Customer Service Announcement: Premium Membership

By paying for the recurring subscription = you earn certs. SOE is being deceptive in trying to sell this to the community. Why would you rather not choose what you spend it on compared to being limited to choosing from 5% (some small %) of the inventory.

Not sure what I think about this.

If camo is on sale for 250 certs I can buy two with 500sc. But I could only get one none player studio camo in the new system?

The only way I can see this scenario giving the similar value or better for a sub is if all the SOE camos came in bundles for all three slots and you could use your token for them. Similarly more bundles for the less than most premium weapons.

A good idea? What in hell are you freaking smoking dude? Before the change player would get any RANDOM Item for only 1 SC it could even be worth over 1000 SC and it went for 1 SC on sales. Now they removed it and only for 1 - 2 Random Items of your Choice that does not go over 2000 SC? If you would of done business dude you would of gone bankrupted really easy. This change is not worth paying premium for and i sure as hell won't bother paying anymore. SOE will lose money and believe me they will

I was going to provide a constructive post as to why these changes are so negative for the future of this game - but they've all been covered endlessly in this thread and many others like it throughout the SOE portfolio. I will join the masses that are voting with their feet and my sub will end at the next billing cycle in Feb. Not one more cent will leave my wallet to go to SOE, not one. I have no faith in SOE honouring any agreements, we're just a cash cow to be milked for every penny.

Or people like me that HAVE cancelled today.

So Piestro, again thank you for being on top of this forum topic. Can you answer a question relative to SOE's plan for folks that have 11 or so months on their subscription and do not agree to the terms of the new agreement? Are we going to be refunded if we ask for it? Before you say open a ticket with billing, I have. I opened it the moment I heard of this change yesterday. I have gotten no response from them (REF: 140104-000002).

I might remind SOE "If you love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, its yours forever. If it doesn't, then it was crappy subscription plan anyway."

I recommend selling month long resource and XP boosts. If I could use my monthly buy to give me +50% resources each month instead of buying items that would be great for a player who has all the "things" he needs.

While at it, also sell 3 + 6 month heroic resource boosts.

Then why try and slip in new agreements that lessen the options for the players financially, its insulting.
Why do SOE allow cheats to continue to abuse the game?
Why are there no more GM's?
Why are the items very over priced. A hat in PS2 is £4, i can buy a real one for that.
Why do SOE speak more on twitter or Reddit than there own forum?
WHY do SOE think its fair to sell a item ( op mainly ) then nerf it weeks later?

These are valid questions that get asked all the time, yet not once have they been answered. SOE have insulted me with this so called "value" that i have cancelled my membership.

I dont see why i should fund the game when many do not, when SOE do not deal with certain issues within the game. Its a very one sided partnership. That is how COD became and players like me left and found new games. As such COD sales were down by over 40% in the UK.

Only so long will players put up with lack of communication and lack of rewards.. Oh and blinking cheats.

If SOE actually wanted to INCREASE the number of people subscribing they would "give" (we pay for it) 500sc a month AND one voucher a month that can be redeemed for ANY single item or bundle (NO RESTRICTIONS) that normally costs 2000sc or less AND if not used the voucher could be exchanged for 1000sc or held onto for a future exchange - in otherwords it wouldn't expire or we could turn them in for 1000sc.

Sony wouldn't be 'LOSING' anything. All of this negative publicity would more than flip in the other direction and a ****-ton of players would return to the game and the positive word of mouth advertising would be amazing for SOE.

Or you can continue to be greedy, make your remaining customer base feel betrayed / ripped off and lose more and more market share.

Ball is in your court.

This is bait-and-switch, I want what I paid for, and that included 500 SC each month. Either offer refunds or grandfather in existing accounts or...

...I'm keeping the Consumer Complaint links handy if this deceptive business act becomes reality:
BBB: http://businessconsumeralliance.org/file-complaint
Federal Trade Commission: https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/GettingStarted

Good luck with that. I mean you read the fine print right - here let me make it bigger for you:

Though you may be right, SOE might be able to make changes to this, it would be VERY bad for current and future potential subscription holders for them to hide behind this legal jargon. Clearly most folks believed as a subscribing member they were getting 500SC and didn't know that was conditional on them having the "auto-renew" check-box checked. Those folks like myself with 11 months on their subscription and who do not agree to these terms might be a tad pissed off if "unchecking" that box will screw them of ANY reward at all.

So they may "reserve the right" but an intelligent business person might think twice before "exercising that right". Especially with all those new shiny games on the horizon that no-doubt SOE has invested greatly in. They may get that penny of flesh today, but might be missing out on the pound they could get later.

yeah, i just became a member last month, the 500 sc a month was one of the reasons why i became one in the first place and now you are changing it to something LESS interesting.
So much for that line: "We appreciate our customers, especially our valued members, and therefore are excited to bring you this additional value." which is utter PR ******** and just a blatant lie. It decreases my choice in purchases and all the exemptions slapped on it just make it less likely i will renew my subsciption.

I have great lack of interest in Studio items..
But I own "All" the Weapons so far.. I suspect they fear players like me that currently do not buy cosmetic items will Bank up the SC and get the new weapons for free.. Which to me means, they'll obviously be releasing some BS game changing Weapons in to the game after this Membership change, which I will then have to buy to Pay2Win..

Please, the 2,000 SC deal is better for NEW PS2 subscribers. It only really screws the vets who own most of the SOE items and want the player studio stuff with their 500/monthly SC.

Kamikaize,

I appreciate your thoughtful breakdown. I can digest it easily because this is the same strategy I use as a non-member, to put in a large order for station cash and then to hold it in reserve. I would purchase items when they were on sale, and a few I didn't have the patience to evolve into a sale.

This business model is not geared to the thoughtful nor tactical player. It is geared to the zerg, who see the apparent benefit of 2000 station cash (SC) a month. I would give this simple analogy, Sony is telling us that we can feast like a king once a month, then starve and that you will no longer be able to eat very well several times a month. This will produce buyer's remorse (regret) and boiling frustration as several items that the frugal buyer has been watching go on sale in a single month.

Case in point, the camouflage sales last week were not bundled. Each armor, weapon and vehicle selection is a separate purchase. Each was lowered from 500 to 250 SC. That's something for which I saved my SC and I got a great deal. That's 3 months of 2000 SC. In effect, the 2000 SC budgetary allowance is truly Sony's way of telling you that as a premium member you may choose one free item a month, bundle or otherwise.

Bottom line, premium access will now get you one free item a month. Choose wisely and live with it.

Respectfully,
Chalepos

I think they are more worried you will bank-up and take your SC to a future game release...decreasing the money they could make off you there.

What?

Cause yeah SOE has released SOOO many "game changing" items that you can only buy with SC!

Them gold plated and black guns are sooo much better than their cert variants.

Come on...if you're going to make stuff up please try harder.

It screws everyone equally, because they are giving out coupons now that you have to use before the end of the month they are issued AND only on PS2. Old system they gave out CASH currency that could be carried to other game offerings, now and in the future (i.e. EQN)

No.

They are worried that you'll take the "free" 500SC and buy a player studio item with it and they'll have to pay $2 to the artist.

So your $10 sub just became an $8 sub and SOE is out $2. SOE is