The Decline of EB Games

When I first got into PC gaming over a decade ago, EB Games was _the_ place to buy games from. They often got them in a few days earlier, sold them for about $5.00 less, and you could trade in pre-played titles to get a further discount. In short, they were the ultimate video game store.

Now, a decade later, I must say EB Games has really declined compared to places like Future Shop and Best Buy. Why you ask? Well, due to industry standards, a lot of titles are only available on specific release days, meaning everyone gets them at the same time. I also find that their titles are priced higher than Best Buy. However, the main reason is continually crappy customer service.

Today, I went to EB Games looking to pick up Quake 4 (PC), and I was going to trade in two Xbox games to lower the cost (EB Games doesn't seem big on taking PC games for trade-in anymore, just consoles). When I got there, I noted they were selling Quake 4 (PC) for $5.00 more than Best Buy. I asked the sales clerk if they do price matching, and after hesitating, he said yes if I have a flier showing the reduced cost at the rival store. I asked if he had a net connection so we could check the price online, and he said no (Best Buy can do this). He told me he could call Best Buy and see if he could price match it that way.

We'll, he took 20 minutes to get through two other customers, then went to the back, presumably to check for Best Buy's number in the phone book, and literally came out 30 seconds later telling me he couldn't find it, and to use a phone book in the mall to provide him with the number.

Now, let me get this straight? After waiting over 20 minutes, you want me to run around the mall, find a phone number (and a pen to write it down, no less), so you can call Best Buy (which would have him on hold for a while), only to _see_ if he could do a price match? Yeah, right.

So I said, "Sure." and instead of going to find a phone book, I walked across the street to Best Buy and simply bought it there. Not only that, but I also found Half-Life 2 (Xbox) for only $19.99, cheaper than EB Games, which I picked up as a gift for a friend!

Seriously, this isn't the first customer service issue I've had with EB Games, as really the clerk didn't want to bother doing a price match, and why would I trade in two titles, which would get me between $5.00 to $10.00 off, which is something I'd save by going to Best Buy, thereby saving those two titles for trade in later!

Another gripe I have with EB Games is that most of their titles aren't factory sealed unless brand new (as in newly released), and if a product is returned shortly after purchase, they'll simply resell it as brand new for full price, even though you know someone else has already pawed all through it. Heck, I've even found pre-played games they were selling for higher than a new retail copy, which is also dumb.

So, like many other things from the mid to late '90's, EB Games' reign as the great game store has come to an end. If I can find a title there cheap, then I can trade a few things in to make it cheaper, otherwise, Best Buy and Future Shop tend to have better selection, costs, and service. Why would I even waste my time with a place like EB Games?