360: How to request a refund in Australia/NZ

[Jacobjac]

No Dice:

This is for AU/NZ users of the Xbox 360 who would like a refund on their Battlefield 1943 purchase. This thread is simply for people who do not know how and I believe it's good information. Reasons people might like a refund is the fact that promised servers have not been delivered on, the game is buggy, and lag is detrimental to first person shooters.

Info:

Kotaku on Aus/NZ Servers.

Instructions:

Call Xbox Australia on: 1-800-555-741

or New Zealand on: 0508 555 592.

Hours of operation (AEST):
7.00am to 9.00pm - Monday to Friday
9.00am to 5.00pm - Saturday and Sunday

Have your Xbox Live Gamertag ready.

Explain that you want a refund for Battlefield 1943 which you purchased through Xbox Live Arcade. The game is laggy, there are no Australian servers as promised, and it does not work as advertised - or at least to the quality that you would expect of a product. You can tell them this is an issue many are having, and point them to these forums if they require more information.

Be firm - you have a legal right for a refund if it does not work flawlessly. You weren't told it would be laggy.

It appears the game is still available even though you've obtained a refund.. so there's a chance you won't lose the game at all if that's what you're worried about. Spend your points on something worthwhile.

Feedback:

As a side note, you can also voice your annoyance at the game or the way DICE have treated us here:

https://help.xbox.com/eform.aspx?pro...ive&ct=eformts

But do not use this e-mail for refunds.. they will instruct you to call.

[scotte2hotte]

I used this method a few days back, got me some Fable 2 DLC and still have points left over for something else. The game still works for me too which is a bonus I guess if the servers ever get turned on. I was expecting the game to not work but hey, maybe Microsoft does have spine after all.

[jblackrupert]

However, if you do still have the game available to play after you recieve the refund
I'd suggest stop attempting to play it. The more empty servers the better.

In the PC world a lot of potential game customers check the population of servers
before making a purchase. We have sites that allow us to do that.

Game sales drop like a rock when people see empty servers.


Consoles are what is called "Loss leaders"
Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo LOSE money
on every console they sell.

It costs them more money to manufacture, market and ship them then what they sell them to you for.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loss_leader
* Read the EXAMPLES. Explains it clearly

They recover their money on game sales
so when game sales start to tank because
people stop buying crappy games then
they'll start to panic.

[jackhill08]

Gidday Mate this game az me Mad as a cut snake
id be ripper if you could give me ma wonga back
On ya mate

[jblackrupert]

Ahh be quiet ya bitzer, bludger, boomer kissing Brown-eyed mullet!

[flatfroggerx]

Originally Posted by Jacobjac

Be firm - you have a legal right for a refund if it does not work flawlessly. You weren't told it would be laggy.

Actually you have no legal right.

Read the terms and conditions it specifically says "No refunds on this item".

Originally Posted by jblackrupert

Consoles are what is called "Loss leaders"
Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo LOSE money
on every console they sell.

It costs them more money to manufacture, market and ship them then what they sell them to you for.

Actually nintendo break even, microsoft make a profit, sony still lose like $40 per console.

[jackhill08]

Originally Posted by jblackrupert

Ahh be quiet ya bitzer, bludger, boomer kissing Brown-eyed mullet!

Jeez must be bush week

[jblackrupert]

Originally Posted by flatfroggerx

Actually you have no legal right.

Read the terms and conditions it specifically says "No refunds on this item".

Don't be so sure about there. Every country has consumer laws
that allow for returns and refunds for products that do not
perform as advertised.

Some of the toughest protection laws are in Asia/Pacific and Europe.
it just not enough people are aware of them or have the time
to seek them out.

Originally Posted by flatfroggerx

Actually nintendo break even, microsoft make a profit, sony still lose like $40 per console.

A business magazine did a report a few months ago
The checked the prices the companies pay for parts
and manufacturing...etc
The PS3 and Xbox cost upwards of 100-300 more then they sell them for.
The Wii was the closest to breaking even.

Add in advertising costs, wholesale prices for retailers
and the number goes higher.

Breaking even still qualifies a product as a loss leader.
All fun and good breaking even but it doesn't make your company
any money and I doupt stock holders are the charitable kind.

[flatfroggerx]

Originally Posted by jblackrupert

Don't be so sure about there. Every country has consumer laws
that allow for returns and refunds for products that do not
perform as advertised.

Some of the toughest protection laws are in Asia/Pacific and Europe.
it just not enough people are aware of them or have the time
to seek them out.

None cover digital products, hence why the EU is trying to push new legislation through and the FTC is looking into the matter in the USA.

[jblackrupert]

Originally Posted by flatfroggerx

None cover digital products, hence why the EU is trying to push new legislation through and the FTC is looking into the matter in the USA.

Well if there isn't any for digital then it leaves us up to keeping
potential buyers informed.

Game companies releasing games they have no intention of supporting
can't stop us from posting on forums and youtube outside of here.

Since people are getting refunds it seems there may be some damage control going on.

[flatfroggerx]

Damage control? Please.

Some microsoft CSR's will refund you if your issue is something a lot of people are suffering (i.e people who have phoned up asking the same) and depending on your CSR.

Then there are those who exaggerate to coerce others into phoning up and trying to be guinea pigs.

Just remember legally microsoft don't have to, so people who get told no need to give up and either try later or bite the bullet. If you knew there wherent going to be servers in your area why buy? Confirmation Gordon had arranged servers for aus/NZ didn't come until after launch and even then they wherent added to the current farms.

[Shelton19]

I have never had any lag issues with BF1943 nor Bad Company. My connection is not the greatest, but the servers seem to do their job well. The fact is, whether it is an Australian server or an American server I am playing on, I honestly couldn't tell the difference.

When it explicitly states that there are no refunds on the product, and you have the ability to trial the game before buying, asking for a refund seems like a bit of a stretch.

[Bat_Norman]

Originally Posted by flatfroggerx

If you knew there wherent going to be servers in your area why buy? Confirmation Gordon had arranged servers for aus/NZ didn't come until after launch and even then they wherent added to the current farms.

Well i knew there was no Australian servers on launch which is why i didn't purchase the game till after Gordon had made his thread that we were getting serversAustralian Servers are Happening!. So legally i could make the argument that i was deceived into purchasing the game after reading false statements made on an official site by a producer of the game in question, also because the servers (which have to be provided by EA) are an are an essential part of the game and without local servers this game will not play as it was advertised i should be able to get my money back.

[flatfroggerx]

That depends though, he said they are happening but not they are 100% up running an active at the time of post.

Since then he said:

Originally Posted by GordonVanDyke

*Sydney Servers for Xbox 360 - Our match making system is not connecting players to the servers and this is being worked on as a priority by our Online team. This is not a simple problem, but is a priority for them.

If you really cared about how bad lag would be you should have held off until that issue was fixed.

[o-_FidoFido_-o]

Law & Order will be back after these short messages

[scotte2hotte]

Originally Posted by flatfroggerx

That depends though, he said they are happening but not they are 100% up running an active at the time of post.

Since then he said:



If you really cared about how bad lag would be you should have held off until that issue was fixed.

You know what, I think you a real offensive word! Stop attacking people who are just trying to teach these buggers a lesson on how to sell a game in our region, we will all benefit in the long run so just shut up. Otherwise they will continue to screw us over on every release.

[flatfroggerx]

Originally Posted by scotte2hotte

You know what, I think you a real offensive word! Stop attacking people who are just trying to teach these buggers a lesson on how to sell a game in our region, we will all benefit in the long run so just shut up. Otherwise they will continue to screw us over on every release.

Only if you are stupid enough to buy every release, muppet.

See thats an attack.

Previous posts, they wheren't an attack unless questioning common sense is an attack then count yourself doubly offended.

Sure it sucks you can't play the game and it lags, but it begs the question if you cared that much why did you jump on it so soon despite messages saying they wont be up for a while.

[scotte2hotte]

Originally Posted by flatfroggerx

Only if you are stupid enough to buy every release, muppet.

See thats an attack.

Previous posts, they wheren't an attack unless questioning common sense is an attack then count yourself doubly offended.

Sure it sucks you can't play the game and it lags, but it begs the question if you cared that much why did you jump on it so soon despite messages saying they wont be up for a while.

Again, bugger off, your posts are not wanted here, this thread is for people to learn how to get a refund on a broken game, thats it. What about the people who don't read forums, and just got told about servers etc, they thought -"battlefield with local servers! Wow I must buy this now" only to be disappointed and left out of pocket. Now, Be gone!

[Jacobjac]

Actually you have no legal right.

Read the terms and conditions it specifically says "No refunds on this item".

This message - illegal in some cases - does not void people's right to a refund on an item - digital or otherwise.

Consumer laws here cover all goods and services - purchased over the internet or otherwise.

Then there are those who exaggerate to coerce others into phoning up and trying to be guinea pigs.

There's no exaggerations here. I would however recommend that anyone who is suffering from unplayable lag or problems with the game that are not their own fault, to obtain a refund.

It's largely about principal.

This is not about whether Microsoft legally have to or not... none of us are going to court over a shabby, poorly designed game. The point is, the more refunds, the more someone, somewhere, high in the chain is going to start taking notice and going to start asking the publisher questions.

Many of us purchased the game after Gordon 'promised' Australian servers. He hasn't delivered on that promise. Whether the promise itself entitles us to a refund or not... the fact still remains, that because he hasn't fulfilled said promise, the game is not working as it should. It just doesn't say it's going to be a buggy, laggy, waste of $15.

If you can't tell you have lag, here's some signs: Shoot a barrel. How long til it explodes? Do you push B to jump in a plane but you're not in it yet so you pulalalala again but you get kicked out? Does your plane sometimes crash because of lag? Do you have to fire extra rounds to get the job done? Do you have to fire far infront of enemies?

It's hard to tell how worthwhile a game is by ~15 minutes of play (time restriction).

flatfrogger.. those who don't read the forums.. if the game has unplayable lag, are they not entitled to a refund? It's not the consumer that decided to use servers instead of matchmaking. This could have and should have been handled better by DICE. It's not hard to gain our trust.. just don't drag us along for a ride.

[flatfroggerx]

Originally Posted by Jacobjac

This message - illegal in some cases - does not void people's right to a refund on an item - digital or otherwise.

Consumer laws here cover all goods and services - purchased over the internet or otherwise.

I agree, I've bought a couple of things off XBL and I couldn't get a refund on them (crimson skies off xbox originals was one, you can't use 50hz mode if you use the VGA cable or HDMI, locks you out of part of the game).

There's no exaggerations here. I would however recommend that anyone who is suffering from unplayable lag or problems with the game that are not their own fault, to obtain a refund.

It's largely about principal.

This is not about whether Microsoft legally have to or not... none of us are going to court over a shabby, poorly designed game. The point is, the more refunds, the more someone, somewhere, high in the chain is going to start taking notice and going to start asking the publisher questions.

Many of us purchased the game after Gordon 'promised' Australian servers. He hasn't delivered on that promise. Whether the promise itself entitles us to a refund or not... the fact still remains, that because he hasn't fulfilled said promise, the game is not working as it should. It just doesn't say it's going to be a buggy, laggy, waste of $15.

But for me thats the clincher, if previous games have been laggy i'd assume that this would be laggy and if i really wanted it either be prepared to take the jump or wait a while for confirmed servers which are up and running.

If you can't tell you have lag, here's some signs: Shoot a barrel. How long til it explodes? Do you push B to jump in a plane but you're not in it yet so you pulalalala again but you get kicked out? Does your plane sometimes crash because of lag? Do you have to fire extra rounds to get the job done? Do you have to fire far infront of enemies?

Actually if you look at the map or look at a plane, is the movement smooth? if it isn't you have lag, i find thats the best indication for lag.

It's hard to tell how worthwhile a game is by ~15 minutes of play (time restriction).

No but you have 30mins to jump in a couple of games and see how bad the lag is, obviously if you lag in every game through out the whole 30mins the game is a no go.

flatfrogger.. those who don't read the forums.. if the game has unplayable lag, are they not entitled to a refund? It's not the consumer that decided to use servers instead of matchmaking. This could have and should have been handled better by DICE. It's not hard to gain our trust.. just don't drag us along for a ride.

Fair enough point, but the game provides a trial like i mentioned above, not to mention it has a ticker along the bottom directing people here (its always been there). Its not a matter of me saying people should get a refund, i'm just saying you should have paid attention first. Gordon made it clear aus servers would be something that would have to be worked on in infinite amount of topics before hand.

Usually with these sorts of topics someone posts a refund topic all upset the game isn't working for them and expects microsoft/sony/etc to pony out for a full refund then gets all upset when customer service says no and so on it spirals out of control from there. EULAs and AUPs are a lalalalala but they are a fact of life and unless you are prepared to run them through court there isn't much you can do.

[Spathis]

Aint 360 guys paying $50 to $96bucks a year for XBL? Why does EA owe you anything? Or you guys just paying that much for cross game chat? Kind of a rip considering Microsoft is charging you to play on servers they have nothing to do with.

Not trolling its the truth. You should be playing on EA servers for free condisering Microsoft has nothing to do with it.

[flatfroggerx]

Originally Posted by Spathis

Aint 360 guys paying $50 to $96bucks a year for XBL? Why does EA owe you anything? Or you guys just paying that much for cross game chat? Kind of a rip considering Microsoft is charging you to play on servers they have nothing to do with.

Not trolling its the truth. You should be playing on EA servers for free condisering Microsoft has nothing to do with it.

You pay for LIVE, not entirely for EA.

True enough part of your LIVE fee goes on servers and infrastructure but it also goes on exclusives/DLC/films/other services/etc.

[jsk26369]

Originally Posted by flatfroggerx

Actually you have no legal right.

Read the terms and conditions it specifically says "No refunds on this item".

Regardless of what the disclaimer may say, if under local laws you have statutory rights to a refund for faulty goods you are entitled to one.


I don't live is Australia but the UK however their legal system is almost identical to ours and we do have a right to a refund within a certain time on any goods that you are dissatisfied with for ANY reason, it is a statutory right. It does not matter what disclaimer MSFT might make, it does not over rule local laws.

I have received refunds for DLC content that I was dissatisfied with, the call center agent will try to put you off but as soon as I mentioned my statutary rights are legally binding I got my points back.

Those down under cannot be expected to play on servers in Europe or North America, they have every right to ask for their money back. No refunds may be legal in the US but that does not mean it is legal in other regions. Local laws come before MSFT's rules.

[flatfroggerx]

Originally Posted by jsk26369

Regardless of what the disclaimer may say, if under local laws you have statutory rights to a refund for faulty goods you are entitled to one.

I don't live is Australia but the UK however their legal system is almost identical to ours and we do have a right to a refund within a certain time on any goods that you are dissatisfied with for ANY reason, it is a statutory right. It does not matter what disclaimer MSFT might make, it does not over rule local laws.

I have received refunds for DLC content that I was dissatisfied with, the call center agent will try to put you off but as soon as I mentioned my statutary rights are legally binding I got my points back.

Those down under cannot be expected to play on servers in Europe or North America, they have every right to ask for their money back. No refunds may be legal in the US but that does not mean it is legal in other regions. Local laws come before MSFT's rules.

I live in the UK and statutory rights don't cover digital products, nor does any legislation in the EU, its true, read up on it yourself. I can't believe you missed the awareness various tv shows and other outlets tried to stir up to make people more aware of this. Most of the examples applied to music/films with DRM but they also covered stuff like this. Various gaming blogs have also mentioned it.

Fair enough someone backed down and gave you your refund but all it takes is one clued up person and you are jammed. I hope you aren't putting in too many refund requests, it might attract unwanted attention .

[overhang2]

Realistically its water of a ducks back for microsoft to make the refund, think about it you get credited points not money. Its like going to a movie store and hiring a DVD that wont play, you complain and they credit you 1 new release movie, they didn't even lose revenue.
As far as if we deserve the credit or not well true we weren't promised an exact time but the total lack of clarity on the issue alone has lalalalaed most people off. I think most people would consider it a reasonable expectation to have the servers up within a month when you have been told the servers have been ordered. This isn't a damage control measure by microsoft its just good customer service.