andrew63

My first real whinge!
My 8 yr old loves his PS2. Regular shopper at EB Games and often to the "second hand" section where games are $20 - 50 mostly.
Anyway, they offer to buy an old games etc.
Only give you $5 for a game sold to them so not too happy about that but my son sees it as a good thing.
Anyway, try to sell them back a game and they refuse without an AUSTRALIAN passport and an AUSTRALIAN drivers licence (neither of which I have). I have mortgage cert, UK passport (with PR visa attached), Irish drivers licence, rates, utility bills, medicare etc etc. NO. They refuse! This was about 3 months ago.
I almost forgot about that incident as I was happy not to give my sons games away for $5 and they sell them for $50!

Anyway, this weekend went to join our local Video-Ezy with kids in tow etc. Same thing happened again! No Australian ID, no join!
This time my son bawled. Great!
I was so furious I left rather than asking to speak to the manager as I wanted to thump the dick head behind the counter.

Went round the corner and joined a different video hire place without any question!

Letters will be sent to the store managers tonight but in my mind this is racist is it not? Australian only policy? FFS.

Really angry with this.

Andrew

jad n rich

Agree the buying games is a rip off, the kids took some in, got offered $10 then they typed up a sheet of the games they wanted to sell stuck it in the local store on the notice board and got $25 each game

As for the ID, I know if you sell anything here thats pretty normal to want ID its because so much stuff is knocked off, they have to check its yours by law.

Dont know about video stores, guess aussie ID is so they can track you down if you dont return stuff.

Billabong

I don't think this is remotely racism.

Most places require 100 points of ID ie drivers licence, utility bill, bank statement etc etc.

I'm sure these guys get shafted all the time and at the end of the day they have to protect thier own interest.

Stormz

It`s hard, but....

If you skip town with the video`s, how do they track you down? You could be renting, so your latest bills won`t be worth much.

EB are a rip-off, but I think it`s the law (not their fault) that they take those details just in case the stuff was stolen.... and then the police can track you down. Same thing for Cash CON-verters and anywhere else. If the cops go there and ask who sold these goods to them and EB etc can`t produce any docs, then EB will get fined.

andrew63

Well it's racism by my book.
I have >100 points to get my mortgage here, bank acount, 4 different credit cards, set up a business etc.
Can buy a $600,000 house with large mortgage, $50,000 car loan, pay more than $100,000 per year in taxes, I can buy a $8,000 plasma screen on the never never but can't hire a flippin $4 DVD to watch on it? Give me a break! I could if I was Australian (passport holder)

Andrew (still fuming!)

movetoperth

No Australian drivers license???? Is there not a maximum time for driving on an overseas license in Queensland?

Lynn

BadgeIsBack

Eaxctly. It's just a mechanism to ensure good quality ID. I guess driver's licence, but some people may not be drivers.

I don't think it is a rip off. The money that the shop gives you reflects the convenience with which you can offload unwanted software at little overhead to yourself. They're into profiteering. Supply and demand. If you make the effort to sale differently then you get more money back, just like selling a car privately gets you a higher return.

I think people forget that this is Australia; not everyone is a migrant! would you expect UK blockbusters to accept passports from the Ivory Coast, the US or Mexico - it might not have occured to them.

andrew63

I would expect if shops have a policy of not serving people without Australian passports this should be clearly highlighted on the signage outside.

And YES - I bet blockbusters do not insist on UK passports.

Andrew

Vash the Stampede

How is it racism?

Blockbusters in the UK does not insist on British passports, no. But they do insist on British driving licences, and I couldn't get a Blockbuster card until I had one.

moneypenny20

Do you not drive Andrew? If you do, why do you not have an Aus licence. You've certainly been here more than 3 months. If you don't drive but your wife does, then she must have an Aus licence. If neither of you drive, how the hell do you get about

Stormz

If you`re "not sure you`re staying here permanently", then you don`t have to get the Aussie drivers licence for 12 months. If you say you know you`re staying here, THEN you have to get one within 3 or 6 months (can`t remember, and is probably state-specific).

cranni

And i utility bill. i recall.

phoenixinoz

I can understand a store wanting valid ID as there are some unscrupulous people around selling stolen goods however ANY passport should be sufficient. Not just an Australian one

As for other institutions requiring 100 point ID. Yes,they do, however a passport from any country = 70 points and a full birth certificate from any country = 40 points and these are enough to identify a person.

I agree with Andrew. Asking for only an Australian passport is inadvertent racism.

ANY passport from ANY country should be adequate.

I'd be as mad as hell in this situation too Andrew

Vash the Stampede

Yep, that's right.

Stormz

Fat lot of good those foreign passport details do if you skip town with $300 worth of dvd`s/games .