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EB Demands Payment From Victim of Theft
blincoln writes "ABC Action News is reporting that a Florida Electronics Boutique bought stolen games and gaming hardware, and made a profit on selling them back to their rightful owner, refusing to return the merchandise unless she paid them. From the article: 'EB Games still insists it will not refund Michelle's money. If she wants her money back, the company said, she can go through the legal system and get restitution from the thief.' In addition, EB appears to be violating the law by re-selling used merchandise without holding it for the required number of days. I was under the impression that purchasers of stolen merchandise could expect it to be seized by the police (who would return it to the owner) and not recover any of the money they spent buying it unless they took action against the thief. Is that not the case in Florida?"
they'd rather deal with a stolen good without knowing that it is stolen than do the right thing of turning it in.
Pawn shops are very heavily regulated. They have to keep extensive records, including records of who they are trading with. These records are open to legal authorities.
Pawn shops are not the best place for a criminal to get rid of stolen goods. A place like EB, or just about any store that deals in used goods, is. But pawn shops, no.
Anything worth doing is worth doing badly -- G.K. Chesterton
EB buys new games for $45.00 sells them for $49.00. You cannot run a business on the profit of new software or hardware. Cannot be done.
Microsoft is charging $4.99 for a Links04 update. (after you pay 69.00 per year to sign up to live service.)
We all hate giving out identification to buy anything, what makes selling things any different?
Sure if this was my store I would have found a way to get corporate to eat the loss. But there is no freeking way I am going to lose my pay raise for returning stolen property comes out of my store shrink. (shrink is stolen goods btw)
Parents that drop their kids off in my store and the little bastards rob me blind, as the law protects them. Case in point, if I do not watch the little bastards from the time they enter my store to the time they leave my store with the stolen property I cannot do anything about it.. actually can't do anything about it even if they hold the dam thing up and tell me they are stealing it. Even better, if it's a minor and I were to heaven forbid TOUCH one Jesus I'd lose my house and everything cause this little fucker tried to rob me.
Sure EB was wrong, but I do believe that asshole parents and bratty kids steal many many millions of times more from us, than this one clueless bitch lost.
A few other random thoughs.
Microsoft, Sony, and most PC vendors would LOVE to see EB's and Gamestops all gone. And as soon as downloadable content and broadband make it to the prime time, expect to see mall computer stores gone. Just from a profit point only, 49.00 is more than the 45.00 that eb pays them and they don't even have to press a 5 cent disk.
When you trade your games at EB for 25.00 and you see the same game priced at 45.00 a few hours later I got some news for ya. THAT'S THE SAME MARGIN THE REST OF THE MALL IS GETTING ON EVERYTHING ELSE!
She should get her stuff back, but watch who you boycott, otherwise your just going to fuck yourself in to the microsoft xbox pocket.
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