1) Separate log in actions required for everything even though they all use the same log in. Even if you have logged into your DDI account to peruse mew content, you have to log in again to view My Account pages. Then if you want to see your account history, you have to log in YET AGAIN.
2) Paypal. This has been asked for already. I won't belabor it.
3) I get an email about the new pricing plan and how I can lock in the current price. Is there a link in the email to do so? No. If I log in to look at My Account, is it easy to upgrade from my 3 month plan to a longer plan? Once you find it.
The internet has been around for long enough now that the Wizards folks should not be re-inventing the wheel. Clearly, DDI is going to be their answer to PDFs at some point. Let's get some professionals working on the internet commerce stuff.
My biggest pet peeve is auto-renewal (although admittedly this has improved recently). Cancelation still is not instantaneous; if auto-renew is compulsory at sign-up, cancelation should be immediate IMHO. Worrying about canceling auto-renewal was almost enough to keep me from signing up at one point.
On the back-burner for me (and WotC apparently), is the issue of having to perform a work-around to actually download and view Insider content. I'm comfortable with the simple work-around now, so its not a big problem but its still there. At one time, several people had posted here about similar issues. Am I the only one still experiencing those issues?
I sometimes wonder if doing business with Insider is worth the hassle, just so I can read a couple of monthly ezines; there have been times when I've been at the end of my rope. The board members and WotC staff have been very helpful however; that I can say with certainty.
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This has been mentioned already so I'll just second it: A single sign-in for all online activities would be great. Having to sign-in repeatedly for various tasks is a chore.
When I go to Subscription History, I am even LESS confident:
1 Year Dungeons and Dragons Insider Subscription
* Order Number blah
* Subscription Cost 59.40 USD
* Order Date 11/18/2008
* Subscription Status Active
* Billing Length YEARLY
* Next Billing Date 11/19/2010
* Billing Type Manual Renew
* Action Renew Subscription
1 Year Dungeons and Dragons Insider Subscription
* Order Number blah
* Subscription Cost 59.40 USD
* Order Date 5/20/2009
* Subscription Status Active
* Billing Length YEARLY
* Next Billing Date 11/19/2010
* Billing Type Manual Renew
* Action Renew Subscription
They both say that it will renew in 11/19/2010?
I am confused, and a little frustrated. My bet is that if you screw it up, you won't find out until Nov, and then you have to fight an uphill battle to get it fixed. I agree, it is difficult to buy DDI content.
JWT: You can't extend the subscription to 11/2011. You can only add 1 year beyond the expiration of your current subscription.
So, if you subscribed for a year in November 2008, your subscription would normally expire November 2009. By extending your subscription by another year, you will not have to renew again until November 2010. The "Next Billing Date" line tells you the date when your subscription will expire under the new (extended) term.
Bah for making me have to follow you! *smirk*
JWT: You can't extend the subscription to 11/2011. You can only add 1 year beyond the expiration of your current subscription.
So, if you subscribed for a year in November 2008, your subscription would normally expire November 2009. By extending your subscription by another year, you will not have to renew again until November 2010. The "Next Billing Date" line tells you the date when your subscription will expire under the new (extended) term.
AHHH! Thanks for that. I feel better about it now. Still confusing as I'll get out!
If I read it correctly a person can sign up for a year July 6th (day before cut off) and then on the same day request add on one year to my subscription. This would appear to make maximum time the current price can be locked in would be to July 6th 2011.
For those with current subscriptions it appears the best they can do is cancel current term, purchase a year and then extend a year. Not sure how that would work though for a user with a current one year plan.
Oh by the way I would not advise waiting until July 6th to sign up a new account as some have reported days for account to be activated (and if account is not activated you clearly can not extend it). In fairness others have reported activations is under two hours.
Hmm, extending subscription for some clearly cloud be a problem.
If I read it correctly a person can sign up for a year July 6th (day before cut off) and then on the same day request add on one year to my subscription. This would appear to make maximum time the current price can be locked in would be to July 6th 2011.
For those with current subscriptions it appears the best they can do is cancel current term, purchase a year and then extend a year. Not sure how that would work though for a user with a current one year plan.
Oh by the way I would not advise waiting until July 6th to sign up a new account as some have reported days for account to be activated (and if account is not activated you clearly can not extend it). In fairness others have reported activations is under two hours.
Yeah, this is my one small gripe. I've been a subscriber since October 2008, and it seems a tad unfair that I am not able to extend my subscription past October 2010, while folks who waited for the full release of the Character Builder can extend theirs out to February or March of 2011. It's probably not worth it to them to fiddle with the technology just so I can add a few more months to my subscription at the lower price, but it kind of pokes my loyal customer self-righteousness button.
This is kind of on the same level as the technological limitation that allows people to toe-dip every few months and still get the same CB and magazine content - albeit in a less timely fashion and without the advantage of steady Compendium access. It's not a big deal. I still feel like I'm getting my money's worth. But it doesn't quite seem fair, you know?
Yeah, this is my one small gripe. I've been a subscriber since October 2008, and it seems a tad unfair that I am not able to extend my subscription past October 2010, while folks who waited for the full release of the Character Builder can extend theirs out to February or March of 2011. It's probably not worth it to them to fiddle with the technology just so I can add a few more months to my subscription at the lower price, but it kind of pokes my loyal customer self-righteousness button.
This is kind of on the same level as the technological limitation that allows people to toe-dip every few months and still get the same CB and magazine content - albeit in a less timely fashion and without the advantage of steady Compendium access. It's not a big deal. I still feel like I'm getting my money's worth. But it doesn't quite seem fair, you know?
From what I've been reading in the other threads, you should be able to first Upgrade your account (giving you a year's subscription from the current day) and then Extend the subscription (giving you a total of 2 years). If you wait until just before the price increase, you should (in theory) be able to run a subscription at the current price until July 2011. So you can try that, but it doesn't work don't look at me - I'm just a toedipper :P
In a sense, us yearlies are getting faster updates and uninterrupted access to the Compendium/Tools for paying an extra $1 per month, which isn't exactly a bad deal for those of us who value those things.
I just figure that if other folks can moan and gnash teeth about the unfairness of a company eventually changing its subscription price, I'm allowed to my small pout that other kids get to play with the same toys I do.
