GameStop has settled a class action lawsuit with firm Baron and Budd, and must now post signs warning customers about the absence of DLC coupons from the boxes of used games.
GameStop has settled a class action lawsuit with firm Baron and Budd, and must now post signs warning customers about the absence of DLC coupons from the boxes of used games.
The suit's complaints were simple enough, claiming that the boxes of used games promised download codes for DLC which may or may not have been redeemed by the game's previous owner. According to a press release from Baron and Budd, "Under the settlement, GameStop must, for the next two years, post signs on the shelves where used games are sold in California stores, and online, warning consumers that certain downloadable content may require an additional purchase."
The settlement also requires GameStop to reimburse purchasers of "select used games," requiring the company to give a $10 check and $5 coupon to PowerUp Rewards members, or a $5 check and $10 coupon to non-members. We're trying to find a list of the games in question, though that information appears to have not become public just yet.
This isn't the first time GameStop has been on the receiving end of a class action suit for its used game practices. A 2003 suit mandated that stores post a sign stating that all merchandise in the store may actually be pre-owned, in accordance with its return policy. The store would later get in hot water for its policy of allowing employees to check out new games and then sell them as new, which seemingly contradicts that earlier agreement. We've reached out to GameStop for a comment on this most recent case.