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I'm being billed for the wrong game !?!

SystemSystem Member, NoReporting Posts: 178,019 Arc User
If we needed any more hints that things are messy this would be it...

I gave a glance at my credit card bill today after reading some scary stories on here, I'm glad to report that none of these have happened to me so far but I did notice that instead of being billed for Star trek Online, I am being billed for Champions Online.

Is this a mistake?

If I try to login to Champions will I be able to play?

This is all quite disturbing considering I just gave these guys my credit card number and stuff like this is really making me uncomfortable.
Post edited by baddmoonrizin on

Comments

  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    STO and Champions are both run by Cryptic. My billing also said Champions, but my STO account reflects my purchase. As long as your STO account info is also correct with your subscription, I wouldn't worry.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    I know both games are Cryptic's heck they are almost twins :(

    What I am worried about is some billing screwup where I start being billed for a game I do not care to play.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    wookiemart wrote: »
    I know both games are Cryptic's heck they are almost twins :(

    What I am worried about is some billing screwup where I start being billed for a game I do not care to play.

    Everything is tied to STO, right? In-game, I mean? If so, you have nothing to worry about.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    Eh, they likely just copied over the billing/account system to serve this game and forgot to update how the system identifies itself to the bank. My statement shows CO, too, and everything is working fine.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    More top-notch quality assurance from Cryptic.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    judisius wrote:
    More top-notch quality assurance from Cryptic.

    lolwut? What does this troll post have to do with anything? So what if your stuff is charged from CO. It still applies to STO, as all of the purchases are done through STO.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    heh , i also go billed for champs , made me panic for a second
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    lolwut? What does this troll post have to do with anything? So what if your stuff is charged from CO. It still applies to STO, as all of the purchases are done through STO.

    Charging for the correct game is something that should have been tested before launch. It's a rather obvious issue, and one that would have been easy to spot had any serious testing been done on the billing system before launch.

    Just because it works doesn't mean it was well made, and saying everything's cool because it works ATM is never a good idea in software development. Small bugs are indicators and hiders of larger bugs and small easily noticed bugs like this should be killed long before a system launches.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    Oh my God, let's all freak out and panic!!!! :eek:
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    jimjim wrote: »
    Oh my God, let's all freak out and panic!!!! :eek:

    Let's panic about stuff that MIGHT happen AT SOME POINT in the INDETERMINATE FUTURE! THINK ABOUT THE CHILDREN!!!

    Seriously, guys. Complain when it actually screws something up.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    Binksy wrote:
    Charging for the correct game is something that should have been tested before launch. It's a rather obvious issue, and one that would have been easy to spot had any serious testing been done on the billing system before launch.

    Just because it works doesn't mean it was well made, and saying everything's cool because it works ATM is never a good idea in software development. Small bugs are indicators and hiders of larger bugs and small easily noticed bugs like this should be killed long before a system launches.

    like the color changes? or the /respec command? lol. I know using the same engine saved them lots of time but they also skipped quite a few quality assurance steps. Maybe there will be a bug where my captain can use travel powers, lol.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    lolwut? What does this troll post have to do with anything? So what if your stuff is charged from CO. It still applies to STO, as all of the purchases are done through STO.


    Yeah, who cares if the company that has your credit card information can't even do something as simple as get the names correct. Obviously we can trust they have all the important stuff correct if they can afford to gloss over such superficial details.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    judisius wrote:
    Yeah, who cares if the company that has your credit card information can't even do something as simple as get the names correct. Obviously we can trust they have all the important stuff correct if they can afford to gloss over such superficial details.

    Well, since it's the same company that makes both games, as I said, if they didn't mess you're game up, you're not even crying over spilled milk. You're crying over milk thats in a glass that's half full, on a table with a three-degree list, because you are afraid someone might hit the glass, spilling it.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    Well, since it's the same company that makes both games, as I said, if they didn't mess you're game up, you're not even crying over spilled milk. You're crying over milk thats in a glass that's half full, on a table with a three-degree list, because you are afraid someone might hit the glass, spilling it.

    To continue this strained and bizarre metaphor: I'd be worried that the reason the table isn't level is because it is infested with termites or sitting on an unstable floor, and perhaps the milk is actually just water that someone has added white dye to.


    Put simply, it looks very unprofessional. It also causes one to wonder about the bookkeeping done at Cryptic. Despite you dismissing everything because it is the same company, all the money just doesn't go into one big pile labeled Cryptic. I'm sure their accounting department and executives (not even mentioning non-Cryptic entities) would like to accurately know where revenue is being generated.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    jimjim wrote: »
    Oh my God, let's all freak out and panic!!!! :eek:

    PANICSSSSSS :eek::eek:::
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    Haha. That's funny. Sounds like the billing department forgot to properly label their e-transaction descriptions.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    Well let's examine it from a different perspective shall we?

    Let's say I go to the store and I buy a bed, then I go home and the bed has a problem like a missing leg or something like that.

    I go back to the store with my receipt and ask the store to provide me with either a replacement for the faulty bed or a credit so that I can get a functional bed. The only problem is that my receipt says that I bought a desk and trust me when I tell you that nobody in retail will believe me when I say I bought a bed if my receipt says I bought a desk.

    This is sloppy work on Cryptic's part and as others have posted on here, it denotes a lack of respect for their customers.

    Sure everything is working fine, there is no immediate need for panic... BUT if issues like this are left unchallenged they leave the door open to mistakes that could make things go pretty bad further down the line.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    wrote:
    Well let's examine it from a different perspective shall we?

    Let's say I go to the store and I buy a bed, then I go home and the bed has a problem like a missing leg or something like that.

    I go back to the store with my receipt and ask the store to provide me with either a replacement for the faulty bed or a credit so that I can get a functional bed. The only problem is that my receipt says that I bought a desk and trust me when I tell you that nobody in retail will believe me when I say I bought a bed if my receipt says I bought a desk.

    This is sloppy work on Cryptic's part and as others have posted on here, it denotes a lack of respect for their customers.

    Sure everything is working fine, there is no immediate need for panic... BUT if issues like this are left unchallenged they leave the door open to mistakes that could make things go pretty bad further down the line.
    Your example is somewhat meaningless as Cryptic can digitally track where they added the time. The fact that the receipt says CO is just a typing error. The important part is that the time went to the correct account.

    Also, you don't have to "challenge" things to simply let Cryptic know they made a typing mistake. A simple support ticket would have worked just a well without all the forum angst/drama.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    wookiemart wrote: »
    If we needed any more hints that things are messy this would be it...

    I gave a glance at my credit card bill today after reading some scary stories on here, I'm glad to report that none of these have happened to me so far but I did notice that instead of being billed for Star trek Online, I am being billed for Champions Online.

    Is this a mistake?

    If I try to login to Champions will I be able to play?

    This is all quite disturbing considering I just gave these guys my credit card number and stuff like this is really making me uncomfortable.

    thats just how it shows on your statement... donmt worry you paid for the startrek sub
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    It works like this...

    You can set your identification CN with your processor to whatever you want, so long as they approve it. Cryptic probably set that to "Champions Online," so it's more identifiable on the credit cards of CO subscribers.

    To put it another way, if your were subscribed to champions online. On your statement, you would be more likely to recognize "Champions Online 14.99" or "Cryptic 14.99."

    Banks/CC companies allow this so there is less confusion about billing, which results in less charge-backs and more money. This is the same thing for retail stores, as it allows them to you their DBA instead of their registered name. You want your CC To say "Jane's Fabric Store" on it, and not "XYZ Corp."

    I'm sure they are technically violating their Merchant Agreement by misleading STO players with the "Champions Online", however, I'm also sure it will remedied.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    wookiemart wrote: »
    If we needed any more hints that things are messy this would be it...

    I gave a glance at my credit card bill today after reading some scary stories on here, I'm glad to report that none of these have happened to me so far but I did notice that instead of being billed for Star trek Online, I am being billed for Champions Online.

    Is this a mistake?

    If I try to login to Champions will I be able to play?

    This is all quite disturbing considering I just gave these guys my credit card number and stuff like this is really making me uncomfortable.

    It's probably an accounting trick to make it look like CO isn't failing so hard. But so long as you can get into the game it doesn't really matter.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    Cosmic_One wrote: »
    Also, you don't have to "challenge" things to simply let Cryptic know they made a typing mistake. A simple support ticket would have worked just a well without all the forum angst/drama.


    Well all the financial fraud going on these days IS cause for being constantly aware of what you are being billed for I would say, and yes the first thing I did was send in a ticket. I also wanted to make people aware of this on the forums so they can keep an eye on their own billing. Call it a community service if you will.

    You call it drama, I call it being watchful of my hard earned pennies.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    wrote:
    Well all the financial fraud going on these days IS cause for being constantly aware of what you are being billed for I would say, and yes the first thing I did was send in a ticket. I also wanted to make people aware of this on the forums so they can keep an eye on their own billing. Call it a community service if you will.

    You call it drama, I call it being watchful of my hard earned pennies.
    The tone of your original post is all about drama starting from your initial line: "If we needed any more hints that things are messy this would be it.... " You didn't post that to let us know about the problem. You posted it to insult Crypitc based on a simple typing mistake.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    I fired up the Champs launcher the other day, got the right decals and logo, the right news, clicked launch and it started up STO. Go figure.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    Tenaka wrote:
    I fired up the Champs launcher the other day, got the right decals and logo, the right news, clicked launch and it started up STO. Go figure.

    Fancy that.
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