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SimplyGames: Your pre-ordered PS4 now costs at least £65 more

D

Dougald

Member
Pah, if this was done to me I'd cancel the order and close my account on principle, even if it lost me a launch day machine

Good to know SimplyGames treat their customers this way, will avoid them in future.
 
R

Ricerocket

Member
shinobi602 said:
SimplyGames issued a (lol)response:

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/simp...is-largely-a-retailer-lead-initiative/0122223
Click to expand...

“We value our consumers and offered the bundles precisely to give them choice and value. And the key word there is choice,” Sony UK told MCV. “We have not nor would we ever force people to buy one of these instead. Sony is not and would not force anyone to buy something they don't want.
Click to expand...

Well that was obvious to all but cyber.

Retailers always want to bundle software or accessories because consoles make no profit or sometimes are in the negative for console only sales. This type of shit is always retailer choice.
 
K

KoopaTheCasual

Junior Member
Look more closely at what customers are now being offered: look specifically at the dual charging cable, an unofficial, non-Sony item. It's a simple USB-to-two-mini-USBs lead that costs £14.85 if bought alone on SimplyGames. It is not the official DualShock 4 dual-charging cradle thing that costs £24.85.

Our tipster wrote: "This company are now trying to force bundles compiled by themselves onto customers who already pre-ordered the standalone console. Myself and others who had already ordered the standalone console at RRP of £349.99 are now being told we have to change to one of their own bundles."

SimplyGames has so far not responded to Eurogamer's request for comment.
Click to expand...

Wow. To think that people were holding Sony to blame for SimplyGames' backwards practices. This can't be legal, can it?
 
C

calder

Member
Yeah I'd be pretty furious if a retailer did this to me lol.

The thing that would make me most angry would probably be the line about increasing the number of consoles you ordered, and they would *all* be delivered on launch day guaranteed. So you're saying I can't get the console I ordered months ago, but I CAN pay more and get two or three shitty bundles? Fuck right off.
 
M

Mokubba

Member
Guerilla said:
Is PS4 demand so crazy that these assholes are already exploiting it? Holy crap, what will happen in November then?
Click to expand...

This is what I want to know as well.I know demand is high but I didn't hear about this for the previous hardware launches recently.

EDIT: Just read their statement. Sony should revoke their allocation.
 
ElRenoRaven

ElRenoRaven

Gold Member
Well at least they came clean. How screwed up though. If a retailer ever did that to me I'd cancel all my orders with them and they'd never get my business again.
 
cyberheater

cyberheater

PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 Xbone PS4 PS4
zomgbbqftw said:
Sony are prioritising GAME, HMV, Amazon, Tesco, Sainsbury's, The Hut Group and apparently John Lewis as I understand it. That's in the run up to Xmas at least, after that I am less certain. Between those retailers they command more than 80% of the games market. SG have probably sold consoles that they were never going to receive and now having got their hands on some bundle stock allocations they are scalping.
Click to expand...
I think Sony must have to deliver something nearer 2 million to reach global pre-order allocation. That's quite an amazing launch.

zomgbbqftw said:
In Sony's place I would revoke their allocation completely and put out a press release allowing people with a proof of purchase from them to order a PS4 from sony.co.uk for the base price.
Click to expand...

Yeah. I can understand that but Sony won't do that.

ITADAKIMASU said:
Well that was obvious to all but cyber.
Click to expand...

Yeah. I admit I'm wrong. So are SG forcing the bundles on folks or aren't they?
 
I

IvorB

Member
Guerilla said:
I wonder who the fuck will EVER preorder from these scammers ever again though.
Click to expand...

I have no idea why people would in the first place when one click at Amazon will get you this pre-ordered and they are never going to screw you around.
 
G

Guerilla

Member
Mokubba said:
This is what I want to know as well.I know demand is high but I didn't hear about this for the previous hardware launches recently.

EDIT: Just read their statement. Sony should revoke their allocation.
Click to expand...

They're digging their own grave, Sony doesn't need to do anything more imo.
 
C

Cthulhu_Steev

Member
cyberheater said:
No Sony's fault because Sony won't supply a console only SKU to the shop or did you not bother to read the OP.
Click to expand...

Hit by his own irony bomb. Poor cyberheater.

cyberheater said:
I still feel Sony are forcing non console only SKU's to the retailer.
Click to expand...

Poor cyberheater, still wobbly from the blast.

cyberheater said:
The unofficial charging cables is clearly scalping but I still think Sony has a part to play in this.
Click to expand...

Is there a doctor in the house?

cyberheater said:
Maybe you're right. I guess if Sony were forcing this on retailers. We'd hear about it from other stores. We'll know soon enough.
Click to expand...

Keep hoping, Obama.
 
K

KillerDark

Member
Pretty messed up for a retailer to do that. I expect scalping from people who buy the system just to sell it, but from a retailer..?
 
A

angrygnat

Member
Sounds like they offered some really low price to suck people in, then changed it hoping some of the people would hang in there. Best way to put the clamps on this is cancel your order, get a refund and get one when you can, even if that means not getting a PS4 at launch. Notice how they didn't tell people about this till way late? Now you have devout gamers and desperate parents with kids already promised a PS4 for Christmas. Quite underhanded.
 
N

nelsonroyale

Member
ITADAKIMASU said:
Sounds like they aren't changing anything since they said these "offers" have all sold through
Click to expand...

I don't think they have sold through, they are holding orders until the 17th October. Mind is still up and I haven't and won't upgrade. They probably sold through on all the stand alones and since all the stand alones become bundles they say they have sold through. I think they will sell through because people are probably desperate enough, but they will lose some of their current customers. Well, me at least....
 
M

MARNEY

Member
JackAubrey said:
I remember GAME doing this kind of thing at the launch of PS3. I had pre-ordered a console for work who had given me the money to purchase it.

I went to the midnight opening. It was at midnight all of us queuing were told we had to buy at least two games from the list handed to us if we wanted a PS3 that evening.

A really shitty way of doing business. I've tried to avoid giving them any money since, but the buggers are the only UK source of the Forza 5 Limited Edition, which is annoying.
Click to expand...
Similar thing happened to me around the time of the ps3 launch. I live near Montreal, on the day of the launch there wasn't much stock to go around & stores took to many pre orders. Once it was obvious I wouldn't be receiving my unit on launch day I went to toys-R-us & put my name down for the next wave of pre orders to arrive, 2 weeks later I get the call that my pre order was in store & I could drop by & pick it up immediately. However once at the store I was informed that I needed to add 2 games & an extra controller if I wanted to buy a system on that day. When all was said & done I spent close to a 1000$. Fun times.

I'd expect the same this time around too once the launch day dust settles, kinda surprised it hasn't started here yet.
 
B

Brera

Banned
This is nothing new. I would be surprised if towards xmas, you'll be able to walk into GAME and buy a solo unit. It'll have shitty bundles only.

Also, this was very common in the PS2 era as the consoles were in such high demand. I worked in Currys while at Uni and the amount of PS2 being sold was insane. Something like 10:2:1 to PS2, GC and then XBOX. All the PS2 were bundles...we didn't even know the SKU to sell a solo PS2 and if you somehow did....you'd get your ass kicked!
 
S

Starwolf_UK

Member
The whole GAME scapling crap can even happen at midnight launches. As in you've pre-ordered the base unit but they won't let you buy it until you add in some much overpriced launch games.

zomgbbqftw said:
In Sony's place I would revoke their allocation completely and put out a press release allowing people with a proof of purchase from them to order a PS4 from sony.co.uk for the base price.
Click to expand...
What kind of proof would this be? An e-mail confirmation of pre-order? What were to happen if I were to generate one of those myself. After being stabbed in the back it is not like Simply games would verify if it was true or not.
 
M

malboroking

Banned
Starwolf_UK said:
The whole GAME scapling crap can even happen at midnight launches. As in you've pre-ordered the base unit but they won't let you buy it until you add in some much overpriced launch games.


What kind of proof would this be? An e-mail confirmation of pre-order? What were to happen if I were to generate one of those myself. After being stabbed in the back it is not like Simply games would verify if it was true or not.
Click to expand...

Is this for real? Are consumer protection laws really so weak in the UK that they are able to do this? That sounds very much to me like false advertising, saying you can purchase just the console and then when you go to pick it up they won't give it to you unless you buy a game with it. I don't think that would fly even in America, and we have pretty much the worst consumer protection of all the first world nations I've ever been to.
 
D

Dougald

Member
malboroking said:
Is this for real? Are consumer protection laws really so weak in the UK that they are able to do this? That sounds very much to me like false advertising, saying you can purchase just the console and then when you go to pick it up they won't give it to you unless you buy a game with it. I don't think that would fly even in America, and we have pretty much the worst consumer protection of all the first world nations I've ever been to.
Click to expand...

I'm sure I remember stories about GAME doing this at the 360 launch, forcing 3 or even 4 titles to be purchased with each unit. I only remember because there were very few units of software shipped too, so people were being forced to buy multiple copies the same game with the launch unit.
 
D

"D"

I'm extremely insecure with how much f2p mobile games are encroaching on Nintendo
Damn, sucks for all my folks in the UK that is doing business with SimplyGames. Hope all this gets sorted out for you guys and can purchase the PS4 and whatever games in a normal fashion like everyone else.
 
C

Caderfix

Member
Dougald said:
I'm sure I remember stories about GAME doing this at the 360 launch, forcing 3 or even 4 titles to be purchased with each unit. I only remember because there were very few units of software shipped too, so people were being forced to buy multiple copies the same game with the launch unit.
Click to expand...

Wow...

Was GAME punished for it, at least?
 
M

mrklaw

MrArseFace
malboroking said:
Is this for real? Are consumer protection laws really so weak in the UK that they are able to do this? That sounds very much to me like false advertising, saying you can purchase just the console and then when you go to pick it up they won't give it to you unless you buy a game with it. I don't think that would fly even in America, and we have pretty much the worst consumer protection of all the first world nations I've ever been to.
Click to expand...

actually I bet they can't - especially if you've put a £20 deposit down. They probably rely on pressure and us being English not wanting to make a fuss.
 
B

Big_Al

Unconfirmed Member
That's pretty fuckin low SimplyGames. Sad to see them do something like that as they've been a great company over the years but scalping customers just ain't cricket.
 
L

Lamptramp

Member
Its a shame this was made a new thread rather than updating the previous one with its claim of it being a Sony led mandate.

What a surprise this story turned out the way it did. Why would Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo mandate a price hike over pre-order prices, ridiculous.

Shame on Simplygames, I'm hoping people can find consoles elsewhere now though the changes are low with it being so late in the day :(
 
S

Skeff

Member
malboroking said:
Is this for real? Are consumer protection laws really so weak in the UK that they are able to do this? That sounds very much to me like false advertising, saying you can purchase just the console and then when you go to pick it up they won't give it to you unless you buy a game with it. I don't think that would fly even in America, and we have pretty much the worst consumer protection of all the first world nations I've ever been to.
Click to expand...

Well, there is some wiggleroom, for instance all my pre order does technically is give me £20 off the console. You could argue that it was false advertising or a number of other illegal activities, but whilst your doing that, you won't have your PS4.

When you pre order the console here in the UK it's advertised on a DVD case or flyer or something with a long list of terms and conditions on the back, it's pretty slimy, but it's all there in black and white on the back.

EDIT:
In the case of GAME and the example used about the 360 games, They likely had a whilst stocks last caveat on their pre-oders, and technically they could just sell 1 solus console and bundle all of the rest, with a claim that their solus models had run out, however they were able to fulfill your pre-order if you were willing to upgrade to one of their bundled consoles, It's really slimy, but it jumps through the legal hoops required.

A similar common one is the adverts in newspapers regarding amazing offers, for example not long after PS3 launch when the price was still £425, I saw a newspaper ad for a Ps3 HDMI cable and 4 games for £399, they only had one of those bundles in stock at each store.
 
V

Visualante2

Member
No way Microsoft would allow this thinking back to how locked down the 360 launch was.

I've had good experiences with SimplyGames but would avoid them for hardware now because of this.
 
M

mangochutney

Member
Custard Trout said:
Here's what Sony told me:



We updated the article with another follow up from our source too, which was edited for grammar:



Sony-PS-4-bundles.jpg
Click to expand...
I'm guessing that retailer source of yours doesn't keep up with the retailing world then... because s/he mentions Play as getting stock straight from Sony - but Play don't sell anything any more, it is just a marketplace for third party sellers. So that's straight up bullshit.
 
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