Gaming Support

[Shintaru]

So, I pre-ordered Crackdown 2 from BB.com a while back, and was looking forward to this week since the game's street date was Tuesday.

-Enter Epic Retailer Fail-

Around 10:30pm pacific Tuesday evening I get a lil email saying that my purchase is backordered, and it will be 1 - 2 weeks before my item is shipped. WTH? I pre-order a game and the retailer can't even get enough copies to cover that demand? Does that mean if I walk into a Best Buy brick and mortar that I won't see any copies of Crackdown 2 on the shelves? I'd be pretty surprised if that were the case!

This is why people pre-order via other stores like GS, WMart or Amzn. If I pre-order something, I expect it to be in my hands either on the street date, or shortly there-after because of shipping (though shipping could be done early so long as the shipper is told not to deliver before day 'x', really people... it's not that hard, and most retailers get new product about a week ahead of street date).

In a perfect world, I wouldn't be making this post. In a decent world I'd be getting free overnight shipping when the item is no longer 'backordered.' As is readily apparent, Best Buy's world is lower yet. 

Rule #1 of business: Take care of the customer, or someone else will. I may still use BB for my big box items, but I'll stick with a retailer that knows how to properly handle pre-ordering and street date issues for future purchases. 

Thanks for making me wait,

Shintaru.

Crackdown 2 - Xbox 360

Model: C3T-00001 | SKU: 9714043

SynopsisTen years ago, the genetically enhanced Agents eradicated the gangs populating Pacific City. But now new threats have emerged, and the Agents must put their abilities to the test once more. Get ready for an astonishing vertical-world adventure that will take you from the gritty streets to the soaring rooftops of Pacific City, where you have the ultimate power to act as judge, jury and executioner, restoring peace and justice by any means necessary. Crackdown 2 takes you back to the thrilling, open world of the original Crackdown for even more over-the-top action in the fully explorable Pacific City. Step into the shoes of a genetically enhanced Agent as you explore an expansive world filled with dizzying verticality. Leap across rooftops, hurl vehicles like toys and even blow up entire streets in your pursuit of justice at any cost. You can even take on the threats to the city in company with friends in jump-in/jump-out cooperative gameplay or share the excitement online in 16-player competition.

 5 Read reviews (3)

Sale: $59.99

[Stormsurge]

What makes this even worse is that it came out of backorder as soon as it went in.  I got the email saying it was backordered and called Best Buy a couple hours later to cancel the order and they said they couldn't because it had entered the shipping phase.  It seems like backorder is their way of spreading out the amount of time it takes them to process their pre-orders.  My order hasn't shipped yet even though it has been in the "shipping phase" for 36 hours now.  I can walk down to any Best Buy, Toys R Us, EBGames, etc and find tons of copies on the shelf, but I get penalized for pre-ordering the game from Best Buy online.  The only reason why I ordered it from Best Buy was because I had gift cards.  Otherwise I would definitely recommend pre-ordering from another store in the future.

[Shintaru]

I'm was in the same boat. Being a member of the RewardZone Gamerclub, I had a few gift cards I needed to use before they expired. It's pretty infuriating to be able to walk into the Best Buy down the street and see 10+ copies of this game on their shelf... and yet they can't take care of their online pre-orders in any sort of timely fashion. 

Lesson learned. Will certainly not be using Best Buy as a pre-order location in the future, which is too bad since the Fallout Vegas preorder pack looked interesting. Hope this helps save others' frustration as well.

[Shintaru]

Final update. 

Game has finally arrived. It came via US mail in a barely padded envelope that was forcibly shoved into my mailbox. Luckily the game wasn't damaged but the case was, though that would have given me a reason to go in and have a chat with my local store manager about the appalling service via the web.

Way to go, BestBuy. Even the free shipping from GS has a sturdy cardboard covering and gets delivered to my door... probably would've been a heck of a lot faster too. 

In the immortal words of Arneta, the mood setta... I quit dis bytch.

[Josh-BBY Retired: Community Connector]

Hey Guys,

I'm sorry you had such difficulties getting the game after release. We tried to ensure that we had enough stock for our customers who purchased after preorders were done but we did have to source more from the manufacturer.

I like the feedback about how the item was shipped. We can use your feedback to do our business better in the future for all of our Best Buy® gamers. Shintaru, I'd like to talk with you via private message. If you can use the link shaped like an envelope on my signature bar below and send me your BestBuy.com order number I would like to investigate your shipment further.

Thanks for your patience and for gaming with us. Game on!