Whether the OP was a real sincere poster or not is really is moot at this point, it does not really matter. I do know that if I had been presented with this problem my response would have been different and I would have taken the issue up with the place of purchase. I realize Turbine has very little to do with the distribution phase and is not really the most efficient way to solve that issue. The point I was making is that ever since a certain developer announced recently that the term "viral" advertising has become a buzz word and seems to be misunderstood in the industry even it seems by one of the CEOs.
I am spent 5 long years assigned to marketing as a data miner and while there picked up more marketing lingo and knowledge than I really ever wanted to learn. Viral marketing is a response to a product or service and is not something that can be planned or used as a advertising strategy. It cannot even be used as a minor tool in the overall plan. Basing a advertising strategy around such a plan is pissing in the wind as the release of another game recently has shown. Even getting good reviews from sites from sympathetic reviewers will not "save" a game. I am no where near egotistic enough to think that any single post or even a series of posts by alts will overcome a tidal wave of good or bad publicity from other sources.
These forums while they are fun to play around in really do not affect sales unless they get to the point where 90% of the posts are either negative or positive and by that time the word has spread through other means such as the water cooler news network or other smaller boards where the posters have long time relationships.
stop acting like a spoiled brat u get a bad key go back to the store for exchange or call up the customer service omg thats is so hard to do? show me which online game has good customer service ?
Best post I've read in a long time. Signature material.
It really is that simple though. If it doesn't work. Take it back and get a new one. All this calling and what not is way more than you needed to do. But oh well.
Haven't read through all the posts in this thread, just want to give my two cents on LotRO's customer support.
I had a problem where I couldn't log into my main character. I made an alt and used the in-game support system to contact a GM - unbelievably I had a live response within two minutes and was informed my problem would be sorted during the server maintenance the following morning. Sure enough, I logged in the next day and my main was working perfectly.
Compare this to my experience of Vanguard's in-game support - I had to petition serious game breaking bugs that were affecting my character on three different occasions. Quickest response time? Five days. And that was for a game I was paying a subscription fee for. Need I say more?
I am posting this so this thread will finally die! I finally got a chance to go back to the Gamestop I bought the pre-order from and explained to them what had happened and gave them a post I had printed out from the support forums. They said it was the first they had heard of it and then proceded to open each pre-order DVD they had to look at the numbers. My original was 14 numbers long. They had 4 more pre-order sets and in those 4, 1 had 15 numbers, 2 had 16 numbers and 1 had 17 numbers. They gave me the one with 17 numbers and asked me to let them know how it goes.
I used the 17 digit code and had no problem making an account . I logged in today. The game so far seems to be quite good and I am enjoying it. I still do not see the reason people chose to attack me personally. I re-read my post several times and I fail to see what in it caused some to attack me personally. I do apologise for the post further down where I called some of those attacking me personally simple minded. That was wrong and I should not have posted it but due to human nature people have a tendency to attack back when being attacked themselves.
Just a few things I would like people to know so they don't think I'm a complete A-hole.
I work alot sometimes putting in over 80 hours a week when I am on emergency call. It was not a matter of just go back to the store I bought it from and let them handle it. It is a nice little trip for me to get to my local Gamestop and back home.
If Turbine Games had allowed people to make accounts and then register their game codes to that account much like other game companies do then I could have posted in their official forums.
And finally if Turbines support page which had my problem listed had just put in their reply on their forum that they were unable to correct the issue please return the disk with code to place of purchase I would have done so. Instead they said they were aware of the problem and were working on a work around for it and it should be in place by pre-order launch day.
So what it boils down to is and this is my personal opinion, the game itself is a good game. But I will not apologise for the way I felt I was treated by their support system. I do apologise for calling some simple minded. I could not post on official forums at the time so I posted here. In retrospect not one of my better moves! Guess I'm getting to that old grumpy age where I expect things to be done a certain way.
Comments
Whether the OP was a real sincere poster or not is really is moot at this point, it does not really matter. I do know that if I had been presented with this problem my response would have been different and I would have taken the issue up with the place of purchase. I realize Turbine has very little to do with the distribution phase and is not really the most efficient way to solve that issue. The point I was making is that ever since a certain developer announced recently that the term "viral" advertising has become a buzz word and seems to be misunderstood in the industry even it seems by one of the CEOs.
I am spent 5 long years assigned to marketing as a data miner and while there picked up more marketing lingo and knowledge than I really ever wanted to learn. Viral marketing is a
response to a product or service and is not something that can be planned or used as a advertising strategy. It cannot even be used as a minor tool in the overall plan. Basing a advertising strategy around such a plan is pissing in the wind as the release of another game recently has shown. Even getting good reviews from sites from sympathetic reviewers will not "save" a game. I am no where near egotistic enough to think that any single post or even a series of posts by alts will overcome a tidal wave of good or bad publicity from other sources.
These forums while they are fun to play around in really do not affect sales unless they get to the point where 90% of the posts are either negative or positive and by that time the word has spread through other means such as the water cooler news network or other smaller boards where the posters have long time relationships.
I miss DAoC
Best post I've read in a long time. Signature material.
It really is that simple though. If it doesn't work. Take it back and get a new one. All this calling and what not is way more than you needed to do. But oh well.
Haven't read through all the posts in this thread, just want to give my two cents on LotRO's customer support.
I had a problem where I couldn't log into my main character. I made an alt and used the in-game support system to contact a GM - unbelievably I had a live response within two minutes and was informed my problem would be sorted during the server maintenance the following morning. Sure enough, I logged in the next day and my main was working perfectly.
Compare this to my experience of Vanguard's in-game support - I had to petition serious game breaking bugs that were affecting my character on three different occasions. Quickest response time? Five days. And that was for a game I was paying a subscription fee for. Need I say more?
actualy i have been very suprised with WOW's CSRs very fast and they even have little flavor text when they msg you each GM is differnt, I love it.
Conservatism.
Just old white men trying to find ways to legalize discrimination, and make the poor poorer
I am posting this so this thread will finally die! I finally got a chance to go back to the Gamestop I bought the pre-order from and explained to them what had happened and gave them a post I had printed out from the support forums. They said it was the first they had heard of it and then proceded to open each pre-order DVD they had to look at the numbers. My original was 14 numbers long. They had 4 more pre-order sets and in those 4, 1 had 15 numbers, 2 had 16 numbers and 1 had 17 numbers. They gave me the one with 17 numbers and asked me to let them know how it goes.
I used the 17 digit code and had no problem making an account . I logged in today. The game so far seems to be quite good and I am enjoying it. I still do not see the reason people chose to attack me personally. I re-read my post several times and I fail to see what in it caused some to attack me personally. I do apologise for the post further down where I called some of those attacking me personally simple minded. That was wrong and I should not have posted it but due to human nature people have a tendency to attack back when being attacked themselves.
Just a few things I would like people to know so they don't think I'm a complete A-hole.
I work alot sometimes putting in over 80 hours a week when I am on emergency call. It was not a matter of just go back to the store I bought it from and let them handle it. It is a nice little trip for me to get to my local Gamestop and back home.
If Turbine Games had allowed people to make accounts and then register their game codes to that account much like other game companies do then I could have posted in their official forums.
And finally if Turbines support page which had my problem listed had just put in their reply on their forum that they were unable to correct the issue please return the disk with code to place of purchase I would have done so. Instead they said they were aware of the problem and were working on a work around for it and it should be in place by pre-order launch day.
So what it boils down to is and this is my personal opinion, the game itself is a good game. But I will not apologise for the way I felt I was treated by their support system. I do apologise for calling some simple minded. I could not post on official forums at the time so I posted here. In retrospect not one of my better moves! Guess I'm getting to that old grumpy age where I expect things to be done a certain way.