GAME Australia's Voluntary Administration And Refunds On Diablo III

"Due to the appointment of an administrator to our business this morning, it is with regret that I inform you all that our stores will not be receiving any stock of diablo 3 (sic). Because of this, we regrettably will be unable to fulfill any pre-orders. Also, we will be unable to refund any deposits paid towards a pre-order of diablo 3. If you need any more info, please email customerrelations@game.com.au."

 Just read that GAME Australia entered into Voluntary Administration with 500 jobs on the line. Damn that's tough. When we shopped in Hong Kong, the same games were two third the price of games sold in Australia so it's no surprise that shoppers are buying online from overseas suppliers.

I thought I'd mention a brief note on the poor folks who have pre-ordered and paid for Diablo III who will not be receiving their game. If anyone finds themselves in a situation where the retailer has gone broke and is unable to provide goods or services that have been paid for, if they paid with a credit card- they can be potentially refunded.

Under the merchant banking system- if goods or services haven't been provided then you can ask for a refund 'chargeback'. That's where the onus is on GAME Australia to prove that they have provided the goods or services in order to retain the money and prevent a chargeback. Obviously GAME Australia won't beable to prove that you got your Diablo III game, so your bank will refund the money to your credit card.

If you paid for goods or services with cash or direct debit and you don't receive the goods or services, unfortunately refunds depends on the financial viability of the company and whether they wish to refund you or not. You're on your own if you paid via cash or direct debit and have no choice but to wait in line with the other unsecured creditors. Summed up, it means you're stuffed if you're ever waiting in the queue with unsecured creditors.

If you paid with a credit card then you can bypass the company and go straight to your bank ala credit card provider. That's the second largest benefit from using credit cards to pay for things. The best reason for using a credit card (if you don't have a shopaholic bent) is that you can use the bank's money for up to 55 days interest free before you have to pay your credit card bill.

And you should always pay your credit card bill in full at the end of each billing month or else you lose the 55 days interest free period and they charge you their whopping interest rates of up to 25% daily until you pay the bill in its entirety.