Services

Warranties of 1 to 2 years are standard in the industry.  All competitors do offer customers the chance to purchase an extended warranty as well as accidental damage insurance.  This does not happen through every distributor - some distributors prefer to offer these additional services themselves to enjoy the full margin for this business.  In the case that distributors and manufacturers jointly offer insurance and extended warranties, the margins for these are split between them, although the manufacturers are responsible for setting up the contracts with the insurances companies. 

All manufacturers have a loyalty card system.  They are quite expensive and complex to administer and linked to the online gaming offerings.  Deals and offers are made for games when equipment is purchased and for equipment when games are purchased. Some distributors have a system whereby people can return used games for credits and use these credits towards buying a new game, or buying a used one.

All competitors run an online gaming offering as outlined earlier.  There are annual fees, but also a chance to enjoy exclusive gaming events by paying additional fees during the year.  Though popular, online gaming has yet to be a big money-spinner for the industry.

When consoles or other equipment develop a fault, customers take their equipment to the distributor from whom it was purchased.  Some distributors are quite strict about requiring a purchase note indicating when and where the console was purchased.  In most cases the consoles are taken in, sent to repair workshops and returned between 3 and 6 weeks later, sometimes longer.  If the console was not registered, regardless of the date of purchase, a repair charge is made.