They're trying hard to pass the buck to the devs, as if developers were a fickle force of nature rather than human beings who get things wrong.
Once again we apologize for any inconvenience, but the list of eligible accounts were provided to us by our development team, and as your account was not on the list as a exclusive Mac user, you will not be granted the refund. We will be unable to make any exceptions. Thank you for your understanding.
They're trying hard to pass the buck to the devs, as if developers were a fickle force of nature rather than human beings who get things wrong.
Once again we apologize for any inconvenience, but the list of eligible accounts were provided to us by our development team, and as your account was not on the list as a exclusive Mac user, you will not be granted the refund. We will be unable to make any exceptions. Thank you for your understanding.
Its highly likely the guys in CS have been given a script and procedure to follow which they aren't empowered to make a case by case judgement or offer anything other than the Robot replies we are getting. Blaming the Dev Team is trying to shift blame, anger, frustration and focus from them as they are probably swamped and feeling the pressure we are putting them under. (I've been there its likely these guys don't even agree with what's going on but can't do jack about it)
Its the Higher Up's the Decision Makers that are so far removed from the decisions they make that they don't feel the repercussions of those decisions unless it hits them in the only place you can hurt them and thats the companies income.
So I got a response to my counter argument saying that I received the Mac Pack as a Mac user when the outage happened for us but am now not considered a Mac user.
Hello,
Once again we apologize for the inconvenience, but as this account was not verified as a Mac exclusive user, you are not eligible for the refund. We will not be making any exceptions. Thank you for your understanding.
They're trying hard to pass the buck to the devs, as if developers were a fickle force of nature rather than human beings who get things wrong.
Once again we apologize for any inconvenience, but the list of eligible accounts were provided to us by our development team, and as your account was not on the list as a exclusive Mac user, you will not be granted the refund. We will be unable to make any exceptions. Thank you for your understanding.
Its highly likely the guys in CS have been given a script and procedure to follow which they aren't empowered to make a case by case judgement or offer anything other than the Robot replies we are getting. Blaming the Dev Team is trying to shift blame, anger, frustration and focus from them as they are probably swamped and feeling the pressure we are putting them under. (I've been there its likely these guys don't even agree with what's going on but can't do jack about it)
Its the Higher Up's the Decision Makers that are so far removed from the decisions they make that they don't feel the repercussions of those decisions unless it hits them in the only place you can hurt them and thats the companies income.
The service reps you get through the ticket system in all likelihood have a scripted response. It's guaranteed to avoid any possible issues. Warcraft has the same issue with their GM's--everything has a scripted response.
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I am upset as everyone; I was confirmed as a Mac account for give a ways etc but we are unfortunately at Cryptics mercy.
I have been thinking about the announcement I am starting to believe they did not do their homework prior to the announcement. They said they will confirm which accounts were Mac after the announcement was made, when they got a final count they realized it was going to cost them a lot more then budgeted as there were likely more Mac players than expected. They then quietly change the rules to if you ever logged in from a PC or an emulator your not going to be getting a refund to cut back on the cost.
Cryptics PR is likely in charge of the fallout that may ensue. I also believe Cryptic should have this listed on the launcher so that all Mac users can see it not just the few that use the forums.
I enjoy the game; the people I game with so I will get it running but monetary contributions likely will stop. I was good with everything until they started looking for reasons to reject refunds for people they previously verified as a Mac player.
I am upset as everyone; I was confirmed as a Mac account for give a ways etc but we are unfortunately at Cryptics mercy.
I have been thinking about the announcement I am starting to believe they did not do their homework prior to the announcement. They said they will confirm which accounts were Mac after the announcement was made, when they got a final count they realized it was going to cost them a lot more then budgeted as there were likely more Mac players than expected. They then quietly change the rules to if you ever logged in from a PC or an emulator your not going to be getting a refund to cut back on the cost.
Cryptics PR is likely in charge of the fallout that may ensue. I also believe Cryptic should have this listed on the launcher so that all Mac users can see it not just the few that use the forums.
I enjoy the game; the people I game with so I will get it running but monetary contributions likely will stop. I was good with everything until they started looking for reasons to reject refunds for people they previously verified as a Mac player.
As i've mentioned the biggest issue that disqualified us and the one Cryptic seem to be ignoring as it was of their own making was the breaking of the launcher when Season 11 launched. This is where they probably have caught the majority of us out.
Personally issues like these should come into account and i think if someone took them to court over that, it would be a field day for that person.
Judge : So on the xx of the month you updated YOU'RE services and broke MAC users official portal to the game. Said MAC user then used a 3rd party emulator to access the service YOU broke. Once this service was resumed said user went back to the official launcher and has not used a emulator since.
On the 4th of Feb this year YOU announced the forth coming closure of that portal and stated without Terms and Conditions on YOUR forum all MAC users will receive a ZEN credit to their ARC ACC Balance.
However after checking this users eligibility for a refund YOU have disqualified him on the grounds of accessing the game via an emulator which was done during a time YOU were not able to provide a service as it was broken. I also understand that this ZEN refund is not monetary but a credit for the user to use on other games YOU provide. Which i've been told do not support the MAC platform. I also see from the announcement provided on YOUR forums that you are advising affected customers if they wish to continue playing to use one of the very emulators YOU have disqualified this customer for when YOUR service was broken.
Also by this statement you acknowledge that you had issues with YOUR service and at times the service could not be provided
"We wanted to come back to follow up on where we currently are with the Mac version of Star Trek Online. As some of you are aware, we had issues in the recent past that affected our players from launching the client and playing Star Trek Online. We were able to work with our partners to bring the game back up and deliver all the previously available promotions that were unattainable by those players.
Following these issues, we looked at our Mac support overall and determined that we cannot promise to deliver an experience on Mac that meets our expectations of quality. After heavy consideration, we have decided to end support for the Mac version of Star Trek Online on February 5th. No other version of Star Trek Online is impacted."
As i said field day absolute field day just wish i had the money to take them to court
it would't matter that i could access the game via an emulator now, its the fact they are could't provide a service at the time i used the emulator and then disqualified you because of it
Mac OS is pretty much obsolete as a gaming platform. Personally I think it is the right decision - resources should not be being poured into supporting such a small user base.
Especially since all modern Mac's are the same on the inside as any other PC around today, it's very easy to create a duel boot machine.
Last throw of the dice i asked to escalate to a manager in my last correspondence so sent him/her this reply. I hope it gets passed up the chain and gains momentum as some of the points are valid.
The refund isn't the point anymore for me, its the total disrespect and way Cryptic/PWE have decided to disqualify MAC users on the basis an emulator was used during a period when they could not provide a service or provide timescales on when that service would be resumed.
Thank you for the reply but i am still not satisfied by Cryptic/PWE response or handling of the refund issue. I don’t feel i’m going to get any further with yourself, and this isn’t anything to do with your Customer Service ability or skills or you as a person. Its more to do with the fact that the response and replies the PWE CS team are giving have come down from Senior Management and they have not empowered yourself or your colleagues to be able to judge each complaint case by case and make a judgement call to offer refunds by the decision you take and evidence submitted by the Customer that you see and can judge to be right or wrong.
I’ve worked in Customer Services myself for 15 years and been in exactly the same position so fully understand the restrictions placed on you and your team members. Which is why although i’m been firm in my correspondence so far i’m trying not to personally attack anyone on the front lines as you are just following the guidelines given to you by these Senior Managers.
With that said i do feel the policy here needs to be reviewed and feedback needs to be taken to these Senior Managers as the decision to disqualify certain Customers is morally and i’m sure legally wrong. Here’s my list of points and arguments.
We wanted to come back to follow up on where we currently are with the Mac version of Star Trek Online. As some of you are aware, we had issues in the recent past that affected our players from launching the client and playing Star Trek Online. We were able to work with our partners to bring the game back up and deliver all the previously available promotions that were unattainable by those players.
Following these issues, we looked at our Mac support overall and determined that we cannot promise to deliver an experience on Mac that meets our expectations of quality. After heavy consideration, we have decided to end support for the Mac version of Star Trek Online on February 5th. No other version of Star Trek Online is impacted.
Now by Cryptic’s and PWE own admission they have been unable to provide a service of high quality that they wished to supply. They also comment there have been issues and most importantly they admit that there have been times the service just has not been accessible.
This brings me back to the MAC outage when Season 11 launched in October 2015 it caused the Official Star Trek Online Launcher to be offline for up to over over 3 weeks. For this period of time Cryptic/PWE could not provide a service to their MAC customer base and at the time they could not give any indication of how long the outage was going to be for.
I know compensation was given. The Mirror Incursion Event was running and Multidimensional Transponders were given to make up for some of the time missed during this event.
I received these so at the point in time i was classed a MAC user.
However since then i am no longer classed as a MAC user and this is due to the fact Cryptic/PWE could not only not provide me a service for 3 weeks but also could not provide me with a timescale for a fix to the Official Launcher.
Like many other LOYAL Customer who enjoy this game rather than wait for a fix to come around i followed the advice of a fellow forum member http://www.arcgames.com/en/forums/startrekonline/#/discussion/1206214/s11-troubles-heres-a-band-aid/p1 who created a way for us MAC users to get back into the game whilst we waited for a fix to the Official Mac Client.
So yes during the time Cryptic/PWE couldn’t provide me with A. Service and B. Timescales on a fix i used an alternative way to log into Star Trek Online.
Now should i really be penalised and disqualified for a refund because Cryptic/ PWE could not provide me with Service and Fix timescales ? Up until this time i was classed a MAC user by the Mirror Incursion compensation. Its from this point i lost MAC user status. A status lost because Cryptic/PWE could not provide me a service. Just like any other MAC user who may have borrowed a family member or friends PC or did the same thing as me.
2. Extract from ARC forums same announcement
We will be reimbursing any Zen that was purchased through Arc or Steam between October 1, 2015 and today to your Arc Account Balance.
This statement leads anyone using a MAC to think they will be getting a refund. There is no information about criteria or any terms and conditions. Also the applying the refund to your Arc Account Balance again is questionable as no other Cryptic/PWE games offer MAC support so you haven’t offered a monetary refund but a credit that MAC users will either have to run an emulator, install Windows via Bootcamp or use a PC the last 2 potentially cost money depending on the customers access to a Windows License or PC.
3. Extract from the ARC forums same announcement
For those looking ton continue to play our game after we shut down the Mac client, we would recommend using any of the popular programs to simulate a windows environment on your Mac, including the free software WINE
This extract really bugs me. Cryptic/PWE disqualified MAC users for using WINE or other software when Cryptic/PWE couldn’t provide a service by saying an emulator was used, Now that Cryptic/PWE will not be supplying a service to MAC users use of these emulators is being promoted so as to encourage the MAC customers whose support Cryptic/PWE are withdrawing continue playing
1st they are 3rd party software that Cryptic/PWE have no connection or ability to support therefore by promoting them Cryptic/PWE could give the illusion of offering some type of support for them.
2nd By disqualifying MAC users for using a emulator at a time Cryptic/PWE have MAC support but were unable to offer a service due to a technical error by the Development Team promoting 3rd party emulators seems rather 2 faced to me
4. Official MAC Client
If the Official MAC Client had not have been broken and service was not lost in October 2015 then i can guarantee Cryptic/PWE that i would not have been using a WINE emulator during the loss of service during this period. Cryptic/PWE failed me as Customer during this period by not being able to provide a direct service to their game. Should not only i but every other MAC user that was identified at the is point as a MAC user really be disqualified because of Cryptic/PWE inability to provide a service.
5. Use of other emulator. Since the closure announcement i have tested 3 other emulators, Wine wrapper again which is not great, Virtual BOX which couldn’t launch the game and currently PlayOnMAC. All to make sure i could still play and support the game i have always supported since 2011.
Anytime i log into my ARC account via Safari the ARC defender sends me a code as it thinks i’m using a new machine. The email i always get from you contains the browser used, my i.p and location and it always states Macintosh as the computer i'm using.
In closing again than you for getting in touch, i hope i am wrong and Cryptic/PWE have empowered you to be able to make decisions based on evidence supplied as i’m not questioning your abilities, but from the responses i’ve seen other customers receive i don’t feel this is the case and Cryptic/PWE have your hands tied whilst you have to take the flak for Senior Managements immoral decisions, legal advice and action may be my only solution.
Man you just need to stop. I'm not saying don't advocate for yourself or speak on your own behalf but you're wasting a lot of energy and proving Mark Twain correct. Like I said, the Mac client is done when the snow's gone and it's not coming back. And the handling of this situation by Cryptic and Perfect World has been epically awful but clearly they've made their bed and are lying in it. No amount of kvetching or insinuating legal action will change either of those two facts. So you have options (including conferring about legal advice though in my opinion you're wasting more time and money) and the two most obvious ones are: a) when the Mac client ends, so does your time in the the STO universe, or b) partition your Mac and install Windows or get an emulator like PlayOnMac and keep playing. Of course the easiest option is that you buy the company, fire everyone you feel has wronged you with extreme prejudice and then hire someone who will build you a Mac client that meets your needs. But if you have that kind of money, you'd have done that already right?
Really that's it. Anything else is inane ranting that doesn't solve a problem. Like I said, I'm going to enjoy my time left in STO and when the Mac client is done I'm done too. Or if you want to look at it from this perspective, think about this: how much money did you spend to see Star Trek Into Darkness in the theatre (including the heart attack inducing popcorn and pop)? How much time do you spend working on something you love (outside of this game)? Without a Mac client for STO, now you have more money to see movies or do things you love outside of this game. Or in the words of Elsa: let it go.
Man you just need to stop. I'm not saying don't advocate for yourself or speak on your own behalf but you're wasting a lot of energy and proving Mark Twain correct. Like I said, the Mac client is done when the snow's gone and it's not coming back. And the handling of this situation by Cryptic and Perfect World has been epically awful but clearly they've made their bed and are lying in it. No amount of kvetching or insinuating legal action will change either of those two facts. So you have options (including conferring about legal advice though in my opinion you're wasting more time and money) and the two most obvious ones are: a) when the Mac client ends, so does your time in the the STO universe, or b) partition your Mac and install Windows or get an emulator like PlayOnMac and keep playing. Of course the easiest option is that you buy the company, fire everyone you feel has wronged you with extreme prejudice and then hire someone who will build you a Mac client that meets your needs. But if you have that kind of money, you'd have done that already right?
Really that's it. Anything else is inane ranting that doesn't solve a problem. Like I said, I'm going to enjoy my time left in STO and when the Mac client is done I'm done too. Or if you want to look at it from this perspective, think about this: how much money did you spend to see Star Trek Into Darkness in the theatre (including the heart attack inducing popcorn and pop)? How much time do you spend working on something you love (outside of this game)? Without a Mac client for STO, now you have more money to see movies or do things you love outside of this game. Or in the words of Elsa: let it go.
I just don't like being taken for a ride and feel like i'm being laughed at by the powers that be that made this awful decision. Its just hit a nerve, i mean its not even about the refund anymore its the complete lack of respect they have shown to their customers, lack of liability for not providing a service and excluding their customers for a refund when they worked around PWE inability to provide that service and admitting in the closure announcement they had service issues.
But you are right why waste all this energy on a company with no morale conscience, soul or principles. I'm not going to get anywhere Just madder. It's just someone needs to fight this fight as it happens far to often in this world. Companies do this all the time, as they know the little guy doesn't have the financial muscle to fight back. I'm tired of being bullied by the playground bully, Its just wrong. Last post as i'm doing exactly what i said a few lines ago and thats getting madder about the issue and no one at Cryptic/PWE HQ gives a dam.
Imagine that a Ferengi with principles. I can picture the horror on Quarks face now
Good letter, Mister Ferengi. Let us know how it goes. Because yeah, it really is about the principle at this point (and to put my money where my mouth is, if they actually make this right for other Mac users, I'll cheerfully waive my own $115 worth of zen).
It's also worth noting that in November, in the midst of a lot of public speculation as to whether they were going to fix the Mac client at all, we were publicly assured that they had no plans to drop the Mac client. Now, legally, of course they can simply say they didn't have such plans at the time. But a holiday season was approaching, and it's reasonable to expect that many people made substantial zen purchases for themselves or for others that they might well not have made if they'd known the client was going to be dropped.
The whole series of events has been shady throughout. Certainly, there's no way to force them to do the right thing here, but that doesn't mean we have to be silent about the fact that they're doing the wrong thing.
It's hilarious that you are telling a multinational company that withdrawing support for a little used OS is 'morally' and perhaps legally wrong.
It is a service that they are in no way obliged to provide you with, regardless of your OS or your indignant umbrage.
Just duel boot misterferengi its a simple solution - no need to spam walls of text with your hissfits.
If you are that bothered you should not have chosen an OS which has never been viewed as a gaming platform.
You don't have a 'legal' leg to stand on and making such veiled threats just make your complaint sound even sillier.
I think you missed the point.
They DQ'd people from their due refunds because they used an emulator instead of the broken client, THEN after announcing the Mac client closure they encourage use of the exact same emulator to continue playing STO.
It's hilarious that you are telling a multinational company that withdrawing support for a little used OS is 'morally' and perhaps legally wrong.
It is a service that they are in no way obliged to provide you with, regardless of your OS or your indignant umbrage.
Just duel boot misterferengi its a simple solution - no need to spam walls of text with your hissfits.
If you are that bothered you should not have chosen an OS which has never been viewed as a gaming platform.
You don't have a 'legal' leg to stand on and making such veiled threats just make your complaint sound even sillier.
1st point if they wish to withdrawal the client then they can. Never said they can't. I have said they are wrong to promote use of 3rd party emulators which they cannot/do not support.
2nd point Because they can withdrawal it i've again never stated they have to provide me a form of access.
3rd point I've already said i'm having issues dual booting and so am not prepared to further look at that option, Plus i have said Bootcamp is not a viable alternative as if you do not own a windows license, You have to buy one just to play 1 game and use any purchases you have already made.
4th point Regardless if MAC is or is not viewed as a gaming platform is irrelevant.
5th point I am going to seek advice only on the disqualification for using an emulator, (Doesn't hurt to ask) mainly those that were disqualified during a period of time Cryptic/PWE could not provide access to their product. I think there are grounds which could be pursued.
I have some valid points i put them forward to CS i know they haven't the authority to do anything but maybe someone in CS will feedback up the chain of command and changes minds from within.
You all know my option on the matter and how much i think it sucks. There's far more people out there more deserving a refund than i that have been declined unfairly. There are cases that do need to be reaccessed as the reasons for disqualification are not as cut and dry as Cryptic/PWE are stating.
I apologise for the walls of text i have posted. This is something that has struck a nerve and the type of thing issue i like to get my teeth sunk into and get people treated fairly. I often cheesed my managers off in my old job before i left due to fighting the customers corner if they had a valid case. and thats the disqualification for using an emulator during a period of time Cryptic could not provide a service it needs addressing.
Enough energy spent for now. I see you guys are tired of my arguments so i'll keep my pursuit of justice between me and Cryptic/PWE going forward
I'll leave you with these words
In order for ‘evil’ to prevail, all that need happen is for ‘good’ people to do nothing
I think you missed the point.
They DQ'd people from their due refunds because they used an emulator instead of the broken client, THEN after announcing the Mac client closure they encourage use of the exact same emulator to continue playing STO.
That's just wrong on so many levels.
And their whole theory on that is deeply flawed. You can tell what they're thinking: "well, if they could log in from an emulator, they never really lost use of the game!" And this may be true for some. But for others, the emulator provided such poor performance that it wasn't really suitable for gameplay (beyond perhaps chat and auction house use). For others, it may not have gotten past the account login. Perhaps they logged in using emulation or dual boot, and said, "this sucks, but it's better than nothing until they get the real one fixed," which is fine for a couple of weeks but inadequate for a long-term solution, which is what people now need.
Additionally, based on posts here and on Reddit, they have excluded people who never even DID log in with an emulator. In fact, I have yet to see a single post from anyone who actually received a reimbursement.
They shouldn't really be looking at this as a reimbursement for people who couldn't log in, regardless of actual experience, with anything but the Mac client. They should be looking at it as an apology for providing what they themselves have stated was a client so poor that they don't want people using it, and for the nuisance people now need to go through to keep playing. They should be looking at it as a way to make me want to keep spending a few hundred dollars a year on their shinies because I have warm and fuzzy feelings about the way they treated me after they caused me a problem, rather than making me want to make extensive use of their services without ever feeding them another dime.
Oh, and if you think these complaints come from an overinflated sense of entitlement, well...that should be sufficient evidence to get us on the verified Mac users list
Just came in to post about my own experience, and am both glad and disappointed that I'm not alone in this. To make matters worse, I manually cancelled my account on the 5th, yet still got billed on the 10th! So far no comment from them on this matter.
Like others, I tried to find a way to play when the client broke in November. I failed though, but I did have a very brief log-in via a friend's PC so I could claim the time-limited Enterprise pack (back before we had any idea that there'd be way for Mac users to claim this once the client had been fixed.) If they're disqualifying people due to us taking steps they've recommended in order to attempt to keep playing, then that's underhanded to say the least!
Unlike others, I never used an emulator or a non-mac OS to access the game and was still not considered edible for a refund. Spent $400 since October 15th and the only response from customer support was; we have already developed the list of eligible mac users, you are not on it, we appreciate your understanding, end of discussion. Not sure how they developed their list of eligible users, by in my case they clearly did not accurately evaluate my account.
The issue here is not the money or what operating system I choose to support; it is fair and consistent treatment of customers, not delivering on promises and operating your business in an ethical manner. Getting past all of the rhetoric about not being able to deliver a quality Mac OS experience, if the mac product line had been profitable, they would find a way to fix the problem. I get it, I understanding dropping the Mac client, I just don't appreciate the inaccurate evaluation of my account and the "go pound sand" attitude from customer support. Typical multi-national company attitude of; you have no recourse, we really don't care, we have your money and you can't do anything about it. Personally, I really enjoyed the game but don't I appreciate the dictatorial attitude from customer support.
Bottom line, I play games to relax and have a good time and I don't need to do business with companies that don't appreciate their customers.
I've only seen one person in ESD chat say that they've received a refund of any kind, and it appeared to be solely in Zen - they reported having approx 30k Zen at the time. As so many here are saying they've been denied, is it possible they've sorely underestimated how many Mac users there are, and misbudgeted for the refunds?
I've received a further reply saying that ANY log-in not on a Mac before the announcement disqualifies anyone from reimbursement, despite advice in November for users to do just that. They did go on to say however that use of an emulator SINCE the announcement should not be reason to be disbarred. No comment at all regarding the fact I was billed on a closed account, so I shall refer that to my bank's fraud team; while they're at it, they can recover the rest of my payments!
I've only seen one person in ESD chat say that they've received a refund of any kind, and it appeared to be solely in Zen - they reported having approx 30k Zen at the time. As so many here are saying they've been denied, is it possible they've sorely underestimated how many Mac users there are, and misbudgeted for the refunds?
I've received a further reply saying that ANY log-in not on a Mac before the announcement disqualifies anyone from reimbursement, despite advice in November for users to do just that. They did go on to say however that use of an emulator SINCE the announcement should not be reason to be disbarred. No comment at all regarding the fact I was billed on a closed account, so I shall refer that to my bank's fraud team; while they're at it, they can recover the rest of my payments!
Wait, so does that cover any login since March 11, 2014 (the start of the Mac client) or since February 2, 2010 (when the game began)?
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You can add me to this "pile." I've only ever used the Mac client, and have never used an emulator. I'm still getting the same canned denial answer from customer service. Is there a community manager for STO?
You can add me to this "pile." I've only ever used the Mac client, and have never used an emulator. I'm still getting the same canned denial answer from customer service. Is there a community manager for STO?
Community Manager is PWLAUGHINGTRENDY however she has already distanced herself from this announcement when it originally was published. Advising anybody with questions to contact support. Which was the right advice to give as she has nothing to do with the decision to discontinue the MAC Client or the refund issues we have later ran into.
Also even if she took the comments from these forums to the Bosses who made these decisions, there is just not enough people on here for it to even register as an issue to them.
So there's no point trying to involve Trendy as her hands are tied and i'd imagine this is outside her sphere of influence
Edited - This comment is based on assumption so if Trendy would like to chime in with any advice or help she can offer then please do.
> @misterferengi#8959 said: > gumpsgang wrote: » > > You can add me to this "pile." I've only ever used the Mac client, and have never used an emulator. I'm still getting the same canned denial answer from customer service. Is there a community manager for STO? > > > > > Community Manager is PWLAUGHINGTRENDY however she has already distanced herself from this announcement when it originally was published. Advising anybody with questions to contact support. Which was the right advice to give as she has nothing to do with the decision to discontinue the MAC Client or the refund issues we have later ran into. > Also even if she took the comments from these forums to the Bosses who made these decisions, there is just not enough people on here for it to even register as an issue to them. > So there's no point trying to involve Trendy as her hands are tied and i'd imagine this is outside her sphere of influence
Thank you Sir to for the reply! I'm going to go write a thank you email to (company not to be named on a competitor forum). I now truly appreciate how they respond and communicate to their player-base.
been denied myself... ONLY using MAC's since the 1990's. i have to use a crappy emulator since October. Still denied. had a FORMAL complaint RE: Mc client in October. IF you say you're going to do something, the HONOR THE COMMITMENT.
Well this is a bummer. Guess all the money I put into this game is a total loss? During the Mac downtime, I used Parallels to log in to my account, even though it isn't optimal. Guess that screwed me.
Today they told me that I won't get the refund, too.
They didn't gave me an explanation yet, they just stated that i don't fulfill qualifications. Which qualifications? I don't know. The only qualification they stated officially is "ALL Mac users".
So I took screenshots of nearly everything regarding this issue and recommend everyone else to do the same. I also had several emails from support saying that I will receive a refund. But now - after I read here in the forums and asked again - they say "no, sorry"
This is not only unfair, this is a matter for legal.
I really would appreciate if others with the same problem might send a PN (as long as they let us send PN and don't close accounts because paying customers are not happy with their decisions).
I have a few additional questions regarding whats happening right now. These questions are no offense, only serious questions I have in my mind and would love to have answered:
1. Why did your (very general) initial posting did not include details on who is qualified for refunds? For me it was very clear that this refund is for Mac users.
2. Did you know at the time of this posting that you won't refund all mac users?
3. What does it mean for Windows users in the future, when there are so many issues with the client? Is it worth it to buy windows now to play your game?
4. What does it mean for the future of the game, when you promise something to your users and after that don't give it to them? Are there any issues we should know?
5. If it is correct that you didn't knew at the time of the initial posting(Mac Closure Notice) that you can't give this refund to all users, why didn't you do a posting later afterwards explaining the qualification procedure for this issue? Why didn't you even state that there is a qualification procedure? Didn't you know there or were you maybe a bit overwhelmed by the amount of mac users and refunds?
6. What are the exact qualifications?
7. If you changed the original idea of refunding Mac users to refunding only a few mac users what does it mean for the future of the game? Is it (for everybody) still safe to spend money in this game?
8. Are there any rumors regarding a change of politics or change of ownership of Arc Games so you are no longer able to provide reliable informations? Are there any issues regarding this the users should know? (I really don't know, it might be a possible explanation for this change of politics - and I think as somebody who spends a lot of money here I have the right to know how long my invested money will last for playing this game - at least there is an estimated time of a products life cycle everywhere in the world)
9. Is it safe to invest money by buying ZEN in this game or is it possible that this game has to close down soon?
You announced a lot of features and news for this year, but for an anniversary I expected a different news than "we won't refund you although we promised". So this leads to a lot of questions. Not only for me.
Please don't misunderstand this posting. It is no offense. These are just the first questions after being told that you won't refund. I'm fighting with this client and different solutions since more than seven months now and invested money. A lot of money. Now I just would like to know where you want to take me and my money. And sorry for my english, it's not my mother tongue.
One answer to the majority of your questions is greed and that they were wholly unprepared to deal with the actual size of the Mac gaming base. I'm pretty sure they were under the impression that the number of Mac users wasn't extensive, maybe a hundred or so users max. And then they realized exactly how much they'd be paying back into the Arc account and realized they'd be killing themselves financially losing that much free Zen through a mistake they made. And I answer some of your other questions with this: Perfect World Entertainment and Cryptic won't answer any of these questions because they don't owe it to you to provide anything. You are spending your money on them and the first term of service is the First Rule of Acquisition: Once you have their money, never give it back. So even though they said they'd be offering some type of refund, are you really surprised that you haven't received it, and further won't be receiving it. Because based on the evidence presented, you're not a customer you're a gamer and in their eyes there is a distinct difference. But you see yourself as a customer who has spent a lot of money to play a game that you can no longer play. So do what all customers do who feel they've been slighted, vote with your wallet and stop supporting this company. Or, you can let this company take you for a ride and you can like it and come back for more. Again, it's just those two choices. It's that simple.
As for all the folks talking about legal, don't waste your time. Call your credit card company and let them know about multiple fraudulent charges coming from this vendor. Enough calls about fraudulent activity will get them flagged. Go on social media platforms like Twitter and claim loudly to the world and perhaps more importantly to @StarTrek about how this situation has soured you on the game (clearly) and the franchise in its entirety (maybe). License holders are very protective of their intellectual property and if that IP is getting slagged socially, well in 2016 companies are very protective of that reputation and will take action if the situation gets out of hand. But the fundamental fact my friends is that the Mac client is gone soon, the money you spent is gone and you have a choice whether to find a way to keep playing and supporting this game and its studio, or not. It's just that simple. Personally, I'd have tried to find a way to keep playing if they didn't mess up the refund so badly. But because they have screwed this up so monumentally, I've got to look at myself in the mirror and look at my bank balance and see if that money is better spent elsewhere. And it is. So I'll enjoy the rides I have left and when it's done, me too.
Comments
Its highly likely the guys in CS have been given a script and procedure to follow which they aren't empowered to make a case by case judgement or offer anything other than the Robot replies we are getting. Blaming the Dev Team is trying to shift blame, anger, frustration and focus from them as they are probably swamped and feeling the pressure we are putting them under. (I've been there its likely these guys don't even agree with what's going on but can't do jack about it)
Its the Higher Up's the Decision Makers that are so far removed from the decisions they make that they don't feel the repercussions of those decisions unless it hits them in the only place you can hurt them and thats the companies income.
Mac exclusive ?
You logged in once in 6+ years from a PC and lost your refund ?
Thats pretty harsh.
Awoken Dead
Now shaddup about the queues, it's a BUG
The service reps you get through the ticket system in all likelihood have a scripted response. It's guaranteed to avoid any possible issues. Warcraft has the same issue with their GM's--everything has a scripted response.
If there are posts here that do not appeal to you, or opinions you disagree with, the best way to deal with that is to resist the urge to add comments. Instead, engage with the content you like! Don't feed the trolls!
I have been thinking about the announcement I am starting to believe they did not do their homework prior to the announcement. They said they will confirm which accounts were Mac after the announcement was made, when they got a final count they realized it was going to cost them a lot more then budgeted as there were likely more Mac players than expected. They then quietly change the rules to if you ever logged in from a PC or an emulator your not going to be getting a refund to cut back on the cost.
Cryptics PR is likely in charge of the fallout that may ensue. I also believe Cryptic should have this listed on the launcher so that all Mac users can see it not just the few that use the forums.
I enjoy the game; the people I game with so I will get it running but monetary contributions likely will stop. I was good with everything until they started looking for reasons to reject refunds for people they previously verified as a Mac player.
As i've mentioned the biggest issue that disqualified us and the one Cryptic seem to be ignoring as it was of their own making was the breaking of the launcher when Season 11 launched. This is where they probably have caught the majority of us out.
Personally issues like these should come into account and i think if someone took them to court over that, it would be a field day for that person.
Judge : So on the xx of the month you updated YOU'RE services and broke MAC users official portal to the game. Said MAC user then used a 3rd party emulator to access the service YOU broke. Once this service was resumed said user went back to the official launcher and has not used a emulator since.
On the 4th of Feb this year YOU announced the forth coming closure of that portal and stated without Terms and Conditions on YOUR forum all MAC users will receive a ZEN credit to their ARC ACC Balance.
However after checking this users eligibility for a refund YOU have disqualified him on the grounds of accessing the game via an emulator which was done during a time YOU were not able to provide a service as it was broken. I also understand that this ZEN refund is not monetary but a credit for the user to use on other games YOU provide. Which i've been told do not support the MAC platform. I also see from the announcement provided on YOUR forums that you are advising affected customers if they wish to continue playing to use one of the very emulators YOU have disqualified this customer for when YOUR service was broken.
Also by this statement you acknowledge that you had issues with YOUR service and at times the service could not be provided
"We wanted to come back to follow up on where we currently are with the Mac version of Star Trek Online. As some of you are aware, we had issues in the recent past that affected our players from launching the client and playing Star Trek Online. We were able to work with our partners to bring the game back up and deliver all the previously available promotions that were unattainable by those players.
Following these issues, we looked at our Mac support overall and determined that we cannot promise to deliver an experience on Mac that meets our expectations of quality. After heavy consideration, we have decided to end support for the Mac version of Star Trek Online on February 5th. No other version of Star Trek Online is impacted."
As i said field day absolute field day just wish i had the money to take them to court
it would't matter that i could access the game via an emulator now, its the fact they are could't provide a service at the time i used the emulator and then disqualified you because of it
Especially since all modern Mac's are the same on the inside as any other PC around today, it's very easy to create a duel boot machine.
Last throw of the dice i asked to escalate to a manager in my last correspondence so sent him/her this reply. I hope it gets passed up the chain and gains momentum as some of the points are valid.
The refund isn't the point anymore for me, its the total disrespect and way Cryptic/PWE have decided to disqualify MAC users on the basis an emulator was used during a period when they could not provide a service or provide timescales on when that service would be resumed.
Thank you for the reply but i am still not satisfied by Cryptic/PWE response or handling of the refund issue. I don’t feel i’m going to get any further with yourself, and this isn’t anything to do with your Customer Service ability or skills or you as a person. Its more to do with the fact that the response and replies the PWE CS team are giving have come down from Senior Management and they have not empowered yourself or your colleagues to be able to judge each complaint case by case and make a judgement call to offer refunds by the decision you take and evidence submitted by the Customer that you see and can judge to be right or wrong.
I’ve worked in Customer Services myself for 15 years and been in exactly the same position so fully understand the restrictions placed on you and your team members. Which is why although i’m been firm in my correspondence so far i’m trying not to personally attack anyone on the front lines as you are just following the guidelines given to you by these Senior Managers.
With that said i do feel the policy here needs to be reviewed and feedback needs to be taken to these Senior Managers as the decision to disqualify certain Customers is morally and i’m sure legally wrong. Here’s my list of points and arguments.
1. This extract has been taken from the closure announcement posted on the ARC Star Trek Online Forums http://www.arcgames.com/en/forums/startrekonline/#/discussion/1211294/mac-closure-notice
We wanted to come back to follow up on where we currently are with the Mac version of Star Trek Online. As some of you are aware, we had issues in the recent past that affected our players from launching the client and playing Star Trek Online. We were able to work with our partners to bring the game back up and deliver all the previously available promotions that were unattainable by those players.
Following these issues, we looked at our Mac support overall and determined that we cannot promise to deliver an experience on Mac that meets our expectations of quality. After heavy consideration, we have decided to end support for the Mac version of Star Trek Online on February 5th. No other version of Star Trek Online is impacted.
Now by Cryptic’s and PWE own admission they have been unable to provide a service of high quality that they wished to supply. They also comment there have been issues and most importantly they admit that there have been times the service just has not been accessible.
This brings me back to the MAC outage when Season 11 launched in October 2015 it caused the Official Star Trek Online Launcher to be offline for up to over over 3 weeks. For this period of time Cryptic/PWE could not provide a service to their MAC customer base and at the time they could not give any indication of how long the outage was going to be for.
I know compensation was given. The Mirror Incursion Event was running and Multidimensional Transponders were given to make up for some of the time missed during this event.
I received these so at the point in time i was classed a MAC user.
However since then i am no longer classed as a MAC user and this is due to the fact Cryptic/PWE could not only not provide me a service for 3 weeks but also could not provide me with a timescale for a fix to the Official Launcher.
Like many other LOYAL Customer who enjoy this game rather than wait for a fix to come around i followed the advice of a fellow forum member http://www.arcgames.com/en/forums/startrekonline/#/discussion/1206214/s11-troubles-heres-a-band-aid/p1 who created a way for us MAC users to get back into the game whilst we waited for a fix to the Official Mac Client.
So yes during the time Cryptic/PWE couldn’t provide me with A. Service and B. Timescales on a fix i used an alternative way to log into Star Trek Online.
Now should i really be penalised and disqualified for a refund because Cryptic/ PWE could not provide me with Service and Fix timescales ? Up until this time i was classed a MAC user by the Mirror Incursion compensation. Its from this point i lost MAC user status. A status lost because Cryptic/PWE could not provide me a service. Just like any other MAC user who may have borrowed a family member or friends PC or did the same thing as me.
2. Extract from ARC forums same announcement
We will be reimbursing any Zen that was purchased through Arc or Steam between October 1, 2015 and today to your Arc Account Balance.
This statement leads anyone using a MAC to think they will be getting a refund. There is no information about criteria or any terms and conditions. Also the applying the refund to your Arc Account Balance again is questionable as no other Cryptic/PWE games offer MAC support so you haven’t offered a monetary refund but a credit that MAC users will either have to run an emulator, install Windows via Bootcamp or use a PC the last 2 potentially cost money depending on the customers access to a Windows License or PC.
3. Extract from the ARC forums same announcement
For those looking ton continue to play our game after we shut down the Mac client, we would recommend using any of the popular programs to simulate a windows environment on your Mac, including the free software WINE
This extract really bugs me. Cryptic/PWE disqualified MAC users for using WINE or other software when Cryptic/PWE couldn’t provide a service by saying an emulator was used, Now that Cryptic/PWE will not be supplying a service to MAC users use of these emulators is being promoted so as to encourage the MAC customers whose support Cryptic/PWE are withdrawing continue playing
1st they are 3rd party software that Cryptic/PWE have no connection or ability to support therefore by promoting them Cryptic/PWE could give the illusion of offering some type of support for them.
2nd By disqualifying MAC users for using a emulator at a time Cryptic/PWE have MAC support but were unable to offer a service due to a technical error by the Development Team promoting 3rd party emulators seems rather 2 faced to me
4. Official MAC Client
If the Official MAC Client had not have been broken and service was not lost in October 2015 then i can guarantee Cryptic/PWE that i would not have been using a WINE emulator during the loss of service during this period. Cryptic/PWE failed me as Customer during this period by not being able to provide a direct service to their game. Should not only i but every other MAC user that was identified at the is point as a MAC user really be disqualified because of Cryptic/PWE inability to provide a service.
5. Use of other emulator. Since the closure announcement i have tested 3 other emulators, Wine wrapper again which is not great, Virtual BOX which couldn’t launch the game and currently PlayOnMAC. All to make sure i could still play and support the game i have always supported since 2011.
Anytime i log into my ARC account via Safari the ARC defender sends me a code as it thinks i’m using a new machine. The email i always get from you contains the browser used, my i.p and location and it always states Macintosh as the computer i'm using.
In closing again than you for getting in touch, i hope i am wrong and Cryptic/PWE have empowered you to be able to make decisions based on evidence supplied as i’m not questioning your abilities, but from the responses i’ve seen other customers receive i don’t feel this is the case and Cryptic/PWE have your hands tied whilst you have to take the flak for Senior Managements immoral decisions, legal advice and action may be my only solution.
It is a service that they are in no way obliged to provide you with, regardless of your OS or your indignant umbrage.
Just duel boot misterferengi its a simple solution - no need to spam walls of text with your hissfits.
If you are that bothered you should not have chosen an OS which has never been viewed as a gaming platform.
You don't have a 'legal' leg to stand on and making such veiled threats just make your complaint sound even sillier.
Man you just need to stop. I'm not saying don't advocate for yourself or speak on your own behalf but you're wasting a lot of energy and proving Mark Twain correct. Like I said, the Mac client is done when the snow's gone and it's not coming back. And the handling of this situation by Cryptic and Perfect World has been epically awful but clearly they've made their bed and are lying in it. No amount of kvetching or insinuating legal action will change either of those two facts. So you have options (including conferring about legal advice though in my opinion you're wasting more time and money) and the two most obvious ones are: a) when the Mac client ends, so does your time in the the STO universe, or b) partition your Mac and install Windows or get an emulator like PlayOnMac and keep playing. Of course the easiest option is that you buy the company, fire everyone you feel has wronged you with extreme prejudice and then hire someone who will build you a Mac client that meets your needs. But if you have that kind of money, you'd have done that already right?
Really that's it. Anything else is inane ranting that doesn't solve a problem. Like I said, I'm going to enjoy my time left in STO and when the Mac client is done I'm done too. Or if you want to look at it from this perspective, think about this: how much money did you spend to see Star Trek Into Darkness in the theatre (including the heart attack inducing popcorn and pop)? How much time do you spend working on something you love (outside of this game)? Without a Mac client for STO, now you have more money to see movies or do things you love outside of this game. Or in the words of Elsa: let it go.
I just don't like being taken for a ride and feel like i'm being laughed at by the powers that be that made this awful decision. Its just hit a nerve, i mean its not even about the refund anymore its the complete lack of respect they have shown to their customers, lack of liability for not providing a service and excluding their customers for a refund when they worked around PWE inability to provide that service and admitting in the closure announcement they had service issues.
But you are right why waste all this energy on a company with no morale conscience, soul or principles. I'm not going to get anywhere Just madder. It's just someone needs to fight this fight as it happens far to often in this world. Companies do this all the time, as they know the little guy doesn't have the financial muscle to fight back. I'm tired of being bullied by the playground bully, Its just wrong. Last post as i'm doing exactly what i said a few lines ago and thats getting madder about the issue and no one at Cryptic/PWE HQ gives a dam.
Imagine that a Ferengi with principles. I can picture the horror on Quarks face now
It's also worth noting that in November, in the midst of a lot of public speculation as to whether they were going to fix the Mac client at all, we were publicly assured that they had no plans to drop the Mac client. Now, legally, of course they can simply say they didn't have such plans at the time. But a holiday season was approaching, and it's reasonable to expect that many people made substantial zen purchases for themselves or for others that they might well not have made if they'd known the client was going to be dropped.
The whole series of events has been shady throughout. Certainly, there's no way to force them to do the right thing here, but that doesn't mean we have to be silent about the fact that they're doing the wrong thing.
I think you missed the point.
They DQ'd people from their due refunds because they used an emulator instead of the broken client, THEN after announcing the Mac client closure they encourage use of the exact same emulator to continue playing STO.
That's just wrong on so many levels.
Awoken Dead
Now shaddup about the queues, it's a BUG
1st point if they wish to withdrawal the client then they can. Never said they can't. I have said they are wrong to promote use of 3rd party emulators which they cannot/do not support.
2nd point Because they can withdrawal it i've again never stated they have to provide me a form of access.
3rd point I've already said i'm having issues dual booting and so am not prepared to further look at that option, Plus i have said Bootcamp is not a viable alternative as if you do not own a windows license, You have to buy one just to play 1 game and use any purchases you have already made.
4th point Regardless if MAC is or is not viewed as a gaming platform is irrelevant.
5th point I am going to seek advice only on the disqualification for using an emulator, (Doesn't hurt to ask) mainly those that were disqualified during a period of time Cryptic/PWE could not provide access to their product. I think there are grounds which could be pursued.
I have some valid points i put them forward to CS i know they haven't the authority to do anything but maybe someone in CS will feedback up the chain of command and changes minds from within.
You all know my option on the matter and how much i think it sucks. There's far more people out there more deserving a refund than i that have been declined unfairly. There are cases that do need to be reaccessed as the reasons for disqualification are not as cut and dry as Cryptic/PWE are stating.
I apologise for the walls of text i have posted. This is something that has struck a nerve and the type of thing issue i like to get my teeth sunk into and get people treated fairly. I often cheesed my managers off in my old job before i left due to fighting the customers corner if they had a valid case. and thats the disqualification for using an emulator during a period of time Cryptic could not provide a service it needs addressing.
Enough energy spent for now. I see you guys are tired of my arguments so i'll keep my pursuit of justice between me and Cryptic/PWE going forward
I'll leave you with these words
In order for ‘evil’ to prevail, all that need happen is for ‘good’ people to do nothing
And their whole theory on that is deeply flawed. You can tell what they're thinking: "well, if they could log in from an emulator, they never really lost use of the game!" And this may be true for some. But for others, the emulator provided such poor performance that it wasn't really suitable for gameplay (beyond perhaps chat and auction house use). For others, it may not have gotten past the account login. Perhaps they logged in using emulation or dual boot, and said, "this sucks, but it's better than nothing until they get the real one fixed," which is fine for a couple of weeks but inadequate for a long-term solution, which is what people now need.
Additionally, based on posts here and on Reddit, they have excluded people who never even DID log in with an emulator. In fact, I have yet to see a single post from anyone who actually received a reimbursement.
They shouldn't really be looking at this as a reimbursement for people who couldn't log in, regardless of actual experience, with anything but the Mac client. They should be looking at it as an apology for providing what they themselves have stated was a client so poor that they don't want people using it, and for the nuisance people now need to go through to keep playing. They should be looking at it as a way to make me want to keep spending a few hundred dollars a year on their shinies because I have warm and fuzzy feelings about the way they treated me after they caused me a problem, rather than making me want to make extensive use of their services without ever feeding them another dime.
Like others, I tried to find a way to play when the client broke in November. I failed though, but I did have a very brief log-in via a friend's PC so I could claim the time-limited Enterprise pack (back before we had any idea that there'd be way for Mac users to claim this once the client had been fixed.) If they're disqualifying people due to us taking steps they've recommended in order to attempt to keep playing, then that's underhanded to say the least!
The issue here is not the money or what operating system I choose to support; it is fair and consistent treatment of customers, not delivering on promises and operating your business in an ethical manner. Getting past all of the rhetoric about not being able to deliver a quality Mac OS experience, if the mac product line had been profitable, they would find a way to fix the problem. I get it, I understanding dropping the Mac client, I just don't appreciate the inaccurate evaluation of my account and the "go pound sand" attitude from customer support. Typical multi-national company attitude of; you have no recourse, we really don't care, we have your money and you can't do anything about it. Personally, I really enjoyed the game but don't I appreciate the dictatorial attitude from customer support.
Bottom line, I play games to relax and have a good time and I don't need to do business with companies that don't appreciate their customers.
I've received a further reply saying that ANY log-in not on a Mac before the announcement disqualifies anyone from reimbursement, despite advice in November for users to do just that. They did go on to say however that use of an emulator SINCE the announcement should not be reason to be disbarred. No comment at all regarding the fact I was billed on a closed account, so I shall refer that to my bank's fraud team; while they're at it, they can recover the rest of my payments!
Wait, so does that cover any login since March 11, 2014 (the start of the Mac client) or since February 2, 2010 (when the game began)?
If there are posts here that do not appeal to you, or opinions you disagree with, the best way to deal with that is to resist the urge to add comments. Instead, engage with the content you like! Don't feed the trolls!
Community Manager is PWLAUGHINGTRENDY however she has already distanced herself from this announcement when it originally was published. Advising anybody with questions to contact support. Which was the right advice to give as she has nothing to do with the decision to discontinue the MAC Client or the refund issues we have later ran into.
Also even if she took the comments from these forums to the Bosses who made these decisions, there is just not enough people on here for it to even register as an issue to them.
So there's no point trying to involve Trendy as her hands are tied and i'd imagine this is outside her sphere of influence
Edited - This comment is based on assumption so if Trendy would like to chime in with any advice or help she can offer then please do.
> gumpsgang wrote: »
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> You can add me to this "pile." I've only ever used the Mac client, and have never used an emulator. I'm still getting the same canned denial answer from customer service. Is there a community manager for STO?
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> Community Manager is PWLAUGHINGTRENDY however she has already distanced herself from this announcement when it originally was published. Advising anybody with questions to contact support. Which was the right advice to give as she has nothing to do with the decision to discontinue the MAC Client or the refund issues we have later ran into.
> Also even if she took the comments from these forums to the Bosses who made these decisions, there is just not enough people on here for it to even register as an issue to them.
> So there's no point trying to involve Trendy as her hands are tied and i'd imagine this is outside her sphere of influence
Thank you Sir to for the reply! I'm going to go write a thank you email to (company not to be named on a competitor forum). I now truly appreciate how they respond and communicate to their player-base.
They didn't gave me an explanation yet, they just stated that i don't fulfill qualifications. Which qualifications? I don't know. The only qualification they stated officially is "ALL Mac users".
So I took screenshots of nearly everything regarding this issue and recommend everyone else to do the same. I also had several emails from support saying that I will receive a refund. But now - after I read here in the forums and asked again - they say "no, sorry"
This is not only unfair, this is a matter for legal.
I really would appreciate if others with the same problem might send a PN (as long as they let us send PN and don't close accounts because paying customers are not happy with their decisions).
1. Why did your (very general) initial posting did not include details on who is qualified for refunds? For me it was very clear that this refund is for Mac users.
2. Did you know at the time of this posting that you won't refund all mac users?
3. What does it mean for Windows users in the future, when there are so many issues with the client? Is it worth it to buy windows now to play your game?
4. What does it mean for the future of the game, when you promise something to your users and after that don't give it to them? Are there any issues we should know?
5. If it is correct that you didn't knew at the time of the initial posting(Mac Closure Notice) that you can't give this refund to all users, why didn't you do a posting later afterwards explaining the qualification procedure for this issue? Why didn't you even state that there is a qualification procedure? Didn't you know there or were you maybe a bit overwhelmed by the amount of mac users and refunds?
6. What are the exact qualifications?
7. If you changed the original idea of refunding Mac users to refunding only a few mac users what does it mean for the future of the game? Is it (for everybody) still safe to spend money in this game?
8. Are there any rumors regarding a change of politics or change of ownership of Arc Games so you are no longer able to provide reliable informations? Are there any issues regarding this the users should know? (I really don't know, it might be a possible explanation for this change of politics - and I think as somebody who spends a lot of money here I have the right to know how long my invested money will last for playing this game - at least there is an estimated time of a products life cycle everywhere in the world)
9. Is it safe to invest money by buying ZEN in this game or is it possible that this game has to close down soon?
You announced a lot of features and news for this year, but for an anniversary I expected a different news than "we won't refund you although we promised". So this leads to a lot of questions. Not only for me.
Please don't misunderstand this posting. It is no offense. These are just the first questions after being told that you won't refund. I'm fighting with this client and different solutions since more than seven months now and invested money. A lot of money. Now I just would like to know where you want to take me and my money. And sorry for my english, it's not my mother tongue.
One answer to the majority of your questions is greed and that they were wholly unprepared to deal with the actual size of the Mac gaming base. I'm pretty sure they were under the impression that the number of Mac users wasn't extensive, maybe a hundred or so users max. And then they realized exactly how much they'd be paying back into the Arc account and realized they'd be killing themselves financially losing that much free Zen through a mistake they made. And I answer some of your other questions with this: Perfect World Entertainment and Cryptic won't answer any of these questions because they don't owe it to you to provide anything. You are spending your money on them and the first term of service is the First Rule of Acquisition: Once you have their money, never give it back. So even though they said they'd be offering some type of refund, are you really surprised that you haven't received it, and further won't be receiving it. Because based on the evidence presented, you're not a customer you're a gamer and in their eyes there is a distinct difference. But you see yourself as a customer who has spent a lot of money to play a game that you can no longer play. So do what all customers do who feel they've been slighted, vote with your wallet and stop supporting this company. Or, you can let this company take you for a ride and you can like it and come back for more. Again, it's just those two choices. It's that simple.
As for all the folks talking about legal, don't waste your time. Call your credit card company and let them know about multiple fraudulent charges coming from this vendor. Enough calls about fraudulent activity will get them flagged. Go on social media platforms like Twitter and claim loudly to the world and perhaps more importantly to @StarTrek about how this situation has soured you on the game (clearly) and the franchise in its entirety (maybe). License holders are very protective of their intellectual property and if that IP is getting slagged socially, well in 2016 companies are very protective of that reputation and will take action if the situation gets out of hand. But the fundamental fact my friends is that the Mac client is gone soon, the money you spent is gone and you have a choice whether to find a way to keep playing and supporting this game and its studio, or not. It's just that simple. Personally, I'd have tried to find a way to keep playing if they didn't mess up the refund so badly. But because they have screwed this up so monumentally, I've got to look at myself in the mirror and look at my bank balance and see if that money is better spent elsewhere. And it is. So I'll enjoy the rides I have left and when it's done, me too.