Bought guild wars factions, there was no cd key inside

I bought guild wars factions yesterday and there was no cd key inside, i looked everywhere in the gamecase so i guess it was stolen. I emailed anet and they gave me a link to where it says the key should be located in. I told them im still unable to find it and i have sent them a copy of the reciept and gamecase. Is there any chance i will still be able to play factions?

Not without the key. Maybe things will get sorted out.

Yeah i meant do you think anet will help me out or will i just lose 40$?

Where did you buy it from? If it's a regular store like Amazon or one of the game stores, get in touch with them. If you bought it from Joe Shmoe at ebay or along those lines, then your SoL and out $40.

Just to make sure, the key code was on a little envelope like thing, where you had to tear off the sides to get the key. Look in the manual and stuff, between all the little pieces of paper in thee.

On it were also buddy keys (I think). I sort of remember that being the case because when I got mine, I was all like, hey, there's no key here. If I remember correctly, it's below the buddy keys.

I got it from gamestop, i called them and they told me that they cant replace it because it was there last copy, and i looked all over the manual and i couldnt find it

check inside the cd case

He already did.

If they can't replace it, then they need to give you your money back so you can get it somewhere else.

I got Factions from a Gamestop about a year ago, and the same thing happened to me. I went back to the store with the receipt, and then they *gave* me the key. Apparently they kept the keys separate from the boxes themselves and had forgotten to give me the key when I bought it. I thought it was weird, but this might be the same problem. You did keep a photocopy of the receipt, right?

Too many shops are clumsy like this, I got a copy of GW:EN from WHSmith's with a voucher. The spotty student shuffled around some cardboard boxes finally finding an open game box (when I say open I mean contents hanging out) and gave it me. I checked it and the game key wasn't there so I challenged him there and then and he told me that its "obvious" guild wars doesn't require a code! After some arguing his manager came across threatened to throw me out of the shop until I managed to convince him to look through the cardboard box, he duly apologised and gave it me. In all the confusion they forgot to take my voucher off me so I'd call that fair.

Why are they opening the games and taking the codes out anyway? They are not supposed to do that and you shouldn't be buying one that's been opened. Maybe this should be addressed with anet.

I would definitely not buy games from them at all.

Most game shops in my home town take all the contents out of the game boxes and only display the boxes on the shelf to deter any would be thieves. Its common practice.

I always check to see if the game activation card foil has been scratched off before I pay.

I could see them doing that with one for display......but to go in every box and take the key code out? No, that's just wrong. No one should be buying the game opened.

Many stores will display an empty box - but you have a right to a sealed box. Ask them to sell you a sealed box and not the one they used for display.

The box itself says it is not to be sold if the seal is broken. Technically, they're violating they law if they sell it unsealed - but I don't think that's a legal obligation that carries any penalty...

For an example of what I mean, look on the box to GW:EN or Factions (the two on my desk, so I am sure its there on them), a little white bordered box on the back at the bottom right just above the bar code. It says this:

Note the part I've bolded. I know in the book trade a book seller can get in trouble if they sell a book that has had the cover torn off. This relates to a contract often arraigned between publishers and distributers over how to handle overstock (if I remember it right). I think they're supposed to rip off the cover and send back the books for recycling.

For software, I suspect they could also get into trouble for selling opened boxes. This probably relates to efforts to monitor fraud and software piracy - in the 90s at least one if not two of the local shops here in San Francisco would open software and copy the disks, then sell you the copies rather than the originals (one were I know this from something I bought, one where I suspected it).

So, if they insist on selling you opened boxes, send in a note to Anet about it, and you might see a change, though it will take time for industry wheels to turn on the issue and the change you see might be your local store going out of business...

It's understandable to say that the games they sell should never be opened, but if there is only 1 game left and it's the display case one, which is empty, then it's also understandable that this type of situation occurs.

In London all the Game stores have empty boxes just for display. When you buy them they take a sealed box from behind the counter. I wouldnt buy unless sealed.

I think mine came in a little white square, sealed that i had to rip open. My husband at first thought his didn't come with one, it fell out when he opened the box and fluttered away under his desk.

I know that GAME, Game Station, Virgin Megastore, WHSmiths, Woolworths, and Playtime ALL sell the game in an unsealed state, using the empty boxes on stands method to stop theft.

As long as the foil over the code or sealed code booklet hasn't been compromised its ok. But if you suspect the contents have been tampered with ask to swap for another set of contents before buying.

well i emailed anet yesterday about it and havent gotten a reply still... ill wait until tommrow to see if i get a reply and if not i will have to email again

Don't bother with A-net. They have no way of confirming your story, and will most likely regard you as a crook.

Get your money back from GameStop.