Kid gets phone book instead of PS3 for Xmas
By Donald Melanson 
posted Dec 27th 2007 2:29PM
posted Dec 27th 2007 2:29PM
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]
[Via Digg]
Christmas Buzzkill
I wouldn't be surprised if EB Games didn't give them a replacement or a refund.. Shit ass policy store.
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--
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...
Yesterday I went outside to pick up my newly delivered phonebook and found a PS3 instead...damnit, I really needed a phonebook :(
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/
Maybe I can get a free phone book if I buy a Bravia TV in Australia.
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
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.
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.
An internal job or spotty checks on returns.
Sounds like a heist to me, there must have been a monkey driving the getaway van too.
lol nice dane cook reference there!
w00t I'm glad at least one person caught that.
every college kid in america should get that.
@seoultrain
This is true...*knocks back a 30 block while pwning n00bs on Halo*
WHERE IS THE FUCKING VAN?
Maybe he can look up a store to find a new Wii with his fancy Sony phonebook.
He can look up a lawyer too
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/
My guess is that there must be more of these out there.
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
This post was in dire need of a trite "PS3 sucks" comment, thank you very much.
seconded!
Pwnt.
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.
@Reader
Thats what I thought as well. Definitely pwnt though.
I thought that as well before I read it at PS3Fanboy.
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
Why did you return an iPod touch?
because I got an iphone instead
How'd you know they picked it up if you left already?! :D
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!
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.
pwn3d.
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.
Because police have nothing better to do than to collect and analyze forensic evidence and interrogate store employees for a $500 crime.
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.
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.
Is this kid's name Larry by any chance?
Do you see what happens Larry??
haha that kid said he thought an elf stole it. classic.
Yah, how come nobody's bothering to pick apart his terrible sense of humour? He makes Gallagher funny.
Although he makes me laugh.
Maybe Gallagher was behind it......
"And finally, instead of his trademark watermelon, Gallagher will take his sledgehammer to an XBOX 360!"
They got the PS3 at the same store where they stuff a oven door in a Plasma TV Box
If that happened to me those Kill Bill sirens would start going off and I would start splitting wigs.
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.
Why do all of these PS3 problem stories come from Fox?
Is this kid an actor too?
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.
He'll have more fun with the phone book, its not like any good games are out for the ps3.
Oh, I see what you did there. Clever.
At first i thought the parents were playing one of those nasty pranks on the kid. like the N64 kids on youtube.
i live right near Thousand Oaks and this isn't too surprising, the gentrification in that town is ridiculous. There are either the rich folk in the town or the poor shmucks, and the EB Games in the T.O. Mall doesn't hire the rich ones.
I think it's kinda bullshit to infer that because you are "lower income" your more apt to steal. I have seen just as many rich people steal. It's just as likely that it was some spoiled little brat who passed off a fraudulent return. The problem transcends income and comes more from the fact that we no longer teach people to behave in a morally right way. I'm not talking about the bible thumping type of morality, but the basic "if it's not yours don't take it", don't screw other people over kind of morality. Sorry for the rant.
You can't be serious. Those who have steal too.
To all the XBOX and wii fanboys out there...
I would love to see you guys get your console and find nothing els then a turd in there.
That are to teach you kids some manners. Also it's only the PS3 that get's stolen not the others... makes you wonder, doesn't it.
The Bible happens to be the single most stolen book, year after year. That doesn't make it worth more than any other book. It makes it worth less because written right inside is a little rule that says you shouldn't steal. Hypocrisy and flawed logic! YOU FAIL!!!
someone did the same thing with a Xbox360 about two weeks back
well at least they left the Xbox shell along with a phonebook
gg
http://www.engadget.com/2007/11/22/xbox-360-returned-critical-components-not-included/
"The Bible happens to be the single most stolen book, year after year. That doesn't make it worth more than any other book. It makes it worth less because written right inside is a little rule that says you shouldn't steal. Hypocrisy and flawed logic! YOU FAIL!!!"
I was going to point out the flawed logic in your argument, BigD145, but if your chosen example means you are a religious man, I expect you probably just can't help it.
Wow, here we go, religious automatically = moron. Way to go, man. Thanks for making me stick up for an asshat because you're a bigger one. Since when did this become an acceptable practice? Nice Job.
"I would love to see you guys get your console and find nothing els then a turd in there."
This poor kid *didn't* get his turd. He got a phonebook.
Hey it could happen since Mr. Hanky only comes around Xmas time....
@Chris Let me sum up the original poster, "PS3 better than xbox and wii because it's stolen more." My point? Other things at the top of their list of most thefted items also tend to be regarded as "better" when they are not. Perhaps my original post said too much. So be it. Can't take it back.
@fred No. Religious automatically = sheeple
console fanbois = sheeple
Big D, quit while you're behind, ok? The more you post on this the dumber you look.
you're an idiot.
i used to work at the service desk at target, and i personally helped a guy return an xbox360. i opened the box to check it, per policy, and there was a brick in the box, and styrofoam peanuts.
i opened the box, pulled out the brick, and looked up at him for a response. he turned and ran.
god, why are there so many morons that take every single post and turn it into sony/apple/nintendo/ms bashing or whatnot? seriously, if you don't have something meaninful (or at least funny/witty/clever) to add to a discussion, add nothing at all.
if it happens more with the ps3, it's simply because of the PRICE of the console (when you return it, you get more back because it's a more expensive item) and says nothing about the actual worth of the item at all.
that aside, i hope that things get worked out. it's very hard to prove this kind of thing, but since crime doesn't take a break during the holidays (quite the opposite), gamestop should do the right thing.
"Also it's only the PS3 that get's stolen not the others... makes you wonder, doesn't it"
Yes it seems the PS3 is the only one not worth paying for.
:P J/K
Yo, BigD, no chance you'll give me permission to use your quote elsewhere? I just love it, it sounds so Zim. ^_^
At least it wasn't a Zune with gay porn.. That would be two disappointments :(
Once, when I worked at Wal-Mart, I saw a DVD player ON THE SHELF with metal poking out of it. We checked it out and found a car jack inside!
I just returned GH III to a local Target (I bought it nearly 2 months ago and then scored a Wii at the last minute). They opened the box and checked that everything was there before they refunded my money. Though they didn't do much more than glance at the contents. I guess that was enough to make sure it wasn't a phone book or a box of rocks.
I'm calling shenanigans on this now, in advance of next week's news story where it's revealed to be a setup by the family.
I wanted a set of phone books for Christmas, imagine my disappointment when I opened up the box and there was some games console in there.
I think it is complete bull crap. Can't fully recall but I believe the bottom of the box has a cut out that exposes the serial number of the PS3. EB scans the serial number. So if they flipped it to scan it, there wouldn't be a bar code. They therefore could not sell it and therefore this is CRAP! CRAP I SAY! CRAP!
I could be wrong but I think the same goes for the 360.
OK,I checked, I'm wrong. Both the XBOX360 and the PS2 have the cut out. The PS3 has a big round clear sticker that seals the box, but that's nothing a little hot air can't help remove. The Serial number is just a sticker on the top of the box.
Anyway, I still call CRAP!
my roomie works at Gamestop (same as EB), and upon an item return, they plug it in to make sure if functions before accepting the return/trade-in.
I think it is crap too!
to easy to do!
The dad probably took the PS3 out and put a phonebook in it. Did anyone check to see if the PS3 was bought used and Gamestop or if it was a new purchase.
Really I think its a heist and total BS. The guy probably wants EB to give him a new PS3 and then he'll sell the one hiding in the closet on EBAY. Having the story on the news is just a way to put pressure on EB to give him a new console.
No, having the news story is a way to show that video games are evil in the eyes of the morality police. It's also entertainment.
How exactly does this show that videogames are evil? When the story ran about people getting iPod boxes full of rocks, was that intended to show the evils of music? Or PMPs?
But it is pretty damn entertaining, which is all news is good for nowadays, since it's 100% opinion anymore with no real journalism.
lol i cant wait till the same thing happens to you with some other bit of electronic. and when that happens dont tell anyone because we wont care about you and only you because of that stupid comment. just go sit in your box and think karma is a bitch aint it!
that was supposed to be to paragraph damn it
Ha, I got my bran new Wii from a dude he was selling it from the trunk of his car ($300), I've been playing umbrella chronicles since x-mas eve. It's sad when people like trunk guy have more credibility than corporate America.
haha ya i bought mine from trunk kid too. $300 cash. sketchy as hell. still has better customer service than comcast.
Nice! I got mine from a trunk kid too for $320, although mine was used but came other extra controllers and 2 games... woohoo!
I think it's kinda ironic... my two roommates' PS3s get about as much use as a telephone book in the 21st century.
I find that hard to believe... I've been using mine nigh constantly, with linux and the movies/TV shows I keep on my PS3 and networked computer, not to mention Resistance. I agree there are way too few games out, but the PS3 is the best system for doing stuff other than playing games, but for a lot of people the bonus stuff isn't what you buy a console for.
This sounds to much like a scam to me.
The only systems that come in the box are brand new, Unopened ones.
And GameStop doesn't up gutted systems boxes on the floor, they get special display boxes from HQ.
And when ever you buy a USED PS3 from GameStop/EB it does NOT come in the original box, it comes in a clear plastic box. Even if the system is returned the PS3 must be shipped out to HQ to be reformatted and when it comes back its in the clear plastic box.
Also did anyone else knottiest that the box did not have the system size or the Motostorm box picture on it. ALL 80GB PS3 systems have a picture of the Motostorm box on them, and all 40GB have the picture of the Spiderman 3 box. This looks EXTREMELY fishy to me.
Yeah, I remember the PS2 boxes having that cutout when I worked at WalMart in the electronics department. It really did help cut down on theft. Why hell would Sony take a step back in terms of security? I think Sony should replace these stolen units for not giving store employees a way to verify that a valid console is inside without breaking the seal.
It's sad that the world has become this way...
People are actually buying PS3s.
:P
HAHAHAHAHAH
My younger cousin got PS3 for christmas with Motor Storm and Need for Speed - because his parents won't give him M rated games. I made fun of him and started talking about how good Call of Duty 4 and Assassin's Creed were.
Damn thing is useless besides the Blu Ray player and the internet browser unless you have games.
Who in the world gets dressed and styles their hair before they open presents? I've never opened presents in anything but pajamas.
Hmmm...where was the store, where did the kid live, and what area was the phone book for?
thats why you never should pay cash for anything above $50, always use the old credit card and you will never have another issue again, and if you do have issues let the credit card company deal with them because thats what they get pay for, to deal with scumbags
Sage advice. Thanks! :) (seriously)
Credit cards do have their disadvantages, like less ability to seek discounts and the slow erosion of privacy through databases of purchases. At the end of the day, the credit card companies must get their cut, one way or another.
For most local purchases, I think we are better off without them.
Well at least he got a better gift with more games.
Size of that TV. sure they can afford it.
And I love the reporter, "closed on christmas night" like that's a surprise. As if to say, how the f*ck dare they close!
I lol'd. :-)
Right, like we should expect retail employees to give up their X-mas so some twerp can play video games.
lol, i live in thousand oaks!
granted i don't know that kid, but it is cool seeing your town's name on engadget