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GameStop Ordered to Pay $15 to California Consumers in Class-Action Settlement
In California, gamers are rubbing their hands together in anticipation of receiving $15 in GameStop goodness after a lawsuit was settled in their favor. It seems as though consumers in California banded together to sue the retailer because they bought used video games that had been reduced by about five or ten bucks off of the new price with the understanding that they’d be able to have access to DLC that was advertised as “free.” Then, when they were hit up with fees to buy the DLC, the resultant costs often topped what they would’ve had to spend if they’d bought the games new.
According to a post on PC Mag, GameStop has settled with the petitioners, and will be giving $10 checks and $5 coupons to PowerUp Rewards members who had bought the games associated with the suit, while non-members who bought the games can receive checks for $5 and coupons for $10. The games in question aren’t mentioned in the post.
GameStop is also now required to post signs in its California stores for the next two years, as well as on its website, explaining that customers may have to pay extra for DLC that may be advertised on the box as free.
Said Mark Pifko, the lawyer on behalf of the plaintiffs:
“We are pleased that as a result of this lawsuit, we were able to obtain complete restitution for consumers, with actual money paid out to people who were harmed by GameStop’s conduct. The in-store and online warnings are an important benefit under the settlement as well, because if GameStop discloses the truth to consumers, it is unlikely that they will be able to continue selling used copies of certain games for only $5 less than the price of a new copy. In fact, we already know that not long after the lawsuit was filed, GameStop lowered prices for used copies of many of the game titles identified in the lawsuit.”
Chances are this will have a positive effect for used-gamers everywhere, not just in California. In order to mitigate the costs of buying formerly free DLC for used games, the store will likely drop the prices of used games more than they have in order to make used games an actual money-saving prospect.
So let’s all thank overly litigious California. Thanks, California! And thanks, overzealous lawyers!
Via PC Mag
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Are you copying me?
MAYBE
now I wonder when we will get to sue bioware for false advertising you know because we loved not having an ABC ending and all…… and legally we have a case………..oh wait thats right EA removed our right to Due process. the gamers should be proud of this small victory its only a matter of time before all companies put in writing that you cannot sue them no matter what, you must go through arbitration.
its in EA’s terms of Services and in sonys as well.
when i saw the headline thought $15 was a typo. but holy shit thats alot of money
That’s retarded, of course you wouldn’t be able to access the DLC if it’s second hand, those retards had no case what so ever, if that happened in England, no-one would have been retarded enough to even take the case.
At first I read as 15 million :[
… so people sued because they didn’t get any free DLC with a used copy of the game they bought… who was dumb enough to think that there would still be a free DLC code or whatever with a old used game? I understand it was frustrating when after you bought it, the price was more than the game new, but if you were going to buy the DLC anyway, you should have realized there would be no code or anything with a USED copy of the game and bought the game new.
All this is, is people being stupid, then having to pay more because the companies realize their stupidity and exploit them. It is no crime to exploit the stupid, its called America. ZING!
But in all seriousness, this is a joke. (and yes that is an oxymoron)
Anything that hurts Gamestop I’m on board with.
not everyone is game savy , and game stop fails to educate customers on the whole new vs used issue . i once had to butt in to tell a customer that buying a used copy of homefront will not give you full access to the muiltplayer part of the game. hell GS werent even going to try to sell them the pass to unlock the full multiplayer .,
that to me is bad customer relations.
The games in the UK have a sticker saying to check with staff about the DLC and the staff are usually pretty helpful on saying whether its been used or not
I am almost 100% certain it was on the BF3 used. We sell them for 55$ and it doesn’t come with an online pass, which will shoot it over the cost of the new game. Its cheaper NOW but back when it was new we were basically robbing people. (Gamestop Employee) Though I guarantee it was entirely unintentional. All big releases remain just 5 dollars cheaper (+10% off if you have the card) for several months after release.