reflect that Spiderman 3 is no longer included (in their inventory anyways), they will just wait for people to call, then say screw you. [Ed. note: well, actually it looks like they already have—see link above.*]

I called Newegg back to let them know that even though they screwed me over, Sony has stepped in to make it right, and that they are false advertising their PS3 w/ Spiderman 3 and that I was letting the Consumerist.com know about it. Her response was to tell me that they could only talk to the account holder (My wife) and goodbye. Funny they didn't mention having to talk to her last time I called, and before there were complain notes in my case.

*Note: Since I began writing this post around 7pm EST, the link referenced above has stopped working. Before 7pm it led to a product page for an ordinary 40 gb PS3 with no mention of Spiderman 3. It now returns the following message: "We apologize for the inconvenience, but the item you are looking for has been deactivated."

(Thanks to Terry!)

The reader, Gizmo Sprocket (we'll call him GS), noticed the price difference on the PS3 bundle.

The implication is that Toys R Us is discounting the console further from the list price, but GS knew that the list price is now $499 no matter where you buy the console—hence, this was no discount at all. He decided to ask Toys R Us what was going on:

There was no option for simple pre-order questions or to report problems with the website.... So I navigate phone-tree hell and finally get somebody on the phone. They insisted that the list price was $599. I explained that the initial launch PS3 bundles were indeed listed at this price, but the item they mentioned was not $599. There was some discussion surrounding that the launch PS3 was an entirely different model and SKU- including a 60gb model (not 80) and didn't include Motorstorm as indicated in this online listing. In fact, this sku was always $499. [see image at left. -Consumerist] They went to the Sony store online and told me they searched on SonyStyle for "PS3" and again insisted that the list price was $599. I repeated the search on my end of the phone call and saw what they saw.

They then conceded there was a problem (finally) and said it would be looked into. I asked if they would honor selling me this PS3 for $100 off the list price as Toys R Us Dot Com showed they were selling it (the list price actually being $499 not $599 as listed) and they said they would not.

I am not sure this is illegal or unethical- as a consumer I was prepared to buy it for $399 if they would honor that price. I am still prepared to buy the 80gb motorstorm bundle for $399 if they would honor that price, but that is besides the point.

So- it is definitely illegal to indicate an inflated list-price in NY State and probably other areas. As I live in NY State and this product would be shipped to NY State. Toys R Us Dot Com markets in NY State and it would seem that this consumer protection applies. This could be an innocent mistake, but part of me thinks it would be reasonable for them to honor their posted discounted price in either proportion ($100 off of $599 is a discount of 16.66667 percent) or as a drop of $100 off off the $499 actual list. Either way I'd buy it..

What are your thoughts?

I check Techbargains.com occasionally. At lunch i noticed a clearance sale over at Toys R Us dot com. I wondered if the list price issue was fixed on the PS3 so I clicked through techbargains and then clicked for items over $100 and found the 30gb Zune listed.. the list price is noted as $249.99 and then, below it- Our price: 199.99... I just checked on http://www.zune.net/en-us/products/compare.htm and found the 30gb is listed at $199.00. The price was dropped when the new Zune models were announced. Now what is really troubling is that this page is supposed to show things on a clearance sale! It says so at the top of the page.
 

As to the legality of it (we're getting there, we just had to get through a lot of backstory first), here's the actual law in New York City:

Rules of the City of New York -
Title 6
Department of Consumer Affairs

§5-91 Reductions Based on Advertiser's Own Price; "Formerly," "Regularly," "Reduced," "Percent Off," "Save," and Similar Terms.

(a) Immediately preceding price. If an advertiser uses the words:

          "percent off"
          "formerly .., now ..."
          "reduced"
          "reduced to"
          "regularly..., now ..."
          "now only"
          "save $ ..."
          "was ..., now ...,
          "item now $ ..."

or any similar term implying a reduction from a prior price charged by the advertiser, the price to which the reduced offering price is being compared must be the advertiser's bona fide selling price for that item or service unless the advertiser clearly discloses another basis of comparison or qualification.

(b) Intermediate reductions. If the term "originally," or any similar term, is used in any advertisement, the price stated as the "original" price must be the advertiser's bona fide selling price for the same article or service prior to intermediate reductions, and the price immediately prior to the current reduction must be disclosed, unless intermediate reductions are clearly indicated by the language used.

Example: "Originally $75; then $68; now $65"; "Earlier this year $75; now $65"; "Further reduced to $50."

(c) Comparison not recent. If a claim is based on a past bona fide selling price of the advertiser prior to the recent, regular course of business, the advertiser must clearly disclose that fact.
Example: "Last year $40, now $20."

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"You Can't Discount The Past, Apple"
(Photo: Getty)

I bought a Playstation 3 last November, wooed by the thought of 5 free Blu Ray movies. However, last night when I went to fill out the rebate form, I found my wife had thrown away the sales receipt! Doh! I purchased this from Shop Ko using a credit card, but Shop Ko has told me they cannot look up or reprint my receipt.

Despite having this in my house, along with the Blu Ray remote, I am getting a new entertainment center installed and so my PS3 is brand new, unopened, in box (as is its remote).

I was wondering if you or your readers had suggestions as to what I can do to obtain this rebate. I've thought about returning the unopened PS3 to a store for credit and then using the credit for a PS3 to get a receipt, but I wasn't sure if any of you had a better suggestion.

We know that some of you are all about the rebates. Any ideas?

(Photo:physis3141)

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.

Ben writes:

I am going through a terrible experience with game stop. After finally deciding to make the leap and purchase a PS3 I went to my local game stop in Queens, NY. After purchasing the 80 GB I drove home and eagerly took it out of the box. Much to my dismay I found the video and audio signal weren't working properly. I called the store and they said bring it back in. I went back to the store(less than an hour later) and they told me that they could not help me because the serial number on the box didn't match the one on the machine. Employee scam? WTF? So the say sorry, sorry, blah, blah, we are going to investigate this and review the cameras. Whatever. Who checks the serial number before they leave the store? Well apparently we all should. Now it's been over two weeks and I still have no answer from game stop or the manager...

Wow. I am screwed. So, the main customer service for gamestop has now told me that the district manager made his decision (unbeknownst to me) and they have to stand by his decision. This is to not help me in any way, shape, or form. So I figured good old Sony would help me, right? Well they also refuse to help me. Not only will they not exchange my machine, they refuse to even take it for repair because my serial # from the receipt doesn't match. I really don't care what my serial # is, I just want a PS3 that works properly for the 500 I spent. Any suggestions?

Ben

Does anyone else have any suggestions for Ben?

(Photo:Marike79)

"Dang, those elves jacked my Playstation."

His parents, however, are pissed. They paid $500 for a phone book. Brandon's mom says that she'll try to return the phone book to EB Games, but is fairly certain that they "won't believe her."

Brandon's mom, if you're out there, don't bother trying to return the console to the employees who stole it in the first place. You're the victim of fraud and you should do a chargeback. Your credit card company has fraud protection. Use it!

Teen Opens PlayStation 3 Box, Finds Phone Book Inside! [MyFoxDC] (Thanks, Fred!)

I started this side business with the release of the PS3. Months prior to launched to fund my purchase of one by buying five and reselling on Craiglist. I made the purchase on a credit card, in full, nearly 4 months before launch at a smaller electronics store in the Chicago suburbs...

I picked them up day of and listed them. By the end of the auctions I had made nearly 1000 dollar in excess of my own PS3 purchase. I ended up listing my own machine as well, as the demand was insane. All told, I cleared nearly 2000 dollars in profit. I still haven't bought a PS3 actually.

I received death threats, e-mails from people saying I was "a monster" and someone claiming I was "selling her child's Christmas away!" Someone even went so far as to contact Ebay and claim I was selling porn. People were livid at the profit being made.

The Iphone launch was even more insane. I saw people listing them on Craigslist just hours after launch for 800/900 bucks. So I went to the apple store in downtown chicago and bought 2, my girlfriend bought one as well. There was no line, it was the 30th of june, less than 24 hours after launch. I sold all three on Craigslist that night for 200 bucks over cost.

The Wiis have been a steady stream of income. I'm a casual video game player but I got to know the guy who runs my local Gamestop. He told me when they get their deliveries and said Wii's were first come, first serve. Since the summer I've bought 10 of them and sold them for an average of 150 bucks over cost.

The Wiis are the where I feel some degree of guilt. After a year they're still ridiculously rare. I'd really advise people to get to know their game-sellers. Think of what the average gamestore employee gets treated like by hyper kids, angry parents and surly trade-in people. Treat them as people, give them some empathy and chat them up a bit and they'll happily get you in the know. They're not breaking any laws or company policy, just helping out a 'valued customer'.

The managers are the best to get to know. Their turnover is usually quote low. They usually work on new release days, especially for big games. Coming in when the store is slow (before school lets out) is a good time.

Avoid big box stores. Total waste of time. Their turnover rate of employees are ridiculous. No chance to build up a relationship. These stores also keep a very watchful eye on employees, so a lot of them might be nervous about anything that might get them in trouble. Even the "appearance of impropriety" can be enough.

Should you buy from me or other resellers? First and foremost, if you're buying something for more than retail, you're paying what I like to call "FIRSTIES!" tax. You want to be the first guy at the office to have an Iphone? Or have the first PS3 video on youtube? What is it worth to you? I sold two iphones to one guy who simply wanted to show it off to his fellow lawyers at court. One of the PS3 fans who bought from me wrote me a page long message of thanks. He'd just paid nearly a grand for a 600 game console and he could not stop thanking me.

I've had people in my life question the morality of what I've done. One friend stopped talking to me altogether, saying that the money I'd made selling Wiis was "like taking candy from kids". To me, that's nonsense.

I've never bribed anyone, lied to anybody or stalked any stores. I'd never camp out, never grabbed something from a kid or fought shoppers. Actually, I hate shopping, I do most of my buying online and deal hunt, comparison shop and consult sites like consumerist.

Look, if you really want an item, wait for it to be plentiful. The rush on stores, the camping the fighting? That's a mug's game. The people who I've sold things to...frankly...I don't think they're very bright. They've certainly helped me (paid off most of my car, rent for a couple months, some nice dinners with friends, plenty of books) but I think they were ultimately being led on by media hype and greed frenzy. Paying twice the price for something you can usually wait a while and get on sale? Not worth it.

-Garrett (a reseller)

(Photo:renaissancechambara)

PREVIOUSLY: Is This Playstation 3 Too Dusty To Be Repaired Under Warranty?

Thank you for contacting us regarding our Warranty policy as it pertains to the condition of your PLAYSTATION 3 console.

After consultation with legal counsel, SCEA has determined that the photographs of your console as returned to our service center are neither confidential nor private. Consequently, we may lawfully release these photographs to you. Because the photographs are not confidential, we may also release them to media who inquire about your recent internet postings concerning the console.

Regards,

Cindie Smith
Sr. Manager Technical Support, eService & Security
Sony Computer Entertainment America
Consumer Services Department

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

PREVIOUSLY: Sony CSR: What? No! Dust Doesn't Void Your PS3 Warranty!
Dust Voids PS3 Warranty

Ive: I'm calling just to pretty much clarify the PS3's warranty, if there's any clause in the warranty that makes it so that if the PS3 is too dusty that the warranty is void.

CSR: No.

Ive: No?

CSR: No. The only way that it, um, voided is if it was neglected, um, abused, dropped or anything like, modificated like if you opened it up, modification, if you didn't have your receipt, um, any power failures like mother nature or anything like that then that actually does void the warranty. Other than that any defective PS3s or anything like that is still, um, still under the warranty.

Notice how Ive uses Ron Burley's trick to stay out of trouble for recording the call. If Sony wants this to end well, they should reach out to Ive, apologize, and offer to repair his dusty PS3 for free.

PREVIOUSLY: Dust Voids PS3 Warranty
(Photo: lunarworks)

I have kept my 60gb PS3 in Its entertainment center since its purchase. It is known within the PS3 community that the thing is a HUGE dust magnet. I took good care of it, I have about 10 Blu-ray discs (did NOT come free with my PS3), 5 games, 5 controllers, 2 42" Bravia LCD's 1 50" Bravia 3lcd Rear projection TV, A Vaio desktop, Vaio laptop, I've even got a psp and location free TV. One day I turn it on and put in a disc and it doesn't show up, then it wont eject, finally I get it to eject and I try a blu-ray, nothing, CDs, nothing.

I call Customer support who originally tell me that they can do anything because I don't have the original sales receipt, (it was a GIFT!!!), I stayed on the phone for hours explaining to them that I don't have thee receipt as it was a gift from my parents. Finally I got a rep who said that it was strange that earlier reps hadn't let me go through with the exchange as if it was a gift it was policy not to require a receipt. He sent me a box, I boxed up my console and sent it in.

5 days later I have no updates on the PS3, I call in to check on it, The first rep I speak to says that it was received without a receipt, and was delayed but he was going to note that it was a gift and get the replacement sent out to me.

6 hours later I get a call from Neil saying that unfortunately they have opened the case and taken pictures of the inside and outside of the case and that it was too dirty to be eligible for replacement. I paused for a good 8 seconds, because my PS3 had not moved from the entertainment center that it sat in more than 8 months I had wiped it off before sending it out, THE WHOLE POINT of the PS3 Is that it is part of your entertainment center! I Told him that was crazy and that it was a known problem that the PS3 collected mass loads of dust. That their product hasn't even been out for 1 year and he's telling me I'm out of warranty because there is too much dust in it!? I told him that someone needed to double check because I really took care of my PS3 and there was no way it was so dirty that they wouldn't replace it. He said he would and he would find out about getting pictures.

The next day I got a call from the same guy, Saying he couldn't get pictures, and there was no way they could replace the console unless I paid 150$ out-of-warranty replacement fee. I dais I needed to speak to his supervisor and it took him a while but he eventually transferred me to yet another person who just told me from the pictures they saw of the outside of the PS3, the memory ports and the USB ports, that there was dust inside of these ports, and that there was no way they would replace such a dusty console.

I then asked for HER supervisor, who was a very rude woman named Daria Woo Ext # 55682. She basically told me if I wanted the pictures of the PS3 That they were property of SCEA, And that I would have to SUBPOENA the pictures! I told her that this was ridiculous! That in order to take the same pictures that they did I would have to open my case, and void my warranty! I asked her if I could record what she was saying and she immediately snapped a NO, And asked for what purpose, I told her it was so I could educate the entire world on the ethics of the PS3 repair center. She told me my only options were to have the PS3 sent back, pay 150$ for a replacement, or leave it there for 10 days until it gets sent back. I told her to leave it because I was going to write a few emails so that this situation could actually get resolved. She told me any email I wrote or number I called would get me transferred to her department and that she would not help. I asked her exactly what part of the warranty stated that if a unit is too dusty it cannot be replaced.

She told me that it was under "acts of god, customer abuse" section when I had clearly told her that it sat in my entertainment center acting as a blu-ray playing, folding@home computing, media center and that obviously the amount of dust inside the console is caused by a design flaw and not my quite dust-less room.

I don't get it! Sony is including Folding@home with their consoles, The auto-start feature makes it so its running almost all the time, OF COURSE ITS GOING TO BE FILLED WITH DUST! A few reps said that the reason they couldn't replace it was because it looked as if it had about 2 years worth of dust in it rather than 8 months..... The console hasn't even been out a year so obviously that is less than a years worth of dust.

I love the PS3, I'm a Sony fanboy, I have a copy of Heavenly Sword Un-Played because I'm waiting for the replacement to come back, For them to say they wont replace it because it is such a damn dust magnet is absolutely ridiculous. IM NOT paying 150$ for someone to use an air compressor to dust off my PS3 re-test it and send it back. MAYBE Sony should let their customers know that excessive dust voids the warranty, so that people can start selling air filter set's for it, and air-sealed boxes for the PS3 to sit in.

(Photo: lunarworks)

From Ars Technica:

It's apparent from the study's results that one thing interests the majority of consumers: games. The dueling next-generation HD disc formats, the ability to download content, and even high-definition graphics don't seem to matter to the majority of the game-buying public; if these figures are reflective of the wider market, all those features are being roundly ignored by most gamers.

Ars speculates that your disinterest in these features is one reason the Wii has been so successful. You just like to play games. What's wrong with that?

Report: Gamers largely clueless about next-gen console media capabilities [Ars Technica]
(Photo:everyone's idle)

From the Globe and Mail:

On Nov. 16, a day before the system's launch, Mr. O'Brien left his construction job and began driving on Highway 401 toward Toronto. His plan was simple: pick up one or two PlayStation 3 systems, advertise them online and sit back as the sure-to-be hot — and scarce — commodity gathered steam in the chug toward Christmas.

Instead, the first-time scalper learned an expensive lesson about consumer demand and when to take a profit. Now that the dust has temporarily settled in the busy gaming marketplace, another lesson is coming into focus: Mr. O'Brien might have backed the wrong box.

"I just kept thinking, 'keep it until Christmas,' " he said. "And that was a mistake. A huge mistake." Now the boxes are sitting in his closet. He's looking at selling them on craigslist for a loss. —MEGHANN MARCO

How a PlayStation speculator misread the market and lost [Globe and Mail]

Report: 'Supply Glut' for PS3? [Game Daily]

We just don't know. What we do know is that someone trying to sell their PS3 for $1250.00 mislisted it/ended the auction early/somehow fucked it up and quickly found a bidder at $9.99. —MEGHANN MARCO (Thanks, Ian!)

UPDATE: Chemman says:

Related: The $99,999,999.00 PS3

Taco Bell will donate the game machine to the Stanton Teen Center of the Boys & Girls Club.

"Interested PlayStation 3 owners should send their name, email and phone number to tacobellnews@tacobell.com. The first person to respond, based on the time the email is received, and then send their PlayStation 3 will be awarded the Taco Bell Bucks. Offer expires December 1, 2006 at 6:00 p.m. PST."

Mmm. Tacos. Could this somehow be the work of Warren Widicus?—MEGHANN MARCO(Thanks, AcilletaM!)

Taco Bell Offers Lifetime Tacos for Playstation 3 [Junk Food Blog]
Press Release Source: Taco Bell Corp.Taco Bell(R) Offers Tacos for Life for PlayStation 3 [Yahoo]

"I showed up at the CompUSA store promptly as the store opened on Friday, November 17, 2006 as the store opened and request to pick up both my LCD TV and my PS3. The store personnel told me that PS3's were IN stock, but my TV was not yet in. So I requested to pick up the PS3."

"that they can't give me a PS3 AND that my LCD TV wasn't going to come in for another week at least... he thinks..."

Now Mary would like to know what to do. We say cancel the pre-order call your Better Business Bureau, and next time...listen to the Consumerist. —MEGHANN MARCO

The rest of Mary's email inside.

Mary writes:

"To whom it may concern,

As per CompUSA's ad, I purchased a Sony 40" LCD TV for nearly $2000 the weekend the ad was effective. I also reserved the PS3 with my LCD TV purchase. The store personnel told me #1, the TV that was in the ad wasn't available so I had to buy a higher model and #2, it would be available in 3 days.

I showed up at the CompUSA store promptly as the store opened on Friday, November 17, 2006 as the store openedand request to pick up both my LCD TV and my PS3. The store personnel told me that PS3's were IN stock, but my TV was not yet in. So I requested to pick up the PS3. They told me that I couldn't pick up the TV because it was first come, first serve basis. Given that I was one of the first to have met their pre-qualifications (e.g.bought the HIGHER MODEL TV) and requested the PS3 which they told me was in stock, I was still denied the PS3. The store personnel told me that there was a priority list but they couldn't tell me if I was on the list. This is despite the fact that a PS3 was confirmed to be in stock. THey also told me not to worry because at least my TV was going to arrive on November 18, 2006. They then told me I would have to wait for 2 hours for the store manager to return. I obviously left.

I receive a call later in the day from their store manager who then tells me that they can't give me a PS3 AND that my LCD TV wasn't going to come in for another week at least... he thinks...

Any opinions on what I can do would be greatly appreciated..."

Check out the auction and see for yourself.

Greed and ignorance had buttsex and out popped buyer 912663XXXX. — BEN POPKEN

(Thanks to Ian!)

Smart retailers handed out vouchers for those line. Smart consumers stayed home. — BEN POPKEN

• Wisconsin: Teenager faceplants into flagpole while rushing for consoles (with video).
• Connecticut: Thugs rob people in Playstation 3 waiting line, shoot 1.
• Kentucky: Drive-by BB gun shooting.
• Oregon: Target line-waiters mugged.
• A volunteer for Senator John Edwards tried to have Walmart "help" the volunteer get a PS3. Walmart said in a statement, ""While the rest of America's working families are waiting patiently in line, Senator Edwards wants to cut to the front." This is days after Edwards participated in a conference with Walmart chastising the retailer for its labor policies...

The things we do for your enjoyment. The late hours. The constant 'freshing. The taking of screen caps...Enjoy. —MEGHANN MARCO

Related:
PS3 Sales Erupt In Violence, Political Disgrace
PS3: Faces of Opportunism
Gamestop Oversells PS3 Pre-Orders
CompUSA's Shady PS3 Ad

Here's a lovely collage of the first people to try to sell a PS3 (for thousands of dollars more than it's worth) on eBay last night. Aren't they adorable?

PS3: the product everyone wants... to sell on eBay.—MEGHANN MARCO

"Last month, retailer GameStop began accepting "limited" preorders for the PlayStation 3, asking customers to put down $100 in advance for the system, with a modest expectation of eight units per store in most cases. Now it appears the largest gaming specialty chain in North America won't be receiving even that many systems."

Whoops! Pre-orders will be filled in the order they were received. Of course, GameStop is going to give those they left out in the cold something for their trouble, right? Yeah!

"GameStop will give those unfortunate customers (as well as unfortunate employees) a free used game or DVD valued at $19.99 or less when they eventually wind up purchasing the system."

A used game! For a new system!? Wow! That is stupid!— MEGHANN MARCO

It reads: "Reserve your Playstation 3 Friday November 17 when you buy any Sony HDTV 40" Footnote: Not responsible for manufacturer delays."

Our question: Why exactly do you need to buy a 40" Sony HDTV just to reserve a PS3? CompUSA should know that they will not be receiving an ample supply of PS3s; are they trying to trick consumers into purchasing an expensive television in the hopes that it will get them a PS3 sooner? — MEGHANN MARCO

CompUSA's Shady Ad [CompUSA]

Here's the response customers got from BestBuy.com:

Thank you for your recent visit to BestBuy.com. Unfortunately, your pre-order for the PlayStation 3 gaming system will be cancelled. Our system was not intended to take pre-orders on the PlayStation 3 gaming system. BestBuy.com will not be taking pre-orders for this item. Your pre-order will be cancelled and you will not be charged.

Via [IGN.com]