feauturing article

Circuit City: Super Paper Mario Scam

by CodeMonkey| Published: Thursday, April 12 @ 10:58:36 EDT
You ever hit yourself for not reading the "fine print"? You get a $20.00 gift card if you buy try to buy Super Paper Mario on opening day and they're sold out...

Well, okay, if they are sold out because they never received shipment. Huh? How can you be out of stock if you never received stock? Well, the guy that wrote into Kotaku can explain his experience...

"I get to Circuit City and stand in the customer service line. I see they'd erected a little sign reading Super Paper Mario sold out. I'm bummed that they don't have it but I think at least I can get a $20 giftcard so I can get the game later at a discounted price.... I ask him about the offer in the weekly ad. He says I don't get a giftcard because they did have the game in stock-earlier... He said I would have only gotten the giftcard if their supply never came. SHADY!!"

If they never received a shipment you can get USD $20.00 in a gift card, but what store would fail to receive shipment? Unless UPS or other carriers screw up, the game is scheduled to arrive on opening day. By this rule, had they received one copy and sold it then they don't have to pay out any gift cards.

Shady? Circuit City is doing anything they can to try to keep up with the competition (i.e. Best Buy) and their ability to draw in customers like ants to an ant farm (or poisonous trap?)

source: kotaku.com

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Reader Comments

Crooks (Score: 1)
Posted By Fiery on Thursday, April 12 @ 11:17:11 EDT
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Im tired of these retailers trying to pull off this crap!You should report them to the better business bureau,


Or to the Attorney General's Office... (Score: 1)
Posted By Graven on Thursday, April 12 @ 12:41:59 EDT
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I'd suggest making any such reports to your state's Attorney General's Office. They hold a lot more direct legal sway that the Better Business Bureau does. There's no reason not to report them to both agencies, but If I had to pick one it would be the Attorney General.

From what I understand, the BBB uses less direct methods of pressure than the Attorney General's Office does. Many stores wouldn't care about a poor BBB rating if they could make more money by keeping the practice in question, but government litigation scares the crap out of (most) corporations.






Different Wording (Score: 1)
Posted By TANK on Thursday, April 12 @ 11:39:28 EDT
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here in Cali i believe the AD said something like Guranteed to be instock by noon or you get a $20 gift card. Something like that.



The wording is important (Score: 1)
Posted By codemonkey on Thursday, April 12 @ 11:42:07 EDT
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It seems people are taking the meaning or making up their own opinions of the wording.

Anyone have the ad we can quote directly from? I'd love to see a) if they're different in different areas and b) HOW it is worded.

I believe it's crafty, but worded "correctly" in most cases (but you may take it to mean something different)

CodeMonkey




CC AD Link (Score: 1)
Posted By TANK on Thursday, April 12 @ 12:16:50 EDT
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If you can pull this up, this is the ad for my area. Put your mouse over the bottom left corner. It says Guranteed In-Store 2pm or get a $20 Gift card.
http://circuitcity.shoplocal.com/circuitcity/Default.aspx?action=browsepagesingle&storeid=2397434&rapid=383828&pagenumber=21





Ah yes (Score: 1)
Posted By codemonkey on Thursday, April 12 @ 13:47:19 EDT
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There you go "in store***" by 2pm :) Fine print plus the keywords "in store" which isn't the same as "in stock" - however if I read it I'd think it was "in stock" by that terminology.

CodeMonkey





Not too shady (Score: 1)
Posted By KingDrewsky on Thursday, April 12 @ 11:42:52 EDT
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They ran a promotion for GHII last week where you would receive 1600 points for buying the game from them and for Crackdown they gave away a free faceplate. I was able to take advantage of both offers. If they sold out their stock, they sold out. Tough luck, man.


But you're buying the game (Score: 1)
Posted By codemonkey on Thursday, April 12 @ 11:52:49 EDT
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It's hard to get that message wrong. Buy game, get 1600 points card.

Then there is "in stock" and "in store." The wording is crafty enough to avoid them getting in any trouble but customers can easily read "in store" as being "in stock" and get excited fast.

The end result, you take your time to arrive at the store, knowing you'll get one (or else you'll get a card) to come up dry.





Untitled (Score: 1)
Posted By Caesar on Thursday, April 12 @ 11:53:08 EDT
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unreal , if its out its out. you should get the 20 dollar card
id say thats false advertising


Not if its written well (Score: 1)
Posted By codemonkey on Thursday, April 12 @ 12:02:40 EDT
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In-Stock and In-Store apparently mean two separate things... it's only false advertising if they say "in stock" and it's not in stock.

Crafty wording gets you clear from lawsuits :)





Goin Down (Score: 1)
Posted By Jmarps on Thursday, April 12 @ 12:29:42 EDT
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This company is going down faster than a $3 whore during fleet week. They just closed a bunch of stores and now they are laying off their high priced(translation = best) employees as they are losing their battle against BB.


You are so right (Score: 1)
Posted By Nomad on Thursday, April 12 @ 17:56:09 EDT
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I was one of their better employees for 6 years and when I started making a little too much my partner and I (we were the delivery team) were framed for something and fired. Hell he was there 10 years, I hope that dam company goes up in flames, I don't want anyone hurt (well, maybe one asshat manager) but I hope so much they go down down down....





As Admiral Akbar would say and I quote: (Score: 1)
Posted By JollyRoger on Thursday, April 12 @ 14:15:00 EDT
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"IT'S TRAP!!!"



Circuit City sucks!! (Score: 1)
Posted By Duderlock on Thursday, April 12 @ 14:54:33 EDT
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Read article for more Circuit City suckery

click here


Untitled (Score: 1)
Posted By Tru4life on Friday, April 13 @ 00:22:16 EDT
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I see walmart doing the same thing pretty soon.




Untitled (Score: 1)
Posted By onewang on Tuesday, April 17 @ 02:21:49 EDT
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Same here... you already have to scan your own stuff, soon we'll be stocking shelves when we go to buy dog food.





Better blame Microsoft for this (Score: 1)
Posted By Falelorn on Thursday, April 12 @ 15:05:32 EDT
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since they seemed to be blamed for everything even not related to them.. in the last week.



Don't worry (Score: 1)
Posted By deucedriver on Thursday, April 12 @ 16:57:02 EDT
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Circuit City probably won't be around much longer anyway.



--***By***---2pm. key word, no fine print (Score: 1)
Posted By lane32x on Friday, April 13 @ 00:03:25 EDT
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***BY*** 2 pm.
c'mon. how old are all of you? This is not fine print, or legal loopholes, it was a key word in the freaking ad! unless you are new to advertising, or just blindfolded, it is pretty hard to miss that word and what it means.
I figured this out the first time the link was posted on digg. If Circuit City said BY 2pm, it means that they will have it in BYYYYY that time.

If I'm meeting a friend for lunch and I say that i'll be there BY 11am or before, and I get there at 10:30, i was still there BY that time i said I would be...I was just dumb and decided to leave.

By the way, I never used to like Ccity that much until we got a good one in my town, and I realized that none of the Best Buy guys in my city seem to care about customers at all anymore. I may not agree with all things Circuit City, but I don't want just one major electronics store. Do you?


in-stock vs. in-store (Score: 1)
Posted By lane32x on Friday, April 13 @ 00:18:13 EDT
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Forgot to point out, this has very little to do with the phrases "in stock" vs. "in store"

If they had it in stock by 2 pm or before, they had it "in (the) store" by 2 pm or before.

The key word is BY (like I pointed out before).

If a store gets something in, they have it "in stock" ie. sellable.
They wouldn't have considered it 'in store' if some kid went across the street, bought a copy at Target, and brought it back to our store. CC had to actually get their copy in.

also, future timesaver: Most stores, when they make a guarantee like that...they get the stock in DAYS ahead, if not a week or two ahead of time and start saving the stock for the special release day so that kids and adults alike can be guaranteed their copy, when the release date finally arrives.






Opposite in my town (Score: 1)
Posted By deucedriver on Friday, April 13 @ 13:11:09 EDT
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My CC stinks, the Best Buy has great customer service. YMMV. I agree, at least two major electronics stores would be great. Unfortunately, if you have been reading the financial news, I don't think CC will be it. They are firing employees to cut costs (versus firing incompetents and keeping the capable). There are probably other areas that are really at fault here (store layout, selection, and customer service).

I tried to purchase a DVI-HDMI adapter for my PS3, only to have the salesman at CC tell me that not only didn't it exist, it was a physical impossibility for it to exist. I went to BB and apparently there was a major technological breakthrough during the five minute drive, because I had the adapter in my hand within minutes of walking into the store.

As far as this promo at CC goes - take a marketing class led by a good teacher. Your eyes will be opened.





BS (Score: 1)
Posted By junkerbie on Friday, April 13 @ 00:58:01 EDT
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Had the same experience but with their 24/24 promo. I ordered an item online and went to the store about an hour later to pick it up. There were about 2 people on the item pickup line so I was able to quickly get to them and sign the receipt. We were asked by the cashier to stand on the side while they get our order ready. We waited for over half an hour(even though there's no other person in line for pickup) and noticed their sign that guaranteed an item to be ready in 24 mins from when you ordered it to when you picked it up, or they're going to give you a $24 giftcard. I asked them about it and they told me upfront that I was not eligible because it doesn't include wait time in line! I replied that I already gave them my receipt and was just waiting for the item, but they just kept repeating the same BS. They told me that I could try calling the customer satisfaction line if I wanted which I did and explained to the CSR what happened. She told me that I should have called the store and asked them first if my order was ready before I went down there. If this was the case, then they could have just lied about my order being ready so they don't have to pony up the dough. I would have went down to the store, did the same thing, and still wouldn't have received any compensation cause it's store wait time. Nothing but bulls**t from this company!



Thoughts from a CC Employee (Score: 1)
Posted By Tsukisan on Friday, April 13 @ 01:08:06 EDT
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I have worked for a CircuitCity in Portland, OR for 3 1/2 years and I have seen some things that have made me question my job, but the way that we handle the $20 gift card is if for whatever reason we don't have the game in question at 2pm or anytime after on release day we will issue the gift card as compensation. However different ads are produced in each market and each store is responsable for how it handles the case. In regards to Nomad and how you got fired, I'm sorry, I've seen it happen at my location and it makes me question the company more than anything. It is a good company to work for in my opinion, but if I didn't have a Daughter and Wife that I was responsable for I would be looking for another job.



Are you kidding me? (Score: 1)
Posted By Kodos2u on Friday, April 13 @ 05:48:28 EDT
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All you tards sitting here bashing a company. You REALLY think they are the only ones that do this crap? All you people are trying to make it seem that way. And actually before you open your uninformed mouths, CC posted a bigger profit last year then BB. BB's geek squad spends more money on its people/upper managerment and was short -2 billion because of that.

I want me to be one of those people that sit on these sites all day with nothing but negative things to say, because it makes me feel good. Umm k. Im done.



Untitled (Score: 1)
Posted By chillerthanmost on Friday, April 13 @ 13:24:13 EDT
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Not too shady (Score: 1)
Posted By KingDrewsky on Thursday, April 12 @ 11:42:52 EDT
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They ran a promotion for GHII last week where you would receive 1600 points for buying the game from them and for Crackdown they gave away a free faceplate. I was able to take advantage of both offers. If they sold out their stock, they sold out. Tough luck, man.


it wasn't a scam it said garnted to be instores by 2 and to the 1600 points for the gh2 i actually ended up special ordering them for people that way they would get them so with stuff like that ask about special ordering it because you might get it.



Untitled (Score: 1)
Posted By lamezzz on Friday, April 13 @ 13:31:57 EDT
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I'm a cc employee as well and I work, usually in the games section. I read the official breifing we were given on the $20 giftcard promotion and it states that if we sell out of the game anyone asking for it still gets the giftcard. So, unfortunaly you had some lazy asshat that just didnt want to give you $20 out of someone else's pocket. I personally gave out 8 giftcards tuesday for the game.






Circuit City cuts emplyees (Score: 1)
Posted By thetitan on Friday, April 13 @ 15:25:55 EDT
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Here is another example of Circuit City demonstrating how much of a crap company it is:

Circuit City cuts 3400
It's war on top earners



bb sucks as well (Score: 1)
Posted By Kodos2u on Monday, April 16 @ 01:17:40 EDT
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http://www.bestbuysux.org/cust.html



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