After the hasty change in policy regarding the expiration of points in its loyalty program, the OCU has been forced to intervene and report GAME to Consumption to protect all those users who had active points in their account. In the event that the violation is proven, the organization demands the return of all points to its members.
GAME is one of the leading video game and entertainment product sales and advisory companies in our country, with a long history behind it. For many years, and with the aim of strengthening its community, the company had a loyalty program based on a points system. As their members make purchases in their stores, they accumulate a series of points that, in the end, are used to exchange them for other products and services.
However, and without prior notice, GAME unilaterally decided to apply the points expiration clause of its program on December 31. Preventing thousands of company partners they could exchange them to be able to continue enjoying your products and services at a more attractive price. For the OCU, the situation is so serious that the organization has decided file a complaint to the video game company before the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumption and Agenda 2030 “for the irregularities committed”.
An unfair business practice
Although GAME alleges that the conditions of the loyalty program were included in the contract that all consumers had to sign in order to be members, the reality is that it had never been done before. executed said clause. According to the contract, every December 31 all points earned during the previous year expire. However, it had never been like this.
Having never carried out this practice, the OCU considers that the sudden and unannounced execution demonstrates a “unfair commercial practice and contrary to good faith on the part of the company”. In fact, in the opinion of the OCU, it was normal for the company’s partners to think that said clause was on hold.
The organization warns that the activation of the expiration by GAME, after many years suspended, should have been warned to its members sufficiently in advance so that all those who had accumulated points could use them. Since this event occurred, the OCU itself claims to have collected more than 200 complaints from GAME partners who have been affected by the situation.
The OCU requests the return of the points
In the complaint submitted to Consumption, not only is the corresponding procedure of inspection for GAME that serves to clarify the situation. In the event that bad behavior is identified on the part of the video game sales company, as stated by the OCU, the company is required to receive a sanction and, in addition, to obligatorily return to its partners all the points that were canceled. without prior notice.
In parallel, the organism consumer advocate recommends that all users who have been affected collect all evidence that can certify the number of unused points that were available in their user account. In this way, in the event that the complaint is favorable to what the OCU requests, it is expected that users will be able to restore the number of points available in their accounts before December 31.
