Well I just received my ticket response and was told that all the disbursements have been made to those that PWE/Cryptic has verified as a Mac user. I find that strange considering I too was one of the Mac users who received the Season 11 promotional stuff as an identified Mac user who couldn't access things during the Season 11 crash. It appears on its face that because I was critical of this situation, I have lost my "refund". In other words, Perfect World Entertainment and Cryptic are turtling and telling people to hit the bricks.
I'm still going back and forth on my ticket. I've been told that no exception will be made for me. I informed them that I don't want an exception made for me; I want the whole policy reviewed, for all Mac users, because it's entirely unreasonable.
I hope they laughed at you.
And this kind of messaging does nothing but flame, it does not help the situation at all.
Jody I respect you, but the person I was responding to does not IMO deserve either help or respect.
I can understand having a clash of personalities and giving into the urge to poke. I'm certainly not saying I haven't done it either so please don't think I'm holding myself up as perfect (not even close). But the truth is that there seems to be a larger than expected portion of the community that feels they have been treated less than ideally by Perfect World and Cryptic, and because of their love of Trek they feel absolutely sandbagged. It's 2016 and we have clearly seen gamers get attached to their games. And let's be blunt, this isn't anything new since the advent of online gaming. But this has been nothing short of a colossal TRIBBLE up by Perfect World and Cryptic in how they handled this. Close the client (which is their right), tell players they are going to get some form of refund, tell players to use a third party emulator, burn those players who have used a third party emulator when their Mac client failed and then when their gaming base complains ignore it. Heck I've received response messages that are literally copied and pasted. But let's call a spade a spade here and you have to acknowledge that the response by Cryptic and Perfect World has been tone deaf at best and nakedly stupid at its worst. The other issues are issues of personality. But in terms of customer service, this has been an epic failure on the part of the game developers and studio. You can't deny that.
Lastly, I greatly appreciate the respect sent this way, which is why I reply in turn with respect and civility - if I'm asking others not to be flaming troll-holes then the least I can do is not be one myself. And I'd put that out there for anyone, you can express yourself and your feelings strongly but don't undercut your message by being profane or intentionally flaming/trolling. I'd like to think that even though I have advocated for myself strongly, I haven't been profane or engaging in trolling behaviour.
Keep in mind the desktop OS market share is currently around 6% OS X vs. 92% Windows. That means 15 Windows players for each Mac player. Each developer they pay to work on the Mac version instead of the Windows version returns 1 / 15th the value.
Market share isn't terribly representative of desktop share, though. Last I knew, Windows users replaced their machines about 2.5x more frequently than Mac users, which increases the market share considerably, but not the number of users. (Of course, this also means that supporting Macs means supporting older hardware.) And of course traditionally, Mac users tend to be more willing to spend money, which matters quite a bit for the F2P model.
Which is not to say that Mac users aren't a small percentage of the user base. Still, Blizzard was able to build and maintain a true native Mac client for every game until Overwatch, and presumably would not have done so if it wasn't profitable.
Yeah, Mac has been getting worse over the years, not better. It looks like the newer versions of Mac just aren't useful for computer games.
no mac should ever be considered a computer to game with, I have no issue of Macs but just don't like them for gaming they were designed for Graphic design, Multimedia, and buisness not gaming, its great to see people get "all" types of uses out of them just don't ever see them as a rig for gaming.
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.
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.
I hope my fellow MAC users that any of you still playing this game after Cryptic/PWE's response to the refunds via any Emulators be it Wine, Parallels or PlayOnMAC make the choice not to support this game financially anymore (Windows players can go about there business as usual), but do continue enjoying playing via whichever route you've chosen to access the game for however long the servers stay alive.
Reasons
1. Emulators are not supported software so Cryptic/PWE won't/can't offer any Tech Support.
2. Cryptic/PWE have refused to accept any responsibility for the Client they broke in October which removed access via that portal to THEIR SERVICE/GAME and disqualified those that found a workaround a refund.
3. Cryptic/PWE are encouraging the use of the very emulators that disqualified you from a refund to continue playing. ties to point 1.
4. Buying Zen for C-Store items going forward whilst using emulators is via unsupported software. Do you want to take a risk what if that software breaks and you can no longer access you're purchases and claim a refund or support because you used unsupported software.
5. Cryptic/PWE made a promise in the Closure Announcement of a Refund to MAC users which they now after looking at accounts have disqualified a unknown percentage of players. Only Criteria that so far we know of that disqualified users was logging in via an Emulator or a Windows PC. NO LEWAY HAS BEEN GIVEN TO SERVICE ISSUES CREATED BY CRYPTIC/PWE which dictated users wishing to login use Emulators to access the game.
I know this is not a decision made by the Development Team that work hard on the game or the Moderators of these forums or the poor guys in Customer Support that are taking the flak and likely abuse from those of us that are disgruntled and very angry about this situation, So to them i'm sorry you have to be in the firing line of a poor Managerial decision they say TRIBBLE always falls down and sadly you guys are always the ones it falls on.
I would like Trendy or someone in CS who can see reason to lobby and fight for us regarding the Client issue back in October as disqualification because an emulator was used during that period is extremely unfair and harsh. I know when i was working in Customer Services and came across similarly harsh decisions i would take each case to my Manager and fight for the Customer Rights.
Thank You and good gaming
(I hope this post doesn't constitute a ban. I'm not telling anyone not to spend money i'm asking people to choose whether they want to spend money on a product that is no longer supported on the OS they use and for the reasons explained)
And please Windows users don't say use bootcamp. For those that do not own a licensed copy of Windows to ask then to pay $119 or £80 plus to purchase a copy just to be able to access the purchases they made in game is not an acceptable solution. Asking people to pay to play for services already purchased is immorale
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.
I'm not an exception, this doesn't make sense. I've never used Bootcamp, or Wine, or anything like that...
It sounds like their logs show that you've logged in to STO before using the Windows client.
Have you used a Windows PC as a backup, like another family member's PC? Did you share your account with a friend or family member?
If no and no, then they are not treating you properly.
I just received the exact same response myself. And like this player, I play this game using the Mac client, and don't use any emulators, nor have I used one before. So like I said earlier, truly unfortunate. But my life isn't over and once the support on the Mac client ends, so does my STO gaming time. Because even if I were to install an emulator or partition, based on this response I can't invest anymore because I've done more than enough. Good luck out there Captains. It's been nice flying with you.
If both of you NEVER used a Windows client, as opposed to not using one now, then that is a fault in their ID system.
Cryptic has accuracy problems with their target selection as we've seen in the "free T6 ship" mailings going to current players.
People in that situation who want a refund should put in a ticket saying so, and should post in one of the bug subforums.
If you want a refund and have never used the Windows client then you are entitled to one.
If both of you NEVER used a Windows client, as opposed to not using one now, then that is a fault in their ID system.
Cryptic has accuracy problems with their target selection as we've seen in the "free T6 ship" mailings going to current players.
People in that situation who want a refund should put in a ticket saying so, and should post in one of the bug subforums.
If you want a refund and have never used the Windows client then you are entitled to one.
Whether we are entitled to one or not, my friend that ship has sailed and is not returning to port. Clearly this has become such a massive challenge for them on all sides that they cannot overcome it so it's turtle time. I understand form letters but in this case wow. There is not going to be a positive resolution to this. I had a challenge with the Season 11 launch and got the promo stuff missed after they made it available to Mac client users so it's not as if the dev team doesn't know that I'm a Mac user. But like I said, my life isn't over because of this. There was a time in my life pre-STO and soon there will be a post-STO life. Any money and time I invested is gone but no dramas. But based on such an insulting response, once the Mac client is done I will be too. I'm just sticking around and enjoying what time I do have left.
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.
Comments
Truly unfortunate.
And this kind of messaging does nothing but flame, it does not help the situation at all.
I can understand having a clash of personalities and giving into the urge to poke. I'm certainly not saying I haven't done it either so please don't think I'm holding myself up as perfect (not even close). But the truth is that there seems to be a larger than expected portion of the community that feels they have been treated less than ideally by Perfect World and Cryptic, and because of their love of Trek they feel absolutely sandbagged. It's 2016 and we have clearly seen gamers get attached to their games. And let's be blunt, this isn't anything new since the advent of online gaming. But this has been nothing short of a colossal TRIBBLE up by Perfect World and Cryptic in how they handled this. Close the client (which is their right), tell players they are going to get some form of refund, tell players to use a third party emulator, burn those players who have used a third party emulator when their Mac client failed and then when their gaming base complains ignore it. Heck I've received response messages that are literally copied and pasted. But let's call a spade a spade here and you have to acknowledge that the response by Cryptic and Perfect World has been tone deaf at best and nakedly stupid at its worst. The other issues are issues of personality. But in terms of customer service, this has been an epic failure on the part of the game developers and studio. You can't deny that.
Lastly, I greatly appreciate the respect sent this way, which is why I reply in turn with respect and civility - if I'm asking others not to be flaming troll-holes then the least I can do is not be one myself. And I'd put that out there for anyone, you can express yourself and your feelings strongly but don't undercut your message by being profane or intentionally flaming/trolling. I'd like to think that even though I have advocated for myself strongly, I haven't been profane or engaging in trolling behaviour.
no mac should ever be considered a computer to game with, I have no issue of Macs but just don't like them for gaming they were designed for Graphic design, Multimedia, and buisness not gaming, its great to see people get "all" types of uses out of them just don't ever see them as a rig for gaming.
I'm not an exception, this doesn't make sense. I've never used Bootcamp, or Wine, or anything like that...
It sounds like their logs show that you've logged in to STO before using the Windows client.
Have you used a Windows PC as a backup, like another family member's PC? Did you share your account with a friend or family member?
If no and no, then they are not treating you properly.
Reasons
1. Emulators are not supported software so Cryptic/PWE won't/can't offer any Tech Support.
2. Cryptic/PWE have refused to accept any responsibility for the Client they broke in October which removed access via that portal to THEIR SERVICE/GAME and disqualified those that found a workaround a refund.
3. Cryptic/PWE are encouraging the use of the very emulators that disqualified you from a refund to continue playing. ties to point 1.
4. Buying Zen for C-Store items going forward whilst using emulators is via unsupported software. Do you want to take a risk what if that software breaks and you can no longer access you're purchases and claim a refund or support because you used unsupported software.
5. Cryptic/PWE made a promise in the Closure Announcement of a Refund to MAC users which they now after looking at accounts have disqualified a unknown percentage of players. Only Criteria that so far we know of that disqualified users was logging in via an Emulator or a Windows PC. NO LEWAY HAS BEEN GIVEN TO SERVICE ISSUES CREATED BY CRYPTIC/PWE which dictated users wishing to login use Emulators to access the game.
I know this is not a decision made by the Development Team that work hard on the game or the Moderators of these forums or the poor guys in Customer Support that are taking the flak and likely abuse from those of us that are disgruntled and very angry about this situation, So to them i'm sorry you have to be in the firing line of a poor Managerial decision they say TRIBBLE always falls down and sadly you guys are always the ones it falls on.
I would like Trendy or someone in CS who can see reason to lobby and fight for us regarding the Client issue back in October as disqualification because an emulator was used during that period is extremely unfair and harsh. I know when i was working in Customer Services and came across similarly harsh decisions i would take each case to my Manager and fight for the Customer Rights.
Thank You and good gaming
(I hope this post doesn't constitute a ban. I'm not telling anyone not to spend money i'm asking people to choose whether they want to spend money on a product that is no longer supported on the OS they use and for the reasons explained)
And please Windows users don't say use bootcamp. For those that do not own a licensed copy of Windows to ask then to pay $119 or £80 plus to purchase a copy just to be able to access the purchases they made in game is not an acceptable solution. Asking people to pay to play for services already purchased is immorale
I just received the exact same response myself. And like this player, I play this game using the Mac client, and don't use any emulators, nor have I used one before. So like I said earlier, truly unfortunate. But my life isn't over and once the support on the Mac client ends, so does my STO gaming time. Because even if I were to install an emulator or partition, based on this response I can't invest anymore because I've done more than enough. Good luck out there Captains. It's been nice flying with you.
Cryptic has accuracy problems with their target selection as we've seen in the "free T6 ship" mailings going to current players.
People in that situation who want a refund should put in a ticket saying so, and should post in one of the bug subforums.
If you want a refund and have never used the Windows client then you are entitled to one.
Whether we are entitled to one or not, my friend that ship has sailed and is not returning to port. Clearly this has become such a massive challenge for them on all sides that they cannot overcome it so it's turtle time. I understand form letters but in this case wow. There is not going to be a positive resolution to this. I had a challenge with the Season 11 launch and got the promo stuff missed after they made it available to Mac client users so it's not as if the dev team doesn't know that I'm a Mac user. But like I said, my life isn't over because of this. There was a time in my life pre-STO and soon there will be a post-STO life. Any money and time I invested is gone but no dramas. But based on such an insulting response, once the Mac client is done I will be too. I'm just sticking around and enjoying what time I do have left.
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.