The Consumer Council Warns Against Nintendo EShop Pre-Orders
According to the Consumer Council’s standards, just about every console’s digital marketplace has lackluster policies. Also according to the Consumer Council, the Nintendo eShop is the worst. Somehow EA and Valve, who run Origin and Steam respectively, have better systems of reimbursement than Nintendo.
Back in December, The Consumer Council published a rundown of the seven biggest game stores and their policies. Among them were Battle.net, Uplay, Nintendo eShop, PlayStation Store and the Xbox Store. Their report indicated bad refund schemes all around, but this was especially true of the eShop. As a matter of fact, they’ve gone as far as to warn people against pre-ordering games directly from Nintendo. As revealed on Pressfire.no (via Google Translate):
“Nintendo stands out when it comes to pre-ordered games. They rightly state that all purchases are final. According to the Restrictions Act and the Consumer Buying Directive, Nintendo can not take this reservation, it is stated in the report.”
Furthermore, assuming the translations aren’t heinous, the Consumer Council claims Nintendo shouldn’t be able to withhold a refund for any product that isn’t available and downloaded yet. Currently, the eShop does not support any function that allows consumers to cancel orders at the press of a button. Competing marketplaces, on the other hand, do. Therefore, per the EU’s rules, the Council is asking Nintendo to provide a report that justifies their unlawful refund system. Until then, the message is simple: don’t pre-order from the Nintendo eShop.
Thoughts on the Consumer Council report? Do you care about Nintendo’s unlawful eShop rules? Let us know by commenting down below.