Where to pre-order...
Game – Both the website and stores have stopped taking pre-orders. Online no money is taken from your account until the Wii is shipped. We checked in four Game stores and deposits are no longer being taken, but you can still leave your name and contact details to ‘register your interest’ though there is no guarantee of getting a Wii on launch day.
Gamestation – We checked three Gamestations with the manager of each confirming that they are still taking deposits for pre-orders. Gamestation seem optimistic in the allocation of Wii for launch, saying that they expect roughly 100 units on launch and are taking pre-orders up to that amount. Each store had taken roughly 65-75 pre-orders each.
Comet – Comet are estimating that they’ll receive at least twice as many Wii as they did Xbox 360s for launch. The refundable deposit (should you get a Wii elsewhere) will secure your Wii, though the store we spoke to had already taken 18 pre-orders against a minimum expected allocation of 30 units. The manager could not give a 100% guarantee of getting a Wii on launch as they had not had their allocation confirmed, but he did say that Comet would be in contact as soon as they knew how many they had coming in.
Toys R Us – For non-Gold Card members, a non-refundable £10 deposit shouldget you a launch day Wii. However, allocation is still on a first come, first served basis, based on where you are in the pre-order queue. Prior to launch, Toys r Us will contact you to ask you which of their various Wii packages you’d like, which suggests to us that those going for a more expensive pack are more likely to get one in a repeat of the ‘upselling’ that blighted the Xbox 360 launch. Gold card members can book a Wii for free, so you can sign up for a card in-store and avoid the deposit.
Virgin – This is the most promising of all Wii pre-order systems, though there does seem to be some variety in how much the deposit is and whether this is refundable or not. We’ve been quoted deposits ranging from £10-£30, with one of the four stores we spoke to saying that it was non-refundable. In a frank discussion with one manager, we were told that, as of yesterday, a refundable £30 deposit absolutely guarantees you a Wii on launch day. According to the manager we spoke to, Virgin are allocating their Wii stock according to pre-orders.
So rather than stores just receiving a batch of Wii, each store will be given enough to cover their pre-orders and, according the manager, a few extras for the shelves. At the time of our enquiries, the Milton Keynes store had taken just 18 pre-orders, with Croydon apparently leading the company with 36. In ringing around the various Virgin stores, there does appear to be some confusion amongst the staff over the price of deposits, whether they’re refundable and whether you will actually get a Wii on launch day. It would seem that it purely depends on how well informed the staff are, with Milton Keynes definitely being the most ‘clued up’.
We’ve passed our findings and our concerns on to the relevant offices, but as yet we’ve heard nothing back.
We’ll keep you posted as time goes on, but it looks like the Wii should be in supply enough to satisfy everyone wanting one for Christmas.
