According to gamingconsolenetwork, the Sheriff’s Department in Okaloosa county, Florida, is forcing Gamestop to be subject to the laws that are applied to pawn shops. However, there are multiple people who are in strong objection to this. Most of them on the concept of privacy, even though nobody is ever forced to trade in games and it’s never a good deal in most cases.
The article states that people who want to trade in games, peripherals, and consoles must fill out paperwork including a legal ID, your place of employment, physical statistics, a thumbprint, and sign some documents. Many are crying foul claiming this is a breach of privacy and that they’re being treated like criminals.
Though I personally despise giving out personal details, I have also personally been ripped off on used games. If your name and details are tied to the game you just handed in, then I know whose door to kick down when I wind up with a cracked disk from Gamestop. Most game stores wont test anything that is brought in and wont chase down the one that sold it to them when it turns out to be knackered. A very abusable service for dishonest people who want to make a quick buck.
I think having to hand over more than ID however is completely overkill, yes, consoles and games can be stolen, but an ID is really all that’s needed to track someone down and arrest them for selling stolen or faulty goods. I do support what they’re doing, and anyone who buys from a private supplier should have to grab their details just in case something is broken or stolen. Pawn shops have operated like this for years and nobody has said anything about it.
