wicket42 said:
What exactly is a gamer actually entitled to when they buy a game?
I've actually been meaning to address that issue for a while now, but haven't taken the time. This seems like a good opportunity to do so.
To address your question, let me change it a bit: "What is a
consumer entitled to when they buy a
product?"
The sad fact is gamers as a group seem to think their hobby falls outside of the normal laws of economics. It doesn't, and because of that, we are seeing a marked increase in bad deals from the industry.
The truth is, the consumer is not entitled to anything beyond what was agreed upon at time of purchase. The way a transaction works is the seller offers a product and asks a price for it. Any after-purchase service (including refunds, tech support, etc) are considered part of what is being purchased. However, the seller is by no means required provide these services if they did not agree to do so before the transaction took place.
When a consumer buys a product, they are implying consent to all terms associated with that purchase.
That means, if a company did not promise you anything before you made the purchase, they don't owe you anything. Services like refunds, customer support, etc. have become common practices that many people have come to expect. And because people expect it, companies do it, since not doing so will likely hurt their business. People will start to not do business with them if they know these services are not part of the purchase.
And that is where gamers are failing. Companies like EA and BioWare don't have to worry about customer support or satisfaction, simply because upsetting customers has not translated into lower revenue. Quite the opposite in fact.
By monetizing their properties to ridiculous degrees and charging for things most companies would include with the base product, they have substantially increased their income. This is because people haven't stopped buy their games. Instead, they (the consumer) come to forums and complain about it. What they don't seem to realize is
as long as you keep buying a product a company doesn't care how satisfied you are.
Companies have done a good job convincing the public that customer satisfaction is important for reasons other than financial. It's not. Companies care about satisfying customers because of repeat business and word of mouth advertising. If those two are removed from the equation, it is cheaper and better for the business to ignore customer opinion.
To put it plainly. There is nothing illegal about what EA/Bioware have been doing. Hell, it isn't even unethical. It is, however, a very shitty deal for their customers. But since people won't stop buying from them, there is no reason for them to change.
Long story short: Companies have the right to set any standards and terms for their products that consumers will agree to. Consumers are not "entitled" to anything not promised them before the transaction. However, consumers have every right to demand better customer service and pricing than what they've been given lately. They do this by refusing to buy from the offending companies until matters improve.
That's the dilemma. Matters won't improve until people stop buying the product, because the company is under no obligation. But people keep buying.
If you don't like the deal BioWare/EA have been giving you, stop agreeing to it. Every purchase, be it DLC, a Game, or w/e, is a form of agreement.
*phew* got that off my chest. *hunkers down and waits for the flamewar*
