GameStop Pays Out Over Hidden Fees Confusion
The world's biggest video game retailer has been forced by courts to compensate customers who bought used games and weren't informed they'd have to pay extra for "free" downloadable content.
The retailer, GameStop, will also have to post clear signs in its stores to explain when used games will require gamers to pay additional fees.
The court case covers the situation where additional content can and often must be downloaded once a player has installed a game on his or her console.
Examples of such additional content can include new and different missions in an action game or updated rosters in a sports game.
In many cases, the manufacturer charges gamers a fee for such content, particularly when the extra content is substantial. In other cases, the content is freely available to all gamers.
Extra Fee For Used Game Buyers
This specific court case covers a third category of downloadable content: games where the additional information is free to people who bought the game disc new, but requires a fee from people who bought a used copy.
This is part of a growing trend among games makers to encourage people to buy new rather than used games, thus increasing the total revenue received by the producers.
GameStop came under criticism from players who say the chain sold them used copies of certain games but didn't make clear they couldn't get any additional content free-of-charge. They believe this misinformation led them to pay an unfairly high price for the used games.
Although the average fee to buyers of used games for the downloadable content was $15, GameStop was in some cases selling the used games for only $5 less than a new copy.
This forced used-copy buyers who wanted to get the downloadable content to pay more than if they'd bought a new copy. (Source: arstechnica.com)
$15 Compensation On Offer
A law firm has now successfully brought a class action lawsuit against GameStop and reached a settlement that has received preliminary approval from a California court.
Under the proposed terms of the settlement, any gamers who believe they were affected by this issue can now apply for compensation and, if approved, will receive $15.
Members of GameStop's customer loyalty plan will get this as a $10 check and a $5 money-off coupon good toward future purchases from the retailer. Buyers who aren't in the loyalty plan will get a $5 check and a $10 coupon. (Source: baronandbudd.com)
Most popular articles
- Which Processor is Better: Intel or AMD? - Explained
- How to Prevent Ransomware in 2018 - 10 Steps
- 5 Best Anti Ransomware Software Free
- How to Fix: Computer / Network Infected with Ransomware (10 Steps)
- How to Fix: Your Computer is Infected, Call This Number (Scam)
- Scammed by Informatico Experts? Here's What to Do
- Scammed by Smart PC Experts? Here's What to Do
- Scammed by Right PC Experts? Here's What to Do
- Scammed by PC / Web Network Experts? Here's What to Do
- How to Fix: Windows Update Won't Update
- Explained: Do I need a VPN? Are VPNs Safe for Online Banking?
- Explained: VPN vs Proxy; What's the Difference?
- Explained: Difference Between VPN Server and VPN (Service)
- Forgot Password? How to: Reset Any Password: Windows Vista, 7, 8, 10
- How to: Use a Firewall to Block Full Screen Ads on Android
- Explained: Absolute Best way to Limit Data on Android
- Explained: Difference Between Dark Web, Deep Net, Darknet and More
- Explained: If I Reset Windows 10 will it Remove Malware?
![](/graphics/dennisfaas.jpg)
My name is Dennis Faas and I am a senior systems administrator and IT technical analyst specializing in cyber crimes (sextortion / blackmail / tech support scams) with over 20 years experience; I also run this website! If you need technical assistance , I can help. Click here to email me now; optionally, you can review my resume here. You can also read how I can fix your computer over the Internet (also includes user reviews).
We are BBB Accredited
![](https://www.infopackets.com/graphics/bbb.png)
We are BBB accredited (A+ rating), celebrating 21 years of excellence! Click to view our rating on the BBB.