Matrisvis1 wrote:
Many months ago WotC appeared to indicate that their policy would be only to issue a credit. I could dig for a post or two if needed.
That's good. My subscription was set to expire on December 25th. I expected a grace period this time, since the cut-off fell right on Christmas Day. As of this writing however (January 9th), I still have full access to Insider. Dragon/Dungeon, the Rules Compendium, the whole enchilada. I'm not complaining, since I haven't been charged for another month (for peace of mind, I checked). It does raise some serious concerns with me however, on how effectively Insider is being run (at least at a service level).
I'm too concerned to even consider subscribing to Insider as things are now. As a fan of Dragon, I really want to. I won't take the chance of something going wrong though; my money is too hard earned and and my time too valuable for these kind of unnecessary hassles. If I'm going to do business with WotC (or anyone for that matter), it should be as hassle free as possible. In any case, I should have an easy line to something like customer support. I'm just not seeing that.
In these threads, I see customers being charged again because they are unable to have auto-renew canceled, due to the customer service site being "loopy" (best term to describe it, I guess).
My experience with the service side of Insider has been more hassle than it's worth. I sincerely hope things improve. If and when they do, I'll be back; until then, I bid you "adieu" ;).
I'm also guessing the management told them to make cancellation as difficult as possible, as some shady customer retention effort.
Free tip for management: You retain customers by providing a quality product, not though weird billing shenanigans.
Get your thoughts in, everyone, before the thread is locked.
Based on all the things I've read I'm going to guess that their billing system requires someone to manually update your records in their database when you want to cancel. Which is crazy, because ordering Insider is instant activation and billing.
I'm also guessing the management told them to make cancellation as difficult as possible, as some shady customer retention effort.
Free tip for management: You retain customers by providing a quality product, not though weird billing shenanigans.
Get your thoughts in, everyone, before the thread is locked.
Way ahead of ya ;).
I don't really get the impression that WotC is up to shenaigans (as you put it). I do think they're so far behind the curve [pick your colorful expression here] that it isn't even funny anymore.
Consider: A) Some users are required to "work-around" in order to download content (this is adressed in Digital Insider #12). According to Randy, it's being looked into (it's apparently NOT a priority). Unfortunately, Randy is no longer employed by WotC. Has this issue fallen by the wayside? Anyone know?
B) The customer service site is "loopy" for some users (best way to describe it, no?). Some customers have been automatically charged again because they are unable to online cancel the auto-renew feature on their accounts.
C) Which brings up my personal favorite hassle of D&D Insider: Auto-renew. It is compulsory at sign-up. You must check the box; there is no way to avoid it. You must email customer service (see Point B though) and have someone cancel it for you, otherwise you will be billed again at the end of the cycle. Cancelation is not instantaneous and requires human interaction (via CS).
My personal experience: It took going through no less than two people to cancel auto-renew on my November account. Only a concern with my second subscription, not my first. Inconsistent service.
***
All this being said, I've read Dragon for years and years (never missed a single issue). That's the kinda fan I am. I want to be a part of Insider. I think there's some really exciting stuff here. Unfortunately, I won't risk spending any money for fear of all the unnecessary hassles. Nor can I honestly recommend others subscribe at the moment. If things improve, I'll be the first in the door; otherwise, I'm out.
I can't even use it, it says I am logged in, but if I try to do anything it tells me I need to log into insider.
Me too, I wonder, did you have a monthly subscription that you changed to a 3 months or yearly subscription?
So please stay tuned for updates on how we’re improving your account management options.
- Chuck
So please stay tuned for updates on how we’re improving your account management options.
- Chuck
Chuck, you might want to tailor your posts to each individual thread / complaint rather than dropping the same post in multiple places and indeed multiple websites (since the same message was posted to Enworld in a thread there). Dropping folks a line is very appreciated, but I think it runs the risk of coming off as a stock answer, or not having read through a given complaint before making a reply.
Chuck, you might want to tailor your posts to each individual thread / complaint rather than dropping the same post in multiple places and indeed multiple websites (since the same message was posted to Enworld in a thread there). Dropping folks a line is very appreciated, but I think it runs the risk of coming off as a stock answer, or not having read through a given complaint before making a reply.
I'm one of the people that Chuck has helped, and is continuing to help. He is working really hard at resolving all these account issues and I would hazard a guess that he just doesn't have time to tailor his posts
And if they were being honest, why wouldn't they take it out as soon as a problem removing was noted-make it an electable instead of a requirement?
And why does the problem persist (and get worse) as the weeks and months pass? How long does it take to make your support available to paying customers? If it takes more than a week, I can't help but wonder why. The way this whole thing is being run is bordering on a criminal scam. I've never heard of someone taking money and not allowing the customer to discontinue the service-at least not a legal one.
For instance, if Insider accounts have to be "switched off" manually, why not let someone know, like a moderator, who can then let us know? Instead, the issue is left open, with no attempt to avoid confusion. So, when someone like me over-reacts, they have yet another "fire" to put out.
I understand that priorities have to be set but they can still communicate better I think. Getting auto-renew taken care of is important (no doubt) but while that's being worked on, talk to us or have someone do it for them (the mods, for instance). Let us know what is going on with our accounts, what to expect in the near future. Wouldn't this help? "Hey, mods, we are aware of the 'undead accounts' issue-- it's being worked on. If it should come up, let 'em know for us, eh?"
I realize I'm harping on the issue at this point but its important to get the message across. If I didn't care, I wouldn't bother. I hope D&Di is successful, I want to be a part of it. WotC has an uphill battle. If they can get to place where they are more proactive, rather than reactive with Insider however, it won't seem like they're in so far over their heads. As it is, I get the impression they have too many fires to put out and not enough fire-fighters ;).
As it is, I get the impression they have too many fires to put out and not enough fire-fighters ;).
Don't forget that there are a lot of fire-starters ;)
My assumption is that Chuck is busy running around putting out fires. He posted the same reply over in another gaming forum I frequent, in a thread regarding the cancellation issues. It's probably similarly been posted at ENWorld, and other places.
Mock is right, I have been pretty busy running around getting the word out and I had to decide if I wanted to post in as many places as I could find or in a few and pick my words more carefully. That said, I agree with Shemeska and would not normally just put up generic post in most circumstances.
- Chuck
Thanks for the news update. I'm glad to see WOTC is attempting to rectify the problems with DDI.
Having said that I just clicked on the link in your original post and it returned the following error.
Microsoft VBScript compilation error '800a03e9'
Out of memory
/default.asp, line 0
I try accessing Bill's DDI news column again later.
Update: It works now.
- Chuck
I wanted to drop-in and let you guys know that we have a new process for requests to stop auto-renewal with D&D Insider. Simply fill out a web form on your My Accountspage and we’ll send you a cancellation confirmation. For a more detailed walk through, click here. As always, if you have problems with this process, feel free to contact us at 1-800-324-6496 between the hours of 9am-6pm PST / 12pm-9pm EST Monday-Friday.
- Chuck
You do realize that some of the community already considers this not a fix, right?
You do nothing for those out of the USA with the offer of a toll free number.
You do have at least one user that believes you listen, perhaps one of these weeks you will listen to me (and some others) about getting rid of auto renew requirement or at least allow an auto remove the renewal (as opposed to it will take two days to confirm we know you do not want auto renew).
*sighs*