Answer this question honestly – do you read the small print when you buy games on the internet?

 

High Street retailing giant GameStation decided to put this to the test and inserted a new clause into their terms and conditions earlier this month that granted them legal rights to the immortal souls of thousands of their online customers. Here, in darkest legalese, is how they got away with such a heinous act:

 

"By placing an order via this Web site on the first day of the fourth month of the year 2010 Anno Domini, you agree to grant Us a non transferable option to claim, for now and for ever more, your immortal soul. Should We wish to exercise this option, you agree to surrender your immortal soul, and any claim you may have on it, within 5 (five) working days of receiving written notification from gamestation.co.uk or one of its duly authorised minions."

 

GameStation’s fiendish clause specified that they might serve such notice in “six foot-high letters of fire” too, but also offered customers an option to opt out, rewarding them with a £5 money-off voucher if they did so.

 

Alas, hardly anyone noticed the clause, let alone the substantial bonus for spotting the gag. More to the point, the fact that it passed more or less unnoticed raises an important issue – too few people actually read the small print when they make online purchases.

 

According to GameStation, around 7,500 customers carelessly signed their souls away on the day. Were you one of them...?

 

Awesome! But I never read the terms and conditions, web sales are supposed to be quick!

Fantastic! :lol

 

I remember when I worked at BT the ammount of people who placed orders online and didnt read the T&Cs was stupid.

:lol That's brilliant.

Yeah, a buddy from one of the stores I used to work at told me about this during the week.

 

All you had to do was tick a little box declaring they couldn't have your soul and they sent you a £5 voucher. My mate reckons it could be an ongoing thing, so check your t&c's if you shop online with Gamestation from now on. They might be using it to giveaway stuff relevant to big game releases and so on.

I never read the terms and conditions...ever. As far as I know every major website i've been on owns my soul.

Well, they've got the Undertaker licked in terms of souls collected.

That was awesome. :lol