pennmom
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Post by pennmom on Mar 21, 2022 22:19:58 GMT
Could have been something to do with all those 'free coupons' used by the many rather than the few that were given them. Maybe but they stopped issuing those a long time ago Rolling Along
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Post by 1Ashkent on Mar 21, 2022 23:07:53 GMT
It is big business so perhaps they are trying to catch newer members now and the points system might catch on with them. That would keep them 'buying' games as the new points system might have a shorter shelf life than the older Game Club Credits.
Just speculation
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Post by Valkara on Mar 22, 2022 15:37:35 GMT
Could have been something to do with all those 'free coupons' used by the many rather than the few that were given them. Oh, the FREEGAME codes that kept "expiring" before their stated expiry date? I received one or two during the past few months. I used them immediately, since the expiry dates can't be trusted. Now they issue codes that look like PCCs but apparently never expire... or sometimes they do but you have to write to Customer InconsistentService and remind them that you were issued a code but not told its expiry date. For one code, I was given two different answers: December 31/22 and "it never expires." Just to be safe, I used it the following Monday. There's still no word on how this will affect those of us who pay in non-USD currency. It's highly annoying that the new Laruaville was released on Tuesday when I only need one more punch to get my next PCC.
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pennmom
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Post by pennmom on Mar 22, 2022 16:22:08 GMT
Customer InconsistentService Rolling Along Rolling Along
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Post by metmichallica on Mar 28, 2022 7:46:07 GMT
I'm wondering if they are ever going to update to the new points system.
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galaxy
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Post by galaxy on Mar 29, 2022 20:55:39 GMT
I'm not in a hurry for them to start the new system. I can't see it as being better then what they have now. It's not like they have a lot of new HOPA games.
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moni
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Post by moni on Mar 29, 2022 22:49:55 GMT
As I apprehend the announcement of BFG, the point system may will be much more beneficial to all players - members or not. To arrive to this, I did some math and run scenarios.
1. New system plans to give 1 point for every 1 cents spent.
In case of punch cards there are multiple scenarios, depending on if the player is a member or non-member, bought a game on a full price or on sale, and the mixture of the games that filled the punch card, but the filled card ALWAYS earned ONE free SE game in any scenarios. I ran all possible scenarios, and my conclusion is that the monetary return with the point system is much higher in ANY scenarios... Question is, if they will keep the reduced full prices for the members, or members will simply earn a higher rate of return, as they say. In my scenarios, I presumed the current, reduced prices for members... (but it actually doesn't really matter for making a point)
So, for members currently:
Full price SE: $6.99 Full price CE: $13.99
Scenario 1: The punch card is filled with 6 SE on members' full price. Total spent: $41.94 (6x6.99)... return: 1 SE game for $6.99
With the point system: the same 6 SE game would worth 4,194 points redeemable for both an SE or CE. If the redeeming system will follow the 1point worth 1cents (and by the wording of the announcement that would be the case) then for the same $41.94 originally spent, the player could get an other 6 full price SE games (instead of just 1SE with the punch card) which basically would be the case of 2 for 1. If the player decides, that they spend the earned points on games on sale, paying half price for them per say, than the very same original $41.94 could earn 12!!! additional SE games for free... If this is the case, I think BFG is about to shoot itself on the foot with the point system... (not to mention, if the player decides to redeem the points on CEs on sale!)
I don't even show the other analytics - all result with a much higher return on original price paid with a point system with the freedom of redeeming on SE or CE by choice.
So, here is what I think about all this, analyzing only this aspect that will change with the point system - BFG cannot implement 1point for 1cent spent when we redeem the points we earned - that would be just nuts on their part - so I think, they will tweak this original announcement a great deal before implementing it - and I think, that's why is the delay, too...
And it's not even all the problem - just one of the all possible confusion the new system could cause (like, as Valkara said, how the international accounts will work)
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Post by lurkercat on Mar 30, 2022 0:12:20 GMT
moni, BFG did not say you would earn points equal to your purchase price, only that points were redeemable at 1 point = 1 cent, and that existing credits would be assigned points equal to $6.99. If they were going to implement the allocation of new points to be exactly equal to the current plan, you'd earn 1/6 of your purchase price for each SE, or 1/2 for a CE. So you'd get exactly as many free games under the new plan as under the old one. Not quite clear how they'd handle non-member prices or sales prices though. For example, I buy only at BOGO sales. Currently I wind up with 7 games (3 paid SEs, 3 BOGO SEs, one PCC SE) for each 3 GCCs I cash in at the sale. With the points system, since I only used points equivalent to 3x699 points, that "may" mean I only get 1/6 x (3x699) points...or the equivalent of 1/2 of today's PCC, instead of a whole PCC. Similar thing may happen if one buys at some other %off sale or Daily Double price, etc, where currently you'd earn PCC points simply as one per game, regardless of price paid for the game. Hard to tell till they tell us more about the process....though hard to imagine they would not use the sale price vs full price to award benefits. My main concern with the new plan is that today, even though I am no longer a member, every one of my existing, left-over, GCCs and never-expire coupons is worth 1 SE game. Under the points system, the GCCs will only be worth 2/3 of a game ($6.99/$9.99, for member price over non-member price, which is what I'd be redeeming them at). Not clear what happens to my existing coupons, since their notice only addressed GCCs and PCCs. Also not clear what the life-span of the points will be - currently my GCCs are good forever as I stay a member, or for 6 months after I stop being a member (but get another 6 months life if I join/immediately quit at the 6 month point), vs, say, the 2 months that current PCCs are good for. Gives me much more time to find something worth buying. Hard to tell whether or how much these things are negatives until BFG provides more detail on the change.
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moni
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Post by moni on Mar 30, 2022 5:18:55 GMT
lurkercat, You're absolutely right... I didn't read the announcement carefully (all that calculation to arrive to a wrong conclusion - lordy, I'm insane!) BFG absolutely does not clarify, or even mention how and in what rate the new points will be earned!
I guess, we just need to wait and see - although they do say that the new point system will be implemented early 2022, one would wonder how early is early, since it is almost April, already...
I think, they will need to earn up to the current redeem value of the coupons/codes, otherwise they will see a mass exodus! I also think, that games acquired on a sales price will simply earn lower points. If there will be no more punch card, they have to attach the points to purchasing games in some manner.
I still like the idea, that the points will be redeemable for ANY games, even if it is discounted... currently it is not an option, also points can be redeemed as partial payments - like some portion of the price can be paid with points (right?)
So this whole point system is much like "cash back", like on reward credit cards...lol... So if by the current punch system a person would fill up a card with bogo games and earn 1 SE redeemable for full price game, than we are looking forward a max. 30% cash back (which is unheard of in the cash back world) So basically an SE game acquired on full price would earn 333 points, CE acquired at full price would earn double of that... That just doesn't sound right - they will never give 30% cash back... at least, I don't think so... Well, yes - the point system probably won't be as beneficial as the current system is...
So I vote "NAY" lol.
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moni
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Post by moni on Mar 30, 2022 6:08:31 GMT
PS And this post is an "advertisement"
All of you who are growing exceedingly dissatisfied with BFG, you may would like to look into Steam.
While Steam is a bit more complex than BFG (after using it for a while, actually it is quite simple), there are an insane amount of casual games there - which we are more accustom to. They have extreme sales periodically, bundle sales, FTP games - and most of the devs presented at BFG is presented there, too. Most (if not all) games have discussion (forum-like) attached to talk out problems/get help with the play. You can also befriend with players on the platform, stalk each other game list, and wishlist to get ideas what to play next, you can also chat with your friends one-on-one, or even in a group chat. If you like a game, but it is on full price, you wishlist it. When it goes on sale, you'll get an email to check out the sale. Everything is handled from your Steam manager - you have a library of your games, your wishlist, the store (at BFG you have to go to the site to get to the store), your friends, the discussion threads... etc. Most of the games are packed with "cards", as you advance in the game, you get cards awarded by the game - they are called "trading cards", because you can trade them on the Steam market for actual money (pennies on one card, but still, how cool is that?)
The biggest difference is how Steam handles "tickets". I've purchased a game for $19.99 and when I tried to play it the game didn't work. First, I've contacted the devs - I've got answered in 24h. From their response I've learned that my basic graphic card won't handle the game. So I dropped a "ticket" to Steam for refund - I was expecting a coupon after some 3 weeks wait, like at BFG... exactly 5 minutes later, with no questions asked, the money was refunded to my card, and the game was taken off from my inventory.
Why not try Steam, my fellow gamers and friends? If you'd like to try out Steam, but you don't want to spend until you figure out the platform, you can start with Free to play games, or Jo still has Steam game keys she is graciously giving away (instead of with money, you'll unlock the game with a key in a similar manner you would with a BFG coupon code) You can find her list here: Steam keys from Jo
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galaxy
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Post by galaxy on Mar 30, 2022 10:39:42 GMT
Who knows what they will do. What if they said you could only use a discount on 6 month old games or older and no discount on newer games? Not that they have many new games. I only buy games at 65% off or BOGO and I'm still a member, I'm happy with this system.
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pennmom
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Post by pennmom on Mar 30, 2022 12:45:34 GMT
1Ashkent, Valkara, metmichallica, galaxy, moni, lurkercat, I really love Bonus Punch Mondays, I wait until Monday to buy any SE game and use my free game codes cuz that's the only day they are worthy a punch. It may be the same thing (points) but I really looked forward to this Bonus Loophole Day every week Big Fish Eats Little Fish and I will miss it Rough Day
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galaxy
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Post by galaxy on Mar 31, 2022 11:22:22 GMT
pennmom, I like the bonus punch too. Especially when you have 3 points for a CE and then bonus punch day you get 3 SVs. To get another SV later.
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jade
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Post by jade on Mar 31, 2022 13:19:32 GMT
If it ain't broke...Don't Fix It!!
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pennmom
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Post by pennmom on Mar 31, 2022 17:58:41 GMT
jade, it does worry me a bit, I don't fear change but I can't believe they aren't changing it to better suit BF's needs. I can't see a possible benefit for "we the people". They have already stopped offering the FREEGAME codes and don't have really good sales as often as they did in the past which tells me that they are cutting as many corners as possible to save money. As a business owner I get that the bottom line is the bottom dollar so I can't find fault with a company who has to tighten their belts to survive post-Covid, but it does show a pattern that they make changes to benefit Big Fish and have never really done anything to benefit their customers? I wouldn't mind as much if they were trying to make changes that their gamers have been begging for over the years, but they have never seemed to give it much thought and they apparently don't ever read their own customer's reviews! They didn't think Steam would affect their #1 gaming status, now they are scrambling to salvage what's left...a dwindling number of members who vote with their virtual feet Rolling Along
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jade
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Post by jade on Mar 31, 2022 18:05:17 GMT
jade , it does worry me a bit, I don't fear change but I can't believe they aren't changing it to better suit BF's needs. I can't see a possible benefit for "we the people". They have already stopped offering the FREEGAME codes and don't have really good sales as often as they did in the past which tells me that they are cutting as many corners as possible to save money. As a business owner I get that the bottom line is the bottom dollar so I can't find fault with a company who has to tighten their belts to survive post-Covid, but it does show a pattern that they make changes to benefit Big Fish and have never really done anything to benefit their customers? I wouldn't mind as much if they were trying to make changes that their gamers have been begging for over the years, but they have never seemed to give it much thought and they apparently don't ever read their own customer's reviews! They didn't think Steam would affect their #1 gaming status, now they are scrambling to salvage what's left...a dwindling number of members who vote with their virtual feet AMEN!
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Post by good2bqueen on Mar 31, 2022 18:18:07 GMT
I've been a member of Steam for a short while and its amazing how little BFG tends to their website. The majority of the home page doesn't change from month to month. Steam actually makes referrals for other games that might interest you depending on your wish list and games you've played. I've purchased games for as little as 49 cents and many under five dollars. AND THE GAME MANAGER ACTUALLY WORKS!!!! Sorry, had to shout that one. Just saying its worth checking out.
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galaxy
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Post by galaxy on Mar 31, 2022 19:53:18 GMT
good2bqueen, Do you have any problems with customer service when you have a problem with a game? Just asking.
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Post by good2bqueen on Apr 1, 2022 15:14:45 GMT
galaxy ,I've not had any problems so far with any games on Steam. To be honest I haven't spent much there on any one game yet because I'm not that familiar with their site and wanted to check out other options aside from BFG out of desperation. Their customer service cannot be any worse than Big Fish though.
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Post by metmichallica on Apr 14, 2022 23:57:23 GMT
I don't think Bigfish customer support is that bad. If you want your game fixed that may be why it isn't good, but they always gave me what I wanted.
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