Refer a friend ever going to be fixed?

[LegoUniverseBC]

It feels cheap that people can pretty much make free CCs and get 7 days for this.

[Jrr_hypernova]

so because you don't like it it should be fixed even if the rewards from it are intended by bioware?

[LegoUniverseBC]

so because you don't like it it should be fixed even if the rewards from it are intended by bioware?

 

Yes, because it is intended to create free CCs.

[jedip_enguin]

Yes, because it is intended to create free CCs.

 

But I like my free CC's.

[Jrr_hypernova]

so because bioware thinks giving people a few coins is worth less than getting more players you somehow think there wrong and your right about whos getting the better deal even though they have training in this kind of stuff and your just mad some people got a few coins?

[Essence_of_Light]

Come to the dark side! We have referral links!

[LyraineAlei]

It feels cheap that people can pretty much make free CCs and get 7 days for this.

 

... Isn't that the point? "Here, for referring a friend to try our game, have some stuff and keep telling more friends about us!"

 

And "Oh, your friend recommended this game? Here, try out the full game for a week and this stuff, so even if you don't buy the subscription, you still have some cool stuff to help you enjoy this game even more!"

 

Yes. That is a terrible marketing plan. Terrible. </sarcasm>

 

Even if us subscribers get referred, that is a free week we don't have to concern ourselves over a subscription. Because not all of us use credit card payments. I use time cards eery two months.

[Jeweledleah]

what exactly needs fixing here?

 

you get confirmation window when clicking on referral link. no free cc unless person you referred subscribes. and this part I'm not 100% sure on, but you can either get those seven days once every 90 days, or only once per account.

[OddballEasyEight]

It feels cheap that people can pretty much make free CCs and get 7 days for this.

 

What's the part that's broken?

 

The reward for referring a friend is free CC, but you only get that if they actually sign up for a subscritption (and you get 100 per month they stay subscribed).

They get 7 days free trial to try the game.

 

AND, you can only use one referral link. You can't keep using them with the same account.

 

So what is it that needs fixing again?

 

Oh, and just to further annoy you, I get a couple of thousand CC each month due to friend referrals that signed up to the game and are now subscribers.

Edited September 6, 2014 by OddballEasyEight

[branmakmuffin]

Oh, and just to further annoy you, I get a couple of thousand CC each month due to friend referrals that signed up to the game and are now subscribers.

A few thousand? Pic or did not happen.

[OddballEasyEight]

A few thousand? Pic or did not happen.

 

*ugh* fine... but it's hard to show an entire months worth of cartel transactions since the window is pretty small.

I'll show a section, and that should convince you.

 

http://i61.tinypic.com/243j1w2.jpg

 

Happy?

And that's not the entire month's worth either since you get paid on the date they joined, and new ones are joining from time to time (and old ones leaving I suppose)

 

Of course, I have a youtube channel and I've gotten quite a few referrals from my link posted there. Presumably by people who liked the videos and wanted to play the game.

 

EDIT: There's 3400 cc in friend referrals there if I counted it correctly. The sum varies since the first time someone signs up for subscription after using your referral link you get 600cc, but after that you "only" get 100cc, so if many people are signing up one month, I'll get substantially more than if nobody subs up and I only get the cc from recurring subs.

Edited September 6, 2014 by OddballEasyEight

[LegoUniverseBC]

What's the part that's broken?

 

Oh, and just to further annoy you, I get a couple of thousand CC each month due to friend referrals that signed up to the game and are now subscribers.

It doesn't annoy me but how does Bioware make ANY profit if you can make coins? I mean you can just get a ton of subs you click the links and constantly get 500 coins.

Edited September 6, 2014 by LegoUniverseBC

[Nickious]

It doesn't annoy me but how does Bioware make ANY profit if you can make coins? I mean you can just get a ton of subs you click the links and constantly get 500 coins.

 

I'm sure if they weren't making money off of it some how, they wouldn't be offering it out in the first place. This is EA we are talking about after all.

[LyraineAlei]

It doesn't annoy me but how does Bioware make ANY profit if you can make coins? I mean you can just get a ton of subs you click the links and constantly get 500 coins.

 

500 cartel market coins are about $5 USD.

A 60-day time card costs $30 USD before taxes.

Standard subscription is about, what, $12-15 USD a month.

You get the coins as long as you refer someone, and as long as that someone subscribes. So, considering the price of a subscription, the coins you get is like a monthly finder's fee, and chump change to EA.

 

They are making a profit, after giving us the incentives.

[Callaron]

It doesn't annoy me but how does Bioware make ANY profit if you can make coins? I mean you can just get a ton of subs you click the links and constantly get 500 coins.

 

There's only so many subs to go around. Remember that once they've clicked a link, they can never click another one.

And Bioware is clever enough to siphon those CCs away from us again pretty quickly. Okay, from me at least, since I like my shinies.

[Kourage]

Thought you meant fixing the link exploit

[Tatile]

Thought you meant fixing the link exploit

 

I thought he meant back when it actually was broken and people weren't getting the rewards and account linkage.

 

From what Oddball's pointed out, Bioware are probably getting a decent amount from the sub payments, and are probably hoping that the referees are also buying coins, and not just hoarding their free ones. I'm a terrible hoarder myself, and don't pay more than my sub.

 

But I still dropped a bunch on decorations ._.

[MaximusRex]

It feels cheap that people can pretty much make free CCs and get 7 days for this.

 

I'm sorry that no one likes you so that you can't get CC as payment for referring people to subscribe to the game. This, however, does not mean that there is anything wrong with the Referal program that needs to be "fixed".

[OddballEasyEight]

It doesn't annoy me but how does Bioware make ANY profit if you can make coins? I mean you can just get a ton of subs you click the links and constantly get 500 coins.

 

Well let's see.

 

I get 600cc for someone signing up for subscription.

That means they've paid at least a one month sub. Now, the cost of a one month sub is almost enough to buy 2500CC.

But I get 600.

So they're making money none the less.

 

And for recurring subs (ie. people who stay subbed) I get 100cc per month. That's still about the same cost as 2500CC, and I'm only getting 100CC.

 

Now, I can't abuse the system by making my own subs (well I could, but that would cost me more than just buying CC straignt up) and nobody can click my link more than once, so I only ever get one set of revenue per referred sub.

 

So BW are still making a ton of money off my referral subs.

 

Now, as to whether or not I'd have bought those CC if I didn't get them for free, well I've currently been unemployed without income for the last 4 months, so no, I would not have bought those CC (in other words, BW aren't losing out on any cash from me either).

I'm just paying my subscription and using the free CC to buy unlocks and the occational cartel pack.

 

EDIT: Just adding that if someone clicks my link, uses their 7 day trial and then decides NOT to subscribe, I get absolutely nothing.

It's not a money printer that spews out money every time someone clicks on it, like you seem to think. They have to actually sign up for a subscription and pay before I get anything.

Edited September 7, 2014 by OddballEasyEight

[eartharioch]

I don't think he's talking about about legitimate referrals. If you read the forums or general chat regularly, you should have seen numerous people offering in-game-credits for *currently active subs who have not ever been referred by anybody" to click on the referral link. Per the official Refer-a-friend rules (http://www.swtor.com/info/friends), this offer is to:

o Refer friends who have never had a SWTOR account.

o Invite previous Subscribers who have been unsubscribed for 90 days or more

 

I.e., current subs shouldn't be able to be "referred" by somebody.

 

I would have no clue why the OP would object to legitimate referrals, but I can definitely understand why people would be unhappy if they thought that a bunch of cheaters were getting tons of CC and thus being able to buy all sorts of CM stuff (which they can easily convert into credits and buy whatever top gear they want, tourist seats on NM raids for titles and exclusive drops, etc.).

[OddballEasyEight]

I don't think he's talking about about legitimate referrals. If you read the forums or general chat regularly, you should have seen numerous people offering in-game-credits for *currently active subs who have not ever been referred by anybody" to click on the referral link. Per the official Refer-a-friend rules (http://www.swtor.com/info/friends), this offer is to:

o Refer friends who have never had a SWTOR account.

o Invite previous Subscribers who have been unsubscribed for 90 days or more

 

I.e., current subs shouldn't be able to be "referred" by somebody.

 

I would have no clue why the OP would object to legitimate referrals, but I can definitely understand why people would be unhappy if they thought that a bunch of cheaters were getting tons of CC and thus being able to buy all sorts of CM stuff (which they can easily convert into credits and buy whatever top gear they want, tourist seats on NM raids for titles and exclusive drops, etc.).

 

I don't think it's possible for a current subscriber to use the referral link anyway.

 

And the old "exploit" with tricking people into clicking on the referral link has thankfully been stopped with the implementation of a confirmation box.

[LegoUniverseBC]

I don't think it's possible for a current subscriber to use the referral link anyway.

 

And the old "exploit" with tricking people into clicking on the referral link has thankfully been stopped with the implementation of a confirmation box.

 

It is possible, that's how people are exploiting cartel coins.

[Halinalle]

so because you don't like it it should be fixed even if the rewards from it are intended by bioware?

 

If it is used as intended.

 

But it's not:

"[your character name], r u sub?"

"Yes."

"Can you click my link?"

 

"[your character name], r u sub?"

"No. Why you ask?"

"Nothing. Just curious."

[OddballEasyEight]

It is possible, that's how people are exploiting cartel coins.

 

Well it would only be exploiting if someone was doing it on purpose.

And both parties would have to be in on it.

Since you get stuff that is mostly useless as a sub, there's really no point in clicking on the link.

 

Besides, it would only be possible to do once per person, so you'd have to go looking for a large number of people to get any real benefit.

 

It's not like it's a printing-press for cartel coins like some of you seem to think.

Edited September 7, 2014 by OddballEasyEight

[eartharioch]

Well it would only be exploiting if someone was doing it on purpose.

And both parties would have to be in on it.

Since you get stuff that is mostly useless as a sub, there's really no point in clicking on the link.

 

Besides, it would only be possible to do once per person, so you'd have to go looking for a large number of people to get any real benefit.

 

It's not like it's a printing-press for cartel coins like some of you seem to think.

 

1) People really are doing on purpose -- hence the /general (and these forums) spamming of offers to give active subs credits for clicking the link...and the person making the offer species "must be sub" and "cannot have already done this for your account".

 

2) The solution isn't to discontinue the Refer A Friend program, it's to run a database query and find out which "referred people" were active subs on (or within 90 days) of being "referred" and simply remove them from the program -- i.e., stop paying "referers" for them.

 

3) For new referrals, actually check to make sure the person being referred qualifies.