Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 Dane_McArdy Feb 04, 2011 10:29:55	I feel that boycotting DDi directly by canceling your subscription isn't going to do as much. They expect to lose customers, sometimes for valid reasons, sometimes for invalid. And truth be told, less people will actually cancel then say will. However, DDi does need to move. It needs to grow faster, it needs to become more dynamic. Namely the tools. Rather then people try and encourage other to cancel, why not demand a refund for each month you felt really lacked service. For example, last months management of the articles was really poor, even with the knowledge of the change in process, and that it would be spotty. I belive we ended up with less articles then what was planned. WoTC, and Hasbro really can't see how much money they aren't making by people not being subscribers. But they can see how much money they are having to return each month, because it's subscribers are unhappy with the product. Just a thought.
#2 kenjoon Feb 04, 2011 12:23:43	I feel that boycotting DDi directly by canceling your subscription isn't going to do as much. They expect to lose customers, sometimes for valid reasons, sometimes for invalid. And truth be told, less people will actually cancel then say will. However, DDi does need to move. It needs to grow faster, it needs to become more dynamic. Namely the tools. Rather then people try and encourage other to cancel, why not demand a refund for each month you felt really lacked service. For example, last months management of the articles was really poor, even with the knowledge of the change in process, and that it would be spotty. I belive we ended up with less articles then what was planned. WoTC, and Hasbro really can't see how much money they aren't making by people not being subscribers. But they can see how much money they are having to return each month, because it's subscribers are unhappy with the product. Just a thought. I seem to remember that back in Sept/Oct/Nov some people were doing this and someone posted (in Dec maybe?) that they were no longer allowing you to continue your membership and get refunds for the current month.  You're choices effectively are: 1) Keep paying, keep your membership 2) Turn off auto-renew, keep your membership until expiration 3) Cancel and get a pro-rated refund for any remaining time  The option your suggesting: 4) Get refunds on a monthly basis until the level of service comes back up, keep your membership they decided they did not want to do.  Frankly I can see their point, if you are so dissatisfied with their service that you want a refund for the current month, then here's your full refund, we're not going to give you the service for free.
#3 Dane_McArdy Feb 04, 2011 12:36:10	I feel that boycotting DDi directly by canceling your subscription isn't going to do as much. They expect to lose customers, sometimes for valid reasons, sometimes for invalid. And truth be told, less people will actually cancel then say will. However, DDi does need to move. It needs to grow faster, it needs to become more dynamic. Namely the tools. Rather then people try and encourage other to cancel, why not demand a refund for each month you felt really lacked service. For example, last months management of the articles was really poor, even with the knowledge of the change in process, and that it would be spotty. I belive we ended up with less articles then what was planned. WoTC, and Hasbro really can't see how much money they aren't making by people not being subscribers. But they can see how much money they are having to return each month, because it's subscribers are unhappy with the product. Just a thought. I seem to remember that back in Sept/Oct/Nov some people were doing this and someone posted (in Dec maybe?) that they were no longer allowing you to continue your membership and get refunds for the current month.  You're choices effectively are: 1) Keep paying, keep your membership 2) Turn off auto-renew, keep your membership until expiration 3) Cancel and get a pro-rated refund for any remaining time  The option your suggesting: 4) Get refunds on a monthly basis until the level of service comes back up, keep your membership they decided they did not want to do.  Frankly I can see their point, if you are so dissatisfied with their service that you want a refund for the current month, then here's your full refund, we're not going to give you the service for free.  No, some people got refunded two months worth of subscriptions, because they had one month with no update, and then had to push it back another month after that month. Some people wanted their subscription extended two months, but all they could offer was to refund the money for those two months. There was nothing about them no longer giving refunds after that period. In fact, they still give partial refunds if you cancel half way through your subscription. If you feel you haven't gotten your value for a month, ask for a refund. If enough people start asking for refunds, even if some of them don't get a refund, that will show more WoTC an actual dollar amount. This way, you still have access to DDi, but you aren't paying for it. That's going to make WoTC and Hasbro notice.
#4 kenjoon Feb 04, 2011 12:54:45	No, some people got refunded two months worth of subscriptions, because they had one month with no update, and then had to push it back another month after that month. Some people wanted their subscription extended two months, but all they could offer was to refund the money for those two months. All of this is correct. There was nothing about them no longer giving refunds after that period. In fact, they still give partial refunds if you cancel half way through your subscription.If you feel you haven't gotten your value for a month, ask for a refund. If enough people start asking for refunds, even if some of them don't get a refund, that will show more WoTC an actual dollar amount. This way, you still have access to DDi, but you aren't paying for it. That's going to make WoTC and Hasbro notice. I'm fairly sure you have misunderstood what I said.  For ease of my example I will use a membership that starts on Jan 1 and ends on Dec 31 with a yearly cost of $60 ($5/month). Let's say that in June they have a bad month and you feel the service isn't worth the price for that month.  You call for your refund.  They will offer you two choices: 1) $30-$35 pro-rated 6 or 7 month refund and a cancellation of your account. 2) nothing and keep your membership What I am hearing you say is that you want: 3) $5 refund for the month of June and keep your membership Correct me if I have misunderstood your meaning. Back in Sept/Oct they were actually doing #3.  Some time in Dec I recall someone posting that they would no longer do that.  That you were given only choice 1 or 2.
#5 mrmyth Feb 04, 2011 13:38:24	There was nothing about them no longer giving refunds after that period. In fact, they still give partial refunds if you cancel half way through your subscription. If you feel you haven't gotten your value for a month, ask for a refund. If enough people start asking for refunds, even if some of them don't get a refund, that will show more WoTC an actual dollar amount. This way, you still have access to DDi, but you aren't paying for it. That's going to make WoTC and Hasbro notice. He might be right. I long advocated the method you are here - if you feel they let you down during one month of service, ask for a refund. Following that logic, this week I asked for a refund for January - not because of the article delays, but because the total content for the magazines was half what it was the previous month. The response I received was that they could not provide a refund for January, but could only cancel my subscription and refund me the remaining period. So that may be the new policy. Now, since then, they have escalated the issue and I am waiting to here back more - so it may not be actually set in stone. Whenever the matter is resolved, one way or the other, I will make sure to post and let others know how things stand!
#6 Aaron_Highcolor Feb 04, 2011 18:29:15	There was nothing about them no longer giving refunds after that period. In fact, they still give partial refunds if you cancel half way through your subscription. If you feel you haven't gotten your value for a month, ask for a refund. If enough people start asking for refunds, even if some of them don't get a refund, that will show more WoTC an actual dollar amount. This way, you still have access to DDi, but you aren't paying for it. That's going to make WoTC and Hasbro notice. He might be right. I long advocated the method you are here - if you feel they let you down during one month of service, ask for a refund. Following that logic, this week I asked for a refund for January - not because of the article delays, but because the total content for the magazines was half what it was the previous month. The response I received was that they could not provide a refund for January, but could only cancel my subscription and refund me the remaining period. So that may be the new policy. Now, since then, they have escalated the issue and I am waiting to here back more - so it may not be actually set in stone. Whenever the matter is resolved, one way or the other, I will make sure to post and let others know how things stand! I was told the same back in December, and since my account was about to expire, I didn't bother to push the issue, since I wouldn't be re-subscribing to a sub-par DDI.
#7 thespaceinvader Feb 05, 2011 1:34:29	Indeed - by most accounts I've seen since late December, CS are no longer offering the option to refund an existing sub.  You can either cancel and get your money back, or keep your sub these days.  So sadly, this won't work I don't think.
#8 Damon_Tor Feb 06, 2011 9:02:06	Frankly, there's a case for a class action lawsuit if they don't refund for the last month: in their advertisments, they promised 120 pages per month, and that was not Met in January.  (Or December?  Unsure.) Their advertisements no longer make a page# claim, but they did at the time most of you subscribed. Inform them of this when you ask for your refund.  If they deny the refund, escalate the request.  Eventually, the Hasbro legal team will hear about it and inform that, yes, they have to give you a refund, and have to refund everyone who subscribed while they were advertising 120 pages per month for every month they cannot deliver that amount. The page count was one of the few specific things WotC claimed in their advertisements.  And yes, you are entitled to it.
#9 kenjoon Feb 06, 2011 17:37:40	Frankly, there's a case for a class action lawsuit if they don't refund for the last month: in their advertisments, they promised 120 pages per month, and that was not Met in January.  (Or December?  Unsure.) Their advertisements no longer make a page# claim, but they did at the time most of you subscribed. Inform them of this when you ask for your refund.  If they deny the refund, escalate the request.  Eventually, the Hasbro legal team will hear about it and inform that, yes, they have to give you a refund, and have to refund everyone who subscribed while they were advertising 120 pages per month for every month they cannot deliver that amount. The page count was one of the few specific things WotC claimed in their advertisements.  And yes, you are entitled to it. So WotC is changing what the service provides.  If you are unhappy with that change you can get a refund for any/all remaining time you have left.  Nothing obligates WotC to both give you a refund AND allow you continued access to the service.
#10 mrmyth Feb 07, 2011 7:18:46	Frankly, there's a case for a class action lawsuit if they don't refund for the last month: in their advertisments, they promised 120 pages per month, and that was not Met in January.  (Or December?  Unsure.) Their advertisements no longer make a page# claim, but they did at the time most of you subscribed. And just to be clear, that claim was still there through the end of January. I brought it up in my discussion with customer service (with a claim I submitted last week), and only since then has it vanished. Likely because of the complaints WotC was receiving. So WotC is changing what the service provides.  If you are unhappy with that change you can get a refund for any/all remaining time you have left.  Nothing obligates WotC to both give you a refund AND allow you continued access to the service. I'm not sure about that - they continued to advertise over 120 pages through the end of January, even though they didn't produce that amount. I don't know about them being obligated to give a refund, but that certainly seems the exact sort of area where it would be appropriate for them to do so.
#11 ZaranBlack Feb 07, 2011 7:29:56	I think the best thing we could do is send in suggestions and criticisms in a professional manner.  If someone says "U r all teh suk!" they are not going to pay attention.  But even the worst customer service people would have to notice hundreds of suggestions saying the same things.
#12 rhianni32 Feb 07, 2011 7:40:19	I agree that it would be better for people to ask for a refund each month they are unsatisfied but keep subscribed. Sadly it looks from the responses that this isnt possible.
#13 borogamer Feb 07, 2011 10:42:54	I've just asked to cancel my annual sub, and for a refund for the remainder including January considering it was terrible. **** CB, No MB support, and half sized magazines they failed to get out even a week later. I was more elloquent in the email. I'll let you know how it goes.
#14 Damon_Tor Feb 08, 2011 0:20:44	Frankly, there's a case for a class action lawsuit if they don't refund for the last month: in their advertisments, they promised 120 pages per month, and that was not Met in January.  (Or December?  Unsure.) Their advertisements no longer make a page# claim, but they did at the time most of you subscribed. Inform them of this when you ask for your refund.  If they deny the refund, escalate the request.  Eventually, the Hasbro legal team will hear about it and inform that, yes, they have to give you a refund, and have to refund everyone who subscribed while they were advertising 120 pages per month for every month they cannot deliver that amount. The page count was one of the few specific things WotC claimed in their advertisements.  And yes, you are entitled to it. So WotC is changing what the service provides.  If you are unhappy with that change you can get a refund for any/all remaining time you have left.  Nothing obligates WotC to both give you a refund AND allow you continued access to the service. I'm not saying they should refund, say Febuary, a month in which they have not yet failed to deliver the product that was advertised and paid for. I'm saying, that for customers who signed up for a subscription last year (while 120 pages/month was being advertised) they should refund those customers the $7 or however much they payed for that month.  I'm not saying they should get back all the money they paid for the whole year and stay on as subscribers for free: that's just silly. If I subscribe to a jam of the month club that advertises a 8oz jar of jam per month, and they instead deliver only 4oz of jam, I had better be getting some money back.  If not, I am totally entitled to sue.
#15 kenjoon Feb 08, 2011 0:54:22	Frankly, there's a case for a class action lawsuit if they don't refund for the last month: in their advertisments, they promised 120 pages per month, and that was not Met in January.  (Or December?  Unsure.) Their advertisements no longer make a page# claim, but they did at the time most of you subscribed. Inform them of this when you ask for your refund.  If they deny the refund, escalate the request.  Eventually, the Hasbro legal team will hear about it and inform that, yes, they have to give you a refund, and have to refund everyone who subscribed while they were advertising 120 pages per month for every month they cannot deliver that amount. The page count was one of the few specific things WotC claimed in their advertisements.  And yes, you are entitled to it. So WotC is changing what the service provides.  If you are unhappy with that change you can get a refund for any/all remaining time you have left.  Nothing obligates WotC to both give you a refund AND allow you continued access to the service. I'm not saying they should refund, say Febuary, a month in which they have not yet failed to deliver the product that was advertised and paid for. I'm saying, that for customers who signed up for a subscription last year (while 120 pages/month was being advertised) they should refund those customers the $7 or however much they payed for that month.  I'm not saying they should get back all the money they paid for the whole year and stay on as subscribers for free: that's just silly. If I subscribe to a jam of the month club that advertises a 8oz jar of jam per month, and they instead deliver only 4oz of jam, I had better be getting some money back.  If not, I am totally entitled to sue. I hear what you're saying, but I still only see 2 options: 1) Cancel/refund 2) Continued subscription You can debate if the pro rated refund they give you would or would not include Jan for the reason you suggest, but I don't see them pro-actively refunding any money to anyone if they don't complain and I don't see any refunds going out for people that don't cancel.
#16 lokiare Feb 08, 2011 2:47:39	Here's a solution: Cancel your sub, demand a refund and be very vocal about it. Re-subscribe after it goes through (preferably using a pre-paid Visa/Mastercard so you can control how much WotC takes out and as a layer of fraud protection) You get your money back for lost months and then have your DDi sub back...
#17 Jharii Feb 08, 2011 8:07:33	Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm, jam.
#18 mrmyth Feb 10, 2011 9:53:22	Just to follow up, WotC has offered me a refund for January without having to cancel my account. While they initially denied my request, once I explained the difference between the advertised content for the DDI magazines and the amount received in January, they escalated the claim and have since approved it. The sense I get from this is that WotC is no longer offering one-month refunds for customers who simply claim general dissatisfaction, but will provide it when one can demonstrate a genuine failure to deliver the amount of content advertised. Now, they have since removed the wording of the magazines so that they no longer claim a certain amount of content, so they will presumably not be providing refunds for this going forward. (Though anyone who finds the new amount of content unacceptable can presumably get refunded for their remaining months if they cancel in advance.) However, those who are dissatisfied with the amount of content provided in January should be able to also request a refund for that month. Simply mention that the magazines, until February, promised "over 120 pages" of content each month, and January provided less than 100 pages of content. But I wouldn't expect similar refunds going forward unless one can provide similarly good evidence.
#19 Damon_Tor Feb 10, 2011 13:17:33	Just to follow up, WotC has offered me a refund for January without having to cancel my account. While they initially denied my request, once I explained the difference between the advertised content for the DDI magazines and the amount received in January, they escalated the claim and have since approved it. EXCELLENT. Lovely work.  Hopefully this has gotten the attention of someone at Hasbro.
#20 kenjoon Feb 10, 2011 13:27:03	EXCELLENT. Imagines this being said in the voice of Mr. Burns........
#21 Jharii Feb 10, 2011 13:40:07	EXCELLENT. Imagines this being said in the voice of Mr. Burns........ Bah.  I was going with Wayne's World.