Game.co.uk review: Data protection breach - your information exposed when selling to game stores 2

Game Retail - Bedford Store.

My partner wanted me to have a PS4 for my 40th Birthday (yes, still a big kid but aren't we all?) but we'd already spent a fair bit so I looked at Game for a pre-owned one (bought a PS3 pre-owned from them 4 years ago and it's still working great).

Went to the store, chatted to a member of staff and all seemed like a good offer. I went to a few other shops to compare prices (CEX, Argos etc) but felt the best deal was with GAME so I went back an hour later.

I wanted to deal with the person who had given me 15 minutes of his time but he was on lunch so I asked that he be credited with the sale (having worked 20 years in retail, I know what its like when you do all the work and someone else gets the sale).

Having upgraded with extra games they showed me the contents of the PS4 box. There was 2 controllers. The sales assistant asked the manager who was stood next to him if that was OK in which he decided to remove one of the controllers and said it should only have one.

Throughout the sale, the assistant was arrogant and disinterested in my purchase. I was asking about other upgrade options, deals on new games but he was more interested in the guy who was about to go to another sales person for a brand new PS4. Maybe because he'd done the sales patter with this person, who knows? Maybe more commission for new over second hand but my knowledge of working in retail, I would say there is more value (better mark up) on second hand than brand new.

Eventually I finished my purchase and went home. Opened the box and there was some paperwork inside. It was a console trade in list and a customer registration form. Basically, the purchase order from the person who sold the PS4 to the shop 3 weeks earlier.

I contact GAME firstly by email to which I got a phone call (and several more). I explained about the snotty attitude, the extra controller that they didn't allow me to have (even though it should have been part of the sale) and that they had broken data protection by leaving this paperwork in the box.

The paperwork has the persons name, address, phone number, date of birth, signature and a few other personal bits and bobs. It has the name, date and time of the person who took the console in. After several chats with directors office staff and managers they offered to compensate me on the understanding I returned the paperwork immediately.

The compensation offer was a full refund of my purchase and a second controller thrown in. Great, but I wanted an apology from the shop for the attitude. Yes, I get a free PS4 but that wasn't what this was about. I had previously purchased my PS1, 2 and 3 from GAME. My Xbox and Wii and pretty much every game and accessory over the past 20 years all from that one company so I wanted an apology. They refused. They then withdrew the compensation offer.

After I told them I would contact the customer whose information they leaked I was emailed by someone claiming to be their 'legal' team. The email was badly written and did not look very official with an email address starting [protected]@game. They told me that I would be breaking data protection if I contacted the customer and that if I didn't return the paperwork to them that I could be in trouble.

I don't take lightly to threats, especially ones of such a poor nature.

Backing up a bit... the customer registration form should never have been in the box. According to GAME, when they purchase a console from a customer the paperwork should be filed immediately not left in the box. An audit is carried out in each store weekly for all purchases made so they tally up. This paperwork had been in the box THREE weeks before I made the purchase showing that they are not auditing their purchases. So, how many other consoles have paperwork in their boxes? Are all GAME stores doing this? Is your personal and private information safe when you sell something to them?

Now, they just will not respond. They have lied, cheated and broken data protection. For my own personal reasons, the paperwork has been passed on to a solicitor for safe keeping.

So, if you are thinking of selling a console or even a game to the GAME store, remember... your private information may not be as safe as you think. What could be done with such information? There is enough information here to set up store cards, bank accounts and get credit cards. Its a severe breach of data protection and could quite easily cause identity theft. GAME need to respond but even their managing director won't reply. GUILTY? I think so.

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