Valley gamer takes on Walmart after Xbox purchase gone wrong
A purchase gone wrong at Walmart in Palm Springs has left one valley man considering legal action.
Phil Loretz has devoted more than 1,300 hours in his man cave to just one Xbox game. When he received his tax returns, he was excited to splurge a little on a new Xbox console, but it’s a purchase he now wishes he never made.
“I will do everything I can for the rest of my life to never set foot in a Walmart again,” Loretz said.
He claims he spent $546 cash on a new Xbox One X at Walmart in Palm Springs, but once he got home, he realized what was inside was a used Xbox One S, not the Xbox One X he had intended to purchase.
“It was sitting on someone’s countertop or dresser or coffee table or something for a while. It’s just dirty, dingy. It’s classically used,” Loretz said.
Loretz said he immediately went back to Walmart and spoke with multiple store associates but was denied a refund and a replacement Xbox. He was told the box had not been returned before. Loretz believes it may have been swapped by a store employee. He says eventually, Palm Springs police were called and he was asked to leave the store.
“My frustration had grown to basically just enraged because for me, $546 is a lot of money. I can afford to buy [the console], but I cannot afford to just throw it away,” Loretz said.
Loretz said he called Walmart’s corporate office and the store manager, but no further action was taken. We reached out to Walmart. In a statement, officials with the retailer said the following:
We appreciate our customer bringing this to our attention and are continuing to review the situation.
We asked follow-up questions, but received no response.
Loretz said he also spoke with representatives from Microsoft, which produces Xbox game consoles. He says they were able to email him proof that neither the missing Xbox One X nor the used Xbox One S had ever been connected to his Xbox Live account.
Loretz has filed a complaint with the Department of Consumer Affairs and may proceed with a small claims lawsuit.
“I just don’t have the need, the energy, the mental stamina to try and hustle them for a console,” Loretz said.
A few tips to remember when purchasing high-dollar items yourself:
With a sales associate, ask to open the box and take inventory of all the parts Look for matching serial numbers Ask if the product has been returned before Always know the store’s return policy
We’re told Phil Loretz did decide to purchase another Xbox One X, but this time, he went to Best Buy. He has not heard anything further from Walmart regarding his issue.
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