GameSeek Cyclonic Deal promotion causes social media stir

UK online retailer GameSeek has made a name for itself with its radical discounts and aggressive promotions. The latest in this line is its heavily advertised Cyclonic Deal promotion, which has caused quite the commotion on its social media platforms.

One of the most notable products in GameSeek’s Cyclonic Deal promotion is the upcoming SNES Mini, listed below its £70 retail price at £50. Many games have also had prices slashed, with the company offering Destiny 2 for £30 and Crash Bandicoot N-Sane Trilogy for £20.

Many customers seem to be struggling to get anything out of the promotions, however, with many reaching the GameSeek site to be met with countdown timers and a button prompting them to sign up for notifications.

It seems like GameSeek and its customers are on different pages as to what a live deal means, with many taking to Facebook to explain their plight. Facebook is an important platform for the company, as it is where its deals are promoted the heaviest.

“The countdown timer will hit zero and add to basket will appear. When you press it will say added but your basket will remain empty. Refresh and it will be out of stock,” explains one Facebook user. “If a deal is too good to be true it really is. It's a shame GS has to resort to deception to increase web traffic.”

This process has been confirmed by Twitter user Matt Webster, who recorded the deal going live followed by an immediate notification that it was out of stock.

What a con hahaha.
Should be investigated. pic.twitter.com/D5iTzTX4TQ

— Matt Webster (@MattPWebster) August 18, 2017

GameSeek issued a Facebook post to try and clarify the situation, stating “If the countdown timer is running; it means you have been too slow to purchase. Other customers have got the deal. But that's ok. Click on the notify button to be emailed as soon as the next lot of stock goes live. It's usually less than 24 hours till the next batch go on sale so keep checking the site often and good luck!”

Contrary to this outrage, some customers have been able to get their hands on some of the smaller deals, with Charles Tyldsley getting in touch with Eurogamer to show that it’s not all doom and gloom.

Since the uproar, GameSeek CEO, Stephen Staley, has commented on the situation in an email to Eurogamer. The messages didn’t contain any information on how the deals work, but a plea directed at customers to understand the unique angle of the company.

“It's just a promotion. I am more passionate about gaming than business. I am in a very unique position where i own 100 per cent of the company and can do things other companies cannot. I have no-one to report to. No shareholders. No Investors. Ultimately I am extremely passionate about video games,” Staley explains.

“We are doing something very generous. I don't understand. I am trying to make a difference in the world here and do things never been done before. Yes it's innovative and yes we are not perfect, but we are clearly trying, whereas most other retailers are just drifting through life and accepting the norm. We want to actually make history and change how customers engage and interact with an online shop. We have so many new features coming it's extremely exciting to be a part of this. This is an exciting new dawn for video gamers.”

KitGuru Says: My experience with GameSeek dates back to the launch of the Nintendo Switch, where the deal was similarly hard to get hold of and I was never notified despite signing up. I’m not claiming that the company are scamming its customers, but there needs to be some clarification on what potential consumers should expect when approaching its unique deals. Have you used GameSeek before?

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