pennmom
Bear
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[TI0] IT'S FIVE O'CLOCK AND ALL'S WELL
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Post by pennmom on Aug 28, 2022 21:56:01 GMT
jimanddelora, I'm willing to stand with you...and it just so happens my youngest son is a Penn Law School (hence the name Penn mom) graduate and a very successful Corporate Law attorney. I'm trying not to get him involved yet, I want to see what answers I get from my BBB complaint, they can't really force a company to do something but they do have secondary avenues and assistance There are literally thousands of BBB complaints (before this website disaster) with people complaining of no CS responses and they have like a 1 star rating for CS...so isn't that statement they proudly displayed recently about having the best CS, a false claim? In my opinion, they need to compensate us for this, it cannot be legal to have an ongoing issue preventing us from buying & downloading previously purchased games??? It has been a month, we should have the same benefits and hassle-free options those w/o the 1404 glitch have, it's not up to us to become computer wizzes so we can figure out their gaming issues!
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joybelle
Rabbit
Park Ranger
Posts: 1,688
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Post by joybelle on Aug 29, 2022 5:45:06 GMT
I agree pennmom ,...I am sure it is actually illegal to not refund if you have lost your games. But then apparently playstation did that to thousands too a short while back with their new machines that did not play old games? What happened with that..anyone know?? **this is a little different though..they don't have another GM that you can buy that works for even new games. My system..I am guilty to say..is working fine? I never had a 1404. But now new folks are starting to get them..and they said they had fixed that?? moni..did clearing your cache work? Or re-downloading the GM again anyone?? The only difference for me is that the exchange rate prices have gone up heaps..and you get zero points back if you pay in points...what a rip off that is!!
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Post by cyril50 on Aug 29, 2022 11:08:02 GMT
Seems it's not just BF, my games manager has just crashed on iwin and I can't access any of my games Having said that I can access them from their website but not via the game manager. I have contacted them and it will be interesting to see how quick iwin respond.
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Post by cyril50 on Aug 29, 2022 18:30:46 GMT
joybelle , pennmom , Well what a difference with iwin CS as to BF. I woke up this morning to find several emails apologising and giving me full instructions on what to do. I now have all my games back and I am happy. All within 6 hours of contacting Customer Services.
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Post by metmichallica on Aug 31, 2022 8:01:52 GMT
I canceled Bigfish and Gamehouse. I read a post on the other board by a developer that he gives Bigfish a few more years till their gone for good and with that they take our games. He included Gamehouse and Bigfish in that. Plus I think Iwin too.
My brother asked me why I canceled. The more games he buys the more games they are going to take with them. I don't like throwing money out the window.
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pennmom
Bear
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[TI0] IT'S FIVE O'CLOCK AND ALL'S WELL
Posts: 16,570
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Post by pennmom on Aug 31, 2022 11:42:50 GMT
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Post by lurkercat on Aug 31, 2022 14:57:16 GMT
Well, hate to skew the statistics (Or to say anything good about BFG after this disastrous update!), but I actually got a (completely satisfactory) answer in just 6 days. Asked for my never-expiring coupons to be converted to points & they just credited all the points to my account. Of course I had deliberately waited for some of the hoopla to die down before even bothering to submit my request, but still surprised to get an answer so quickly. Wondering if they are working some overtime at BFG since my response letter was time-stamped at 3:30am(!) this morning their time. And of course my request was FAR simpler than any of those asking for actual fixes to all the things they broke. It is good to hear at least some small things are apparently getting fixed, though they continue to ignore the problems of their longest and biggest customers like the 1404 gang.
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pennmom
Bear
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[TI0] IT'S FIVE O'CLOCK AND ALL'S WELL
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Post by pennmom on Aug 31, 2022 15:15:53 GMT
lurkercat, well their plan is working, we're impressed with a 6 day response Rolling Along Rolling Along Rolling Along
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pennmom
Bear
Chief Ranger
[TI0] IT'S FIVE O'CLOCK AND ALL'S WELL
Posts: 16,570
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Post by pennmom on Aug 31, 2022 17:30:49 GMT
BF updated the Help Page yesterday with this lovely gem...how do I refresh it if it logs me out when I click on PH?
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Post by metmichallica on Sept 1, 2022 0:22:19 GMT
This is his post
ninesquirrels Sea Serpent *
ninesquirrels Avatar 0
Money: $2,275.00 Posts: 16Male Recent Posts Recent Threads
Re: Changes at BFG Aug 9, 2022 at 10:15am lilyr, kasie, and 3 more like this Add Reaction Reply Quote like Post Options Post by ninesquirrels on Aug 9, 2022 at 10:15am ...Anyway, this is BFG's main source of income, so the fact that some transactions cannot be completed is a complication for them.
~ the6, Aug 4, 2022 at 12:13pm Actually this is the core of the problem. PC games are a side business for BFG at best now. The casino stuff and the mobile games bring in MUCH more money than PC games, with smaller management teams. The ROI on the PC/Mac business is really low, and they are struggling to prop it up as more and more devs simply can't make ends meet. This is why it's all being shuffled to less important parts of the website.
I worry that this is the beginning of the end. I fear for my business, and that of all the other devs still making games for them. We'll see what the next few months bring, but honestly... I think unless something magical happens, this is the end.
That being said, Steam has games. Including everything we've made since coming back to making HO games. I'm hoping that we can rebuild a business there as iWin, GameHouse, and BFG slowly shut down their businesses over the next couple of years. We'll see. I'm not hopeful.
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Jo
Skunk
Forest Ranger
Posts: 2,024
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Post by Jo on Sept 1, 2022 1:37:14 GMT
Actually this is the core of the problem. PC games are a side business for BFG at best now. The casino stuff and the mobile games bring in MUCH more money than PC games, with smaller management teams. The ROI on the PC/Mac business is really low, and they are struggling to prop it up as more and more devs simply can't make ends meet. This is why it's all being shuffled to less important parts of the website. I worry that this is the beginning of the end. This is exactly right except I think it's the end of the end.
If you go back to 2013 when BF shut down the forums, you have to take that as the beginning. When you have a division of a company that is failing to show the same level of profit as in previous years and other divisions of the same business showing increased profits, you shift the focus and support to the more profitable divisions. Maintaining and staffing an extensive forum model costs money and time and I don't think BF was seeing any financial benefits at the time. The less profitable division may still be turning a substantial profit but the up and coming division gets the attention. That's true for any business. I used to look up BF financial reports a lot back then and that was the case. They were public.
The in 2014, BF was sold to Churchill Downs. Churchill Downs did not buy BF because PC games were the main profit maker. They bought it because the gambling/mobile divisions were the most profitable and they and their potential fit the Churchill market. That's the same reason that Aristocrat bought it from Churchill.
If you think back to 2013, you can see the gradual decrease in support for PC/Mac games. This really shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. In my opinion, they've ended up with an outdated and overpriced situation. We recently had a member get 10 games for $15 at the GOG sale. Microsoft Game Pass and even the new Amazon streaming game service is a better deal than what BF offers. In an article that I posted the link for and now can't find, the new CEO was very up front about saying the focus was on mobile/gambling.
I think there still is a market for HOPA games and I am hoping that devs will take their games to Steam and other portals.
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Post by Valkara on Sept 1, 2022 4:20:12 GMT
I STILL can't play my game. I can't download it from my purchase history and there's no "activate" tab anywhere.
And BFG Customer Lack Of Service has the gall to ask me to rate them? How about negative one million?
At this point I'm considering contacting Paypal to see if I can get a refund. There's still enough time, and I've kept my emails and a screenshot of the message from BFG saying my content can't be downloaded (or however they phrase it). After all, they took my money and I have absolutely nothing to show for it.
I've been exploring Steam. I found some interesting-looking games... one about cats, another about the ancient Egyptian board game called Senet, and a fancy "international" version of Clue. And holy cow... Civilization III for less than $10 CAD? That's so tempting, and very handy that I just happen to belong to a gaming forum dedicated to Civ and have a couple of friends who swear by Civ III. Now if they'd only release II and I online, I'd be a happy camper.
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pennmom
Bear
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[TI0] IT'S FIVE O'CLOCK AND ALL'S WELL
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Post by pennmom on Sept 1, 2022 11:53:01 GMT
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Post by good2bqueen on Sept 1, 2022 13:35:52 GMT
When I complained that clearing my cache didn't help, I received a response the next day! That never happens. They said:
"This is Abdiel from Big Fish Games. Thanks for writing in. I'd like to apologize for the delay, and we aim to be able to respond sooner and resolve issues more quickly in the future. I'm sorry to hear that you are facing trouble accessing games from the purchase history. I certainly understand how frustrating it can be. I am sorry for the trouble you are facing with the activation, our teams are currently aware of the issue that you are seeing, and are working to rectify the problem. Customer Support is not made aware of details or timelines for any potential fixes, but we appreciate your patience as we continue to work to provide the best possible experience for you. In the meantime, let's try to troubleshoot the issue by following the below steps: 1. Open the Game Manager and make sure you are signed into your account. 2. Search for a game you own in the PC Games tab. 3. Click Download Now. 4. Once the game is installed, open it like you are going to play it. 5. Close the game and it will then appear in your Recent Activity tab in the Game Manager. 6. Select Reactivate It link below the ad banner while in the Recent Activity tab. 7. The full game will download, install, and Activate.Note: you may need to sign back into Game Manager if you’re signed out automatically.
In the meantime, for the trouble and gesture for your patience as our site updates, I’ve gone ahead and issued you 699 Big Fish Points. Your next game is on us. You can use these towards getting any purchase on our site!"
No timeline for the repairs but maybe some hope!?!
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Post by cyril50 on Sept 1, 2022 23:53:19 GMT
pennmom, joybelle, cyril50, metmichallica, lurkercat, Jo, Valkara, good2bqueen, I got a reply and the mind boggles. Here is the email I sent them Hi, I do realise you are still getting the new system working correctly but this is a major problem for me. I do regular reviews with Cyril48 but I am unable to place reviews. 4 times last night and once again this morning I tried to place a review for Angkor:Beginnings and as soon as I hit preview my review disappears. I tried different browsers and exactly the same. I do like reviewing but at the moment I am unable to plus I know others have tried and have the same problem' I thought I should let you know Kind regards And here is the reply I got This is from Big Fish Games. Thanks for writing in. I understand that you are facing an issue with your purchase game and want to cancel the subscription. I can certainly look into this. Our teams are currently aware of the issue that you are seeing, and are working to rectify the problem. Customer Support is not made aware of details or timelines for any potential fixes, but we appreciate your patience as we continue to work to provide the best possible experience for you. It appears that the charge you're seeing is related to a Big Fish Game Club membership. It's a subscription service that we offer than helps members get discounts on games. Since it sounds like this was not something you wanted, I've gone ahead with canceled it for you. Even though the membership is canceled, you still have access to your account and all the games on it. Also, we apologize for the issue you are facing due to new changes and I apologize for any delay in the response. For the inconvenience, we have gone ahead and added 999 Big Fish Points to your game account as an apology. I hope this information helps. Have a great day. Regards, Where do I say I want to cancel my membership and they are talking a load of Twaddle. So now they have cancelled my membership.
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Post by cyril50 on Sept 3, 2022 7:02:31 GMT
They have not got back to me but they have reinstated my membership so at least they have acted on my email.
I still have the 999 points so at the very least its something lol.
Just goes to show they have not got a clue and still claim to have the best customer service. If that's the best I would hate to see the worst.
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pennmom
Bear
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[TI0] IT'S FIVE O'CLOCK AND ALL'S WELL
Posts: 16,570
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Post by pennmom on Sept 6, 2022 18:50:50 GMT
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Jo
Skunk
Forest Ranger
Posts: 2,024
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Post by Jo on Sept 6, 2022 20:07:32 GMT
Hell, even Big Fish longs for the way thing used to be, are they having 2nd thoughts
Now, right after the new site updates and institution of the point system, you want us to remember our favorite things?
Are you trying to distract us by offering 70% off any game?
Where is joybelle? We need new lyrics that express our true feelings for this.
(These lyrics can only be done by an Aussie or a Brit because they have cornered the market on taking the piss!)
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pennmom
Bear
Chief Ranger
[TI0] IT'S FIVE O'CLOCK AND ALL'S WELL
Posts: 16,570
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Post by pennmom on Sept 6, 2022 20:35:35 GMT
There are so many random songs on the net Rolling Along
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