I have been using Gamefly since they first came out. I have plenty of experience. when I first started using them they only had a shipping facility in California, which meant it could easily be more than a week to get games, but now they are nearly as quick as Netflix. I suspect Netflix is only quicker because they have a shipping facility 40-50 miles from my house.
Now, to your questions:
- How is the service, overall?
Excellent. I ship my games out and they come in. The only issues I have ever had was for a few months someone in the mail service was causing problems. I knew Gamefly was not at fault when a popular game didn't show up after it had been shipped when less popular games would show up opened. But with Gamefly all I had to do was say it hadn't arrived and they sent me another copy along with a link to an online form to report the issue to the postal service.
And the Keep It option is a huge bonus, especially when you have been a member as long as I have and you get member rewards. I get 10% off the used price, plus a $5 coupon every 3 months. I can often get recently released games for the $30-$40 range, even cheaper for Wii games.
- If a game is listed in your "Q" how long does it take for you to get it?
As others have said, it depends on availability. If it is a currently hot and popular title it may take a while. Other times you could get lucky. When I first got my Wii I had Tiger Woods 07 at the top of my Q and sent my previous game in so that they got it the day Tiger Woods became available. I got a never used disc, and then chose to keep it and so got Tiger Woods 07 new for $35.
- Have you ever had a delay (errors) in getting a game listed in your Q?
Like an issue receiving a game? Once I had a new title that was popular at the top of my Q and I went through two other games before I got it. The only other issue I ever had, that I don't suspect was postal service related, was 24 Hours of Le Mans for the PS2. The first copy never showed up, so I filled out the automated form on their site and another was sent. It didn't show up so I filled out the form again and they sent a third copy. They NEVER asked a question, just sent another copy and an apology email. After I got the third copy the second one showed up as well. I sent them an email letting them know what happened and that I was sending one in, but it was not my rental copy so not to send my next game yet. They thanked me for notifying them and apologized, again, for the odd mishap.
- What game usually comes first to you? (i.e. what level of availability does a game usually have to be before you receive it before the others on your Q list?
It depends. Sometimes I will have a low availability game show up as they just had enough to cover me. Other times I have had a low and medium availability game passed over. It really all depends on the individual availability of your nearest shipping facilities. I now have two in my area of the country, so my odds have increased and I haven't had any games passed over in a while, but I am also extremely backlogged so I rarely have a brand new title at the top of my list.
- Got any good tips to games you want quicker or first?
A) Be very limited on what you have in your Q.
B) In my case I rarely buy games new so I have many, many games I want to rent. So, I try to keep the top five games I want at the top. Never has more than two been skipped over. The other thing I do is when I get a new game that I intend to focus a ton of time on I push my "I'll check it out, but I expect it to suck" titles to the top. By the time I get back around to my biggest wants their availability has opened up a bit. For example, I just got LittleBigPlanet. I do not intend to play any other games for a long time. So, my wife wanted to try Sims 2: Castaways for the Wii and I put it at the top. While I am playing LBP and my wife is realizing that all console versions of Sims is gimped Bioshock and Rock Band 2 is getting the initial rush out of the way.
- Had any problems with GameFly?
Just the 24 Hours of Le Mans issue I listed above, and as they worked hard to get the game to me I was never upset with them.
Oh, and there was the time last year when they had a huge Christmas sale and mismanaged their stock so that afterward all the good games had low availability and no Keep It option. That got an email sent from me about how they gimped the main reason for my using the service and that the extra $5 at GameStop would make up for the wait. I got a personalized response saying they apologized and that their stock would be replenished in two weeks, and it was. Since then none of their big sales has led to a similar situation. It was their first big sale and I think the underestimated how well it would go.
- If you canceled your service, how easy was it?
Cancel? NEVER! As I said, I have been a member almost as long as they have been around.
I thought they would have more games than what they offer, but I'm not really complaining. Just a bit surprised.
Um, you mean more games that you wanted, right? I mean, there are over 400 PS3 titles if you click on All PlayStation 3 Games. If you are wanting to check out games on other systems, or even try a few PS2 games you missed out on, then it is a huge selection. I have not had a game I wanted not show up unless it was a game only sold in a bundle.
But between PS3, PS2, PSP, and my Wii I never find myself looking for a game to rent. In fact I think my Q is up around 30 games. And when I first started the service I was still playing my XBox regularly. I didn't have the PSP at that time, but I have never been looking for less than three systems worth of games. Maybe that is why I have so many on my Q.
I've yet to see a "shipped" game title from my Q. Though, like I said, I have BS first, with a 'low availability' and I'm not really sure if a title shows "SHIPPED" or "MAILED" in my Q when it does get mailed. Does it? How will I know if a game is mailed?
I never check my Q for that info. I get email updates on it. If your post office uses the Fast Track system (I think that is what it is called) then when they scan your return Gamefly gets notified and they send your next title before your last one has even left your city. It is kind of odd getting an email saying my next title has shipped two days before they say they got my return back. Once I even got my new title before they got my return.
Another thought is that, unlike Netflix who punishes frequent users by shifting popular titles to the infrequent users to provide "balance", Gamefly tends to give preference to loyal users when first come, first serve won't work.
Also remember that if you just signed up and you are trying for Bioshock out of the gate you were added to the back of the first come, first serve list for a very popular title.
Another cool thing about Gamefly and their Keep It system with the PS3 is that since Blu-Rays use a scratch resistant coating you almost never have to worry about buying a used game that won't work due to physical damage. Where as I have twice had Wii games that couldn't be read and examination of the disc shows a deep scratch, or tons of scratches.
In conclusion, I can say that you will love Gamefly. It has allowed me to try out plenty of games that I otherwise wouldn't have bothered with. If you go through a handful of crappy games, or games that aren't your style in a month you end up saving a ton of money. And even if you hang on to a game for a while often just one purchase a month will make up the cost difference from the subscription fee.
Feel free to ask any other questions you have as I have been with them through good and bad times and so I have seen nearly every situation you can imagine. Well, almost any situation. I had two Netflix DVDs show up on the same day and they were both broken into multiple pieces. Gamefly uses a cardboard insert to prevent that, so I haven't had to deal with that yet.
