GameStop Investigating Claims of Damaged Nintendo Switch 2 Consoles Due to Receipt Stapling

The Nintendo Switch 2’s long-awaited release has made a lot of gamers quite excited. But some people who bought the console early have said that they had a problem they didn’t expect: broken displays that were reportedly caused by stapled receipts. GameStop, one of the biggest stores that sells video games, has said that it is looking into these consumer complaints.

Customer Reports of Damage to Surface Online

After the Nintendo Switch 2 officially came out on Thursday, people started posting on sites like X (previously Twitter) and Reddit, sharing pictures and stories of their new systems coming with broken screens. One of the most popular messages came from Oadhan Lynch, who said that a GameStop store in New York stapled receipts right onto the Switch 2 box, going through to the screen underneath.

“GameStop stapled the receipt for my and my friend’s Switch 2s to the box, FML,” Lynch wrote on X, along with pictures of the damage. He said he had been to a midnight release event and was worried that a lot of other people in the queue would have had the same problem.

GameStop Responds Promptly to Complaints

GameStop released a statement saying that they are looking into the situation in response to the rising number of reports. A spokeswoman replied in an email, “We are looking into this right now and will make the customers whole.”

By Thursday afternoon, Lynch had sent an update saying that GameStop had fixed the problem. He said that the business got new units from stores all throughout New York and New Jersey to help consumers who were affected. Other people who posted identical complaints haven’t said yet if they got replacements.

Isolated Incident or Wider Issue?

At the moment, the problem seems to be limited to a small area, mostly impacting people who bought their Switch 2 consoles from certain GameStop stores in New York. There haven’t been many complaints like this from other areas or stores at this time.

Even with this problem, the Nintendo Switch 2 has been in high demand across the country. Lines formed outside of stores, and many outlets said they were running out of stock just a few hours after the official release.

Switch 2 Launch Generates High Demand

The standard edition of the Nintendo Switch 2 costs $449.99, and the bundle that comes with the new Mario Kart World game costs $499.99. The launch is eight years after the original Nintendo Switch came out, and people have always been quite interested in the next-generation device.

During the midnight opening at the company’s main store in Rockefeller Centre, Nintendo President and COO Doug Bowser talked about worries about not having enough stock. Bowser told CNBC that Nintendo is working closely with stores to make sure they have enough stock, not only for launch weekend but also for the rest of the Christmas season.

Retailers Face Supply Chain Challenges

Nintendo tried hard, however, some consumers still had problems with their orders. Some people stated that Walmart orders were cancelled mere hours before delivery, while others said that Target orders stayed in “preparing to ship” status for a long time.

Bowser told customers who missed out on the chance to pre-order to keep in touch with local stores. He also said that Nintendo is still restocking stores during and after the launch phase.

Conclusion

The debut of the Nintendo Switch 2 has been a big success for Nintendo, but tales of screen damage from stapling receipts have worried both customers and stores. GameStop’s quick response to looking into and fixing the problem shows that it cares about its customers. Customers should keep an eye on local availability and be patient while supply chains stabilise in the next weeks, because the Switch 2 is still in great demand.