EB Games has great prices for used games. Unfortunately they also have terrible policies. Any other game store I've visited to buy used games has always let me inspect the disc, instruction manual and even the box before I buy. Apparently EB Games does not support this type of customer service.

I visited EB Games on Sunday to buy a few used games I had seen the Friday before. There were 3 games in all: Starfox Adventures, Timesplitters 2, and Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance. Starfox happened to be behind the counter, and I pulled the other two off the shelf and took them to the counter. By the time I retrieved the games from the shelf, Starfox was already sealed up. The sales associate grabbed the other two disks from secret drawers underneath the register and put them into their respective boxes and slapped a sticker over the opening before I could do anything. I asked politely about the condition of the discs since I was never allowed to look at them and was told they were in good shape. Ok, great. I pay my money and leave the store.

When I get home, I decide to open the boxes and read the instruction manuals. I've always been the person that enjoys reading the manuals. Call me sick or demented. I open up the boxes for Dark Alliance and Starfox to find that neither of them had manuals. A little peeved I called the store and was told because I had broken the seal on the boxes, a refund would not be issued, only an even exchange for the same title or store credit. Well, since I wasn't presented an opportunity to inspect the disc or the manuals, how am I supposed to know unless I break the seal? On top of all of that, the policy was not posted in the store nor told to me before I left. "The policy is on the back of the receipt," I was told over the phone. Right. Who reads the back of their receipt for no reason? I couldn't exchange the games at that store because I had their last copies.

Arguing for 15 minutes really got me no where. The guy finally said this one time he would refund my money, but what I really wanted were the games. I had looked in every game store I came across over the weekend to find the best deal. I ended up having to call every store in the area to see if I could find another copy with manuals. The closest I found was at a store 15-20 miles away which I promptly went to yesterday. Amazingly, that transaction was hassle-free.

What a pain in the @$$ just because the sales associate at the store Sunday didn't tell me everything wasn't included in the box. I'll still shop at EB because of their prices, but I'll be sure to insist on inspecting everything before I leave from now on.