Exactly. Blame the victim. Here's the practical consequence of victim blaming:
That girl that got TRIBBLE? Yeah, she had it coming to her. She shouldn't have been dressing that way. The people who bought those cyanide laced Excedrin back in the 80s? Totally their fault. It wasn't at all the store's fault for not making sure that people aren't tampering with the drugs and drug companies should not have been required to start placing tamper evident safety seals on everything. Oh and the people who invested in ZZZZ Best? Completely and totally their fault for being ripped off in a modified Ponzi scam. They should have known better than to invest in a company whose name was deliberately chosen to appear last in the yellow pages. It certainly was not Barry Minkow's fault for running the Ponzi scam in the first place.
It's pretty sad that you would go to such lengths as to compare your inability to pay attention to the information given you with TRIBBLE, or forms of exploitation through illegal means. This further proves my previous points that your opinions regarding this matter have much more to do with your personality, your ability to comprehend information, and your predisposition to assign blame to others when it is your duty as a consumer to inform yourself fully before purchasing a product.
Every time you launch a game, your pre order sales are now going to be way way down.
No they won't. You'll still have the Pokemon "gotta have them all NAO!!!!" crowd who'll plunk down the cash for items so they have them before anyone else does.
Yah but dont you guys realize by doing this you guys have shot yourselvs in the foot. Every time you launch a game, your pre order sales are now going to be way way down. Because you have given yourselves the bad name of giving away the exclusives. so whats the point? Hell i now some people that bought the co sub that done even play that failure for a game. Why play co when coh is so much better, sorry to say it but it is. You guys need to realize you want to keep your customer base happy, yes you have buy making these items exclusive to now eveyone, but you have screwed yourselves over for furure sales of future games, because the bonus's as you now put them not exclusives will never be worth the fue extra bucks if you can just buy them in the c store.
Yah but dont you guys realize by doing this you guys have shot yourselvs in the foot. Every time you launch a game, your pre order sales are now going to be way way down. Because you have given yourselves the bad name of giving away the exclusives. so whats the point? Hell i now some people that bought the co sub that done even play that failure for a game. Why play co when coh is so much better, sorry to say it but it is. You guys need to realize you want to keep your customer base happy, yes you have buy making these items exclusive to now eveyone, but you have screwed yourselves over for furure sales of future games, because the bonus's as you now put them not exclusives will never be worth the fue extra bucks if you can just buy them in the c store.
I really doubt this. I'm pretty sure that there will always be people out there willing to pay extra for the "privilege" of being first, or the ability to lord it over others.
Some may also be obsessive fan types who simply must have every trinket and knick-knack available. If they are willing to pay to fuel their obsession, why should a company not take advantage of it?
No they won't. You'll still have the Pokemon "gotta have them all NAO!!!!" crowd who'll plunk down the cash for items so they have them before anyone else does.
I might be confusing you with another poster, but am I correct in remembering that you did indeed buy multiple copies of the game?
If so, serious question. Answer as honestly as you can. If you knew back then what you know now, would you have bought the extra copies, or would you have waited til they hit the C-Store a few months later?
Exactly. Blame the victim. Here's the practical consequence of victim blaming:
That girl that got TRIBBLE? Yeah, she had it coming to her. She shouldn't have been dressing that way.
I didnt bother reading past this sentence, but in all seriousness you should get banned for even making that comparison. Not only is it beyond ridiculous comparing this situation to a person getting TRIBBLE in RL, but it is also extremely insulting to people who HAVE been TRIBBLE that you would compare their situation to something related to a video game. I get that your upset about this situation and I'm sorry, but that is no excuse for what you just said.
Yah but dont you guys realize by doing this you guys have shot yourselvs in the foot. Every time you launch a game, your pre order sales are now going to be way way down. Because you have given yourselves the bad name of giving away the exclusives. so whats the point? Hell i now some people that bought the co sub that done even play that failure for a game. Why play co when coh is so much better, sorry to say it but it is. You guys need to realize you want to keep your customer base happy, yes you have buy making these items exclusive to now eveyone, but you have screwed yourselves over for furure sales of future games, because the bonus's as you now put them not exclusives will never be worth the fue extra bucks if you can just buy them in the c store.
whats more logical to me, is that people who have paid for a lifetime subscription, have paid for their gametime over the life of the game.
exclusive items, and my 'game' came with some of them, so i'm in the same boat as others here, just means you have access to items before they've become available to the general populance.
i'd actually like to see that lifetime subscribers continue to gain benefit from having bought their subscription upfront by continuing to have access to items / equipment / hull designs, before they become available on the market.
cryptic could adopt a system where Lifetime subscribers have acces for say 3 months to items, then they go into the c-store for a period of time, before being introduced 6 months down the track as 'normal' gaming content.
The way I see it, I paid for a lifetime subscription, and got a bonus item for doing so.
At the time other people could pay money and get the same thing.
Now people can pay money and get the same thing.
Incorrect. The sticker was not listed as one of the options of the package. It was just given to you. But the monitor was listed. But not the best analogy, since I never bought a computer where the items included weren't given a price breakdown before package discount.
Regardless, I was not arguing that all items have equivalent value. Just that all items were sold together and not 'freebies' like people keep insisting.
Sorry, but the sticker was listed on the box as "exclusive," along with several other items, including a free magazine subscription and an "exclusive" t-shirt.
All of those items were sold together, and thus fit the definition of "package." This is where you've been misled by a false definition.
In any case, the incentives you received were, in fact, free. If you bought such a package, you received exactly what was sold: access to an online game and a subscription to said game. You also received several free items which were included in an attempt to sway your decision.
I know you want to insist that you paid for those incentives, and perhaps they were the reason you made the purchase. But, regardless of your intention, you bought a game and a subscription, not the free incentives that came with it.
Subscription and access to the game forever = $196.50
Mirror Universe Uniform = $3.50
That's the reality of it.
No, the reality is you paid for a lifetime membership and got a number of no-cost bonus items included with that membership. Since, at the time, none of the bonus items had any cash value (as they could not be otherwise purchased on their own) you cannot reasonably attempt to say you paid for them. Then again, the theme of this whole thread has been mind-blowingly unreasonable.
You two can try to spin things any way you want but you're only deluding yourselves.
I didnt bother reading past this sentence, but in all seriousness you should get banned for even making that comparison. Not only is it beyond ridiculous comparing this situation to a person getting TRIBBLE in RL, but it is also extremely insulting to people who HAVE been TRIBBLE that you would compare their situation to something related to a video game. I get that your upset about this situation and I'm sorry, but that is no excuse for what you just said.
settle down Nag
it was an analogy.
not meant as a personal attack ... and if 'you were' TRIBBLE....how was he supposed to know you would be sensitive about the subject ....
He wasnt talking aboutyour situation.... just an analogy.... it cant hurt you.
Thats the current reality of it. And the main source of my objection. The items on that package did not have separated cash values associated with them at time of purchase. Because it was not possible to purchase them separately.
Again, Hindsight makes everyone look brilliant.
Exactly. Which is why you didn't buy them. You cannot pay for something that has no cash value.
Sorry, but the sticker was listed on the box as "exclusive," along with several other items, including a free magazine subscription and an "exclusive" t-shirt.
All of those items were sold together, and thus fit the definition of "package." This is where you've been misled by a false definition.
In any case, the incentives you received were, in fact, free. If you bought such a package, you received exactly what was sold: access to an online game and a subscription to said game. You also received several free items which were included in an attempt to sway your decision.
I know you want to insist that you paid for those incentives, and perhaps they were the reason you made the purchase. But, regardless of your intention, you bought a game and a subscription, not the free incentives that came with it.
Um what? access and a subscription? Thats the same thing. Regardless you are incorrect. The advertisement listed all items included in exactly the same fashion. The subscription itself was an equal bullet point to all other items it came with. You might see it differently in your head, but thats not the reality of how it was sold. Nowhere did it say 'free bonuses' in relation to the other items in the package.
Exactly. Which is why you didn't buy them. You cannot pay for something that has no cash value.
Um nice try, but no. It was sold as a package, and the package as a whole had a cash value. It was not possible to buy them separately. To contribute my own bad analogy to the others flying around, if I really want the just body of a certain car, I have to buy the whole car. They wont sell it to me separately, so i cant ascribe a value to it.
not meant as a personal attack ... and if 'you were' TRIBBLE....how was he supposed to know you would be sensitive about the subject ....
He wasnt talking aboutyour situation.... just an analogy.... it cant hurt you.
.
I think the person in question is a "she", and while I was never TRIBBLE that doesnt excuse making such ridiculous statements, even if it is an analogy. Ridiculous analogies(comparing STO to a brothel) were the reason this thread was closed yesterday, and the one Metallurgist made is much worse. Anybody who would even ASSOCIATE this situation with TRIBBLE needs to take a long break from the internet.
While I can relate to your position, you guys should have gone out of your way to avoid even the appearance of impropriety with the offers when using the words "exclusive" and "limited time" given the general understanding of those words with regards to point of purchase sales.
It would not have hurt you to have used the expression "exclusive for a limited time" as a single thing would it ? I think not. Unless someone there figured that doing so would cause people to change their mind about purchasing things at a premium and acquiring multiple licenses and if that was the case then you know you guys done wrong. It was bad enough there were so many packages offered in the first place and when people asked about things if memory serves we were lead to believe things were set in stone incentive wise.
Anyway fortunately for me, I was informed about your company practices prior to my purchase of STO and consequently, I canceled several box orders and simply dumped some money into the cash shop waiting for this day to happen. Consequently I have purchased nearly everything offered and will likely get the rest of the stuff after the next major update.
I do however feel bad for those that purchased several boxes and even the made the big investment into your other property with no interest in it at all solely for access the sexy uniforms which I just purchased for some token amount.
My feeling or dare I say position, is not about epeen or other such lame TRIBBLE things as some are proposing as red haring and ad homonym arguments against those upset by this move. My feeling comes from a clear sense of violation of integrity and weak ethos and pathos on the part of your company.
I might be confusing you with another poster, but am I correct in remembering that you did indeed buy multiple copies of the game?
Yes I did.
If so, serious question. Answer as honestly as you can. If you knew back then what you know now, would you have bought the extra copies, or would you have waited til they hit the C-Store a few months later?
I still would have bought them when I did. The extra money I paid was a premium to satisfy my impatience. I read the pre-order FAQ. I understood that the bonuses would be in the C-Store at some point. I didn't feel like waiting for them to go in there, so I spent the money early. I don't fault Cryptic for that. I don't think they lied to, swindled, tricked or decieved me in any way, shape or form. I don't believe I deserve a refund or any kind of compensation for anything I bought.
I'm happy to see Sol station polluted with Caitians in their Mirror Uniforms flying their Connies. It means people are buying things that make them happy and they are enjoying their purchases. At least to me, that's the goal for these things - to make people happy playing a game they enjoy.
From what I'm seeing in what's been added to STO since launch, and what's coming down the road for Season 2 and beyond, I can see my upfront investment has helped the game and is going toward things that interest not only myself, but many others as well.
Now, will I do the same for another game? It depends on what the game is and what the bonuses are. If its a game I know I would be interested in and the bonuses are something I don't feel like waiting for, then I will pay a premium for them early. If not something that I find interesting, then I won't.
Um what? access and a subscription? Thats the same thing. Regardless you are incorrect. The advertisement listed all items included in exactly the same fashion. The subscription itself was an equal bullet point to all other items it came with.
Actually it's not. Nice try tho.
You might see it differently in your head, but thats not the reality of how it was sold. Nowhere did it say 'free bonuses' in relation to the other items in the package.
It also DOES NOT say "exclusive" in regard to the Mirror Universe costumes. So I guess that flattens your argument, doesn't it?
Um nice try, but no. It was sold as a package, and the package as a whole had a cash value. It was not possible to buy them separately. To contribute my own bad analogy to the others flying around, if I really want the just body of a certain car, I have to buy the whole car. They wont sell it to me separately, so i cant ascribe a value to it.
Dude, you're just wrong. You've gotten to the point where you're arguing semantics. Stop while you're behind.
No, the reality is you paid for a lifetime membership and got a number of no-cost bonus items included with that membership. Since, at the time, none of the bonus items had any cash value (as they could not be otherwise purchased on their own) you cannot reasonably attempt to say you paid for them. Then again, the theme of this whole thread has been mind-blowingly unreasonable.
You two can try to spin things any way you want but you're only deluding yourselves.
There is no thing such as a free item (meal). There's a price that has to be paid in some fashion for everything. Be it kissing up to the right people and get a free car with the new job. Be it having to pay with gratitude and flowers for having the dinner served when you get home every day. Be it having to pick one package and paying more for it to get the free item then the package would cost if you didn't get the one that included the free item.
I still would have bought them when I did. The extra money I paid was a premium to satisfy my impatience. I read the pre-order FAQ. I understood that the bonuses would be in the C-Store at some point. I didn't feel like waiting for them to go in there, so I spent the money early. I don't fault Cryptic for that. I don't think they lied to, swindled, tricked or decieved me in any way, shape or form. I don't believe I deserve a refund or any kind of compensation for anything I bought.
I'm happy to see Sol station polluted with Caitians in their Mirror Uniforms flying their Connies. It means people are buying things that make them happy and they are enjoying their purchases. At least to me, that's the goal for these things - to make people happy playing a game they enjoy.
From what I'm seeing in what's been added to STO since launch, and what's coming down the road for Season 2 and beyond, I can see my upfront investment has helped the game and is going toward things that interest not only myself, but many others as well.
Now, will I do the same for another game? It depends on what the game is and what the bonuses are. If its a game I know I would be interested in and the bonuses are something I don't feel like waiting for, then I will pay a premium for them early. If not something that I find interesting, then I won't.
Honest answer and I do appreciate it. Wasn't really a trick question. I was just curious.
I certainly understand the value of getting something sooner than later. But the timeframe between those two points was so minimal, I couldn't see making the expense myself on the Pre-order goodies. Unless it were a game I expected to only play a few months. Which doesn't seem to be the case on any Lifetime purchasers. It would have to be an item I really wanted and a wait of more than 6 months in that situation.
Obviously in the case of the CO-LT I only got a month. In hindsight I never would have made that purchase, since on every concevable level with me they failed to deliver properly. Even on the Champions side. heck, They even overcharged me.
STO-LT is a little trickier to say. But if I had full knowledge of everything I know at this point (Not just the C-store move but whats coming) I'd have passed on it. Less of a customer service issue though and more that something coming trumped the deciding factor in making the purchase.
For future games or incentives I can't ever see investing in them now no matter what they were. If I were to divorce myself from my own particulars, I think it would be highly unlikely I'd ever buy anything past the base game, from the location that offered the one incentive I liked best.
Yah but dont you guys realize by doing this you guys have shot yourselvs in the foot. Every time you launch a game, your pre order sales are now going to be way way down. Because you have given yourselves the bad name of giving away the exclusives. so whats the point? Hell i now some people that bought the co sub that done even play that failure for a game. Why play co when coh is so much better, sorry to say it but it is. You guys need to realize you want to keep your customer base happy, yes you have buy making these items exclusive to now eveyone, but you have screwed yourselves over for furure sales of future games, because the bonus's as you now put them not exclusives will never be worth the fue extra bucks if you can just buy them in the c store.
I really doubt this. I'm pretty sure that there will always be people out there willing to pay extra for the "privilege" of being first, or the ability to lord it over others.
Some may also be obsessive fan types who simply must have every trinket and knick-knack available. If they are willing to pay to fuel their obsession, why should a company not take advantage of it?
Actually people who are frugal with their $$$ will opt to "buy later" if they know in the near future (after launch) they can get the same "exclusive" items cheaper.
At the current Cryptic store cost of $0.0125 per point, 640 pts = $8
Current retail price is $26.46 for the Standard Edition of STO from Amazon, that's a savings of $25.53
So the original poster's comment about pre order sales going downis possible, because in the long run it is still cheaper to wait, buy the "standard" edition, spend $8 getting the items you would've gotten anyway, and pocket the $25.
Um what? access and a subscription? Thats the same thing. Regardless you are incorrect. The advertisement listed all items included in exactly the same fashion. The subscription itself was an equal bullet point to all other items it came with. You might see it differently in your head, but thats not the reality of how it was sold. Nowhere did it say 'free bonuses' in relation to the other items in the package.
You wish to claim that a product that was clearly labeled as Star Trek Online, but had bulleted items listing extra incentives, was in fact selling those incentives and not Star Trek Online? Please give me an example of Cryptic selling a box labeled "Mirror Universe Uniform" with the list of incentives including "free access to STO."
So, let's summarize your argument:
1. People purchased a product called "Mirror Universe Uniforms," and with that purchase they were given a free copy of the game.
2. Even if the product was not so labeled, it was a "package," which means that all the items included were reflected in the price because they were essentially of equal value.
3. If one of these special "packages" does not clearly label certain items as "free bonuses," then it must be assumed that you are paying for them, and not anything else, and the company is obliged to compensate you regardless of what you believe you are owed.
4. "Exclusive" has always meant "for all time"
5. Therefore, people who purchased Mirror Universe Uniforms, and just happened to get a free lifetime subscription, or early access, with those uniforms, are entitled to hold those items forever, and no one else may have them.
There is no thing such as a free item (meal). There's a price that has to be paid in some fashion for everything. Be it kissing up to the right people and get a free car with the new job. Be it having to pay with gratitude and flowers for having the dinner served when you get home every day. Be it having to pick one package and paying more for it to get the free item then the package would cost if you didn't get the one that included the free item.
Sorry but your reasoning doesn't hold.
And none of this made any sense to me. So if a retailer has a "buy one get one free" promotion I'm not really getting that second item free? Cause I have a number of items right here on my desk that I got for "free" -- as in, I didn't pay a single penny for them, not even shipping. Are we now going to argue the semantics of the word "free" in addition to "package" and "exclusive"? Thanks, but no thanks. I think most people understand the concept of "free" without any extra analysis.
And AFAIK there is no additional cost for getting pre-order items. You pay exactly the same amount for the game either way. So sorry, but they are indeed "free" bonuses.
So the original poster's comment about pre order sales going downis possible, because in the long run it is still cheaper to wait, buy the "standard" edition, spend $8 getting the items you would've gotten anyway, and pocket the $25.
People who must have things immediately just to be first don't necessarily care about expense. To them, its more important to be first and to have something right now.
Comments
It's pretty sad that you would go to such lengths as to compare your inability to pay attention to the information given you with TRIBBLE, or forms of exploitation through illegal means. This further proves my previous points that your opinions regarding this matter have much more to do with your personality, your ability to comprehend information, and your predisposition to assign blame to others when it is your duty as a consumer to inform yourself fully before purchasing a product.
No they won't. You'll still have the Pokemon "gotta have them all NAO!!!!" crowd who'll plunk down the cash for items so they have them before anyone else does.
agreed...............
I really doubt this. I'm pretty sure that there will always be people out there willing to pay extra for the "privilege" of being first, or the ability to lord it over others.
Some may also be obsessive fan types who simply must have every trinket and knick-knack available. If they are willing to pay to fuel their obsession, why should a company not take advantage of it?
I might be confusing you with another poster, but am I correct in remembering that you did indeed buy multiple copies of the game?
If so, serious question. Answer as honestly as you can. If you knew back then what you know now, would you have bought the extra copies, or would you have waited til they hit the C-Store a few months later?
The point of pre-ordering is to get the game early, after all.
I didnt bother reading past this sentence, but in all seriousness you should get banned for even making that comparison. Not only is it beyond ridiculous comparing this situation to a person getting TRIBBLE in RL, but it is also extremely insulting to people who HAVE been TRIBBLE that you would compare their situation to something related to a video game. I get that your upset about this situation and I'm sorry, but that is no excuse for what you just said.
whats more logical to me, is that people who have paid for a lifetime subscription, have paid for their gametime over the life of the game.
exclusive items, and my 'game' came with some of them, so i'm in the same boat as others here, just means you have access to items before they've become available to the general populance.
i'd actually like to see that lifetime subscribers continue to gain benefit from having bought their subscription upfront by continuing to have access to items / equipment / hull designs, before they become available on the market.
cryptic could adopt a system where Lifetime subscribers have acces for say 3 months to items, then they go into the c-store for a period of time, before being introduced 6 months down the track as 'normal' gaming content.
At the time other people could pay money and get the same thing.
Now people can pay money and get the same thing.
All of those items were sold together, and thus fit the definition of "package." This is where you've been misled by a false definition.
In any case, the incentives you received were, in fact, free. If you bought such a package, you received exactly what was sold: access to an online game and a subscription to said game. You also received several free items which were included in an attempt to sway your decision.
I know you want to insist that you paid for those incentives, and perhaps they were the reason you made the purchase. But, regardless of your intention, you bought a game and a subscription, not the free incentives that came with it.
No, the reality is you paid for a lifetime membership and got a number of no-cost bonus items included with that membership. Since, at the time, none of the bonus items had any cash value (as they could not be otherwise purchased on their own) you cannot reasonably attempt to say you paid for them. Then again, the theme of this whole thread has been mind-blowingly unreasonable.
You two can try to spin things any way you want but you're only deluding yourselves.
settle down Nag
it was an analogy.
not meant as a personal attack ... and if 'you were' TRIBBLE....how was he supposed to know you would be sensitive about the subject ....
He wasnt talking aboutyour situation.... just an analogy.... it cant hurt you.
.
Exactly. Which is why you didn't buy them. You cannot pay for something that has no cash value.
Um what? access and a subscription? Thats the same thing. Regardless you are incorrect. The advertisement listed all items included in exactly the same fashion. The subscription itself was an equal bullet point to all other items it came with. You might see it differently in your head, but thats not the reality of how it was sold. Nowhere did it say 'free bonuses' in relation to the other items in the package.
Um nice try, but no. It was sold as a package, and the package as a whole had a cash value. It was not possible to buy them separately. To contribute my own bad analogy to the others flying around, if I really want the just body of a certain car, I have to buy the whole car. They wont sell it to me separately, so i cant ascribe a value to it.
I think the person in question is a "she", and while I was never TRIBBLE that doesnt excuse making such ridiculous statements, even if it is an analogy. Ridiculous analogies(comparing STO to a brothel) were the reason this thread was closed yesterday, and the one Metallurgist made is much worse. Anybody who would even ASSOCIATE this situation with TRIBBLE needs to take a long break from the internet.
Will i get over it? - Sure
Will i ever preorder with Exclusive perks? - Nope
Am i TRIBBLE for buying into it without reading everything first? - Yep...
Yes but then they wouldn't have had as many sales
Yes I did.
I still would have bought them when I did. The extra money I paid was a premium to satisfy my impatience. I read the pre-order FAQ. I understood that the bonuses would be in the C-Store at some point. I didn't feel like waiting for them to go in there, so I spent the money early. I don't fault Cryptic for that. I don't think they lied to, swindled, tricked or decieved me in any way, shape or form. I don't believe I deserve a refund or any kind of compensation for anything I bought.
I'm happy to see Sol station polluted with Caitians in their Mirror Uniforms flying their Connies. It means people are buying things that make them happy and they are enjoying their purchases. At least to me, that's the goal for these things - to make people happy playing a game they enjoy.
From what I'm seeing in what's been added to STO since launch, and what's coming down the road for Season 2 and beyond, I can see my upfront investment has helped the game and is going toward things that interest not only myself, but many others as well.
Now, will I do the same for another game? It depends on what the game is and what the bonuses are. If its a game I know I would be interested in and the bonuses are something I don't feel like waiting for, then I will pay a premium for them early. If not something that I find interesting, then I won't.
Actually it's not. Nice try tho.
It also DOES NOT say "exclusive" in regard to the Mirror Universe costumes. So I guess that flattens your argument, doesn't it?
Dude, you're just wrong. You've gotten to the point where you're arguing semantics. Stop while you're behind.
There is no thing such as a free item (meal). There's a price that has to be paid in some fashion for everything. Be it kissing up to the right people and get a free car with the new job. Be it having to pay with gratitude and flowers for having the dinner served when you get home every day. Be it having to pick one package and paying more for it to get the free item then the package would cost if you didn't get the one that included the free item.
Sorry but your reasoning doesn't hold.
Honest answer and I do appreciate it. Wasn't really a trick question. I was just curious.
I certainly understand the value of getting something sooner than later. But the timeframe between those two points was so minimal, I couldn't see making the expense myself on the Pre-order goodies. Unless it were a game I expected to only play a few months. Which doesn't seem to be the case on any Lifetime purchasers. It would have to be an item I really wanted and a wait of more than 6 months in that situation.
Obviously in the case of the CO-LT I only got a month. In hindsight I never would have made that purchase, since on every concevable level with me they failed to deliver properly. Even on the Champions side. heck, They even overcharged me.
STO-LT is a little trickier to say. But if I had full knowledge of everything I know at this point (Not just the C-store move but whats coming) I'd have passed on it. Less of a customer service issue though and more that something coming trumped the deciding factor in making the purchase.
For future games or incentives I can't ever see investing in them now no matter what they were. If I were to divorce myself from my own particulars, I think it would be highly unlikely I'd ever buy anything past the base game, from the location that offered the one incentive I liked best.
lol at how everyone ignored your post... they just can't accept it can they? :P
Pretty much this.
Cryptic was wrong for this and the excuse choir knows it.
Actually people who are frugal with their $$$ will opt to "buy later" if they know in the near future (after launch) they can get the same "exclusive" items cheaper.
For example:
Atari digital deluxe edition = $59.99
Offers the following "exclusive" items:
Here's the Cryptic store points for those items:
640 total pts.
At the current Cryptic store cost of $0.0125 per point, 640 pts = $8
Current retail price is $26.46 for the Standard Edition of STO from Amazon, that's a savings of $25.53
So the original poster's comment about pre order sales going down is possible, because in the long run it is still cheaper to wait, buy the "standard" edition, spend $8 getting the items you would've gotten anyway, and pocket the $25.
So, let's summarize your argument:
1. People purchased a product called "Mirror Universe Uniforms," and with that purchase they were given a free copy of the game.
2. Even if the product was not so labeled, it was a "package," which means that all the items included were reflected in the price because they were essentially of equal value.
3. If one of these special "packages" does not clearly label certain items as "free bonuses," then it must be assumed that you are paying for them, and not anything else, and the company is obliged to compensate you regardless of what you believe you are owed.
4. "Exclusive" has always meant "for all time"
5. Therefore, people who purchased Mirror Universe Uniforms, and just happened to get a free lifetime subscription, or early access, with those uniforms, are entitled to hold those items forever, and no one else may have them.
QED, It's not my head you should worry about.
And none of this made any sense to me. So if a retailer has a "buy one get one free" promotion I'm not really getting that second item free? Cause I have a number of items right here on my desk that I got for "free" -- as in, I didn't pay a single penny for them, not even shipping. Are we now going to argue the semantics of the word "free" in addition to "package" and "exclusive"? Thanks, but no thanks. I think most people understand the concept of "free" without any extra analysis.
And AFAIK there is no additional cost for getting pre-order items. You pay exactly the same amount for the game either way. So sorry, but they are indeed "free" bonuses.
People who must have things immediately just to be first don't necessarily care about expense. To them, its more important to be first and to have something right now.