Kid gets phone book instead of PS3 for Xmas

It's certainly not the first time we've seen someone open the box to a pricey gadget only to find their hopes and dreams dashed by some unscrupulous individual that's swiped the device and replaced it by something similarly weighted but decidedly cheaper, but it just wouldn't be the holidays if we didn't bring you another account of the same wrong-doings happening again. This latest one comes to us from Thousand Oaks, California where one kid opened the box to the PlayStation 3 he got for Christmas and found a phone book in its place of his desired console. What's more, the PS3 wasn't bought on eBay or out of someone's trunk as you might expect, but at the local EB Games, where the kid's parents are apparently now doing their best to get things sorted out.

[Via Digg]

[Rastaman @ Dec 27th 2007 2:36PM]

Christmas Buzzkill

[James @ Dec 27th 2007 2:55PM]

I wouldn't be surprised if EB Games didn't give them a replacement or a refund.. Shit ass policy store.

[something @ Dec 27th 2007 3:43PM]

Can we all agree that the jokes about the phonebook being more useful, because the PS3 has no games, are tired and please move on?

--Sorry to highjack the top post--

[Flashpoint @ Dec 27th 2007 4:19PM]

When Assassin's Creed was released I opened the game box to find NOTHING BUT A BOOK INSIDE.

this had never happened to me before and I was a bsolutely thrown off by not seeing the disc. At first I thought it was in the 360 and when I didn't see it there I looked around frantic until I realized the box "must have been empty".

I returned to the Circuit City to get a game exchange and suggested at the counter that we check the new game box.

The cashier cut it open.

NO DISK WAS INSIDE.

She notified the manager about this and we checked the next box...that one had a game. I was SHOCKED to see this happen at all but, it does...

[David @ Dec 27th 2007 4:52PM]

Yesterday I went outside to pick up my newly delivered phonebook and found a PS3 instead...damnit, I really needed a phonebook :(

[Temple @ Dec 27th 2007 5:44PM]

Not surprising coming from EBgames.

Gamestop (same company as EBgames) is also infamous for selling a demo disk as a new game; clearly intentionally since the "Demo not for sale or rent" is scratched out with a sharpie.

http://www.joystiq.com/2007/11/25/gamestop-sells-demo-disc-as-new-game/

[Backlin @ Dec 27th 2007 6:16PM]

Maybe I can get a free phone book if I buy a Bravia TV in Australia.

[Backlin @ Dec 27th 2007 6:18PM]

http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/26/buy-a-1080p-bravia-and-sony-australia-will-toss-in-a-ps3-for-fre/

refers to last comment

[John Crawley @ Dec 28th 2007 1:55AM]

This kind of crap happens at Fry's Electronics ALL THE TIME. Always open the box at the register. Those dip$hit $6.75/hr employees are constantly putting phone books is X360 and PS3 boxes... I bought a 8800GTS 512 at Fry's and when i opened the box there was a crescent wrench and a banana peel in it.

[Mike10010100 @ Dec 29th 2007 8:51PM]

My local paper did a story on this situation, and they made it sound like the parents were the ones who played the prank, and that they purposely replaced it with a phone book as a sort of "IOU" because the Game Stop was out of PS3's.

That was what first tipped me off. I thought, "When has anyone been sold out of PS3's since the week after their release?"

Of course, my local paper obviously was incorrect for that one reason.

[Mohammed @ Dec 27th 2007 2:36PM]

An internal job or spotty checks on returns.

[Elliott @ Dec 27th 2007 2:37PM]

Sounds like a heist to me, there must have been a monkey driving the getaway van too.

[Ian @ Dec 27th 2007 3:23PM]

lol nice dane cook reference there!

[Elliott @ Dec 27th 2007 4:22PM]

w00t I'm glad at least one person caught that.

[seoultrain @ Dec 27th 2007 4:27PM]

every college kid in america should get that.

[Elliott @ Dec 27th 2007 4:48PM]

@seoultrain

This is true...*knocks back a 30 block while pwning n00bs on Halo*

[austin @ Dec 28th 2007 8:31PM]

WHERE IS THE FUCKING VAN?

[Zeek @ Dec 27th 2007 2:38PM]

Maybe he can look up a store to find a new Wii with his fancy Sony phonebook.

[3rdsun @ Dec 27th 2007 3:01PM]

He can look up a lawyer too

[sk8rpro @ Dec 27th 2007 7:48PM]

This reminds me of two incidents regarding the iPod.

The first time I recall is when a child gets mystery meat instead of an iPod in C'mas of 2005.
http://www.engadget.com/2005/12/29/boy-finds-mystery-meat-instead-of-ipod-on-xmas/

The second time was an incident when a girl gets rock-filled boxes twice in a row from two consecutive box-openings of the iPod (if true)
http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/09/birthday-girl-gets-two-rock-filled-ipod-boxes/

[Seth @ Dec 27th 2007 2:41PM]

My guess is that there must be more of these out there.

[paragraph @ Dec 27th 2007 2:41PM]

QUICK! KID! FIND SOMEONE WHO GIVES A RATS ASS IN THE FANCY PHONE BOOK OF YOURS!

Seriously though, who cares? The PS3 Sucks anyway :-P

but seriously though, that phone books is about as useful as the PS3, might as well teach the kid right from wrong, no doubt Microsoft was behind this :-P

[Andrew @ Dec 27th 2007 3:05PM]

This post was in dire need of a trite "PS3 sucks" comment, thank you very much.

[Mark @ Dec 28th 2007 2:51PM]

seconded!

[Josh L @ Dec 27th 2007 2:41PM]

Pwnt.

[Reader @ Dec 27th 2007 3:25PM]

Man that was my comment to the character :(

The first thought after reading this title was that the parents put a phone book in the box instead of a PS3 to tell the kid to get a job. Now that would be funny.

[Slawek @ Dec 27th 2007 4:22PM]

@Reader

Thats what I thought as well. Definitely pwnt though.

[SteveMB @ Dec 27th 2007 5:51PM]

I thought that as well before I read it at PS3Fanboy.

[Byzil Mystwing @ Dec 27th 2007 2:41PM]

Maybe a shady return? I've noticed a lot of stores getting lax on that.. returned a 16GB iPod Touch to BestBuy last week and they didn't even pick up the box until after the refund and I had left, much less open it to see if it was in there

[Will @ Dec 27th 2007 3:47PM]

Why did you return an iPod touch?

[Byzil Mystwing @ Dec 27th 2007 4:28PM]

because I got an iphone instead

[bugmat @ Dec 27th 2007 6:23PM]

How'd you know they picked it up if you left already?! :D

[4honor @ Dec 28th 2007 12:58AM]

Yeah, I exchanged a laptop the other day from Office Depot, and they didn't even open up the box to see if the laptop was still inside. Sure, my town is not a theft crime town, but still, do your job and check it!

[mattclarkie @ Dec 28th 2007 11:14AM]

I bought a Home Theatre Surge Protector in the sale 50% off, still cost £25, as my surge protector just died. They brought out the box from the back (Argos), and I notice the box isn't sealed. I complain, but they insist that the box is just badly designed and came unstuck. I get home and find that the box has been cut open with scissors, and the contents have all been removed the CAT5 cable and the modem cable badly put back in where the biggest clue, apart from the cuts in the box.

It works, but I was appauled, and it isn't the first time Argos have done this to me.

[Student Driver @ Dec 27th 2007 2:42PM]

pwn3d.

[The Dude @ Dec 27th 2007 2:42PM]

I hope they didn't handle the phonebook too much and smear any fingerprints that could have been left behind. It could help rule out or catch any of the employees at the store.

[dsx @ Dec 27th 2007 5:58PM]

Because police have nothing better to do than to collect and analyze forensic evidence and interrogate store employees for a $500 crime.

[The Dude @ Dec 27th 2007 9:24PM]

Did you watch the video dumbfuck? It's enough for a felony, not a misdemeanor and given that it could happen again, it's well worth investigating.

Eat shit, dsx.

[icepop4who @ Dec 28th 2007 9:18AM]

It's in the constitution, dude. anything more than $20, the authorities has to deal with it. granted the constitution is more than 200 years old, and the inflation never affected it.

[The Fuzz 53 @ Dec 28th 2007 1:35PM]

Is this kid's name Larry by any chance?

Do you see what happens Larry??

[MaX PL and the 360 r4pe Tr4iN @ Dec 27th 2007 2:47PM]

haha that kid said he thought an elf stole it. classic.

[Dan @ Dec 27th 2007 6:02PM]

Yah, how come nobody's bothering to pick apart his terrible sense of humour? He makes Gallagher funny.

Although he makes me laugh.

[Matt @ Dec 28th 2007 12:52AM]

Maybe Gallagher was behind it......
"And finally, instead of his trademark watermelon, Gallagher will take his sledgehammer to an XBOX 360!"

[JON BLAST @ Dec 27th 2007 2:48PM]

They got the PS3 at the same store where they stuff a oven door in a Plasma TV Box

[justin @ Dec 27th 2007 2:48PM]

If that happened to me those Kill Bill sirens would start going off and I would start splitting wigs.

[James Cameron @ Dec 27th 2007 2:48PM]

I wouldn't want this shit happening to me because you'll have one hell of a hard time convincing anyone without evidence. Too bad they didn't film him opening the box. I mean they should have re-enact it and film it if they really got ripped off.

[Rob @ Dec 27th 2007 2:52PM]

Why do all of these PS3 problem stories come from Fox?

Is this kid an actor too?

[fred @ Dec 27th 2007 2:56PM]

What's really weird is that the other day when I was expecting my phone book to show up somebody left a PS3 on my porch.

[jdmbo1 @ Dec 27th 2007 2:56PM]

He'll have more fun with the phone book, its not like any good games are out for the ps3.

[something @ Dec 27th 2007 3:36PM]

Oh, I see what you did there. Clever.