Forget about those unreadable termsheets that come with your credit-card bills and warn you that your home is on the line if you miss a payment by 30 seconds. If you really want to experience the worst consequence of skipping the fine print in a customer agreement, head over to Gamestation.co.uk. The web retailer has an “Immortal Soul Clause” in its terms, and now owns the souls of over 7,500 customers.

As reported by bit-tech:

The “Immortal Soul Clause” was added as part of an attempt to highlight how few customers read the terms and conditions of an online sale. GameStation claims that 88 percent of customers did not read the clause, which gives legal ownership of the customer’s soul over to the UK-based games retailer.

The remaining 12 percent of customers however did notice the clause and clicked the relevant opt-out box, netting themselves a £5 GBP gift voucher in the process.

The clause, which only affected customers placing orders on April 1st, still appears in the site’s Terms & Conditions, apparently as a warning to those who skip the fine print:

By placing an order via this web site on the first day of the fourth month of the year 2010 Anno Domini, you agree to grant Us a non transferable option to claim, for now and for ever more, your immortal soul. Should We wish to exercise this option, you agree to surrender your immortal soul, and any claim you may have on it, within 5 (five) working days of receiving written notification from gamesation.co.uk or one of its duly authorised minions. We reserve the right to serve such notice in 6 (six) foot high letters of fire, however we can accept no liability for any loss or damage caused by such an act. If you a) do not believe you have an immortal soul, b) have already given it to another party, or c) do not wish to grant Us such a license, please click the link below to nullify this sub-clause and proceed with your transaction.

If you’ve inadvertently damned yourself, don’t worry. GameStation now says it has no plans to enforce the clause and will nullify it for all customers. Wish we could say the same about those credit card companies.

Terms and Conditions [Gamestation.co.uk]
GameStation: “We own your soul” [bit-tech.net via Slashdot]
Thanks, Dirk!

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.