I'll be the first to say, I'd probably never buy anything from DK Oldies just because the prices are high, and you don't get to see the actual item they're shipping to you. While I think it's true, they do cut corners and don't fully "refurbish" anything, I'd say for a small business catering to the more casual retro gamer crowd, they do a fair enough job of just cleaning up the outside of a console or controller, the pins on a game, or resurfacing a disc and calling it a day. Maybe they shouldn't call it "refurbished", but personally I don't really think that's an affront to anything. As cruddy as most of the retro reselling market standards are.
Over the past month, there's been a campaign of hate directed at this company, and it's employees and customers, where prominent YT personalities make countless videos about how DK Oldies "is a scam" in their words. They would buy products purely to test the quality of them, basically expecting a like-new console that was flawless outside and in. When it wasn't they'd go on a rant about how it was a scam and false advertising because the inside of the console had some dust or residue on it, or maybe there was a ding somewhere on the unit.
Now I don't have any stake in DK Oldies, but I feel the hate they're getting and the damage being done to their public image as a small business, is unfair and uncalled for. These YT personalities are only profiting from the countless videos they put out, as it's become something of a viral trend or a meme to talk about how "DK Oldies is a scam". It's obvious they're just doing it to milk clicks, and they don't truly care about DK Oldies or what they sell. They've never been customers in the past, and won't be in the future. To me, this is just another example of how people on YT will do, or say anything for their own personal gain, and basically grift to an audience who'll hang onto every word they say...
I dunno, it just annoys me, and I think the whole campaign is kinda messed up. I don't think the DK Oldies customer base gives a damn about dust inside of a console they don't even know how to open up, they're not the hardcore techy type of customer base. Most people don't know what "refurbished" technically means, I don't even know exactly. It just means more thorough cleaning, fixing and testing. It doesn't mean the product is brand new. Most of their customers do not think that, and do not have the expectations these smear campaigner's are attempting to hold them to... but now they're being made to feel like they're getting scammed and ripped off, for buying from this business. They otherwise would be happy with their purchase, but are now being told they shouldn't.
Internet smear campaigns are a vicious thing, and should be reserved only for politicians who verifiably lie about important things. Not a small business because they inaccurately used the word "refurbish" in their description. Somehow, this gives people the right to personally insult and harass their marketing manager and employees on a daily basis for over a month? If someone wanted to point out that they think DK Oldies doesn't truly refurbish products and explain their position, that's one thing. To go on a month long campaign of stirring the pot for drama and harassment of individuals involved at DK Oldies, to stir up rumors of lawsuits for false advertisement and even going as far as trying to encourage Nintendo to sue them for calling themselves DK Oldies, is quite another. If you aren't going to be a customer, then say your piece and move on.
The smear campaigning is just gross, and frankly immoral in my opinion. It's far worse than the offense of DK Oldies using the word "refurbished" in their description. I loath this sort of Internet-mob mentality of just everybody dog-piling on someone/something you're supposed to hate, because it's fun to be involved in the villain's misery/downfall. It just makes me hate the nature of the Internet and what it brings out of people.
