I complained to Game. It was justified complaint, not a jokey one.

I won’t paste the entire complaint here, as it is the journey that the complaint took that I want to share with you all, not necessarily the complaint itself.

In quick summary, though…

• I bought some games from Game
• The Internet in the shop wasn’t working, so they couldn’t add my Reward Points
• The manager suggested I contact Customer Support when I got home, to ask that they add my points
• So I emailed Customer Care

From: Craig Anderson
To: Game Customer Support
Subject:Game Reqard Points

Hi there.

I spend close to £100 in my local Game today, but as their internet was off they couldn’t add my reward points.

The manager suggested I contact you directly to have them added on.

What do you need from me?

Craig.

I received the automatic email back, confirming my query had been received. It said…

From:customerservices@game.co.uk
To: Craig A
Subject:GAME: Thank you for getting in touch – G2338946CS

Dear Customer

Many thanks for getting in touch.

Here at GAME we pride ourselves on our customer service and hope to resolve your query within 48 hours. Unfortunately however, we are currently experiencing high volumes of contact and this has regrettably impacted on our average response times. Please bear with us as we are working hard to reduce response time, whilst maintaining the high level of customer support you expect from us.

Due to a high volume of contact it might be a bit longer than 2 days. This was fine. However, after 4 days and with no reply and with a distinct feeling of being ignored, I mentioned my unhappiness on Twitter.

Things were looking good! I got a reply from Game within moments! I sent a Direct Message explaining the situation.

Phew! Things were WELL on their way to being sorted! I waited patiently.

So, a few days later and with no email or contact via Twitter, I put…

But I got no public reply. So I sent another Direct Message…

But after another 5 days nothing happened.

After a total of 2 weeks waiting, and at the suggestion of a friend on Twitter, I decided to email the Managing Director of Game. His name is Ian Shepherd and I got his name from a publicly searchable list online. (I won’t bore you with the full complaint)

From: Craig Anderson
To: Ian Shepherd, CEO of Game
Subject:Unhappy with Game Customer Service

Good morning, Ian.

I am emailing you directly after experiencing awful customer service from Game. I feel as though I have been firstly ignored and secondly, for want of a better phrase, fobbed off. I apologise for taking the direct approach, but after emailing customer services and speaking to your GameDigital rep on Twitter and getting nowhere, this is one of the few options left.

On the 28th August I bought a few games and controllers from my local Game store……

I emailed customer support that night and received an email confirming receipt……

I know that Game have a twitter account, so on day 3, the 31st August, I sent a public message to @GAMEdigial……

I’m now on day 15. I’ve had no reply from anyone, despite the contact I have tried to make. It shouldn’t be up to me to chase my query, it should be being dealt with and chased at your end.

I’ve been ignored by the customer service team via email and, amazingly, ignored by the Game representative who actually asked me to send them a Direct Message! Is it usual to be ignored for so long?

What is the point of a Game representative asking people to send them a Direct Message on Twitter if they are unable to assist, or if they ignore awkward questions? Will your team ever reply to my query? You may suggest that I resubmit the query, but I have received confirmation of it’s receipt. I know you have it, because you’ve confirmed it. How many other queries are just being ignored?

I have stuck with Game for years. I was glad when Game purchased Gamestation, as at the time it meant you were reaffirming yourselves as the UKs leading gaming supplier. In fact a few years ago I purchased, and have still held onto, shares in Game Group. They aren’t worth anywhere near the money I paid for them back then, but I had every confidence they will return to value in the next few years.

But this lack of Customer Service does cast doubt in my mind. I don’t think that the level of service your company is supplying is satisfactory. It is now over 2 weeks since I raised this and I still have no reply from either of the sources I have tried.

I’ve given you the dates of my correspondence and the reference number I was given. I would like this matter to be addresses and, ideally, resolved promptly.

Craig.

Quite quickly, I received this back from Ian. It was an Out Of Office reply.

From: Ian Shepherd
To: Craig
Subject:Out of Office AutoReply: Unhappy with Game Customer Service

Thanks for your email. I’m no longer personally reading this inbox but your email will be dealt with promptly.

If you require any additional help, please contact Gillian.Birch@game.co.uk

Please consider the environment before printing this email.

GAME RETAIL LIMITED T/A Game and Gamestation. Registered company is 07837246.

Nice to know that the CEO admits he doesn’t read his emails. But, he did advise I email his colleague, Gillian, so…

From: Craig Anderson
To: Gillian Birch from Game
Subject:fwd:Unhappy with Game Customer Service

Hi Gillian,

I emailed Ian earlier and have received an out of office reply informing me that he doesn’t read his emails. I have forwarded my complaint to you, as Ian suggested I should do. I hope you are able to assist…

I then copy and pasted my original complaint.

Soon, I received this from Gillian. It is an Out Of Office reply.

From: Gillian Birch
To: Craig
Subject:Out of Office AutoReply: Complaint about Game Customer Support

Apologies, but I have now left the business so your email will not receive a reply.

If you require assistance, please contact Michelle Watson (michelle.watson@game.co.uk or 01256 784176).

Thank you,
Gill

Please consider the environment before printing this email.

GAME RETAIL LIMITED T/A Game and Gamestation. Registered company is 07837246.

I liked Gillians message slightly more than Ians. It was a bit more definate, saying I will not receive a reply, whereas Ians was a tad wishy-washy claiming it should still be dealt with. Ian should take a leaf out of Gillians book. By that, I don’t mean leave, I mean be more definite about things.

Anyway, as Gillian suggested, I decided to email Michelle.

From: Craig
To: Michelle Watson
Subject:Complaint about Game Customer Support

Hi Michelle

I’m hoping you can help me. I emailed a complaint to Ian Shepherd on Monday, but received an Out Of Office reply saying he no longer checks his emails. He advised I email Gillian Birch instead.

So I emailed Gillian, whose Out Of Office reply informs me no longer works for the company. Her Out Of Office email advised I email you.

Without wishing to sound pessimistic, and based purely on my experience so far, I expect your Out Of Office message will be gracing my inbox shortly. It would be great if your message advised me to forward any queries back to Ian again. I’d love the irony of that!

When the inevitable happens and I do receive my expected Out of Office reply from you, this is likely to leave me wondering if ANYONE actually works at Game. I already suspect that no-one does, due to having no reply from customer Services, sparse replies from your Twitter account and no contact at all from the important people who are meant to be running it.

One thought I’ve had is “Maybe it is being run by ghosts?” If so, maybe you don’t have the ability to physically touch the keyboard? Maybe the complaints are piling up while frustrated ghosts sit there, saying “I can’t get back in touch with you! I have no physical presence and, therefore, can’t type a reply to you!” while making spooky noises. If this is the case, am I best getting in touch by Ouiji board? I’ll set one up in readiness, and if you could just move the glass to “yes” at some point, I’ll know you’re there.

Another thought I’ve had is that your company is being run entirely by cats. Cats, as we all know, always think they’re right. There is just no arguing with a cat. They are, from a company perspective, the BEST employees to have running the customer care department because no-one who complains will EVER get the resolution that they want.

Or, worryingly, maybe Game is being run by Cat-Ghosts. If I find the glass on my ouiji board has been moved to something other than what I want it to be moved to, I’ll know this is the case.

Anyway, please find a copy of my original complaint below. I’d be grateful if someone could look in to it and get back to me promptly.

Thanks.

I received a reply from Michelle. Well, I say “reply”…

From: Michelle Watson
To: Craig
Subject:Out of Office AutoReply: Complaint about Game Customer Support

I am now out of the office returning on Monday 2nd July, Rachel Courtman is covering emails in my absense but if your enquiry to related to our Chairman, please contact, Martine. Regards, Michelle

Please consider the environment before printing this email.

GAME RETAIL LIMITED T/A Game and Gamestation. Registered company is 07837246.

In that it is now September, and Michelle was due back in July, I guess the whole “returning to work” thing didn’t go too well. Maybe she did return, saw that the building full of ghost cats and was too disturbed to enter the building to turn her Out Of Office replies off?

Time to email Rachel and Martine…

From: Craig
To: Rachel Courtman
Subject:Complaint about Game Customer Support

Hi Rachel

A few years ago I was thinking of starting a collection. People seem to collect the oddest of things. Some people collect lawnmowers, some collect weapons, some collect stamps. Up until recently I wasn’t sure what to collect. Over the last two weeks I’ve gathered up so many Game Out Of Office replies, I think it could technically be classed as a “Collection.”

One Out Of Office reply would just be a “single one”, two of them would be “a couple of them” but not a collection as such. I think that as soon as you get three or more of a thing, then it becomes the start of a “collection”

No doubt your inevitable reply will bump my collection up to 4.

Just HOW does your business survive with just ghosts and cats running it? I have no idea how you manage to get anything done! Well, actually, thats a lie. In that I’ve had no reply from Customer Care, from your MD, from their assistant and am expecting no reply from yourself, I KNOW for a fact that you get nothing done, simply because no-one is there.

In case you are there, I have a proposition for you. IF you reply to my email and IF my complaint is resolved, I will NOT publish this series of emails on my blog. I will also cover my site with adverts for Game, bringing you hundreds and hundreds of potential customers and thousands of pounds in potential sales.

However, if I DON’T get a reply, I’ll have some great content and everyone will laugh at you and call you the non-existent cat people. I’ll also suggest people no longer refer to you as “Game”, but as “Schrödinger’s”.

Yours, as ever, with a sense of hollow emptiness and expectancy of unfulfilledness,

Craig.

—No Reply–

My ouiji board remains unmoved.