Thunderbird Posted September 27, 2009 Share Posted September 27, 2009 I am not a troll or a whackadoodle, I almost never post in forums like this - but as an entrepreneur, I know some people at Battlefront will want/need honest feedback from their customers and I want Battlefront to keep making great games so this is offered in that context and I hope it is helpful to the owners/operators of Battlefront. Fan boys who have never had a problem, please don't post...this isn't for your benefit. The Story - I LOVED Combat Mission. I tried Shock Force when it came out and hated it - this is not a post about that. I was recently convinced to try it again...."all the bugs were fixed - it's playable now." So, I contacted tech support and tried to get my license key again as I lost it on my system while in Iraq. I was told sorry, but you can only download it for a year? Ah, ok....I was offered a $5 re-download coupon. Cool...$5 bucks is no big deal. So I downloaded the software again. Here comes the rub, I used my my Paypal account which is tied to a old Hotmail account. I had an account "automatically" created for me and sent to my Hotmail account. Now, Hotmail is blacklisting Battlefront. Not Battlefront's fault - but not MY problem. I got that - but it meant I couldn't get my license key! When I contacted help support again, asking to get this account linked to a new one I created I was basically told - sorry "not our fault". This despite me having found multiple similar problems on the forums and this being the suggested fix (contact the help desk). Over the course of several somewhat insulting emails basically saying I was a dumb @$# for not reading the screen, etc. Apparently it was my fault for not be omnipotent AND not knowing that I would have an account auto-generated for me AND that Hotmail was blocking Battlefront, AND that the screen (which I did read) and told me an email was on the way with my key would never arrive. Wow, I do feel stupid.......I gave up and just re-purchased the game at full price under a new account. Contacting Hotmail to fix the problem isn't really a solution to MY problem and is silly as it wouldn't solve MY problem anyway (i.e. you would have to resend me a key!!!!). All it would take is resetting the email to the new one I provided, but alas that seems to hard (even though this was done for others). Recommendation- I hate people that complain without a fix so here goes: 1. Remove the stupid DRM - but that's not a new recommendation - this wouldn't solve the problem directly but would make your sales funnel a lot more flexible so you could fix these problems more easily. 2. If you know Hotmail is blocking you, screen for new accounts created with a Hotmail address. Then, resend them an email from another email account (I hear hotmail has free ones ! Duh....this could even be automated or done manually by the help desk people in a proactive way. 3. For God's sakes don't make your customers feel like your problem (being blacklisted from Hotmail) is their problem. If it happens, just fix it quick! Resolution - BTW, the game is improved. However, the stupid DRM and poor customer service means I am going to have to think hard about buying another game from Battlefront. Oh, I probably will, but I won't feel good about it like I used too. I do not need a refund or anything. Please keep the money, get rid of the stupid DRM, and get the old tech support back so you can keep making great games. Thanks...... Tom Mancino Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moon Posted September 27, 2009 Share Posted September 27, 2009 Hello Tom! Thanks for taking the time to post your feedback! I would like to offer some comments and replies. So, I contacted tech support and tried to get my license key again as I lost it on my system while in Iraq. I was told sorry, but you can only download it for a year? Ah, ok....I was offered a $5 re-download coupon. Just to make sure this is understood correctly: your key never expires. But your download link does. If you save the game that you have downloaded after your purchase, there is no need for you to re-download anything. We can and do reset keys free of charge (a few times). Cool...$5 bucks is no big deal. So I downloaded the software again. Here comes the rub, I used my my Paypal account which is tied to a old Hotmail account. I had an account "automatically" created for me and sent to my Hotmail account. Now, Hotmail is blacklisting Battlefront. Not just Battlefront but many other IPs and domains are affected as well apparently. Not Battlefront's fault - but not MY problem. I got that - but it meant I couldn't get my license key! You can because after your purchase there is no need to wait for an email. The order confirmation screen describes that you should NOT wait for the email, in fact. It also says that you are logged in at that moment (during the checkout) so you can pull your key immediately. Also, you can change your username and password immediately as well. There is no need to wait for emails. When I contacted help support again, asking to get this account linked to a new one I created I was basically told - sorry "not our fault". This despite me having found multiple similar problems on the forums and this being the suggested fix (contact the help desk). Right, hotmail.com is blocking the battlefront.com mail domain (among many others) and therefore there is quite a large number of people affected currently. It's not our fault (the blocking is some kind of database error according to hotmail support), and there is nothing we can do to fix it either, as hotmail will have to come up with a solution to it. Linking your account to a new email address is possible, but there are various security and privacy issues with it. Therefore, the immediate solution should be that you contact the email provider of your choice and ask them to whitelist the battlefront email domain again. Many people have done so. Over the course of several somewhat insulting emails basically saying I was a dumb @$# for not reading the screen, etc. No emails have ever been exchanged which said that. Apparently it was my fault for not be omnipotent AND not knowing that I would have an account auto-generated for me AND that Hotmail was blocking Battlefront, AND that the screen (which I did read) and told me an email was on the way with my key would never arrive. Wow, I do feel stupid....... You shouldn't because many people do not read the order confirmation screen nor many of the other hints that are printed on the order pages. You're in good company. There is certainly no fault on your part for choosing hotmail as your mail provider. However, as mentioned previously, battlefront.com has no way to do what only hotmail support can do for you. I gave up and just re-purchased the game at full price under a new account. Contacting Hotmail to fix the problem isn't really a solution to MY problem and is silly as it wouldn't solve MY problem anyway (i.e. you would have to resend me a key!!!!). Of course it would solve your problem because just like explained to you in the helpdesk (and as mentioned in the Knowledge Base), after you have your password reset and log into your customer account, you can look up your license key inside your account at any time. There is no need for us to resend you any emails. All it would take is resetting the email to the new one I provided, but alas that seems to hard (even though this was done for others). After contacting hotmail to do it the right way, which is to ask your email provider to fix what they have broken, yes. You have been told that reassigning an account to a different emails is an exception due to various security and privacy issues, and therefore we first need you to try to straighten things out with your email provider. 1. Remove the stupid DRM - but that's not a new recommendation - this wouldn't solve the problem directly but would make your sales funnel a lot more flexible so you could fix these problems more easily. There is no stupid DRM to remove. Elicense does what it's meant to do, and that's one thing only: restrict the use of the game you purchased the license for from us to be used within the End User License Agreement. 2. If you know Hotmail is blocking you, screen for new accounts created with a Hotmail address. Then, resend them an email from another email account (I hear hotmail has free ones ! Duh....this could even be automated or done manually by the help desk people in a proactive way. Since no email is needed for purchase, download, licensing and accessing your customer account, there is no real need to do this. From all the hotmail customers we have, only a few seem to not read the instructions on the order page. 3. For God's sakes don't make your customers feel like your problem (being blacklisted from Hotmail) is their problem. If it happens, just fix it quick! Except we can't because we're not hotmail. BTW, the game is improved. However, the stupid DRM and poor customer service means I am going to have to think hard about buying another game from Battlefront. Oh, I probably will, but I won't feel good about it like I used too. Sorry to hear that. I do not need a refund or anything. Please keep the money, get rid of the stupid DRM, and get the old tech support back so you can keep making great games. Thanks...... We're happy to send you a store coupon for your second purchase, which was unnecessary. Please submit a ticket to the helpdesk if you change your mind. You can always give it as present to someone else. Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird Posted September 27, 2009 Author Share Posted September 27, 2009 Moon, If you are clearly saying that contacting Hotmail has resolved the problem for others (do they even keep the old blocked emails?) - in a reasonable timeframe ( a few days), then you may be right that it is a reasonable request to make of your customers. My assumption is that it hasn't, and that is why I felt stuck. In any event, keep making good games, but fix this issue somehow. Like I said, would it be that hard to send people who create a new account via hotmail an email from a different domain (I don't know, say a new hotmail account)? Anyway, like I said personally not an issue. I was happy to buy it again - I just think it is a little wrong headed to expect your customers to jump through those kinds of hoops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird Posted September 28, 2009 Author Share Posted September 28, 2009 Here is the last email I received about this issue, and this will be my last post on the subject, as I am moving on: Hi Tom! Actually it is your problem with hotmail because you have chosen them as your email provider. Our email server is working just fine and emails are being sent out as requested. It's on the receiving end where your email provider is blocking them and you will need to work out a way with them to retrieve those emails. Our email servers are not blacklisted anywhere and comply with any requirement there is. We have notified hotmail of their mistake and they have admitted a problem with their database, and we're suggesting every customer to contact them as well. This should increase the pressure the most so they provide a quick fix. If you are unable to have them resolve this within the next 10 days or so, we're going to be able to assign your account to a different email address if you provide us with one. ------------------ My only comment is that I no more chose to use hotmail than you choose to use battlefront.com. In fact following your logic, you chose my email yourself when you pulled it automatically out of my paypal account. If you had sent the product by post would you have the same attitude? We sen't it, not our fault if you didn't get it. This is a silly issue anyway. We all can agree that Hotmail is at fault re:the email, but the issue from a customer support standpoint is 1) who had foreknowledge of the problem - you guys, and 2) who is in the best position to fix it - you guys. I gave you a solution, but instead you want to play a silly game of who is at fault. Wrong Custom Support Answer - "We sent it. You should have read the page, ignored the part about a follow up email, and installed the game right there! At work? Well, you could have cut and paste it in an email to yourself. Contact the largest software company in the world's tech support and hope they fix it. If they don't in 10 days, call us back. Good luck!" Right Answer Customer Support Answer- "You know, if I was you I would think this sucks too....so, we wen't ahead and tied your account to the email you already gave us when you asked last week, and since we known this seems to be happening to a number of our customers we have changed our workflow so it doesn't stick people again." Tommy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moon Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 In fact following your logic, you chose my email yourself when you pulled it automatically out of my paypal account. You have chosen to pay with Paypal, so we have to use your Paypal account. There is no choice on the seller's end. I gave you a solution, but instead you want to play a silly game of who is at fault. No Tommy, you're playing the game of who is at fault. We have given you two solutions, not just one: 1) contact hotmail. 2) if they don't fix up your account, we'll re-assign your account to a different email. I think you have mistaken the explanation of how you can access your account after your purchase without having to wait for an email for assigning blame to you. That's not case. Hotmail is to blame, no one else. this will be my last post on the subject, as I am moving on OK, I am locking up the thread. Your ticket in the helpdesk is set to automatically remind you in 10 days if the issue is solved or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts