P.C World (again!) Was she really in the right?

gingin_2

I have just returned from a trip to P.C world with my 2 children. We were picking up 3 computer games for my six year old son. Also tagging along was my 2 1/2 year old daughter who is desperate to be just like her brother. I gave the games to the lady and paid myself. I then handed one of the games to my daughter and 2 to my son to carry home which they were both happy with. The assistant said "I can't let you leave the store if you do that", "why" I said and she said it was because they had aged 3+ on the box and she is not 3. I said that is a recommended age and as I had paid for them myself could she just not carry it? "Erm no" she said or I will get done by trading Standards! I left the store with a screaming daughter and feeling really embarrased.

This was a Bob the Builder p.c game not a violent computer game. I am convinced that the age on the game is a recommended age and not enforceable by law and am a bit bemused by it all. Could anyone please tell me whether she was in the right or not as if she was in the wrong I will complain as it was just done so rudely and tactlessly anyway.

auditbabe

I think shes a jobs worth or a child hater.

Rikki

I would of said she was 3 and said tough.

Talk about being petty. How many 15 year olds get away with buying games with an older age limit.
Would she be as quick to challenge them? I think not!

soolin

Rikki wrote:

I would of said she was 3 and said tough.

Talk about being petty. How many 15 year olds get away with buying games with an older age limit.
Would she be as quick to challenge them? I think not!

Well, the local Gamestation refused to sell my 16 year old 5ft 10 son a 15 rated game as he had no ID. My OH went down and asked what Id they would accept from him and they said only a new style driving license with photo is acceptable...

They seemed totally unable to see that a 16 year old wouldn't have a driving license.

JasonLVC

The ratings on games, mostly, are a voluntary code of practice, rather than enforceable in law.

Of course, a large corporate would want to ensure their staff do not sell games, voluntary or otherwise to children of an inappropriate age.

However, on this occasion I'd say that the staff member was being over-zealous. The game was not sold to a 3yr old, it was sold tou you, an adult and therefore no lw has been broken.

If you'd sent your kids in alone, while you sat in the car outside, then that indeed would be unacceptable for the game to be then sold to the children - these sorts of things do go on and get into ther newspaper (Daily Mail - 'Game store sold my kid an 18 rated game!!!!! headline).

I guess if it was me, I;d go back and make a complaint to the store manager, seeking an apology. But seeing as its PC World, then i) you'd be lucky if a store manager was in, ii) He/She cared. Best just move on and not use that store again to be honest.

gingin_2

I just called the store and did actually speak to the manager! I am laughing about it now because I am not naturally a complainer and I think I handled it quite well.

The manager was lovely and said he had children and understood exactly where I was coming from. He said he had had problems with this assistant in particular (oops!) and no it was not company policy to implement this and they normally expect their employees to use "discretion and common sense". Anyway it was all quite amusing in hindsight and so took my name and said to pop in for a free game this week!

So well done Mr P.C world manager!

Thanks for the advice/ anecdotes.

Amalea

I think it was the ELSPA rating system-this is not legally enforceable and only a recommendation. So basically an over paranoid shop assistant.
However a lot of games are legally restricted now (same labelling as on dvd's).

nej

I thought the blue labels were guidelines, and the red ones were legal?

Anyway, I'd have ignored the woman and let my child carry the thing. What's she going to do? Call security? Now that would funny!

Reminds me of a time I got on a plane, and I was carrying my wife's carry-on bag as well as my own (being the gentleman that I am). A jobsworth stopped us at the top of some steps and said it's one bag per passenger. I said this is my wifes bag. They repeated it's one bag per passenger. I said I'm just carrying it for her, there are two of us and two bags, which makes one bag per person. They still refused to let us continue, so I gave my wife the bag, we went down the steps and I took it off of her again at the bottom.

mikewebs

I wonder if this sales assitant ever drank alcohol in a pub before she was 18, or eve r bought fags before she was 16 or ever went into an 18 movie before she was 18? I also wonder if she was actually fromt he human race?

Just a thoguht ROFL

executiverocker

its only an ELSPA rating grrr, stupid assistant!

Neel_2

well i work for em, its a mistake from the assistant, as long as you bought a game, then its not a problem what branch of pc world was it