Hear me out on this, interesting problem today

Today at work, GameCrazy store. We were having a Soul Calibur 3 tournament. Sounds fun right? The grand prize was a free copy of Soul Calibur 3!

Now, the kid wins the tournament, I'm fixing to hand the game to the kid. My manager is like "no i dont think so..." so he calls the Waco store....the Hewitt, TX store.....and Temple TX store....then the district manager. Everyone is saying NO to giving the kid the game.

Okay, so everyone is acting like I'm the weirdo. When the fact is, GameCrazy has done this crap so many times before. For the past five months I have been under the impression that game tournamets that are "Pay to play" get the free game to the champion right? They did this with Madden 2006, NBA LIVE 2006, etc. etc.

So I have no darn clue who decided this. Yet I am pissed how these jerks now back out of the deal. After I have been telling the customers this ever since I started this job. The company was claiming "We do not do that here!"

I told the kid straight up "This is bad business, why would they cut us off like that?"

To be honest, I think it was my new manager's fault for making a big deal out of it. He's a former car salesmen btw so he likes to follow by the book all the time. It was his first day with us. So I can understand his concern, but it's the corporations fault for not being clear about this in my honest opinion.

Now my biggest fear, is if they punish me for this. Why would they? I followed orders. I was doing what I have been told for the past 5 months.

I really dont see how they can punish you. None of it was your fault. They are the ones who decided not to give the game to the kid. Sounds way to shady.

Exactly, so I honestly had to question the corporation for these actions. After how many times they continued to do this, they cease at the last second? Claiming "We never did this here!" Which is a crock, because like I said before they have done this numerous times before!

yet after all this headache, the kid got the game, which is what i wanted in the first place. He won fair and square

at least you got the kid the game.

Did the tournament rules state that he got the game? OR what is the EXACT tournament rule?

Bv :hat

There were no rules, just a simple sign up sheet. I was under the impression this is how we do it for the past 5 months at GameCrazy. Now it's like it's a big no-no. I guess I've been misinformed for all those months

In my opinion, if you commit to the customer, which sounds like your company did, then they must deliver.
And it doesn't surprise me that a former car salesman would pull a stunt like this. But in the end it's that kid who has the ball. Now he can tell 10 or even 20 of his buddies how he got screwed out of a tournament after he won. If your manager was smart, he would have coughed up the game, made a kid happy and gained a few more customers by word of mouth.
As for you, you did the right thing. You may have made an incompetent manager look bad, but you stood up for what was right. And for that your coworkers should respect you. Keep your customers and keep your integrity and everything else will fall into place.

Ya, even if the rules were suddenly changed he shouldn't have put up a fuss over the game and told you discretely that you guys wouldn't be having any more tournaments. I mean you give the kid one free game and he's a loyal customer for the next __ years, everybody wins.

If there was never anything officially stating that the winner gets the game, there is absolutely no obligation to give the kid the game, let alone give it to him against the word of a higher-up.

Ghouls N Ghosts said:

There were no rules, just a simple sign up sheet. I was under the impression this is how we do it for the past 5 months at GameCrazy. Now it's like it's a big no-no. I guess I've been misinformed for all those months

Click to expand...

oooh... bummer on that one

next time.... just make sure in SPECIFIC what the rules are. So much crap get messed up in the day to day communication....
um... so it is a pay contest? so what WOULD be the prize?

I am surprised they were allowed to hold a "pay" contest.... as game companies don't really like that.

Bv :hat

Bluevoodu said:

oooh... bummer on that one

next time.... just make sure in SPECIFIC what the rules are.  So much crap get messed up in the day to day communication....   
um... so it is a pay contest?  so what WOULD be the prize?

I am surprised they were allowed to hold a "pay" contest.... as game companies don't really like that.

Bv :hat

Click to expand...

Pay as in "Pre-order $5 down" then you can get in so to speak, yet I honestly feel that is pay to play