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(Less) Options for Buying ZEN...

daveynydaveyny Member Posts: 8,227 Arc User
OK...
Can somebody please explain to me why the option to buy $30.00 of ZEN was removed from the ARC CHARGE page???
(you can now only buy in $10/$20/$50 & $100 dollar increments)

Cryptic/PWE, you sell THRITY DOLLAR ships, why in the H+E+L+L would you remove that option for your purchasing customers?????

Un-Frackin'-Believable!

<grumble..., grumble..., grumble>
STO Member since February 2009.
I Was A Trekkie Before It Was Cool ... Sept. 8th, 1966 ... Not To Mention Before Most Folks Around Here Were Born!
Forever a STO Veteran-Minion
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Comments

  • tempus64tempus64 Member Posts: 806 Arc User
    edited August 2015
    Because PWE bean counters know that more people will tend to now choose the $50 package even though they could just get the $20 and then $10. People are lazy and with the bonus, more people will go that route. And then, because you'll have some left over zen, it will be an easier sell for you to top that off again later for another ship.
  • ikonn#1068 ikonn Member Posts: 1,451 Arc User
    edited August 2015
    tempus64 wrote: »
    Because PWE bean counters know that more people will tend to now choose the $50 package even though they could just get the $20 and then $10. People are lazy and with the bonus, more people will go that route. And then, because you'll have some left over zen, it will be an easier sell for you to top that off again later for another ship.

    That sums it up
    -AoP- Warrior's Blood (KDF Armada) / -AoP- Qu' raD qulbo'Degh / -AoP- Project Phoenix
    Join Date: Tuesday, February 2, 2010
  • kavasekavase Member Posts: 771 Arc User
    They also have other games besides STO. For all we know, $30 was the least used as a result. The buying increments they have now is a pretty typical setup.
    Retired. I'm now in search for that perfect space anomaly.
  • azniadeetazniadeet Member Posts: 1,871 Arc User
    I think they would sell more Zen if they let customers buy exactly as much as they want.
  • meimeitoomeimeitoo Member Posts: 12,594 Arc User
    daveyny wrote: »
    Cryptic/PWE, you sell THRITY DOLLAR ships, why in the H+E+L+L would you remove that option for your purchasing customers?????

    ^^ Precisely because of that! :) If all you need is a $30 bucks Zen package to get a ship, that is exactly what ppl will do! So, the idea is to have the only available option to get your ship be at $50 (which is an extra $20 you wouldn't otherwise have spent).
    3lsZz0w.jpg
  • kavasekavase Member Posts: 771 Arc User
    meimeitoo wrote: »
    daveyny wrote: »
    Cryptic/PWE, you sell THRITY DOLLAR ships, why in the H+E+L+L would you remove that option for your purchasing customers?????

    ^^ Precisely because of that! :) If all you need is a $30 bucks Zen package to get a ship, that is exactly what ppl will do! So, the idea is to have the only available option to get your ship be at $50 (which is an extra $20 you wouldn't otherwise have spent).

    I think you guys are reading waaay to much into this. I'm in no way a PWE fan, but the increment payments provided is pretty much an industry standard. Also, they have multiple titles to deal with. You honestly thing they would just change it for the sake of one game for one particular purchase?

    Why they changed it is anyone guess. Mine is to follow industry standard and that the $30 option wasn't a popular option, or you could be right but it's a stretch to say the least.
    azniadeet wrote: »
    I think they would sell more Zen if they let customers buy exactly as much as they want.

    It'd be nice, but not practical for them to do.
    Retired. I'm now in search for that perfect space anomaly.
  • meimeitoomeimeitoo Member Posts: 12,594 Arc User
    kavase wrote: »
    meimeitoo wrote: »
    daveyny wrote: »
    Cryptic/PWE, you sell THRITY DOLLAR ships, why in the H+E+L+L would you remove that option for your purchasing customers?????

    ^^ Precisely because of that! :) If all you need is a $30 bucks Zen package to get a ship, that is exactly what ppl will do! So, the idea is to have the only available option to get your ship be at $50 (which is an extra $20 you wouldn't otherwise have spent).

    I think you guys are reading waaay to much into this. I'm in no way a PWE fan, but the increment payments provided is pretty much an industry standard. Also, they have multiple titles to deal with. You honestly thing they would just change it for the sake of one game for one particular purchase?

    Why they changed it is anyone guess. Mine is to follow industry standard and that the $30 option wasn't a popular option, or you could be right but it's a stretch to say the least.
    azniadeet wrote: »
    I think they would sell more Zen if they let customers buy exactly as much as they want.

    It'd be nice, but not practical for them to do.


    The 'multiple titles' argument, I must admit, is a solid one. And the bonus Zen you get with the $50 bucks option is nice too.
    3lsZz0w.jpg
  • dareaudareau Member Posts: 2,390 Arc User
    kavase wrote: »
    meimeitoo wrote: »
    daveyny wrote: »
    Cryptic/PWE, you sell THRITY DOLLAR ships, why in the H+E+L+L would you remove that option for your purchasing customers?????

    ^^ Precisely because of that! :) If all you need is a $30 bucks Zen package to get a ship, that is exactly what ppl will do! So, the idea is to have the only available option to get your ship be at $50 (which is an extra $20 you wouldn't otherwise have spent).

    I think you guys are reading waaay to much into this. I'm in no way a PWE fan, but the increment payments provided is pretty much an industry standard. Also, they have multiple titles to deal with. You honestly thing they would just change it for the sake of one game for one particular purchase?

    Why they changed it is anyone guess. Mine is to follow industry standard and that the $30 option wasn't a popular option, or you could be right but it's a stretch to say the least.

    "Industry standard" would be an excuse - especially if the earlier mentioned "let's sucker the people into buying a $50 package then "only" need a $10 package to "top up" enough for a second ship ploy is in effect. Many people still believe this kind of stunt is the norm especially after stunts like Microsoft's and Cryptic's "original" ploy of "masking" the true price of things by making 80 "online" points = $1 US, or other stunts like charging $5.50 for a costume and, again, not providing a $5.50 option to shop with...
    kavase wrote: »
    azniadeet wrote: »
    I think they would sell more Zen if they let customers buy exactly as much as they want.

    It'd be nice, but not practical for them to do.

    Practical? That I'm aware of, "every" utility that has a "pay online" option has a "pay an amount of your choosing" option. Adapting that to post X zen (the user inputted amount) to the PWE account in question instead of X dollars against a bill balance shouldn't be "extremely" hard.​​
    Detecting big-time "anti-old-school" bias here. NX? Lobi. TOS/TMP Connie? Super-promotion-box. (aka the two hardest ways to get ships) Excelsior & all 3 TNG "big hero" ships? C-Store. Please Equalize...

    To rob a line: [quote: Mariemaia Kushrenada] Forum Posting is much like an endless waltz. The three beats of war, peace and revolution continue on forever. However, opinions will change upon the reading of my post.[/quote]
  • kavasekavase Member Posts: 771 Arc User
    dareau wrote: »
    kavase wrote: »
    meimeitoo wrote: »
    daveyny wrote: »
    Cryptic/PWE, you sell THRITY DOLLAR ships, why in the H+E+L+L would you remove that option for your purchasing customers?????

    ^^ Precisely because of that! :) If all you need is a $30 bucks Zen package to get a ship, that is exactly what ppl will do! So, the idea is to have the only available option to get your ship be at $50 (which is an extra $20 you wouldn't otherwise have spent).

    I think you guys are reading waaay to much into this. I'm in no way a PWE fan, but the increment payments provided is pretty much an industry standard. Also, they have multiple titles to deal with. You honestly thing they would just change it for the sake of one game for one particular purchase?

    Why they changed it is anyone guess. Mine is to follow industry standard and that the $30 option wasn't a popular option, or you could be right but it's a stretch to say the least.

    "Industry standard" would be an excuse - especially if the earlier mentioned "let's sucker the people into buying a $50 package then "only" need a $10 package to "top up" enough for a second ship ploy is in effect. Many people still believe this kind of stunt is the norm especially after stunts like Microsoft's and Cryptic's "original" ploy of "masking" the true price of things by making 80 "online" points = $1 US, or other stunts like charging $5.50 for a costume and, again, not providing a $5.50 option to shop with...
    kavase wrote: »
    azniadeet wrote: »
    I think they would sell more Zen if they let customers buy exactly as much as they want.

    It'd be nice, but not practical for them to do.

    Practical? That I'm aware of, "every" utility that has a "pay online" option has a "pay an amount of your choosing" option. Adapting that to post X zen (the user inputted amount) to the PWE account in question instead of X dollars against a bill balance shouldn't be "extremely" hard.​​


    The "sucker effect" is very real as in your example.

    F2P games especially follow the model of, buy $50 worth of coins but can only spend $48.50 of it or be short by $2.50 to get the big item you want. It's designed to be almost impossible or at least very difficult to have at the end of it $0 worth of coins exactly.

    Hence the lack of practicality of them doing a choose your pay amount option. It would do away with that effect. I would expect to see less of these in the future I'm afraid as companies learn from others success.

    Also I forgot to mention that each transaction costs money for them. Therefore if someone was to buy $30 then add another $20 later is more expensive for them instead of just spending $50 straight out. The bonus you receive on larger transaction is an incentive to help to have less transactions as well as of course, spend more money on the game.
    Retired. I'm now in search for that perfect space anomaly.
  • daveynydaveyny Member Posts: 8,227 Arc User
    edited August 2015
    Heh..
    I'll take the $20 + $10 dollar option, thank you very much.
    Or... I just won't bother.

    Used to buy every ship They put out... till Their 'Thirty Dollar Mindset'
    kicked in.

    Now, I'm very picky about which ones I get.

    Ah well, Their loss.

    STO Member since February 2009.
    I Was A Trekkie Before It Was Cool ... Sept. 8th, 1966 ... Not To Mention Before Most Folks Around Here Were Born!
    Forever a STO Veteran-Minion
    upside-down-banana-smiley-emoticon.gif
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