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To the Marketing Team...

AuthorMessage
Defender
Feb 22, 2016
137
So...I mentioned this earlier, but a recent...exchange of goods and services...has left me with an intensely bitter case of buyer's remorse...No, buyer's remorse is not the right term. I feel I've been cheated.

Naturally, I doubt this was anyone's intention...Simply an oversight, I'm sure.

For starters, I'm a little miffed that 6 days after I settle on purchasing 50 dollars worth of crowns (30,000 crowns) they have a crowns sale again. Had I known that was coming I would have waited and spent the extra 10 dollars.

Then, I spent about 6000 crowns (5950 to be precise) on buying back training points on the 4th. 2 days later, it's free. *cringe*

Then I bought two mastery amulets, thinking I wouldn't be able to get them for free until sometime closer to the endgame, not realizing I could farm them as soon as Waterworks...I'm almost level 60 right now. On the bright side though, the free amulets are only usable by level 90+ players, so I suppose those two amulets were the most worthwhile purchases I made this month...

Add in the fact that due to a new keyboard and mouse and sleep deprived brain function I inadvertently bought something with crowns that I had intended to buy with gold, and I'm not exactly a happy camper.

I definitely did not get the "biggest bang for my buck" this month. I think my biggest issue was the free training point buyback event...like, really? Two days later?

I talked to support. They could but would not refund the crowns spent. I know they could, because a similar incident occurred years back on one of my older accounts, and at the time they were very reasonable and happily obliged. I remember this because I was convinced they must be the best customer support team I'd ever had the pleasure in contacting. They took that bad taste out of my mouth and power washed it with mint flavor listerine. Apparently this month I'm inconsequential to them.

I have this foreboding feeling that sometime this month, there's going to be a sale on mastery amulets. That would be the salt in the wounds, the turning of the knife.

I said I was taking a break from the game, but I've already paid for my subscription until the 23rd of next month, so it'd be a waste to take a hiatus now.

I guess my message here is...maybe give players a fair amount of heads up, before having a sale or promotion? If I had known it was coming, I would have waited. The free training point buyback, the crowns sale, all of it. If someone had told me...I wouldn't feel as wronged as I do right now. It would have been fair.

Edit: Not fond of the formatting in this one.

I'd go through and space it out and maybe rephrase a few things, but my dog needs a bath, and I suppose it's fine as is. I can be nitpicky.

Second edit: Dog is washed. Poor thing had fleas bad. The bath floor is peppered with them now, and the dog is shivering while being dried off. Seems the experience wore her out. I'm cradling her in the towel like a baby.

I finished reformatting it a bit. It'll have to do.

Armiger
Jan 11, 2012
2497
I am hoping my reply wont enrage you further, but I wanted you to have more information. So, here we go:

Regular mastery amulets can be gotten from waterworks/helephant tower, and can be used by characters of ANY level. You can tell these because all they do is give you matsery of another school. ALL mastery amulets after this have level requirements AND give extra stats

Exalted mastery amulets can be found in Aquila and have a level requirement of 90+.

Darkmoor mastery amulets have a level requirement of 100+

Polaris Mastery Amulets have a requirement of 110+

Before spending REAL money for anything in the game, ALWAYS google what you're looking for to see if you can farm for it. This way, you dont waste any money.

Geographer
Nov 22, 2015
859
I agree. They should notify you of sales in advance. But things brings up another issue. What if you bought a training point buyback, then you found the notification of the sale? Maybe Wizard101 can schedule sales and post them on the forum or something or give them to you when you buy crowns.

Also, for items you can buy with gold, maybe when you go to buy it, it should say: "You can buy this item with gold. Do you want to use gold or crowns?" Or something like that. This would be very useful.

Also, with free buyback events, the price should definitely be lowered out of the 1000 price range. 6000 crowns, really? That's waay too much for a buyback.

Defender
Feb 22, 2016
137
dayerider on Apr 7, 2016 wrote:
I am hoping my reply wont enrage you further, but I wanted you to have more information. So, here we go:

Regular mastery amulets can be gotten from waterworks/helephant tower, and can be used by characters of ANY level. You can tell these because all they do is give you matsery of another school. ALL mastery amulets after this have level requirements AND give extra stats

Exalted mastery amulets can be found in Aquila and have a level requirement of 90+.

Darkmoor mastery amulets have a level requirement of 100+

Polaris Mastery Amulets have a requirement of 110+

Before spending REAL money for anything in the game, ALWAYS google what you're looking for to see if you can farm for it. This way, you dont waste any money.
Thank you sincerely for letting me know.

I'd rather be upset by the truth than content with it's absence.

Champion
Jun 26, 2009
429
Fable Finder on Apr 8, 2016 wrote:
I agree. They should notify you of sales in advance. But things brings up another issue. What if you bought a training point buyback, then you found the notification of the sale? Maybe Wizard101 can schedule sales and post them on the forum or something or give them to you when you buy crowns.

Also, for items you can buy with gold, maybe when you go to buy it, it should say: "You can buy this item with gold. Do you want to use gold or crowns?" Or something like that. This would be very useful.

Also, with free buyback events, the price should definitely be lowered out of the 1000 price range. 6000 crowns, really? That's waay too much for a buyback.
I currently play and have played a few MMO's that provide a monthly calendar of events/sales for us. It's like them saying to me "Hey valued player, we want you to spend your money on us and here is the best time to do it".

Stuff like that makes me spend more.

Hint hint KI.

Defender
Feb 22, 2016
137
Mr Talon on Apr 8, 2016 wrote:
I currently play and have played a few MMO's that provide a monthly calendar of events/sales for us. It's like them saying to me "Hey valued player, we want you to spend your money on us and here is the best time to do it".

Stuff like that makes me spend more.

Hint hint KI.
Exactly what I was thinking. Players deserve some fair warning before a sale or special event.

That way nobody else gets the raw deal I got.

Explorer
Apr 13, 2013
77
I also am a bit miffed. My father and I play wizard101, and I wanted to gift him a blue dragon mount. I didn't want to spend $20 irl, so I saved up 85,000 in gold. Much to my dismay, you can only gift with crowns. I am disappointed that you have to pay real money to do a favor to your friend.

Defender
Feb 22, 2016
137
hydra4444 on Apr 10, 2016 wrote:
I also am a bit miffed. My father and I play wizard101, and I wanted to gift him a blue dragon mount. I didn't want to spend $20 irl, so I saved up 85,000 in gold. Much to my dismay, you can only gift with crowns. I am disappointed that you have to pay real money to do a favor to your friend.
That's a bummer. At least you didn't waste any of your actual money though.

Geographer
Mar 12, 2013
923
Preaching to the choir here.

During the Online bundle sale, I wanted to gift my niece the Botanical Gardens housing bundle, which she has wanted since it came out, but we couldn't afford it as a family. Well, this was great, because now we could afford it...

Not so fast, pardner.

Turns out that you cannot benefit from a sale price if you intend to gift the item; vice versa, if you buy an item on sale from the online store, you cannot designate it as a gift for a friend.

So because it was my niece, I sent my brother some money and he bought it on their family of accounts, but imagine if it was a friend I didn't have any other way of contacting, e.g. to give them money so they could buy it themselves.

The same goes for ANY other item you might think would make a great gift. Gift options and discounts are so carefully separated from one another, and mutually impossible, that one wonders why either even exists.

About pack and crowns sales:

If I had a couple weeks' notice of a future sale on packs or gear, I would darn sure make sure I had crowns on hand to make use of it. You sell more of both when you let people know in advance there will be a big sale. This is the whole point of advertising. If you hold a big sale and nobody knows about it, they will spend their money on other things, and then not be inclined to buy any of your sale stuff.

Or, they buy something when it's not on sale, and then feel taken advantage of when next week "hey look what's free!" I can think of no faster way to get a bad, reputation among players than not mentioning when member benefits will be on hand, or what type.

Survivor
Jul 18, 2009
1
Unfortunately. That's just the luck of the draw with these things. I highly doubt they're going to stop doing flash sales and whatnot.

Delver
Dec 15, 2009
202
This will always happen. You see, even if there is a warning, people would of still bought training point buybacks BEFORE the warning and will get mad. Wizard101 will also not just change something over a few people.

This simply will not work.

Defender
Jun 04, 2014
183
Two ways this could be done:

1) When you launch the application, but before logging in, the current specials / some ads are visible. Normally Wizards seems to post currently occurring stuff there. Maybe they should post specials coming up in the next week there. That way you get a least a week's notice of an upcoming special so people can plan for it appropriately. A week is enough time even for gardeners to plant ahead for double rewards, since most plants (with the right likes) will hatch in a week.

2) Wizards posts a Game Updates page - which generally appears when major updates are made to the game. Perhaps this should also contain upcoming things like point buybacks, garden rewards, Mega Snack Pack sales, Amulet sales, etc. that are going to occur that month. That way if people want a particular item on sale, they can save up and make sure they have crowns for it when that sale day arrives. For players that want something right away and don't want to wait on a sale, they will always buy it anyway because they need it. But that is on them, and they cannot complain that they did not have enough advance notice in the event of a forthcoming sale.

Defender
Feb 22, 2016
137
David Caster on Apr 11, 2016 wrote:
Unfortunately. That's just the luck of the draw with these things. I highly doubt they're going to stop doing flash sales and whatnot.
I believe you. What you say seems the most likely outcome.

Still, one can only hope they'd understand how they're making their paying players (read: people whose support is necessary to keep the game alive and thriving) feel.

I regret spending money, therefore I'll be more hesitant to spend in the future.

Doesn't that feel counterproductive?

Defender
Feb 22, 2016
137
crunkatog on Apr 10, 2016 wrote:
Preaching to the choir here.

During the Online bundle sale, I wanted to gift my niece the Botanical Gardens housing bundle, which she has wanted since it came out, but we couldn't afford it as a family. Well, this was great, because now we could afford it...

Not so fast, pardner.

Turns out that you cannot benefit from a sale price if you intend to gift the item; vice versa, if you buy an item on sale from the online store, you cannot designate it as a gift for a friend.

So because it was my niece, I sent my brother some money and he bought it on their family of accounts, but imagine if it was a friend I didn't have any other way of contacting, e.g. to give them money so they could buy it themselves.

The same goes for ANY other item you might think would make a great gift. Gift options and discounts are so carefully separated from one another, and mutually impossible, that one wonders why either even exists.

About pack and crowns sales:

If I had a couple weeks' notice of a future sale on packs or gear, I would darn sure make sure I had crowns on hand to make use of it. You sell more of both when you let people know in advance there will be a big sale. This is the whole point of advertising. If you hold a big sale and nobody knows about it, they will spend their money on other things, and then not be inclined to buy any of your sale stuff.

Or, they buy something when it's not on sale, and then feel taken advantage of when next week "hey look what's free!" I can think of no faster way to get a bad, reputation among players than not mentioning when member benefits will be on hand, or what type.
Wow...that's a weird policy.

If you go to the store (an actual store, offline) and Milk and Eggs is on sale, does the sale not count if you're buying it for someone else?

Just...huh.

Also, on pack and crowns sales (and all other sales) you were spot on.

Giving advance notice before a sale or promotion not only prevents players from feeling cheated, but (on certain occasions) can actually be good for business.

As if the first reason wasn't good enough reason to change things.

Defender
Feb 22, 2016
137
MalvinHawkRunner on Apr 11, 2016 wrote:
This will always happen. You see, even if there is a warning, people would of still bought training point buybacks BEFORE the warning and will get mad. Wizard101 will also not just change something over a few people.

This simply will not work.
Let me explain things in detail for you.

If players get advanced warning of a free training point buyback event, preferably at least a few weeks beforehand, ideally an entire month, and they decide to purchase them anyway, they made an informed purchase.

Nobody can say they were taken advantage of if they knew or had a way of knowing. If they are upset, tough, it's nobody's fault but their own- whereas as is, without warning, the player's frustration is strongly justified.

Last but not least- it's not just a few people. If it happened to me now, it's likely happened to countless other players in the past, and will likely continue to happen to countless other players in the future, until something changes.

I don't think anything said here is debatable.

Explorer
Apr 13, 2013
77
Uncle Sweeney on Apr 10, 2016 wrote:
That's a bummer. At least you didn't waste any of your actual money though.
No, my dad wouldn't want me spending $20 on him for a game purchase. I'm sorry about all of the things that happened to you with purchases.

Defender
Feb 22, 2016
137
hydra4444 on Apr 12, 2016 wrote:
No, my dad wouldn't want me spending $20 on him for a game purchase. I'm sorry about all of the things that happened to you with purchases.
Thanks for your sympathy.

- and yeah, it's the parents who should be doting on their little ones, not the other way around!~

I certainly wouldn't feel comfortable if my nieces or nephews tried to spend that much on me, or even 5$.

When they're older, they can dote on their little ones all they like- right now, it's their turn to be spoiled.

Defender
May 23, 2009
110
Uncle Sweeney on Apr 7, 2016 wrote:
So...I mentioned this earlier, but a recent...exchange of goods and services...has left me with an intensely bitter case of buyer's remorse...No, buyer's remorse is not the right term. I feel I've been cheated.

Naturally, I doubt this was anyone's intention...Simply an oversight, I'm sure.

For starters, I'm a little miffed that 6 days after I settle on purchasing 50 dollars worth of crowns (30,000 crowns) they have a crowns sale again. Had I known that was coming I would have waited and spent the extra 10 dollars.

Then, I spent about 6000 crowns (5950 to be precise) on buying back training points on the 4th. 2 days later, it's free. *cringe*

Then I bought two mastery amulets, thinking I wouldn't be able to get them for free until sometime closer to the endgame, not realizing I could farm them as soon as Waterworks...I'm almost level 60 right now. On the bright side though, the free amulets are only usable by level 90+ players, so I suppose those two amulets were the most worthwhile purchases I made this month...

Add in the fact that due to a new keyboard and mouse and sleep deprived brain function I inadvertently bought something with crowns that I had intended to buy with gold, and I'm not exactly a happy camper.

I definitely did not get the "biggest bang for my buck" this month. I think my biggest issue was the free training point buyback event...like, really? Two days later?

I talked to support. They could but would not refund the crowns spent. I know they could, because a similar incident occurred years back on one of my older accounts, and at the time they were very reasonable and happily obliged. I remember this because I was convinced they must be the best customer support team I'd ever had the pleasure in contacting. They took that bad taste out of my mouth and power washed it with mint flavor listerine. Apparently this month I'm inconsequential to them.

I have this foreboding feeling that sometime this month, there's going to be a sale on mastery amulets. That would be the salt in the wounds, the turning of the knife.

I said I was taking a break from the game, but I've already paid for my subscription until the 23rd of next month, so it'd be a waste to take a hiatus now.

I guess my message here is...maybe give players a fair amount of heads up, before having a sale or promotion? If I had known it was coming, I would have waited. The free training point buyback, the crowns sale, all of it. If someone had told me...I wouldn't feel as wronged as I do right now. It would have been fair.

Edit: Not fond of the formatting in this one.

I'd go through and space it out and maybe rephrase a few things, but my dog needs a bath, and I suppose it's fine as is. I can be nitpicky.

Second edit: Dog is washed. Poor thing had fleas bad. The bath floor is peppered with them now, and the dog is shivering while being dried off. Seems the experience wore her out. I'm cradling her in the towel like a baby.

I finished reformatting it a bit. It'll have to do.
Just wondering, roughly how many training points did you had at the time when you bought them all back for 5950 crowns?

Defender
Feb 22, 2016
137
TPG Miserie on Apr 13, 2016 wrote:
Just wondering, roughly how many training points did you had at the time when you bought them all back for 5950 crowns?
I'm afraid I don't recall.

Defender
May 23, 2009
110
Uncle Sweeney on Apr 16, 2016 wrote:
I'm afraid I don't recall.
At least you mentioned you were almost at level 60 then. I remember buying back training points on one of my wizards around that level for about 20,000 crowns. I'm grateful but dumbfounded that is cheaper now and that free training point buyback exists.

Defender
Feb 22, 2016
137
TPG Miserie on Apr 17, 2016 wrote:
At least you mentioned you were almost at level 60 then. I remember buying back training points on one of my wizards around that level for about 20,000 crowns. I'm grateful but dumbfounded that is cheaper now and that free training point buyback exists.
I hadn't yet actually spent all my training points at the time, so that could be related.

That being said, out of sheer curiosity, at level 68 and after having done every quest that gives training points available to me, I checked how much it would cost.

It was somewhere around 8000, perhaps 8050 if memory serves correct.
So I guess we both have reasons to feel upset...

Geographer
Nov 22, 2015
859
crunkatog on Apr 10, 2016 wrote:
Preaching to the choir here.

During the Online bundle sale, I wanted to gift my niece the Botanical Gardens housing bundle, which she has wanted since it came out, but we couldn't afford it as a family. Well, this was great, because now we could afford it...

Not so fast, pardner.

Turns out that you cannot benefit from a sale price if you intend to gift the item; vice versa, if you buy an item on sale from the online store, you cannot designate it as a gift for a friend.

So because it was my niece, I sent my brother some money and he bought it on their family of accounts, but imagine if it was a friend I didn't have any other way of contacting, e.g. to give them money so they could buy it themselves.

The same goes for ANY other item you might think would make a great gift. Gift options and discounts are so carefully separated from one another, and mutually impossible, that one wonders why either even exists.

About pack and crowns sales:

If I had a couple weeks' notice of a future sale on packs or gear, I would darn sure make sure I had crowns on hand to make use of it. You sell more of both when you let people know in advance there will be a big sale. This is the whole point of advertising. If you hold a big sale and nobody knows about it, they will spend their money on other things, and then not be inclined to buy any of your sale stuff.

Or, they buy something when it's not on sale, and then feel taken advantage of when next week "hey look what's free!" I can think of no faster way to get a bad, reputation among players than not mentioning when member benefits will be on hand, or what type.
You make many good points.

Geographer
Nov 22, 2015
859
Uncle Sweeney on Apr 12, 2016 wrote:
Let me explain things in detail for you.

If players get advanced warning of a free training point buyback event, preferably at least a few weeks beforehand, ideally an entire month, and they decide to purchase them anyway, they made an informed purchase.

Nobody can say they were taken advantage of if they knew or had a way of knowing. If they are upset, tough, it's nobody's fault but their own- whereas as is, without warning, the player's frustration is strongly justified.

Last but not least- it's not just a few people. If it happened to me now, it's likely happened to countless other players in the past, and will likely continue to happen to countless other players in the future, until something changes.

I don't think anything said here is debatable.
Agreed.