What if you bought a new product only to discover that it had been previously used by someone else?
According to gaming blog Kotaku, repackaging used games as new games is far from an uncommon occurrence at GameStop, the world's largest video game retailer. If indeed true, the long-rumored practice could be considered deceptive marketing and deemed illegal by the FTC.
Gamestop
Kotaku asserts that the problem stems from GameStop's "check-out" policy. To prevent theft, store shelves are populated with empty game boxes. Store employees are allowed to then "check-out" the game discs for up to four days. Citing multiple sources within GameStop, Kotaku claims that often those used games are then mixed in with truly unplayed discs, resulting in consumers potentially paying premium prices for used games -- roughly a $5 difference.
When pressed by the site, GameStop's Chris Olivera, VP of Corporate Communications, offered a no-comment comment.
"We do not comment on corporate policies that are competitive in nature," he said. "As your questions relate to company training, operations and discounting practices, I would not be able to provide feedback."
Similarly, the FTC noted that as a rule, they couldn't confirm or deny whether or not an investigation was underway or pending.
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Posted: 10 Apr 2009
