Is anyone with me? especially on new consoles that I buy, there's always the chance of preordering something then you regret it for months to come I'd rather watch tons of youtube reviews before I make my final mind up.
The idea of pre-order is that you making sure you will get it once it is released. If you don't pre-order there is always the chance that you have to wait weeks even months after a product is released.
Take Wii and PS3 for example, those who didn't pre-order ended up having to wait for sometime before it is finally back at stock. In the field of economy, pre-order is beneficial for both consumer and seller; consumer that it eliminates the uncertainty of getting it on time, while seller be able to gauge the interest on a product.
I got my Wii 2 weeks after launch date, and I was the last one in the line managed to bought a Wii (at that time they only had 30 Wiis available).Actually, I waited 8 hours in the rain, and was #25 in line to get my launch Wii out of 42 consoles in-store.
Remember, you can always cancel your pre-order or return the product. So there should be no reason as to why people are against pre-order.
The problem is, by the time a game's quality is widely known, it's too late - those who pre-ordered the game will have long since gotten the game in their hands. (There's exceptions with games leaking early, I suppose, but that's not something you can consistently count on).
As for returns, they are never an absolute guarantee (especially with digital copies, but even brick and mortar stores can be iffy with returns).
Look, we're talking about entertainment devices and games here. I know they're nice and fun and all that jazz, but they're not vital. Is it so hard to just hold on to your money and wait just a little bit?
"Don't believe in preorders"
Why are we not attacking how retarded this phrase is?
Well then don't pre-order, since it is clearly not working for you. But I don't see how pre-ordering is bad for everyone that it needs to be banned.
If you use credit card during purchase, you can invoke return protection (most credit cards have this benefit) if seller refuses return.
As for digital copies if you DO bother to take the time to read terms & conditions you agreed to when you opened the account it will list its refund policy; so you should know in advance and not cry about it if refund is refused.