This is a completely honest review of Retro Game Trader based on my recent experience with this disgusting excuse for a video game store.
Walked into the store. First person I saw is this girl working the front counter, half shaved head and listening to metal on her phone, looking as if I am a complete bother to her day. I go out and get my trade in, and this tall, obnoxious, balding guy comes in and he doesn't know much about my trade (A DESR-7000 PSX with the DVR remote and DESR-10 controller with a cable double as long as a regular PS2 controller) He says that he needs to call his boss about the trade which seemed a little off, but that's alright, understandable. Next he says he needs to test it out, which is where things really got odd. He tells me he needs to test it, and I ask if I can watch him test the product. The menus on this thing are all in Japanese and setting it up takes a good 2 minuets by itself. He tells me firmly that I can't watch him test my trade. I ask him why I can't, and I didn't get any clear answer. Who on earth knows why you cant watch your trade being tested. He just kinda repeated himself and said I couldn't watch him test it. I didn't see him grab any of the import games needed to actually see if it worked at all. In fact, he was back in a couple minuets or less. He basically looked it up on eBay and came back to me, even after the girl said the pricing is on market pricing, not eBay. The same tall, balding guy came back and acted like he knew everything, interrupting me so many times you can't count on two hands. The offer went back and forth many times and we settled on $85 for it, again calling someone else for the offer.
At this point, I went looking around the store, and here we get to the prices.. lets name a few..
Tron Bonne - $295
Intelligent Qube - $80
Parappa the Rapper - $60
Lime Green N64 Controller - $80
Front-lit GBA SP - $55 (which is what a back lit model goes for)
Back-lit GBA SP - $75 (!)
Zelda Ocarina Of Time for N64 (gold cart) - $72
Sonic Adventure - $28
Tales of Destiny - $155
Every single price on this list is way over eBay prices for actual sold listings. The girl told me they go off real market value.. that's a massive lie that you should not believe. The prices are much higher, double, triple, and sometimes even quadruple real world prices. How they sell anything, I have no clue.
So after they were not willing to budge on absolutely anything I was looking at (an IMPORT for Pete's sake and Parappa the Rapper) I decided to leave, and I was not happy at all. I was treated with no respect from both employees, interrupted many times, and talked to like I knew nothing, I had to walk. Now here is the worst part of my visit for sure.
As I was walking out, I was mad. I said "idiots" under my breath because I felt bad about everything and was angry at the treatment I received.. The tall, obnoxious, balding guy comes out, points at me, and forcefully says to me " Don't you ever call us idiots under your breath ever again!" and walks back into the store. So I was yelled at by this dude because I was grumpy and I said something about it. Yep. That's Retro Game Trader for you. This clown had to throw it back in my face and make me feel worse. At this point I was feeling pretty terrible, and I still had my PSX. This ruined my whole day. The balding, tall man said that he wouldn't let me in the store again. Is this really customer service now?
Thank you Retro Game Trader, and your excuses for employees for showing me how bad I can feel after visiting a store.
As for me I will never be returning here, and it would take a miracle to make me step foot even on their lot again. read more