Media Reload - Utica — Attraction in Utica

TOP NOTCH CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!!! Also, an absolutely AMAZING collection of retro games to choose from, Including the “holy grail” types of games that us collectors spend years searching for in stores.

I was treated like an old friend the minute I walked in the door. Every single one of the employees opened up conversation with me and in fact we all chatted right until closing time. Sincerely, these are the moments in collecting that matter most to me. It creates memories. Media Reload was such an absolute gift of an experience.

I had driven 50 miles to go to a game store I was told about. I was excited to go there and I was treated so rudely there that within 5 minutes, I left without a purchase. 😞. I was so bummed. Being a collector, I didn’t want my drive to be meaningless, so I searched for another store in the area and found Media Reload. And, as I stated above, I had such an amazing experience that I forgot I had just been bummed out. There is a special special vibe at this place. The employees treat you like a friend AND THEY KNOW THEIR GAMES!!! So awesome to have employees be knowledgeable about the gaming world. It’s so rare anymore. The manager, Brody, told me the owners are very passionate about gaming themselves. It was then that I realized I had met them at a game convention last week and had an awesome experience with them then and I was bummed I lived so far away cuz they were so awesome. Funny how the world works sometimes. Business starts from the top down and it is obvious that Media Reload is the top notch of game stores. I don’t leave reviews on a regular basis and I’ve spent a lot of time typing this in the Parking lot of Media Reload. So if you’re Reading this, know that this store is worth going to because I’m willing to put the time in to say all this. THIS IS HOW BUSINESS SHOULD BE DONE!!! 👏👏👏👏👏👏. My night went from being bummed to being ecstatic. I can’t state enough how great the employees are. All collectors need to go here whenever you can. Thanks for such an awesome experience, Media...

UPDATE: After speaking with Eric the owner after he reached out to me about this situation I am going to revise my review. My original review will remain up so others can see it but I wanted to recognize Eric for being proactive and reaching out. He apologized for the situation and let me know he spoke with the team at that location and corrected the behaviors. He also offered me a $25 dollar gift card for the trouble which was kind of him and he invited me back with my trades. I have not returned to the location or taken him up on his offer of a gift card but he went above to contact me and make sure the issue was resolved. Original review below:

Called ahead on Sunday around noon to make sure they would take my items for trade, the employee confirmed and told me to bring them in. No problem, I drive over (an hour drive from my home) only to be told to fill out a form and they will get back with me tomorrow…. Like why tell me to bring them in if you can’t process them? That’s a massive waste of my time and gas. It was 5 (FIVE) items, 4 of them were Wii guitars (yes I confirmed they were interested in on the phone)

If you are getting that many trades that you can’t process them within the next 3-4 hours before you close maybe bring in more help or at least tell people over the phone so they don’t waste their time. The employee even said he would have told me on the phone before I made the drive. I wanted store credit to grab some lego sets.

The employee told me the only way he could do the trade today was to assume all my stuff was broken and offer me 10 bucks…. These were all first party OEM guitars in great shape, they sell for 80-120 on eBay EACH all day long. ...

I used to shop here a lot, but the prices have gotten outrageous and some of their business choices are... Questionable. For example, two games of the same condition? For whatever reason one is priced $9 and the other $16 when they are the exact same game in the exact same used condition. It's like they hope someone will grab the more expensive one without looking at the cheaper one! This store also lowballs the heck out of its customers who bring stuff in to sell. 25 cents per CD then they'll go and sell them for $10-$20.

I also think it's worth pointing out that they sell a manga series which is infamous for being practically child p**n and not only should they not even have this, but they have it where anyone can grab and open it! I've included a photo of the book on the shelf to show just how accessible it is for any child to grab.

This used to be one of my favorite used game stores so it's very sad to see it become this. I suspect that there is new owners because this is NOT my...