I cannot think of any MMO I have played, from EQ, SWG. WoW, AoC, EQ2 etc. that did not require you to set up a subscription at the beginning of the free 30 days in order to play, always with the option to cancel prior to the billing date at the end of the free 30 day period.

Perhaps I have forgotton in my old age, but I really don't know why there is such crying over this.

Originally posted by paterah

Have to agree with the OP here. As someone who doesn't have access to online payment I now have to fork over an additional $30 to continue playing. You don't need to do this in WoW so don't tell me it's the standard by any stretch.

I dont play WoW anymore... maybe its different now, but it did work the exact same way and the only option back then was a CC period.

Originally posted by Mellkor

 

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Originally posted by paterah
Have to agree with the OP here. As someone who doesn't have access to online payment I now have to fork over an additional $30 to continue playing. You don't need to do this in WoW so don't tell me it's the standard by any stretch.

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You previously did?

 

Yes when it first came out. However I bought the game anew 2-3 years ago and didn't need to do it.

Originally posted by paterah

Have to agree with the OP here. As someone who doesn't have access to online payment I now have to fork over an additional $30 to continue playing. You don't need to do this in WoW so don't tell me it's the standard by any stretch.

Another person confusing WOW's trial system with systems in place for most launches. This is nothing new in MMO games, I had to do this in DAOC, SWG, WOW,  EQ2, VG:SOH, FE, AOC, so on and so forth.

Says right on the box valid CC required to play.

On the legal side I can explain, because it's very simple.

BioWare have drafted a contract which says you have to have an active subscription to be eligible to play on their servers. With an active subscription you get a free month, after which you start to pay a fee according to your subscription plan (monthly, 3 months or whatever).

If you don't agree to those terms, you can't play. You have no legal rights to claim you should get the 30 days free without subscribing  because you bought the game and so accepted those terms (I believe it says on the front or back of the box or in the online purchase agreement that the free 30 days is subject to having an active subscription).

Originally posted by korent1991

Originally posted by someforumguy

Originally posted by Jimmac

Just to be clear, you get the first 30 days for free, right? Like you paid the 60 bucks, you get 30 days free with that, and if you want, you can cancel before the 30 days are up and never once have to pay 15 dollars in subscription fees. Is all of this correct? If so then this is a pretty small problem - just cancel your subscription before the 30 days are up. Problem solved.

No you dont get your first 30 days for free. The only reason they can claim that is because nowhere is mentioned what you actually paid for. (They mainly state what you didnt pay for, like apparently those 30 days)

What you do know is that you can't get those 'free' 30 days without paying (yeah I know, right? sounds so weird) and you can't use them without entering payment details. Even if it means you have to add a GTC key because that is the only payment option available to you for whatever reason.

Nowadays the meaning of the word 'free' is just as clear as the meaning of the word 'sandbox'.

YES, you get first 30 days FOR FREE! The only thing is you have to enter your CC information or buy the game time to get them. But if you enter CC information you don't pay a single penny untill this 30 days are gone. I don't know why this is such a big issue since almost every MMORPG uses this system (which aren't F2P or just garbage P2P). WOW used this system when it launched (and used it till TBC). Why are you all suddenly QQing about this ?

It can only be called free if you can get them seperate from the product or service that you pay for. If you can't get it seperate its just a marketing trick. Not uncommon marketing, I know, but that doesnt mean it is free. The reason they can claim it is free, is because they dont specify exactly what you actually do pay for.

And what you don't get is that those payment details are not even needed at this point. And in the case that if someone intended to use a GTC as payment option, he/she needs to pay extra to access those so called free days.

Im not QQing about this, I didnt even purchase the game (yet) actually , but the OP just made me realise that this common practice is ridiculous to be so accepted. I know you all want to play the game really bad, but that is still no reason to stop being critical about payment options for a game.  For me its not just specifically about SWTOR, but the way several of the MMO companies treat their customers. Its a business transaction after all and therefor ok to be critical about.

Originally posted by nixx1972

Really?  wow...welcome to the wonderfull world of being an adult.  Everygame since eq with a monthly subscription has required either a game card of cc for setting up initial account info.  Either you have just reached the age where the parents are no longer willing to pay for your subs each month or you really have no clue what the hell your talking about.   Go back to the parents baement and play pokemon or something....leave the billing questions to the adults

 

Even further.. CC was required for UO (96ish).  Took a heck of a lot to convince my mother that I'd do chores for playtime.

Originally posted by someforumguy

 

 I didnt even purchase the game (yet) actually , but the OP just made me realise that this common practice is ridiculous to be so accepted. I know you all want to play the game really bad, but that is still no reason to stop being critical about payment options for a game.  For me its not just specifically about SWTOR, but the way several of the MMO companies treat their customers. Its a business transaction after all and therefor ok to be critical about.

Common practices are usually accepted as common, which is all anyone is saying here. Aside from the flames and insults of course.

Ya know, I was gonna skip but I gotta chime in on this because I had a slight issue with my billing information this morning which prevented me from actually being able to enter any information in.. They locked me out.. I was assured that with the purchase of the box that i was to recieve 30 free days am I correct?

They keep tweeting that you will not be billed until the 30 free days are up, yet you are forced to enter billing info before then and that you are locked out of your 30 free days until you do so..

I didn't find that fair, but I have rectified my issue with my billing so now I am allowed to play.. But I feel totally sorry for someone who bought the game not expecting to have to enter this information and running into a billing isue as I did but cannot correct it..

You are then forced to lose all of your "free" play time, even though you are locked out, until you can find a way to solve your issues..

The BOX garunteed you 30 free days.. Don't give me any of this "UP TO" grabage as it was in Early release.. They should not have locked people out for no billing info.. I could understand the product code to redeem your 30 days, but the billing should not have been neccessary until the cycle was over..

Originally posted by Azzkicka

What bothers me is I have 30 days of game time on my account....

Why am i forced to sign up for a sub today when i dont need it?  Maybe i'll be bored with the game in 30 days and wont want to play it anymore and then i'll just have to cancel this sub.

But the main thing that gets me is the fucking wait time.... Ive been sitting on the site now for near 45 mins in the "waiting room" so i can put my sub informatin in on an account that has 30 days of game time available in it so i can use my vacation i took to play the game....

Instead im wasting it writing this forum post and sitting in the waiting room on the swtor website.

There is no reason I should be forced to have an active subscription today if i still have gametime on my account.

If you didn't want to have to deal with the rush of everyone subbing today, you had the 20th and 21st to do it. If you didn't get your game until today, I can understand that but don't be upset at Bioware because you got your copy late. 

(To the OP) Also, if you hate the game so friggin' much, it's better for everyone if you don't play. 

Seriously, the UI? People consider THAT a major issue?

If you hate the game, please DO NOT PLAY.

Welcome to mmo's cant think of one that didnt require cc info to start it or a time code.

Originally posted by Vyeth

 

The BOX garunteed you 30 free days.. Don't give me any of this "UP TO" grabage as it was in Early release.. They should not have locked people out for no billing info.. I could understand the product code to redeem your 30 days, but the billing should not have been neccessary until the cycle was over..

My understanding here is that they suspended billing info requirements for two days(grace period) due to possible shipping delays. After which the system would run as normal, CC info required to set up a subscription plan.

I just find it odd, that after about 10 years of seeing this practice this is the first time I've seen so many widespread complaints about it.

You are being asked for that information because you actually get the free 30 days if you sub.

Simple?

Whats hard about grasping that..

Originally posted by Distopia

Originally posted by someforumguy

 

 I didnt even purchase the game (yet) actually , but the OP just made me realise that this common practice is ridiculous to be so accepted. I know you all want to play the game really bad, but that is still no reason to stop being critical about payment options for a game.  For me its not just specifically about SWTOR, but the way several of the MMO companies treat their customers. Its a business transaction after all and therefor ok to be critical about.

Common practices are usually accepted as common, which is all anyone is saying here. Aside from the flames and insults of course.

They use it as reason why the OP shouldnt complain about it. The reason why this thread shouldnt even excist.

If a pracfice is accepted as common, it says nothing about that practice being right or wrong, friendly or unfriendly, or any opinion about that practice. Crime is also common and accepted for being common practice. But that is not the same as saying that crime is accepted.

This is getting silly.

Whats next? All the MMO companies chose this practice so it is a result of a democratic process? :p

Originally posted by Paithan

hold on .. you are angry you have to put in a subscription plan (that wont be billed till the end of your free month) like we have been doing for every single mmo in the last what? 12-15 years?

Nope. Rift did not do this. I bought a copy, played my 30 days and never gave them my credit card details nor choose a subscription plan.

Originally posted by Yamota

Originally posted by Paithan

hold on .. you are angry you have to put in a subscription plan (that wont be billed till the end of your free month) like we have been doing for every single mmo in the last what? 12-15 years?

Nope. Rift did not do this. I bought a copy, played my 30 days and never gave them my credit card details nor choose a subscription plan.

If memory serves me correct: BUMP..

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Originally posted by someforumguy

A retail key for a MMO that grants 30 days for free is technically the same as a GTC.

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They are not the same as I was pointing out.

If they were the same, you could activate your game with GTC and pay only subscription fee, without actually purchasing the game.

So no, they both do something different thus they are processed differently.

Before you start telling people to 'get it through your head', you better listen to what they say and make sure you understand it. If not, feel free to ask what isn't clear to you. Ranting will achieve nothing.

How the process work:

1) In order to setup an account, you have to enter retail key.

2) Account is setup. In order to access the service, your account has to be active subscriber status.

3) In order to gain active subscriber status, you need to setup a payment method.

If your account is already active, then 4)
If your account is inactive or the account is activated the first time, appropriate expiration time is assigned to your account.

4) You are billed/turned inactive once your active account status is expired.

Due nature of GTC, the GTC are processed immediately.

Steps 2-4 are the same for new or regular customer and why they both follow same process. There is no need to make it more complicated. It is simple, easy and reasonable.

Is it difficult to understand? Not comprehensive enough? Maybe, but seems like good deal of people understand the process just fine.

Hope it helped.

Originally posted by someforumguy

They use it as reason why the OP shouldnt complain about it. The reason why this thread shouldnt even excist.

If a pracfice is accepted as common, it says nothing about that practice being right or wrong, friendly or unfriendly, or any opinion about that practice. Crime is also common and accepted for being common practice. But that is not the same as saying that crime is accepted.

This is getting silly.

Whats next? All the MMO companies chose this practice so it is a result of a democratic process? :p

It's inconveinent I agree with any who feel that way. I wouldn't call it criminal. I've always looked at it as a commitment to pay. Only now in the last few years has it become common for companies to offer trials with no commitment to pay later, last I checked DAOC was still like that. Eve was for a long time as well.

Might be why many always bold the No CC required part of their adds, as it was common for a long, long time, and a lot of people expect to have to enter it.

Originally posted by Yamota

Originally posted by Paithan

hold on .. you are angry you have to put in a subscription plan (that wont be billed till the end of your free month) like we have been doing for every single mmo in the last what? 12-15 years?

Nope. Rift did not do this. I bought a copy, played my 30 days and never gave them my credit card details nor choose a subscription plan.

Maybe so I didn't play Rift aside from Open Beta. Still for lack of a better expression, an exception to the rule does not change the general rule.