What would you do in this case?
Can't return open software/games. I tried already, even stating it is defective, still was no go.
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Well, I'd keep trying both. Ask to talk to someone higher up.
If worse comes to worst, you can keep the retail box and buy a digital key? >_>
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Unless it was sold as-is, Canadian retailers are liable to replace or refund defective products, so long as the defects were not readily discernible upon your purchase of the product.
that the goods will be free from any defect rendering them unmerchantable that would not be apparent on reasonable examination of the sample.
https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/90s01
Staples appears to be trying to screw you over. Cite the Sale of Goods Act, and if necessary, threaten to take them to small claims. That said, Rockstar's poor reputation of screwing over legitimate purchasers appears to be holding firm.. :/
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That law only applies if he lives in Ontario. There is no federal standard and the laws of his province will most likely be extremely different.
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Alberta
(4) When goods are bought by description from a seller who deals in goods of that description, whether the seller is the manufacturer or not, there is an implied condition that the goods are of a merchantable quality.
(5) Notwithstanding subsection (4), if the buyer has examined the goods there is no implied condition as regards defects that the examination ought to have revealed.
British Columbia:
if goods are bought by description from a seller or lessor who deals in goods of that description, whether the seller or lessor is the manufacturer or not, there is an implied condition that the goods are of merchantable quality; but if the buyer or lessee has examined the goods there is no implied condition as regards defects that the examination ought to have revealed;
Quebec:
A consumer who has entered into a contract with a merchant is entitled to exercise directly against the merchant or the manufacturer a recourse based on a latent defect in the goods forming the object of the contract, unless the consumer could have discovered the defect by an ordinary examination.
Manitoba:
(b) where goods are bought by description from the seller who deals in goods of that description (whether he is the manufacturer or not), there is an implied condition that the goods shall be of merchantable quality: Provided that if the buyer has examined the goods, there shall be no implied condition as regards defects which the examination ought to have revealed,
New Brunswick:
where goods are bought by description from a seller who deals in goods of that description, whether he is the manufacturer or not, there is an implied condition that the goods are of merchantable quality; but if the buyer has examined the goods, there is no implied condition as regards defects that such examination ought to have revealed;
Newfoundland & Labrador:
(c) where goods are bought by description from a seller who deals in goods of that description, whether he or she is the manufacturer or not, there is an implied condition that the goods shall be of merchantable quality;
(d) where the buyer has examined the goods, there shall be no implied condition as regards defects which that examination ought to have revealed;
Nova Scotia:
where goods are bought by description from a seller who deals in goods of that description, whether he be the manufacturer or not, there is an implied condition that the goods shall be of merchantable quality, provided that, if the buyer has examined the goods, there shall be no implied condition as regards defects which such examination ought to have revealed;
Prince Edward Island:
where goods are bought by description from a seller who deals in
goods of that description, whether he be the manufacturer or not,
there is an implied condition that the goods are of merchantable
quality; but if the buyer has examined the goods there is no implied
condition as regards defects which an examination ought to have
revealed;
Saskatchewan:
Where goods are bought by description from a seller who deals in goods of that
description, whether he is the manufacturer or not, there is an implied condition that
the goods shall be of merchantable quality but if the buyer has examined the goods
there shall be no implied condition with regard to defects which such examination
ought to have revealed
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You forgot the territories :P. Again, these laws merely cover civil matters and it would up to him to take them to court. The onus will be on him to prove that he was given a defective product. Not saying that he couldn't win, but considering that court fees are about the same as the cost of the game, and losing will most likely mean him having to pay the legal fees of the company that he is suing, it is most likely not worth it.
His best bet would be with Rockstar since not only would it be quicker to push them to get a new key. but it would also save a bit of money as well.
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That should help against Staples, thank you. Now I am glad I made the thread, people are being helpful!
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file a complaint with the BBB and your local attorney general's office,i bet within a week that guy will be calling you begging you to come return the game, i have had to do this several times in my life and not once has a large company not contacted me within a week to fix the problem so i will retract my complaints,smaller company's on the other hand can usually care less about the complaints.
Not sure if you have something similar in Canada but if not at least do the BBB i believe you can file with them from anywhere.
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That is such a bummer. I don't really have anything constructive to add to the thread other than I'd be extremely pissed too!
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If you use a credit card contact them for a charge back.
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If the key pouch was sealed, not much Staples can/should do about it. I'm in the 'keep at Rockstar' camp even if you have to keep escalating up to the CEO ;)
Shame you don't have pictures to prove it but then again, who would think to do that, knowing it's sealed?
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Yeah, I wouldn't have thought to snap a shot of the seal, but out of fairness, I opened it carefully without breaking the seal so technically I have a time machine.
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You mean you can unseal it without breaking the seal?
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As a fellow Canadian who has almost bought a game at Staples because Best Buy or EB was out... yeah no. I think I'll just go with Steam. Sorry this happened. Keep pressing it. You WILL get somewhere. I had this happen with my PS3 version years ago and it was a pain in the a#$.
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Nostalgia is a cruel mistress. I know they usually add posters and maps and such into the physical box so I paid extra and went for that.
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Staples is the worst, tbh. Overpriced and generally horrible customer service.
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It was cheaper there than anywhere else. $70 everywhere, $40 there (Boxing Day).
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hmm more expensive then steam , is there enough physical stuff to be worth the extra 4$
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There totally is (if it's the same version I got at release). There's the box itself, which is pretty cool and a poster sized map of the game area (which is done really well, very high quality stuff).
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True, but the Digital copy lacks the physical components (Map/Poster, not having to DL about 70GB each time you want to play it (The Steam Backups never seem to work for most of the games I have backed up in the past). You tell it to use the Backup and it either can't see anything there (despite all the files being there) or it looks at it, then proceeds to DL the game completely anyway because the backup is slightly outdated. Rather than installing the out of date version and giving it the 100mb patch (or however big it is), it re-downloads the entire 25+ GB game.
Edit: I should also mention that I only have a 150 GB data cap. GTA would have taken almost half of that..
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I've always just copied the entire Steam directory to another drive and designated that drive as the one I wanted my Steam games on. Then, all you have to do is ask Steam to verify your installation. Never tried using the "backup" option.
https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=7418-YUBN-8129
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Yeah Steam's backup function is weirdo. I just copy paste everything including the vcf files if I want to move or backup things.
In that case your luck sucked - digital doesn't come with physical things.
I wish you best luck to have it resolved. As a fellow gamer I can understand how annoying it is to be stuck in a case like this. Bunch of incompetent corporate fools.
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No better business bureau or similar there? File a complaint there. File a complaint in writing to Staples management. Maybe they'll make a gesture of goodwill, maybe they've had other reports of this from other stores and can strong-arm their supplier.
Make a thread on reddit, that'll generate interest in the matter on other sites.
Edit: It's not like already redeemd keys is unheard of in the industry, be they for games or other software.
Also, never buy a Rockstar game again ;)
Edit 2: If you had bought it from G2a with g2a shield ... xD
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Bought in a physical store location, never expected a bad key from a physical retailer.
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I once purchased a game with no key printed. They allowed me to exchange it after showing them and when I opened the box there that key was also missing.
That being said, that really sucks that you are getting bounced around. I am surprised that Rockstar can't revoke the printed key (with proof) and issue a new one.
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I had this happen to me with a game I bought retail and the key said duplicate for Steam. Steam support was satisfied with a scan of the receipt and a scan of the serial # with my Steam username printed on it. They deactivated the key for whoever had stolen it and then I was able to activate it.
Rockstar should be able to do the same for you. I'd try another ticket and attach your receipt again, plus print your Rockstar social club login next to the serial #/cd key and scan that as well and attach it.
Maybe you'll get someone better/different in support, or get further with better proof provided.
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I sent them a copy (unedited) with my email address on it and a picture of it showing it not working on their Social Club thing. A copy of the manual and pictures of every part of the box inside and out. About 20 images total. (5 of which they then requested me to send them again).
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You could try phoning their support line then if it still works. For Canadian Support
Phone: 1-800-269-5721.
The only other way I can think of is to get a hold of someones email that's higher up in the company. That usually works if you go to the top.
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Hope you bought it on credit card. if so, just contact your CC company have have them refund you.
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sorry to hear that. got this from creditcards.com- If you ran your debit card as "credit" -- that is, you didn't enter a PIN at the point of sale -- your bank has to follow dispute rules set out by Visa and MasterCard, Eaton-Cardone says. That's because you're using the credit card networks to process the transaction.
"Debit card issuers tend to be a lot more helpful when it comes to charges with a signature than those with a PIN," says Ruth Susswein, deputy director of national priorities for the consumer advocacy group Consumer Action.
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Contact your bank. Banks sometimes have similar protections, and at the very least, it can't hurt to see what they say.
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I can confirm this. I had a problem with someone debiting my debit card recently for a transaction I'd told them to cancel (NEVER sign up for those monthly box things - you will NEVER be able to get out of it no matter how hard you try to cancel, lol) and they refunded the payment and contacted the company. That was a distance sale, though, but I can't see why the same rules wouldn't apply. Also, most banks will waive a fee (like if you get a charge for going over your overdraft) once a year if you call them up and ask them. Generally only once every 12 months, but still better than nothing.
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Had the same shit with their support over LA Noire not working, bastards said I'd pirated it and closed the ticket despite pics of the receipt and box with CD key. They eventually closed my support account because I wouldn't drop it.
Year later I found files they'd not put on the disc and the game works fine. Bunch of idiots.
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So they have a history of being crappy to their customers... that doesn't bode well for that war front then. Maybe I should turn more attention to Staples, as another person suggested, their food chain may be easier to climb up.
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There've been reports about their mistreatment of costumers floating around the web since Rockstar club started up in 2008. It's gotten especially bad of late, with people regularly claiming they've gotten banned from GTA Online because of merely bumping into the users who actually were hacking. It comes up in reference on SG every so often, as well.
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no receipt tho? R* would have to cave if you showed them the receipt right? probably not lol
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I sent it in the first round email. I also attached (an edited version) to this post.
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Having worked at Staples in the past for a number of years I would recommend trying to get a return. Be sure to speak to the General Manager of the store, not just one of the lesser managers. You should be able to exchange for a new copy and I would have a printed copy of the Rockstar support, just to help your case. If they refuse, you could try at another local Staples store. If that doesn't work, ask for the phone number of the District Manager and give them a call about it. You could even call some Toll-free numbers to speak to Staples customer support or someone from corporate. There are a number of ways to go about this but Staples should give you an exchange if you're persistent enough.
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It was the last copy and the next nearest store is about an 8-10 hour drive away. They were happy to exchange it but when they found they did not have another they said there was nothing they could do. Pointed at the no returns on open software sign and left. I'll try moving up the food chain like you suggested.
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Honestly, this problem has nothing to do with Rockstars.
You should contact Staples.
If someone have to contact Rockstars (for further investigations and things beyond your concern) is Staples.
As costumer, your problem is only with the one who sold you the product (any product).
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Their code was bad in their sealed box. It was likely a printing error. I mean it is entirely possible someone bought it, removed the wrap, carefully popped the seal like I did on the info packet, then glued it shut again (won't stick on its own), then used their own packing machine to put the shrink wrap on it again but I think it is more likely either they resold the key accidentally or someone's key gen stumbled on my key.
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All that you said is beyond your concern. If something doesn't work, you should return accordingly with your legal rights. Simple as that. Your problem is with who sold anything to you... not with any third party DRM (totally passive in this whole story I must add). Let's put a similar question: if you buy a DVD movie that doesn't work, you call the studios or who sold to you? Same rule. This rule applies to almost anything you buy. :)
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you should return accordingly with your legal rights
He has none :3. Here in Canada, no one will refund open software and stores are allowed to put on many restrictions as they see fit. He can complain all he wants to Staples, but they are under no obligation to help if they don't want to.
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Really?!? That's the first time I see this as lawyer... This goes totally against any costumer's laws that I've met/studied so far.
I know that people tend to treat internet like no one land or digital products as non-products that offers no protection to costumers... That's normal and happens on my country too (this includes some dumb judges that I really don't know how did they get there). But it is the first time I see the State (government I mean) do that.
If someone (big companies too) sells a broken software and refuses to fix that to you as costumer, you have no rights at all?
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That is correct. Provinces may have special rules, but it depends on where you live. He could try to sue for his money back, but considering the court fee is about the same as the game he paid, I doubt it would be worth it. If he did go to court and lost (it would be on him to prove that they sold a defective product which would be a bit tricky in this case), he would be stuck paying for their legal bills as well.
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That's sadly interesting... Now I understand one thing that one teacher said to me once:
"our consumer's rights are one of the most advanced in the world"
He was right... because costumers usually don't have tools or access to info to prove their rights. Here we have something that we call "inverse obligation to proof", because who can prove something are the one who holds the knowledge (or database in this case) to clarify the whole situation when, in the other side, the costumer have only its own words (and maybe a few random proofs, like screenshots that doesn't proof anything).
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Well again, it is up to the province/territories to set up the respective laws. However, this will merely give him substance to his claim if he decides to take them to court and doesn't punish the companies for saying no. However, like I said before, this is probably not worth it considering the cost of the original purchase.
The provinces have done well on the consumer front in the past, like banning expiration dates on gift cards (that was a thing) and expiration dates on reward points (something that just came into effect a few weeks ago). Overall though, your only recourse in this country when you want your money back is going through their customer service and hoping that they cave or taking them to court and you can win.
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I remember that crap. You had to use a gift card within a year or it started to have a certain amount taken off as time went on. Which was total BS as the person paid $50 (for example), so that means there should be $50 available no matter how much time has passed. I am glad they finally got rid of that slimy practice!
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Fun fact, we do have a currency law that dictate how much you can pay with loose change. Somethings make you wonder /shrug.
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Right when I thought "cheer up, it could be worse." xD
What legislative actually does there? They don't like to modernize laws to follow the society's path?
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They don't like to modernize laws to follow the society's path?
Most politicians are about 20 years behind with society :P. The upside (or downside, depending on who you asking) is that we have very lax copyright laws so you will never be busted for torrenting you favourite porn :P.
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Not the only one. In the EU there are countries with a limit of 50 coins.
ETA: and it comes from the Council Regulation 974/98 if anyone wants to look it up. :D It's not binding, because the wording says 'no one is obligated to...' so that's why only some countries have adopted it. Though I'm having the faint recollection that there are (were) European countries outside the Euro with that same limit as a national law...
But I love that Canadian precision!
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It is to avoid situations like this: China: Man buys car using 660,000 coins
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Huh, interesting though not the weirdest story that I've heard about that involved money :3
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I was a Lieutenant til 2012... :P
Somehow, at some point, I had to choose between continue to study or quit everything to stay on army (due lack of time to do both). Since the army thing was temporary (will last til 2015), I choose the best for life overall and quit the army to graduate in law school. Since then I joined into the law world (never been more happier) and build my own office in my home town.
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Wow! That's great! I like jurists. Need to add you. :3.
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The real answer is you take to social media. Twitter would be a good thing for this as you can tweet to both at once. Get as many people as you possibly can to retweet it, spread it like wildfire.
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+1 Was about to say that. Today the best way to get what you want from scammy businesses is to take things to Facebook (or Twitter or...). The bigger the noise, the better they listen.
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While it could be effective, it's a sad day for customers like us.
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Keep pushing with BOTH of them until someone gives....
And what Sooth said above ^
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Keep writing to rockstar and use facebook to share the problem you faced. Stating that a new key on the retail disc was found used and rockstar wont show support tag rockstar and gtav. If the key was used by someone they can ask for proof from that person only and verify it.
Facebook is your only hope and such news will hamper their brand image as people will think twice before buying disc. So just tag them and share.
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I'm gonna be a bit of an asshole here and say that you are most likely not clear enough in your support ticket to Rockstar. They are filtering through thousands of tickets, and it will make it easier for them if you are both clear and direct with your issue. Not saying that it is your fault that you got the run around (been there myself), but meaning/context can be lost in a wall of text. If I was you, I would send a new ticket to Rockstar like this:
I purchased a new, sealed, physical copy of Grand Theft Auto V from Staples on December 26. When prompted to input the retail key, (put the retail key here), I was given an error stating that it has been already used. May you please deactivate the key and provide me a new one. Thank you for time and have a great day.
Attach unedited photo of receipt, physical key, and screenshot of the error when inputting the key.
Do not write as though you are talking to your friend/family/etc. but as though you are speaking to a five year old. English is a fucked up language, and it is very easy to say one thing when you meant another. Don't cuss, don't use flowery language and don't use 10 words when 5 will do. Keep it simple, direct, and neutral (don't assign blame to anyone) and you should be able to get a working key soon.
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Here is my original email to support (Well ticket)
"Hello, Today I purchased Grand Theft Auto V for the PC. It was purchased NEW (sealed), not used. After installing the game I tried to activate it however I encountered an error that stated my GTAV Social Club key was already in use. I unsealed the document package myself and no one else viewed it here. Please see attached the proof of ownership (Manual with code and receipt) and that it was bought on December 26, 2016 from Staples Canada. I would like to request a new key issued. Software is not returnable once opened in Canada. There are no other copies to exchange it with and Staples directed me to you for support.
Thank you for taking the time to assist me with the issue,
Psygineer"
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Hmm, then I guess they just have shitty support because that ticket is pretty direct. Keep trying with them and hope for the best. Sorry this happened to you :/.
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I never trust Live chat/Email support. It's very easy to disregard some text you read. Always talk to a real human...
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But 'free' health care D:. Why you so mean to use maple syrup lovers ;_;
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if you have the receipt and everything else take photos before re contacting rockstar support, if photos of everything not taken yet.
make sure you have a photo of the cdkey also, and be sure to send them photos of everything as proof.
request that they either send you a new cdkey as a replacement for an key which is already used, and to disable the key you have via purchase.
if that all fails dunno, repeatly call there support i guess and hope you get someone who actually cares.
but from reading comments sounds like there support isnt that grand sadly sighs.
goodluck and hopefully you find a solution, at most you have a box which those are sadly becoming more rare as more and more pc games become digital only sadly.
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Suggest first threating to use the consumer protection act, or whatever it's called there.
Otherwise...
...Get a few friends and go picket outside the store...not sure how legal this is, though.
Try and deter others from purchasing there citing your reasons...hopefully, then, they will overturn their error.
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Welcome to greedy companies ripping off your hard earned money club. Bought a new Ubi box DVD of Will Rock few years ago, out of love for a Serious Sam kind game. Serial code was invalid as damn system kept asking me for a proper serial cd key. Wrote 4 weeks to UBI but tough luck despite proof of purchase got only standard automated response to provide proof of purchase, bill etc which I did. Same old crap non-stop. I was 6 months late in playing game as I had a backlog of Prince of Persia games to finish bought at one go with Will Rock. So retailer wouldn't replace it from distributor. Finally had to give up on getting a replacement and use a crack to play a legal paid fully packed and barcoded boxed game. I felt so crap at that point. Then they protest people playing pirated copies of their crap or overpriced games that don't even work when bought legally.
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Sorry for your loss, this reminds me of something similar that happened to me. In my case I only got half of what I was owed. I made a trade, in which I received a steam key for God Eater 2. Now I did get God Eater 2 but I never did receive God Eater Resurrection that came with it. Now I can't really blame the guy I traded with since he couldn't have known the key would only give me the 2nd half. So I went to Steam support, let me tell you right now, they're among the worst customer service I've ever dealt with! They kept giving me the same automated response, no effort whatsoever to give me higher support and unfortunately they have no phone support either so I can't harass them about it, but I didn't take "no" for an answer. Anyway their solution was simply ignore and close the ticket, pissed off I end up repurchasing the game and then make a charge back. Steam support caught on to what I was doing and decided to lock my account and revoke my game. It was then that it hit me, even though I paid hundreds of dollars on their store, they have the power to ban me on a whim, meaning I could lose all my games and hard earned money. I decided to let it go and not pursue it any further, since I didn't want to lose everything over one game. Still that's pretty shitty from Valve, I expect more as a consumer who spent hundreds on their site, they rather threaten you with a ban rather than helping, it's sad we have to be at their mercy. That said I voted give up for now, accept your loss this time, learn from it, and fight the system rather than your own individual right, it's clear these companies clearly don't give a damn about us, just our money.
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Now I did get God Eater 2 but I never did receive God Eater Resurrection that came with it.
I had a look at the subs and the only one that pops up is this one: https://steamdb.info/sub/92406/info/
Essentially, the trader of yours sold you a key that was never meant to be sold in the first place, but one used by devs/publishers. He may not have known, but you essentially bought something he probably got for free through duplicitous means :/.
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Interesting I had no idea. Still doesn't help me much though since I still have no idea who is at fault, and still robbed half a game from whomever is responsible.
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The same happened to me. Bought a copy of Dragon Age:Origins. The key was not only used before, but for a different game altogether - they key provided with the disk was a used key for Battlefield Bad Company 2. EA support redirects me to the retailer and the retailer says it's EA's fault.
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On Boxing Day (Dec 26th) I purchased the last boxed copy of Grand Theft Auto V for PC (Brand new, they do not sell used) from a Staples in Canada (there is only one location in town). I opened the box, did the three hour install (7 dual layer DVDs) and got to the point where I entered the key. I opened the sealed key holding packet (has a black R* seal on it that was not damaged) and entered the key. The key said it was already in use. I tried again a few times in case I had made a typo. I contacted support, got the usual canned answer run around with long delays between replies, then got advanced to higher support.
Higher support I thought was where I was going to get somewhere. The new support person ignored the previously provided information (Bought new, not used, etc. that I already attempted to exchange it at the store but can't since last copy, can't refund open software and are unable to order me in a new copy) and said the key can only be used once and that they do not support used game sales if the previous owner used the key already. I replied that I did not buy it used, I bought it new (also pointed out that Staples does not sell used games) and for the key to have been used they either issued the same key twice or a thief got the code from them somehow, and they simply replied again just rephrasing what they had said a few hours earlier.
"As stated on the box and in the system requirements, Grand Theft Auto V activation codes are single use codes and registration is limited to one Rockstar Games Social Club account per serial code. These codes are non-transferrable once used. Apologizes in advance for any inconvenience this may cause.
Please contact Staples for a replacement for this game.
Best regards,
XXXXXX
Rockstar Support"
R support then proceeded to close my ticket. Staples says to contact Rockstar Support and Rockstar Support says to contact Staples. Replying to the closed ticket appears to have started the whole process over again, back down to front line support with canned answers. So basically in the end I am stuck with a set of 7 pretty coasters and a map to the game and a thief (or R's own mistake) gets to enjoy my hard earned game/money. Proof of purchase
Kind of really sorry I went for the physical version rather than the Steam version, I thought it would be nice to have the physical media for it and the poster/map they always include. Now it just mocks me on my shelf.
tl;dr Bought a new sealed physical copy of GTAV for PC and the key inside was invalid. R* Support, after multiple canned answers, basically said tough luck it isn't their problem and closed the ticket despite being given all the proof they requested as well as additional supporting materials and running me around for 5 days.
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