SOE not granting refunds for cancelled subscriptions [Archive]

Bloodmode

2013-01-06, 01:36 PM

http://www.reddit.com/r/Planetside/comments/162jt6/soe_not_granting_refunds_for_subscriptions/

I would have posted this in the "who has quit" thread, but figured it would get buried and wanted to get the word out.

I attempted to cancel my 6 month subscription 1 month in and am told "All subscriptions are non-reundable". Anyone else trying to get their money back?

james

2013-01-06, 01:40 PM

Not surprising, i did email them today about my 12 month, as the game is barely payable do to crashing. So we will see what they say.

SpunkyKuma

2013-01-06, 01:42 PM

I accidentally double subbed (one station pass one single game sub) and they refunded the single game sub.

Hello,

With regards to your All Access subscription, any active subscriptions for all other games are prorated into All Access time, and is granted onto the account. The conversion is 2 to1 (2 days of a regular subscription/membership = 1 day All Access). The account already reflects that the time has already been converted, and has applied to all your other available games on your account sa subscriptions or membership (DC Universe Online, EverQuest II. EverQuest, PlanetSide, PlanetSide 2, and Vanguard).

However, we will go ahead and refund your PlanetSide 2 membership prior to upgrading to All Access. It may take up to 5-7 business days to reflect onto your statements and records.

ChipMHazard

2013-01-06, 01:47 PM

You could try hitting up Mr. Smedley on twitter. Personally I don't see why they would give you a refund in this case, this is generally how subscription deals work as far as I know.
I guess it would be fair enough to simply refund the remaining complete months you have left.

Bloodmode

2013-01-06, 02:00 PM

Yeah my response to them is that I understand I am now in the 2nd month of the billing cycle (purchased 27NOV12) so am only asking for $47.96 back.

Drakkonan

2013-01-06, 02:20 PM

Wait....you subbed using extended subscription, cancelled, and expect to get your money back? Are you serious? What's the point of them offering 6 month subscriptions at discounted rates if players can just get their money back when they quit?

...Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you mean.

krnasaur

2013-01-06, 02:29 PM

you shouldn't

Your fault jumping the gun and buying an extended sub for a game that wont hold your interest for that long

Hamma

2013-01-06, 03:01 PM

Yea you really shouldn't be getting a refund for this, you knew what you bought.

LONGFELLA KOJ

2013-01-06, 03:03 PM

There should be no refunds for anyone who purchased the extended subscriptions. Period.

You received the bonus Station cash + boosts all this time and now you want to get a refund because you changed your mind? Sorry, but welcome to real life and how the world really works.

Vashyo

2013-01-06, 03:15 PM

Yea you really shouldn't be getting a refund for this, you knew what you bought.

I'd say he just estimated the games success wrong and is now paying for it.

Even I put money in the game but only SC and alpha squad, do regret it, atm. I'm only ever gonna put more money in the game once it becomes equal or better than PS1.

Sledgecrushr

2013-01-06, 03:27 PM

In my opinion the game is going to be sucess once we leave this open beta with a live cash shop. Look the game is definitely not in a completed state. Im sorry that you bought a huge sub and dont like the fact that youre playing a game thats not done. Take a break and come back when the next patch goes live. The game would have changed quite a bit and you would have a lot of certs to spend from passive cert gain.

james

2013-01-06, 03:37 PM

Yea you really shouldn't be getting a refund for this, you knew what you bought.

I disagree. Their product is broken, currently i can barely play do to crashing. Lets not forgot one of the perks of premium is now gone, because half the players left. So now its down to xp boost, and station cash. Then the final part the resource boost is a total joke, do to how broken the resource system is.

They have openly lied about the status of the game, this is an open beta, not a finished product. Instead of fixing the NC balance issues, they have blatantly sold weapons for 7 dollars to fix the balance.

Hamma

2013-01-06, 03:54 PM

I'd say he just estimated the games success wrong and is now paying for it.

Even I put money in the game but only SC and alpha squad, do regret it, atm. I'm only ever gonna put more money in the game once it becomes equal or better than PS1.
I put my money in a slot machine and lose it I don't get it back. Life is a gamble ;)

james

2013-01-06, 03:57 PM

I put my money in a slot machine and lose it I don't get it back. Life is a gamble ;)

If that is truly the state of the gaming industry. We are in a sad state.

Hamma

2013-01-06, 04:00 PM

That is the state of life, it's a gamble. I spent 1400 on a fridge that died within 8 months.. life is a gamble.

krnasaur

2013-01-06, 04:03 PM

If that is truly the state of the gaming industry. We are in a sad state.

So every time someone buys a game they don't like they get a refund?

If they were the case there would be no gaming industry as every company would be broke.

edit: not to mention its a free game, you can play for free. Then you spend money you don't have to and expect it back?

james

2013-01-06, 04:05 PM

That is the state of life, it's a gamble. I spent 1400 on a fridge that died within 8 months.. life is a gamble.

Thats why their is warranties.

The fact that people are ok with devs bringing out broken products, is sad.
If my fridge breaks in a month i can usually get a refund. Its a lemon, this game is broken, and the fact SOE will not refund the remaining months, is stupid.

james

2013-01-06, 04:08 PM

So every time someone buys a game they don't like they get a refund?

If they were the case there would be no gaming industry as every company would be broke.

edit: not to mention its a free game, you can play for free. Then you spend money you don't have to and expect it back?

The game is broken and the devs have out right lied to anyone spending money. The game is a buggy beta. Not a released game. While not as bad as WarZ its not far off. The only difference is this is f2p. Here is another example of why f2p fails so much, devs and publishers, think its alright to have people spend money for a beta.

ChipMHazard

2013-01-06, 04:13 PM

I disagree. Their product is broken, currently i can barely play do to crashing. Lets not forgot one of the perks of premium is now gone, because half the players left. So now its down to xp boost, and station cash. Then the final part the resource boost is a total joke, do to how broken the resource system is.

They have openly lied about the status of the game, this is an open beta, not a finished product. Instead of fixing the NC balance issues, they have blatantly sold weapons for 7 dollars to fix the balance.

Occasional crashes, bad game design and questionable membership perks doesn't constitute a broken game.

Rubbish. Sure you can sarcastically refer to PS2 as still being in an alpha stage to further point out that it should have had a longer beta stage, but it's a released product... Period. SOE didn't lie to anyone, it's a continuous process.

The game is broken and the devs have out right lied to anyone spending money. The game is a buggy beta. Not a released game. While not as bad as WarZ its not far off. The only difference is this is f2p. Here is another example of why f2p fails so much, devs and publishers, think its alright to have people spend money for a beta.

Now that's just going too far. You can't compare WarZ to PS2. WarZ has an upfront cost, Hammerpoint lied about features and content being in the game at release, tried blackmailing customers etc.

That is the state of life, it's a gamble. I spent 1400 on a fridge that died within 8 months.. life is a gamble.

Well at least you had your warranty.

Hamma

2013-01-06, 04:18 PM

Doesn't change the fact life is a gamble. ;)

Fear The Amish

2013-01-06, 04:26 PM

Game is playable so does not violate any "lemon" laws so nope don't deserve a refund cry more noob

james

2013-01-06, 04:31 PM

Skittles

2013-01-06, 04:33 PM

Not surprising, i did email them today about my 12 month, as the game is barely payable do to crashing. So we will see what they say.

So you purchased a sub for a free game for 12 months and you werent even sure if your comp could handle it due to crashing? Well, thats just genius. Hell you shouldnt be given a refund you should be charged more for being a complete dumbass.

Thats why their is warranties.

The fact that people are ok with devs bringing out broken products, is sad.
If my fridge breaks in a month i can usually get a refund. Its a lemon, this game is broken, and the fact SOE will not refund the remaining months, is stupid.

Their game isnt broken. Theres a bug, an exploited one sure, but its a bug. I think its hysterical you purchased this game for a full year based on what was readily testable by you but you went ahead and shot your wad and now want to abort your responsibilty.

SOE is NOT responsible for your purchasing habits YOU are.

The fact you blame the gaming industry for these "problems" when you're going out and encouraging them by purchasing 12 month subs is even more comical.

Shenyen

2013-01-06, 04:39 PM

To the one who opened this thread:

O M G - you have no idea how life works, do you?

It is the norm that subscriptions that are cancelled don't get refunded, this has been the norm since the days of EverQuest and Ultima Online.

Why did you subscribe for such a long time if you don't like the game?

It is free to play... if you like it and want the perks of a subscription - subscribe.

If you want to leave the game after a month, don't subscribe or only subscribe for a month.

Or did you want to exploit the 50% XP/Resources-Bonus?

ChipMHazard

2013-01-06, 04:41 PM

I'm not going to even waste my breath on this subject. The best part of gaming who needs pr when you have people who will bash anyone who trys to express their opinion. I love how people assume just because it works fine for them it works fine for everyone to.

Don't want people like me to challenge the validity of your opinion then perhaps you should be more constructive with your arguments.
Complaining is fine, making blatantly false statements isn't. SOE at the very least deserve to be criticised for the mistakes they have actually made.
So don't even try to pass me off as being some fanboy who's trying to protect SOE.

james

2013-01-06, 04:44 PM

Don't want people like me to challenge the validity of your opinion then perhaps you should be more constructive with your arguments.
Complaining is fine, making blatantly false statements isn't. SOE at the very least deserve to be criticised for the mistakes they have actually made.
So don't even try to pass me off as being some fanboy who's trying to protect SOE.

I wasn't refering to you, i was referring to the poster below you, when i thread turns into flaming its a waste of my time

MyOdessa

2013-01-06, 05:44 PM

It is so nice that everyone responding to this thread is an attorney and is well versed in consumer protection laws.

As for OP, if you are under 18 and not an emancipated minor, and used your own money, then you can get SOE to refund them.
If SOE did not lived up to the terms of the contract you paid for, you can also get them back.
If after you paid for your subscription, SOE changed terms, you can get back prorated sum.
In either case, you need to contact them and request refund, keep copies of all documentations. If SOE refuses, take them to small claims court, they will most likely refund your money, before you get there.

yadda

2013-01-06, 05:49 PM

Why would you make a six month commitment on something you were unsure about? There are some mistakes you just deserve to live with and (hopefully) learn from. This is one of them.

Crator

2013-01-06, 05:54 PM

Why would you make a six month commitment on something you were unsure about? There are some mistakes you just deserve to live with and (hopefully) learn from. This is one of them.

And you should definitely be unsure about any new game being released. Since it's F2P you had the option to play without spending a dime to find out how the game is. I cancelled my PS1 subscription after PS2 was released because I knew there wouldn't be anyone left to play with then. I already had station cash from my many months of all access sub in the past, before PS2 release. So I was good to go.

If they do give refunds for subs they should remove any extra XP you gained via the XP bonus you got from the sub. As well as any other perks given. It isn't fair to SOE and other people who bought the sub and didn't get a refund.

Figment

2013-01-06, 05:57 PM

That is the state of life, it's a gamble. I spent 1400 on a fridge that died within 8 months.. life is a gamble.

Bet on a German brand next time. :p

Beerbeer

2013-01-06, 06:07 PM

Was it a Samsung? I bought an expensive one and the compressor died after a year and the seal on the freezer was bad and everything kept icing over after three months.

Piece of crap, never buying Samsung anything ever again.

FireWater

2013-01-06, 06:30 PM

Not sure what the problem is, you subbed for 6 months, why should you get a refund?

You had an opportunity to try the game without any money down.

SeraphC

2013-01-06, 06:34 PM

Most gaming companies are broke. How you like dem apples. :groovy:

Maybe they should make better games with better business models. Quality products sell. Reputation sells even better.

AThreatToYou

2013-01-06, 06:45 PM

Ghoest9

2013-01-06, 07:27 PM

So in short, there are more ways to get my money back, but I am relying on the good faith of SOE to refund the money for the remaining subscription time. If not, there is a lesson learned and that is those subscription packages are binding. In other games I've played, they would refund based on full price of the amount of time you had used thus far. When you step back and look at it, Planetside 2 is not a game worth the over $100 I spent on it with 6 month sub, alpha pack, and station cash.

Honestly anyone thought they would or should get their money back is naive and silly,(btw I have a 6 month sub)

The game might not be developing the way you want - but it does work.
You agreed to a 6 month sub - accept it.

I hope they make big improvements too it - but I know I shouldnt get my money back if I was to throw a hissy fit.

Bloodmode

2013-01-06, 08:26 PM

That is the state of life, it's a gamble. I spent 1400 on a fridge that died within 8 months.. life is a gamble.

This isn't a gamble. This is a consumer issue. If your fridge died in 8 months, it is under warranty for a year. If your fridge failure was the result of a manufacturing defect or error on the part of the manufacturer, you should get a refund.

I am requesting a refund for services refused. Unfortunately the amount of law I looked into, I am not necessarily entitled to a refund unless the terms of the agreement were explicitly stated. They did state on the subscription page that refunds were not going to be available. My mistake in overlooking that, but again, it wasn't explicitly stated along with the other payment options. I'm not a lawyer by any means but if I really wanted someone who was more qualified to look into the matter, I'd file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. I also may be entitled to a refund depending on the state or local law in which I did business with SOE.

So in short, there are more ways to get my money back, but I am relying on the good faith of SOE to refund the money for the remaining subscription time. If not, there is a lesson learned and that is those subscription packages are binding. In other games I've played, they would refund based on full price of the amount of time you had used thus far. When you step back and look at it, Planetside 2 is not a game worth the over $100 I spent on it with 6 month sub, alpha pack, and station cash.

VGCS

2013-01-06, 08:29 PM

That is the state of life, it's a gamble. I spent 1400 on a fridge that died within 8 months.. life is a gamble.

Musta been second hand... You can't get out the door of a Sears or Lows without them trying to ram 20 different Warranty plans down your throat. In cases in Korea, they're strengthening their consumer protection laws to force refunds on this kinds of stuff if the consumer could demonstrate that a faulty product was sold to them and Blizzard recently took a multi-million dollar bath because of it. We have similar policies for almost every kind of product in this country too with the exception of "Healthfood Supplements" and Computer Games. Those are about the only things I can think of that fall through the cracks somehow and what's so inexplicable about it is that neither sector has any government lobbyists watching out for them. I take that as proof that most politicians aren't actually evil liars, they're just plain lazy :p

In other parts of this industry however, I've seen makers like Valve and Arenanet actually trying to Expedite their Refunds to costumers who were simply unhappy with their products. Even if you don't like their games, I think people should be going out of their way to reward that kind of behavior and starving the EA's, Activisions, and SOE's of the world until they get their Snake-Oil salesman escape-routes cut off properly.

If I had anywhere near $50 sunk into a sub plan on this.... I'd do bank charge-back even if it cost me $100.

Ghoest9

2013-01-06, 08:32 PM

So in short, there are more ways to get my money back, but I am relying on the good faith of SOE to refund the money for the remaining subscription time. If not, there is a lesson learned and that is those subscription packages are binding. In other games I've played, they would refund based on full price of the amount of time you had used thus far. When you step back and look at it, Planetside 2 is not a game worth the over $100 I spent on it with 6 month sub, alpha pack, and station cash.

Apparently you dont even know what "good faith" means.

They sold you a product and said no refunds - you might have buyers remorse but they delivered what was advertised.

It doesnt really matter if you are a lawyer or not - they owe you nothing except the game and you have that.

FireWater

2013-01-06, 08:34 PM

Sorry,

but how the fuck do you have for a refund on a F2P game?

You had an opportunity to play the game, and decide to sub, you subbed and now you aren't happy. Unless the purchase was fraudulant, I don't get why SOE owes you anything.

Bloodmode

2013-01-06, 08:39 PM

Thats why their is warranties.

The fact that people are ok with devs bringing out broken products, is sad.
If my fridge breaks in a month i can usually get a refund. Its a lemon, this game is broken, and the fact SOE will not refund the remaining months, is stupid.

That's why the gaming market is flooded now. Most gamers fall in "love" with certain developers and will give them their money. What they don't realize is that gaming developers ARE IN IT FOR THE MONEY! IT'S WHAT THEY DO FOR A LIVING! They only care about the "voice of the customer" so much as it is something that will make them MONEY! It's not EVIL it's BUSINESS. That's what is ridiculous about the zealous following that some devs have that it's the norm to throw >$100 into a free to play game and get nothing out of it other than a money making machine that slightly resembles our interests.

Beerbeer

2013-01-06, 08:40 PM

Exactly. It's greedy shortsightedness.

Pissing off a customer to keep that short-term gain ensures said customer never spends again, and tells anyone else who will listen to him or her not to do business with them, ever.

Offering a refund builds goodwill, even more so if it came with a sincere apology that he didn't enjoy the product and the company is doing everything possible to address whatever issues he or she may have had.

Ask yourself this: which option would you prefer, how would you feel towards that company after and which one would you be willing to try again in the future?

This was in response to VGCS

Bloodmode

2013-01-06, 08:40 PM

Apparently you dont even know what "good faith" means.

They sold you a product and said no refunds - you might have buyers remorse but they delivered what was advertised.

It doesnt really matter if you are a lawyer or not - they owe you nothing except the game and you have that.

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/consumer.shtm

Do some reading and cool off a bit.

Ghoest9

2013-01-06, 08:43 PM

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/consumer.shtm

Do some reading and cool off a bit.

UMmm ya - guess what - you didnt use the term "good faith" correctly.

Mox

2013-01-07, 06:02 AM

I would never buy a twelve months sub for a game that is still in beta. Your are really naive if you think you get your money back.

Rothnang

2013-01-07, 06:20 AM

I don't see why they should refund a 6 month subscription if you quit the game after 1 month, since if you payed for 6 months already you got the 6 months bonus early, you got a discount, and you get to keep your 6 months worth of premium.

The whole point of offering a 6 month subscription plan is to give people the option to make a longer term commitment to the game in exchange for some benefits, like overall lower cost, that business model makes no sense if you can get out of the longer term pay plans early, since commitment is your end of the bargain.

james

2013-01-09, 12:43 AM

A bit of an update, for those who many be interested in refunds for premium. It does appear they may actually be offering them. I had the 12 month. This was the response from a TSR. Just a heads up for those who are interested, you may want to contact support.
http://i.imgur.com/PtQcJ.jpg

Sunrock

2013-01-09, 01:54 AM

Wahooo

2013-01-09, 02:26 AM

Hmmm.... I've posted a lot of critical stuff about the game.
I even asked for a refund of my StationCash purchase the day of release on the Sky Guard.
I posted in the who has quit thread. But i've been guilty of not entirely quitting but playing maybe a 1/2 hour since new years.
I purchased a 1 year membership a couple days after release.

I in no way shape or form would expect or even think it was reasonable to ask for a refund to that membership. I don't know why you would think it is a reasonable request. You paid that much in advance for a benefit. If you had doubts or it was important you should have purchased month to month.

No game with a sub plan that i've ever known of would give a refund like you are asking for.

Elgareth

2013-01-09, 08:31 AM

I have to agree with the "No refund"-Crowd...
I mean, you could play the game beforehand, for free. Then decided to subscribe...let's explain that in easy words:
"Hello SOE. I like your game and want to pay for 6 Months Premium Access"
"Okay, Random Citizen. We welcome that. But you'll only benefit from this if you actually play during those 6 Months, okay? We offer shorter Subscriptions if you aren't sure..."
"Nope, it's okay SOE. I have read and agree to the Terms and Conditions. I'll gain premium access for the next 6 Months"
"As you wish"

And now you come back whining because you don't like it anymore?
Let's take Diablo 3 for example... the Servers were utter crap for almost a week after release, Inferno was downright unplayable unless you violently exploited God-Mode Bugs.
Yet you weren't able to get a refund on that game, at all.

You knew what you were buying, you already gained the benefits of it. You got increased benefits from SOE, BECAUSE you guaranteed them that the sub runs for a whole 6 months. That was the whole purpose.
You can't easily bail out just because of a bug, even if it is a severe one, otherwise the whole system would become obsolete.
You knew that bugs would occur, you knew that hackers make their way into PS2 (as they do in every game), you knew there were only 3 Continents currently. And still you bought the sub, now deal with it.

(IMHO)

psijaka

2013-01-09, 09:13 AM

VaderShake

2013-01-09, 09:17 AM

I really don't get why the OP thinks that they deserve a refund. They had every opportunity to play the game without paying a thing before deciding to commit to a longer term subscription in return for benefits. Their choice.

This and this and this and this......

"Customers" need to understand the F2P model and that the ownes of investing any cash into a F2P game lies soley with the customer.

Misato

2013-01-09, 11:30 AM

THey have it written out saying subscriptions are non-refundable and even though cancelled they will not be refundable, however you can play till the last day of your subscription or something to that nature. Besides this is F2P, there wasn't really any super benefit asides from the 500 SC every month and xp/cert boost. Can't really say priorty queue to the server is useful anymore.