Respect the Opt-Out!

chocobochick

I was an active participant in the original launch for Champions Online back in Fall 2009, and I was following the development of the game long before that. I lived through the Xbox 360 promises, the major Launch Day Nerf, holiday events that were basically unplayable, and several consecutive weekend server outages. When Cryptic dismissed their Community Manager during the pricing fiasco for their first expansion pack, I decided it was finally time to put my monthly subscription elsewhere. Another update detailing VIP lounges and prioritized customer service treatment for Lifetime Subscribers further alienated me from the game, and so when I got their next email bulletin, I completed the procedures to unsubscribe from any further updates.

It's been a year now, and while I've often still followed the game on news websites, Cryptic had faithfully not bothered with unwanted emails in my inbox... until now.

Today, I received the "Champions Online - Change of Service Notification" email that I'm sure was submitted to others across the world. It basically outlines the Silver/Gold account system for the game's new freemium model, with an additional plug about how great the game is. The email tries to justify itself by stating that I received it because I had previously opted in through either Atari or Champions Online, despite my previous opt-out request to the contrary. Finally, the email offers another unsubscribe link just in case I want to opt out of these emails again!

While I was initially curious to retry the game through the free-to-play model, I am now already face-palming the name of Cryptic before I've even had a chance to login. The opt-out request is something a company should be obligated to respect until the customer opts back in again--not something the company can conveniently ignore when they think they have something new to sell. And while I suspect this email might be an accidental oversight rather than intentional intrusion, it still leaves a poor impression on the company responsible for maintaining this game.

Please respect the Opt-Out. You have nothing to gain by violating the personal space of our inbox uninvited.

Shukano

Heh valid point although it seems you're making a bigger deal than maybe you should.

Try the F2P model then, like me, you'll have ALOT more to be upset about especially the whole converting old characters to the new archetypes part.

Teilo

I suspect the opt-out was for newsletter type stuff; changing the terms & conditions of the game is probably seen as a pretty big deal by Ataris legal dept and out-weighs any marketing considerations; opting out of marketing fluff would have no bearing on it.

Regardless, why write a huge vent post?

Delete email & move on, done in 2 seconds.