When it was first announced that an EB Games franchise was opening up in Geraldton, gamer geeks everywhere rejoiced. Finally, they would have a store soley dedicated to the love of their life; regardless of whether it was PC, PS3, Xbox or otherwise. They all breathed a collective happy sigh as the time had arrived where the Geraldton market would have some competition when it came to games!
It was about 6 months later that the rumours started about management problems, stock issues, thievery, staff retention (Which, mind you, is an issue everywhere these days) and the biggest rumour of all, that they were going under. But, they held out and gamers continued to check in religiously to see if there was a new precious to add to their collection.
Well, that was all set to change with the appointment of a new manager, who radically changed procedures to try and improve the store. Sadly though, in the midst of the change over, something terrible happened… The World of Warcraft – Wrath of the Lich King Collectors Edition Pre-order list was lost!
If you know gamers, and especially those who love the World of Warcraft universe, you’ll know they’re passionate about it! Two of the people I spoke to even had their names down on the pre-order list as early as a year and a half ago and are naturally outraged. For the non-gamers out there, you may be thinking, ‘So, whats the big deal?’. Well, think Collectors Edition DVD’s or collectable cards. They’re a lot harder to come by, and are worth alot more money.
So, how exactly do gamers exact their revenge you ask? Well, they take their money elsewhere. Many faithful customers are now looking to order their games online, and that’s money that Geraldton businesses miss out on. Personally, I pre-ordered through Harvey Norman and am pleased to know that there is a collector’s edition box sitting in their storeroom with my name on it 
Not all hope is lost for the Geraldton Gamer who likes to spend their money locally. Harvey Norman, you’ve saved my life!
EDIT: Another associate of mine has informed me that he received a proper receipt when he pre-ordered his Collectors Edition copy. Lets hope that he’s not denied as well!
