BBB rates Toys 'R' Us "unsatisfactory" amidst reports of Wii bundling shenanigans
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ Dec 1st 2006 at 3:25PM }
The Better Business Bureau is currently challenging Toys 'R' Us after the retailer advertised Wii for $249.99, but gave shoppers no choice but to purchase a $450 bundle on Black Friday. The BBB has slapped the toy distributor with an unsatisfactory rating, derived in part from consumer complaints based on the bundling scheme.A spokeswoman for Toys 'R' Us insisted that the Black Friday incident was a misunderstanding and that Wii should have also been available for the advertised price. Try telling that to the mother and son who watched the Niles, Illinois location's stock sell out as they argued with management. "So, as she's talking to me, it sold out from under us and they really did not care," recounted the mother in a Chicago NBC-affiliate report, "It was point blank. You either take it this way or leave it. And that's what happened."
[Via Next Generation]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Sloar @ Dec 1st 2006 3:32PM
Maybe mommy should buy her kid a book. Perhaps "How to Win Friends and Influence People."
Macuseros9 @ Dec 1st 2006 4:35PM
AT&T also has unsatisfactory report from the BBB for refusing to check DSL connections problems on their end untill you pay them $200 to come to your home and check your connections.
Seifer @ Dec 1st 2006 3:36PM
SHENANIGANS HAS BEEN DECLARED.
silkylove @ Dec 1st 2006 3:37PM
Hell yeah! I hope this teaches these big chains to stop trying to force these stupid bundles down the consumer's throats.
KaosDG @ Dec 2nd 2006 8:45AM
Frustrating, for sure because bundles suck.
Still, this reminds me of the Team America skit with Hans Blix and Kim Jong Il.
"Or else whaaat?"
"Or else we will be very angry with you... and we will write you a letter, telling you how angry we are."
Seriously, the BBBs ratings aren't going to stop the massive amounts of people from buying at Toys R Us this season.
BPM? @ Dec 1st 2006 5:14PM
You think that's bad?
Where I work (Fry's Electronics), we forced people to buy PS3s and Wiis in expensive bundles.
I think the Wii bundle was $500, and came with nearly every launch title (Zelda and Red Steel were not included).
And I think the PS3 bundle was $1000-1100, and the same case.
Sadly, they both sold out on day one (and I'm willing to bet the people who bought them sold off most of the games...).
Dr. Snacks @ Dec 1st 2006 4:35PM
Ok. Some am I getting some money back, or something, since I was forced into a bundle by them? Though I must admit it was the most liberal bundle I've seen - just buy ANY three games in addition to the system, and for $10 off each. There were easily three games that I was going to buy anyway (later on, though).
Sethd85 @ Dec 15th 2006 4:24AM
Perhaps, Sloar, you should STFU and stop with the "roll over and take it like a sheep" campaign. Seriously, that mom was right in challenging management; it's this lack of people who speak up that lets chains like Toys 'R Us get away with things.
PXPAULX @ Dec 2nd 2006 1:18AM
well, she can get one on ebay...for...$450...
meshgiath @ Dec 2nd 2006 10:42AM
They need to do this same thing if not FINE FYE for letting people preorder, pay in FULL and then forcing them into a bundle for $400 plus. I will NEVER shop FYE again.
Chris @ Dec 1st 2006 4:34PM
I used to go to the same Toys R Us store in Niles Illinois, a medium sized suburb just outside Chicago. They had a great ad once, that advertised a bunch of Ffairly new (at the time)Gamecube games, starting at 20 dollars. I realize the term "starting at" Does mean "anything 20 dollars and up" but decided to check out the sale anyway thinking there was still going to be some winners from the bunch.
Well, after I arrived, I realized that all the games advertised but one were still their standard price of 40 - 50 dollars, and only one was actually discounted. I called the corporate phone line, and spoke to the management of the store. The manager said that if they were indeed on sale, she would be willing to take five dollars off each one (Making this a whopping sale of about ten $45 games advertised as "starting at $20")I've decided not to deal with that store's terribly misleading advertising anymore and get my games and hardware elsewhere now. I also filed a report myself with the BBB at the time, and I'm glad that all these reports are accumulating finally. Hopefully that store gets some action taken against it, in my case for a misleading ad, but it seems this time, for outright lies.
abarton @ Dec 1st 2006 6:12PM
"I swear to god I'm going to pistol whip the next person who says shenanigans!"
"Hey Farva, what's the name of that restaurant you like with all the goofy stuff on the wall and the mozzarella sticks?"
"You mean Shenanigans?"
gottawiiattru @ Dec 1st 2006 4:06PM
I got a Wii at TRU on Black Friday for $250. No arguing, no false advertising. This was obviously an isolated incident.
Sizer @ Dec 1st 2006 4:51PM
Not just TRU...
I have a friend who calls several EBGames and GameStop stores every day. This explains why they never have any - they're hoarding them all for a week before Christmas buyer desperation bundle:
http://www.ebgames.com/product.asp?product%5Fid=B020070E
justin @ Dec 1st 2006 4:27PM
I wish I could find a store that had Wii now, even. :(
pandlcg @ Dec 2nd 2006 2:15AM
@ gottawiiattru,
Isn't it possible that your scenario was an isolated incident.
Ish @ Dec 1st 2006 5:55PM
My local Toys R Us (Sunnyvale, CA) forced a bundle on me. It was two games (which I would likely have bought anyway), and a $40 warranty which I would have never bought. I tried returning the warranty a few days later and they wouldn't let me. I wrote an e-mail to TRU Corporate, so hopefully with that and the memo, we'll get some resolution.
Dr. Snacks @ Dec 1st 2006 4:37PM
@gottawiiattru
It's more likely that yours was an isolated incident. TRU even has a history of doing this, before Wii.
ts8lemonade @ Dec 1st 2006 4:43PM
Well, I just wanted to say that I can't blame the management at TRU for not caring. I work in retail, and guess what, we don't care about the customer. Sure, we have to act like we do or else we'll be fired but really I could give two shits on whether you and your spoiled little brat get X toy. Had to get that off my chest heh. Also, consider that it is Black Friday, and you are at a big retailer. Of course things are going to hecktick and you really just can't blame people for that. I had to work Black Friday, and it's horrible and the management should not be at fault. That's all I wanted to say.
ubiquityman @ Dec 1st 2006 4:50PM
Same deal here with a local store (not ToysRUs though).
I left a deposit in June and they told me that I had to buy a game with the system. So I did that. A week before the Wii launch, they told me the deal has changed and I had to buy 3 games, and that my prior deposit didn't guarantee me a position in the queue.
There's a legal principle called "Respondeat Superior", which means that a company is responsible for what it's employees do in reasonable, everyday business. The manager of the store wasn't familiar with this. I didn't want to get into an argument with the guy so I got off the phone and called the corporate office. Long story short, I bought the unit with 1 game (actually, 1 controller since the game I put a deposit on wasn't released yet.)
Gonzo @ Dec 4th 2006 11:55AM
Wow the Better Business Bureau doing something helpfull?
For the consumer?
Wow! ToysRUs must've not paid BBB their full dues for this year. Usually they turn a blind eye to such corporate shafting provided that corporation greases their palms sufficiantly.
If you want the real thing look up the Bad Business Bureau.
Raquor @ Dec 1st 2006 4:54PM
to #10...
Here is my cock waving around and here is a giant FUCK YOU!
I worked in retail too, yeah customers suck sometimes but realize that you are a customer at times too...are you just fine with completely shitty service?
Fredd @ Dec 1st 2006 4:58PM
My friends just bought one at toys r Us and they gave him the same BS. He had to buy 3 games which he didnt want. I went and they had a zelda bundle which was buy one system and a zelda for 298.95. I asked them about it and they said they ran out of that bundle, when I could clearly see like 20 wii's right next to the guy at the register. He said that he could only sell them with the three game bundle.
TRU is full of it.
Nate @ Dec 1st 2006 5:04PM
@10: "Well, I just wanted to say that I can't blame the management at TRU for not caring. I work in retail, and guess what, we don't care about the customer. Sure, we have to act like we do or else we'll be fired but really I could give two shits on whether you and your spoiled little brat get X toy. Had to get that off my chest heh. Also, consider that it is Black Friday, and you are at a big retailer. Of course things are going to hecktick and you really just can't blame people for that. I had to work Black Friday, and it's horrible and the management should not be at fault. That's all I wanted to say."
It's people like you that really piss me off. If you don't care and don't like where you work, then guess what? Don't work there. Period.
When I go into a retail store, I expect good service and someone who is helpful that actually gives two shits. It's not much to ask really....
Mongo @ Dec 4th 2006 4:45PM
That's nothing. Although it wasn't a bait and switch kinda operation, Fry's was selling the PS3 in a release day bundle only, and the bundle was $1079. They blatently listed in the ad that they would only sell them this way, no individual purchases. There were like 5 games bundled, none of which looked that good.
Amos @ Dec 1st 2006 5:21PM
Number 10 would piss me off if I didn't realize he/she was completely full of shit. I mean seriously guys, look at the post...it's articulate and inflammatory. Either they're the biggest douchebags ever or they're just trying to stir up trouble. I feel the latter argument is the stronger.
Adam @ Dec 1st 2006 5:47PM
My account, from my journal:
---
Toys "R" Us can suck my balls.
Yes, I mean that in every sense of the phrase, with as much gusto as one can possibly mean it.
Let me relate a story to you, shall I?
I got up this morning at 2 a.m. (not 3, as I had planned—I'd forgotten to set the time on my DS back an hour at the start of Daylight Savings Time, and I was using that as my alarm), vowing to get a Wii before the rush. I acted on my hunch that TRU had gotten a shipment of them in Wednesday night, so I headed out from the house at about 2:15-2:20. I first went to Waffle House and grabbed a bite to eat, then taxied on to TRU. When I got there at about 3, it was a bit nippy (but not extremely cold), and I was the eighth person in line. The people in front of me were there, I discovered, for other items—toys for their kid sisters, portable DVD players, and the like. The store was set to open at 5.
When we were joined by approximately 20 more patrons, a woman—who I assumed to be the manager—came out and asked us what we were there for. I mentioned the Wii, and she said they did, in fact, have some of those in stock.
Flash forward to 5. The doors open, and I make my way quickly but humanely to the video game section, where I am greeted by TRU personnel, one of whom has the tickets they typically use to sell video game merchandise. I ask for one, and they say, "you can get a Wii, but you have to buy it in a bundle with three other games, and that'll cost you $400."
Well, sheeeeeeit. That would have been really nice to know while I was, you know, standing outside in the cold for two hours.
My mother had forbidden me from buying so much as an extra $40 controller—somehow I doubt she'd be keen on the idea of me spending $150 extra just so I could snatch up a system, so I left empty-handed and angry.
---
I'm not really surprised so much to see that it's happened to other people, just disappointed.
Adam @ Dec 1st 2006 5:53PM
To #10:
I wouldn't put it that way, but I do agree with you to an extent. I work at Wal-Mart in Electronics, and I don't care if customers get mad for not getting a system. I care about customers, but not about people missing out on unimportant material possessions.
Part of me feels bad about not having enough for everyone, but then the rest of me feels that if they didn't get one, it's their own fault for not doing what it takes to get one. It's not like you NEED one to survive. It's just a game system.
If someone wants one bad enough, they need to wait in line long enough, and if neccessary, pay the higher price. I wanted a Wii bad enough to wait nearly 30 hours for one, and 20 of those hours were by myself. But it's because I did what I had to do to get one. These people should have done the same thing.
To everyone else griping at #10: Back off. I read what he said and understood it. People act like it's the end of the world if they don't get the new game system for their kid. Just wait a month, then get one. But, no. They have to have one for Christmas.
The season is about Christ's birth, and for peace & joy & happiness & togetherness & family, etc. It's not about Wiis and PS3s.
ts8lemonade @ Dec 1st 2006 5:57PM
Man lotta people seem to hate me now haha. Well that's ok. I guess I could take it further and continue my ramblings...For example, when little Billy's grandma comes in to our store and starts inquiring on games and which ones her grandson would like, in my mind I'm thinking "Fuck if I know, I don't know what he likes or doesn't like." Yep, pretty much good service is too much to ask when you get paid just over minimum wage :P
Whenever I go somewhere I try to be self-sufficient. I don't bother asking people where to find this or which game between these two is the best because I don't want to be the annoying customer. I just go find what I need and try not to make any one of the worker's lives shittier than they need to be. Maybe you're just expecting too much out of people...
Linkakami @ Dec 1st 2006 6:41PM
Theyt ried doing that to me and everyone else on Wii launch day. Half of the cashiers at the R Zone said the only way to get a Wii was the bundle, and then one of them actually FORCED me to buy insurance, which I went back the next day to refund.
ts8lemonade @ Dec 1st 2006 6:01PM
19,
Pretty much what I was talking about. Despite what I just posted (to the joy of raging commentors) I do like some of the customers that come in my store. They're not all asshats, just the ones that ask really trivial questions and act like it's my fault when something doesn't quite work out for them. Really, it's not my fault that corporate decided not to ship us any more than 4 Wii's on Black Friday, that's just something some folks just have to learn to deal with.
(If this happens to double post, sorry).
Srevo @ Dec 1st 2006 7:16PM
You think this is bad? I was up at TRU last week, a week after the Wii launched. They had a stack of 5 or so Wii's behind the counter in clear visibility.
"Have any Wii's?" -> "Nope."
Don't get me wrong, they could have been for people who preordered, but for crying out loud, its a WEEK after launch! These people have not had the time or ability to come pick it up? What about me? I had the time to drive up there, and the money to buy one, but I couldn't because some people did not come pick theirs up??
TRU FTL.
kassim r. @ Dec 1st 2006 11:29PM
#10's post is exactly whats wrong with corporate owned retail. Thats why I shop at local businesses...they may not have the super low price of 49.82 or whatever, but they do care about your business.
Sorry, I'm bored. @ Dec 1st 2006 8:38PM
And now here's a giant enemy giraffe.
ben @ Dec 1st 2006 10:31PM
I had an excellent experience with Toysrus in Tigard, Oregon. I picked up my preorder on release day and not a single problem. Sorry to hear of the problems.
Defenestrator2.0 @ Dec 1st 2006 10:47PM
"26. And now here's a giant enemy giraffe.
-Sorry, I\'m bored."
Attack its weak point for...MASSIVE DAMAGE!
Yonkers @ Dec 2nd 2006 1:05AM
#21,
It's that type of attitude that won't take you far from minimum wage. You should do a good job no matter the wage because you get paid for doing a good job. If you don't feel like you're paid enough to do that particular job well, then go find another job you can do well and feel like you get paid enough.
Otherwise you won't get too far in life.
cassholio @ Dec 2nd 2006 8:20AM
classic bait and switch scheme-which is illegal. I am shocked someone hasn't sued Toys R Us yet.
digitalFrequency @ Dec 2nd 2006 7:06PM
i went to toysrus in atlanta for black friday. got my wii but no forced bundles... though i heard of another toysrus in the same area that did the bundles. confusion! but i'm glad they didn't get the bundle on me because i had all the games/accessories i needed.
Andy @ Dec 2nd 2006 7:14PM
I got my Wii from TRU on Black Friday. There was the forced bundle.
However, I came back later that weekend and returned the bundled games for cash. So I ultimately got the Wii for the advertised price with nothing bundled.
jimmy @ Apr 11th 2007 4:14PM
As far as retailers bunduling systems and games goes there isnt much you can do about that because they have the right to do so. The false advertisement claims wont work either as long as said retailer had at least one system for sale at advertised price. Cmon people big buisness works on loop holes and misleading information just like the government. "while supplies last", "limited quantites", "price and participation may vary". The only plausible solution to this problem is for people to say to hell with you i just wont shop here ever again and then pass this way of thinking on to other people. If corperate american wants to screw you out of your money then take matters into your own hands and screw them back by cutting off their resource, "The Consumer" dont forget we have the right to decide where we shop and what we buy!!!! As for the little punk with the attitude goes I wished you worked in my town so i could show up at your job everyday and ask you questions just to piss you off. Just remeber homeboy those annoying little ol grandmas who ask you questions about little billy also pay your paycheck.
Jojo @ Dec 15th 2006 2:26AM
I wondrer if it was left up to the Managers and the regional managers to decide to bundle. I preordered mine a week in advance and got it no problem.
Brian @ Dec 18th 2006 9:08PM
Ummm, we had a bundle I'll give them that, but it wasn't 450 by any stretch of the imagination. It was 289.97 or something like that, Wii + Ultimate Alliance + some remote skin thing. I guess you can complain about getting a game you'd likely have bought anyway if you want.