Walmart PreOrders

[ThorienM]

When you preorder for a product you enter into a contract with several parties. In this case expectations were set and contract performance were agreed to by BIOWARE and Walmart.

 

One expects to receieve a pre ordered product on its delivery date, especially if the parties have five months to figure out how to make that happen. (Not that complicated really.)

 

Did Walmart oversell? I dunno. I have a CE preorder EGA code and BIOWARE knows I ordered A CE. Would it kill them to ask me if I'm going to keep playing? LOL this is incredibly stupid stuff.

 

I could wait for the physical package if I wasn't going to get locked out until it shows up. If I get locked out, I will EBay the game packages if they ever show up, because at that point BIOWARE is communicating very effectively just what they think of me as a customer.

 

The lack of an update on this issue is also telling.

[MikeMonger]

And if I was EA and they chose to mess with me, I would pull ALL EA games from them.

And you would lose hundreds of millions in revenue, and WalMart would barely notice.

[trmptrnick]

The lack of an update on this issue is also telling.

 

it must be lunch break time in Austin right now, Forums and Twitter have been dead for awhile.

[ThorienM]

Look, we're not whining about Early Access. In fact, no one in this thread is really whining about anything. We're frustrated and tired of dealing with something that should never have been our problem.

 

It's not a matter of we shouldn't have done x, y, or z. We were told that

• a) there would be a grace period
  
• b) you could pre order the CE online and
  
• c) BioWare recommends these companies.
  

How in any logical form does that make WalMart messing things up and thinking they're required to hold something when they're not, a glitch in their system, and BioWare taking no stance to help the situation our fault?

 

 

You are correct on all counts. This just doesn't make much sense.

[Skyrant]

And if I was EA and they chose to mess with me, I would pull ALL EA games from them.

 

EA does not care about physical product. They removed the grace period so people would cancel their pre-orders and buy the digital version on the Origin store.

 

1. They want to push their Origin platform and make people buy there. (although it's crap and a beta)

2. They want desperate CE pre-orders to also buy a digital copy to have uninterrupted service (yes there are plenty SW nut cases that will do it)

3. They hate physical copies because they hate the second hand games market.

4. They want full control over their games. You say something bad on the forums, bang, account and games gone.

 

This has nothing to do with BioWare and i feel bad for them.

[CKNairb]

And you would lose hundreds of millions in revenue, and WalMart would barely notice.

 

With the placement Walmart does for EA's sports games, unlikely. EA will sell the games regardless. It will be Walmart that will miss out on the crap they try to get you to buy when you pick up the new football version ( is it madden, I don't pay attention to sports )

[Shamira]

I preordered on nov 15th, i bought a walmart ccard just earlier that day.

 

after about 2 weeks, i never received my permanent ccard. i called them that i never received it, so they froze my card and sent me another one.

 

i still didnt receive it, 2 more weeks passed. I then received a email that walmart couldnt charge my card for the swtor order and i had 3 days to resolve the issue.

 

i called and ordered my now 3rd ccard from walmart, but knew i couldnt get it in time. My cousin offered to pay for it and i could pay him back later. When i called them the next day, my swtor order was cancelled and i should have had 2 more days to resolve it. My CE i had been waiting for is totally gone and no chance to ever get it again.

 

Thanks to my cousin i did get the deluxe from Origin, but i will never order from walmart again.

Edited December 14, 2011 by Shamira

[MikeMonger]

Just ignore him. He has no useful or intelligent input. He is not a walmart pre order, he is a troll.

 

Um, just so you know, not saying the things you want to hear doesn't make another person a troll.

 

I've not insulted anybody. I've not belittled your opinion. I've simpy provided alternatives and had exchanges on related posts in this thread.

 

If that makes you feel bad, then put me on ignore. But don't accuse me of being a troll, when you're just being extremely oversensative.

[MikeMonger]

With the placement Walmart does for EA's sports games, unlikely. EA will sell the games regardless. It will be Walmart that will miss out on the crap they try to get you to buy when you pick up the new football version ( is it madden, I don't pay attention to sports )

 

Walmart isn't paying for that placement. EA is. My company does the same thing when we send stuff to Walmart that we want to move fast.

[trmptrnick]

As long as he keeps posting and bumping this thread up I don't really care what he says anymore. Maybe someone will finally look at this and we get some real answers.

[MikeMonger]

As long as he keeps posting and bumping this thread up I don't really care what he says anymore. Maybe someone will finally look at this and we get some real answers.

 

So in other words, you'll simply ignore someone simply because they're not saying exactly what you want to hear, even if they're not insulting or deriding you, but simply being calm and rational.

 

*sigh*

 

I really had forgotten the maturity level of your average MMO forum poster.

 

Sorry for trying to provide you with options.

[Maxlord]

And if I was EA and they chose to mess with me, I would pull ALL EA games from them.

 

Again, Walmart is the largest Retailer. EA would be shooting their self in the foot, and they know it.

 

It's not a good situation, but it is what it is. Rock and a hard place comes to mind.

[Ruei]

I really had forgotten the maturity level of your average MMO forum poster.

 

Sorry for trying to provide you with options.

 

Okay everyone there's no reason to get at each other's throats~!

 

Mike, thank you for attempting to give us some options as that is what I asked for in the OP. The only thing with these options is that they don't actually provide a solution to our problem, but rather ways of no longer dealing with it/having the problem and that is why people are frustrated with them. A lot of other players seem to think all of this is somehow our fault for various reasons and so the suggestions that we just drop it and not get what we were promised (and paid for) often times seems to come from the same place and is therefore somewhat reviled.

 

Again, I don't think you're a troll, but I think we all need to take a step back and realize that demeaning/insulting each other over something none of us did wrong is not going to help the situation.

 

We realize we're caught between a rock and hard place. WalMart associates we have contact with don't know crap and BioWare only has so much control, with EA ultimately in charge of this. We get that. That doesn't make being bent over and told to take it any more enjoyable. And, as I said previously, some of us (probably a lot of us) don't have the extra money to go out and make extra orders while our money is still being held in limbo by WalMart because, no, they will not cancel the orders at this point in time. So going elsewhere... really isn't an option for us.

 

We realize that in all likelihood we will have to wait.

 

That doesn't mean it's a fair solution, nor one we somehow 'deserve' for 'daring to order from the vile WalMart'. Come on guys, we've been civil about this pretty far beyond the point necessary.

[trmptrnick]

So in other words, you'll simply ignore someone simply because they're not saying exactly what you want to hear, even if they're not insulting or deriding you, but simply being calm and rational.

 

*sigh*

 

I really had forgotten the maturity level of your average MMO forum poster.

 

Sorry for trying to provide you with options.

 

So I am immature for wanting my game the day everyone else will get theirs?

 

Your options are merely a bandaid to the issue at hand. I never said they were insulting, I just don't agree that those are necessary when this affects thousands of people in the same situation.

[trmptrnick]

Okay everyone there's no reason to get at each other's throats~!

 

Mike, thank you for attempting to give us some options as that is what I asked for in the OP. The only thing with these options is that they don't actually provide a solution to our problem, but rather ways of no longer dealing with it/having the problem and that is why people are frustrated with them. A lot of other players seem to think all of this is somehow our fault for various reasons and so the suggestions that we just drop it and not get what we were promised (and paid for) often times seems to come from the same place and is therefore somewhat reviled.

 

Again, I don't think you're a troll, but I think we all need to take a step back and realize that demeaning/insulting each other over something none of us did wrong is not going to help the situation.

 

We realize we're caught between a rock and hard place. WalMart associates we have contact with don't know crap and BioWare only has so much control, with EA ultimately in charge of this. We get that. That doesn't make being bent over and told to take it any more enjoyable. And, as I said previously, some of us (probably a lot of us) don't have the extra money to go out and make extra orders while our money is still being held in limbo by WalMart because, no, they will not cancel the orders at this point in time. So going elsewhere... really isn't an option for us.

 

We realize that in all likelihood we will have to wait.

 

That doesn't mean it's a fair solution, nor one we somehow 'deserve' for 'daring to order from the vile WalMart'. Come on guys, we've been civil about this pretty far beyond the point necessary.

 

Well written.

[LiquidElectron]

Personally,

 

1) I want the physical stuff in the box. I happen to have quite a few Star Wars statues. This is a huge selling point for me.

 

2) Totally cash strapped this summer and most of fall. When I had the extra $150 Walmart was the only place left.

 

3) I don't give a woot about EGA whatsoever. In fact, I'm more than happy waiting until the launch frenzy dies down. I can even wait until January, that's fine with me.

 

4) What I'm unhappy about is that I don't know if I'll even get the CE at all anymore. That's all I really want to know, and over the last two weeks, they haven't been able to convince me I will.

 

That's what my personal gripe is, am I actually going to get the box or not. I don't care if it's the 20th or the 23rd or the 29th. I am not certain of anything right now and at this point I should be certain.

[MikeMonger]

So I am immature for wanting my game the day everyone else will get theirs?

 

Your options are merely a bandaid to the issue at hand. I never said they were insulting, I just don't agree that those are necessary when this affects thousands of people in the same situation.

 

No, you're not immature for wanting what you ordered when you expected it.

 

You're immature because that's more than likely not happening, and when people give you decent options so that you can still get in and at least play the game without interruption, you stick your fingers in your ears and chant "la la la I'm not listening I'm not listening".

 

Kind of like my 4 year old godson does. But even he's just kidding when he does it. You're not.

[ThorienM]

Well said Reui. It would be a good idea for Biware to provide us with the status of their discussions with Walmart or even if there are any. Just hearing that they are trying to fix this would be encouraging. Silence, on the otherhand, also communicates.

 

Even if Walmart IS being uncooperative, there are things that Bioware can do, to mitigate the problem. I'd be willing to set up my sub on Monday and let me ping my account for three months just to show I'm a real CE customer, for example. Then they could allow me to play. They know from my preorder key I bought a CE, so I just don't understand why they are willing to lock me out.

 

There is no principle to this thing. There is good business sense on the one hand and total stupidity on the other. Is the possibilityof some jerks getting free play time worth losing my business?

[trmptrnick]

No, you're not immature for wanting what you ordered when you expected it.

 

You're immature because that's more than likely not happening, and when people give you decent options so that you can still get in and at least play the game without interruption, you stick your fingers in your ears and chant "la la la I'm not listening I'm not listening".

 

Kind of like my 4 year old godson does. But even he's just kidding when he does it. You're not.

 

I should not have to use a workaround to get something other people can get by doing nothing.

[IlexGlabra]

I just spoke with Walmart.com customer service on the phone. I was informed that:

 

(1) My CE will be shipped on 12/20.

(2) My PayPal will be charged after the item ships.

(3) She has no clue how they will charge my PayPal account a second time.

(4) There is no way to change my payment from PayPal to a Credit Card.

 

Given the usual mail delays around the holidays, I'm guessing that it will be a week or two after the 20th before I can actually start to play again.

 

And still...I have not seen an explanation as to why Bioware is not offering a grace period. I just don't understand.

[ThorienM]

No, you're not immature for wanting what you ordered when you expected it.

 

You're immature because that's more than likely not happening, and when people give you decent options so that you can still get in and at least play the game without interruption, you stick your fingers in your ears and chant "la la la I'm not listening I'm not listening".

 

Kind of like my 4 year old godson does. But even he's just kidding when he does it. You're not.

 

Mike, some of us can't do those things. I put my money into the hard copy packages xpecting them to show up on time. Never had this kind of problem before.

[MikeMonger]

Okay everyone there's no reason to get at each other's throats~!

 

Mike, thank you for attempting to give us some options as that is what I asked for in the OP. The only thing with these options is that they don't actually provide a solution to our problem, but rather ways of no longer dealing with it/having the problem and that is why people are frustrated with them. A lot of other players seem to think all of this is somehow our fault for various reasons and so the suggestions that we just drop it and not get what we were promised (and paid for) often times seems to come from the same place and is therefore somewhat reviled.

 

Again, I don't think you're a troll, but I think we all need to take a step back and realize that demeaning/insulting each other over something none of us did wrong is not going to help the situation.

 

We realize we're caught between a rock and hard place. WalMart associates we have contact with don't know crap and BioWare only has so much control, with EA ultimately in charge of this. We get that. That doesn't make being bent over and told to take it any more enjoyable. And, as I said previously, some of us (probably a lot of us) don't have the extra money to go out and make extra orders while our money is still being held in limbo by WalMart because, no, they will not cancel the orders at this point in time. So going elsewhere... really isn't an option for us.

 

We realize that in all likelihood we will have to wait.

 

That doesn't mean it's a fair solution, nor one we somehow 'deserve' for 'daring to order from the vile WalMart'. Come on guys, we've been civil about this pretty far beyond the point necessary.

 

#1. I've NEVER said it was YOUR fault. Why? Because the same thing has happned to me, in other MMO's. Which is why I just sitck with the digital editions now.

 

#2. The reality is, Walmart isn't going to send you your stuff on time. There's no real "solution" to that. Which means its time to make a decision...what's more important...playing on time, or getting the extras.

 

#3. I never said the experience didn't suck. I know it does. But again, there are ways to MINIMIZE the suckiness, and plugging your fingers in your ears chanting "la la la" when someone provides you with valid alternatives ISN'T one of those ways.

 

#4. No, you don't HAVE to wait. You have alternatives. You CHOOSE to wait. Which is all I've been saying the whole time. You have the power, because you're the one paying.

[cehoffman]

I am in the same situation. My current plan is

 

 

1. keep the discussion ongoing in this thread to maintain forum visibility
   
2. keep asking SR on twitter for an update
   
3. if nothing is fixed by the 20th, try and find a copy at a brick & mortar
   
4. if all that fails, I probably will just give up playing and return the CE when it arrives
   

 

 

I really would like play, but if the business I'm supporting can't take the effort to keep me updated on an issue they created I don't feel a strong desire to keep supporting them.

[ThorienM]

I just spoke with Walmart.com customer service on the phone. I was informed that:

 

(1) My CE will be shipped on 12/20.

(2) My PayPal will be charged after the item ships.

(3) She has no clue how they will charge my PayPal account a second time.

(4) There is no way to change my payment from PayPal to a Credit Card.

 

Given the usual mail delays around the holidays, I'm guessing that it will be a week or two after the 20th before I can actually start to play again.

 

And still...I have not seen an explanation as to why Bioware is not offering a grace period. I just don't understand.

 

This matches what the Walmart CSR told my wife the other day. There is also no way to cancel your order.

[MikeMonger]

I should not have to use a workaround to get something other people can get by doing nothing.

 

No, you shouldn't. But circumstances dictate that you're going to have to.

 

To someone like you, that statement makes the speaker a "troll".

 

But to me, that's simply accepting reality.