Super Mario Galaxy for the Wii this week and I'm enjoying it immensely. It's fun, the graphics are great and the gameplay keeps me coming back. What more could you ask for?
Unfortunately, my quest to actually purchase the game was not as enjoyable. Let's start with Amazon. I've previously read that Amazon has a problem with fulfilling pre-orders, but my personal experience with them has always been great so I thought I'd give it a try. On Saturday I pre-ordered Super Mario Galaxy. Their site listed it as in stock on November 12 (Monday), just in time for delivery on November 13 (Tuesday) with overnight shipping. It was all set to arrive on launch day and save me a trip to the store.
On Monday, I noticed that it was still expected to deliver by the 13th, but as of 5PM no shipping information had been posted. Wanting to speak to a real human being, I googled the Amazon 800 number. Amazon doesn't list the 800 on their actual website (that would be too easy), but plenty of blogs have it posted in case you need it (1-800-201-7575). So I called and the customer service rep that I spoke to assured me it was in stock and would ship that evening. The rep said she was told that shipping information can sometimes take a while to pop up on the site.
The next day (delivery day!), the Amazon site stated that I could no longer change/cancel the order due to it being in process. An hour later I check back only to find that they have changed my ship date to sometime between November 15-17! In addition, I could not change or cancel my order, despite the shipping of the item being delayed. Annoyed, I called the 800 number and cancelled my order (why couldn't I do that on the website?). In the end, it appears that Amazon does suck for pre-orders, but their 800 number (despite being completely wrong the first time I called) was at least quick and easy.
So here I am, half way through the day and without my game. I called up the local Gamestop and asked if they had it in stock. Instead of answering the question, they asked "do you have a reservation?". I was informed they had it in stock only for those that reserved. This sounded ridiculous...no copies for sale on the day a game comes out? Why even have a store then?
Having recently read about similar experiences, I decided to go down to the store to see if I'd get a different answer in person. When I arrived I asked if they had a copy I could buy and was again greeted with "do you have a reservation". My response was "do I need one?" and the guy behind the counter replied "sometimes". What the hell does that even mean? Anyway, he asks the manager if they should sell one and with approval he pulls a copy out of a drawer. They said some people don't pick up their pre-orders, so they'd sell me one of the extras.
Obviously I'm happy to have the game, but the whole Gamestop experience was really disappointing. What sort of crappy pre-order service do they run? I was there at 1PM and they were already selling another customer's paid for reservation? What a great service. Either they were lying about having extra stock or they're just dishonest in general. The real shame is that I've actually enjoyed my experience at this store before and the employees have generally been pleasant and helpful. But if this is how Gamestop runs their business, you can count me out.
On a happier note, time for more Super Mario Galaxy!
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