So, why is the website cheaper?

There's always been an issue of website prices vs instore prices, for stores who offer both anyway. Typically, a couple of years ago buying something off someone's website would be a decent amount cheaper than going in a shop and picking it up.

This is bollocks.

I've always thought it was bollocks and many companies have now caught on to this and realised 1 shop, 1 price is the future for fairness. Bravo to the likes of HMV, John Lewis, Argos, PC World/Currys, Comet et all who do this and I think for the most part most stores do, or at least be willing to meet the website price when challenged.

There are exceptions though, there are always exceptions, and one of those exceptions is usually Game. My darling wife would like a Nintendo 3DS, and with the big 30 coming up, a Nintendo 3DS she shall have. Game were selling these little things, pre-owned, for £99.99 on their website, reasonable, probably a decent profit for them too as chances are they gave some chav about £60 trade in for it a couple of weeks ago, they do love a good profit margin.

However, in store they came in at a not massively dissimilar, but nonetheless more, £109.99. Now I'm against paying £10 so a gorp from game can hand it to me instead of my polite and efficient postman, so I asked quite nicely if they'd no it for the website price, it's only a tenner after all.

No, apparently they're different shops, but if I speak to their customer service team they may do something. OK, what's the phone number? No, no phone, online chat only... great. While not known for their level of customer service, not being able to ring is pretty shitty.

Anyway on to my shiny, new, still fast, PC I go and then to the Game site to speak to an Indian with a UK sounding 'name' (I assume). The conversation goes slowly as they carefully select predesignated phrases from a list to match my questions and basically I'm getting nowhere, basically it's getting to the point where it's not worth £10 of my time, but I do enjoy this kind of thing, so fuck it and off we go. Once the handler is clearly confused and I'm starting to border on breaking out the sarcasm. (In response too 'it's on the website prices may differ', I think I could have made about 15 one liners, but resisted) So I ask to speak to a manager and after only the 2 attempts to stop me (Unavailable, they'll only tell you the same thing) I get put through to 'Sammi'.

After initially making me repeat myself (thank you copy n paste) 'Sammi' is a little more helpful and offers me £5 credit on my Game card, but can't change the price, so I suggest giving me £10 credit so it's the same... no movement. I queried whether they'd lose the sale over £5, and 'Sammi' was happy too.

So she(?) did. Cerys wanted games too, so Game essentially cost themselves £130-£180 for the sake of a fiver. We did pop down for a look at them and for the sake of £5, Game's 'they'll buy it anyway' plan could have worked, but also their entire stock of 3DS had been battered the shit out of. Guessed as much when the shop dude, got the box and went to seal it without giving us a look at it.

Instead the money went to Amazon, where as there was a free game, we even managed to acquire the XL model. Lovely!

I know some sites such as Tesco and Amazon ship from reduced tax areas from their website, this is a reasonable reason for different prices, different tax levels. But I doubt Game are doing this. It's easy too see why a store like that ended up with the administrators in previously when they don't seem keen to move stock, no matter how many pretend discount sales of their pre-owned games they have.

Oh well Game p'd me off and lost my Football Manager pre-order, I'll just get it form Steam instead!

Gears of War 3

I quite enjoyed the England v Wales football match the other night, chalk another one under battling defeat for the records. Good for reputation, bad for ranking. But for me the highlight of the broadcast was the half time Gears of War 3 trailer, it may not have been overly representative of gameplay but it looked damn good.

I got onto xbox quite late on, when I bought my 360 Gears 1 was quite an old game, well thought of but old, and Gears 2 had been out for a bit. I quickly acquired the second game 2nd hand completed it and then went back to the first one, which I never really got going on. But I've played enough to make me quite eager to get my hands on the third (and apparently final) chapter.

Similarly to the other games to catch my interest that are forthcoming, the story seems particularly good here, and has been knocked up by an experienced writer on the series. I like a good story and have also found myself quite interested  by Modern Warfare 3 and Arkham City for the same reasons, and 'cos Batman is cool innit. (Well I say cool, you know what I actually mean)

Also though, Gears 2 had a cracking online section. It's not too often I play online multiplayer, as I find it annoying and generally I suck. But Horde mode was a thing of beauty, and I clocked hours on it (as well as deathmatch etc) and I fully intend to try it out again, along with the reverse mode where you play as locust attacking cogs for a change.

If anyone does fancy a game I'm on live as: eternalcymru don't be shy.

So come September 20th, not far away now I'll either be waiting for my pre-order to be delivered or in Tesco at midnight (who knows, I live life so close to the edge anything could happen)

BBC 606

Today sees the closure of 606, the BBC's 99% football but pushed as a general sports discussion board. Apparently killed due to cuts in the BBC's online budget, effectively leaving them without a discussion board.

Not a great loss if I'm honest.

Generally it always seemed to be filled with angry morons with little knowledge about what they were trying to 'talk' about, and no interest in trying to find out or take others points on board. In fact you could easily say the majority of the posts were intentionally aimed to wind up other users. As a result very little if any constructive debate ever went on. Users were permitted to set up multiple accounts and (particularly on the tennis board) would do so, pretend to agree with themselves to start arguments.

This made the board home to some very very weird (reclusive?) people.

Yes, some people on there tried to have genuine discussions, but it usually ended up boiling down to a slagging match whatever the topic. Whether it was Cardiff v Swansea fans, Spurs v Arsenal, everyone v Man Utd, Nadal v Federer, and so on.

The BBC introduced tighter moderation of posts, and the ability to delete posts from threads you set up, but only retrospectively, and while all this crap was being spouted it was never going to be money well spent. It's a shame the BBC will not be offering this kind of service any more, but to say it's a loss, or a tragedy as some posters have tried to do, is just not realistic.

So the confirmation of the closure went out yesterday  and come middle of today it'll be gone. Already there are about 50 'alternatives' banging round, none of which I'll name as they'll be filled with smaller populations of the same no doubt, each new forum 'owner' hoping he'll make some decent advertising revenue from the closure no doubt.

So it's farewell 606, good riddance!