ECA Update: Amazon discount gone "for the time being"; in process of self-destruction

[quote name='J7.']You should lose your Amazon account.


Maybe those who did not stack would be okay with it if they got their money's worth, but some of us got screwed because others stacked to buy games they won't even play or play before they can get them cheaper.[/QUOTE]

:-({|=

Is this the trivial crap that keeps you up at night?
 
[quote name='Gourd']Has anyone had any luck getting this to work? I'm starting to feel that I might have to block charges through my credit card company.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, ECA seems like a badly run organization and it is very disconcerting that they would remove that option to canel your order online. Their reason that it shouldn't be there in the first place is laughable and with the free membership it almost leads to the assumption that they were hoping alot of people would join for free due to the Amazon discount and then they would make cancelling the membership a pain so they could bill all of them next year. Man I will probably just block the charges on my card also after sending then an email to cancel it. I'm not wasting the price of a stamp to send a letter to cancel the membership. I will never be a member of a shaddy organization using bait and switch tactics.
 
[quote name='Kirin Lemon']:-({|=

Is this the trivial crap that keeps you up at night?[/QUOTE]
fuck you, go ruin some other deals so they'll never come back. Rip off some more companies trying to help you out, douchetroll. Saving money and more importantly standing up for what is right in society and going against those who will try to destroy things is not trivial you halfwit.
 
Here's a novel idea. Let's keep it civil when disagreeing with someone. I know it's a dying concept, though let's just give it a try for old time's sake.
 
[quote name='Guerrilla']Call them up with your order number that you have the discount on and have the ASINs ready for the games you want to add. It doesn't matter if you already have some games shipped. Do not mention ECA.[/QUOTE]
I tried this twice and got denied both times, both reps said once an item has shipped from the order you can no longer add to it.
 
[quote name='blissskr']I tried this twice and got denied both times, both reps said once an item has shipped from the order you can no longer add to it.[/QUOTE]

Either they didn't know how, or they fibbed.
 
For those who are still wondering about the question of whether automatic renewal was actually canceled or not for people who used the form to do so back when it was still available on the ECA site, a (decidedly indirect, but probably the best we're getting) answer has finally been posted by an ECA representative:

http://forums.theeca.com/showpost.php?p=113186&postcount=59

[quote name='Gypsyfly PMS']Was there a button for auto-renewing?

Yes, for some browsers, but it wasn’t intended to be there, wasn’t a working option and was removed as soon as we became aware[/QUOTE]

Not quite an answer (and I still don't fully buy it), but I personally would assume that them claiming that it "wasn't a working option" means that they don't intend to honor it, regardless.

Time to go get some stamps . . .
 
So I had a couple of old codes that hadn't been used yet, I went to use them yesterday and they all gave me an error that they're expired now or already been used. Which is impossible since I've never entered them onto Amazon... unless ECA was sending out duplicate codes.
 
[quote name='azngtlman']So I had a couple of old codes that hadn't been used yet, I went to use them yesterday and they all gave me an error that they're expired now or already been used. Which is impossible since I've never entered them onto Amazon... unless ECA was sending out duplicate codes.[/QUOTE]

Even if you had entered a code into Amazon, if it had an expiration date, it'll automatically expire on the date.

I think the only codes which didn't expire were the very first batch.
 
[quote name='arcane93']For those who are still wondering about the question of whether automatic renewal was actually canceled or not for people who used the form to do so back when it was still available on the ECA site, a (decidedly indirect, but probably the best we're getting) answer has finally been posted by an ECA representative:

http://forums.theeca.com/showpost.php?p=113186&postcount=59



Not quite an answer (and I still don't fully buy it), but I personally would assume that them claiming that it "wasn't a working option" means that they don't intend to honor it, regardless.

Time to go get some stamps . . .[/QUOTE]

Some more BS from that same post...

Why can’t we terminate via email?

Because the org has grown too large to handle the volume and requiring a mailed piece separates those who are serious from those who are lazy or finicky – joining and leaving repeatedly – and it gives us written documentation, a paper trail to reconcile against

Why don’t staffers stop doing their respective jobs to take the time to respond to my hateful and sometimes very disrespectful email?

You can probably figure this one out. After we have already answered a question we rather exhaust our energies on working with partners on benefits and our government affairs, and advocacy issues rather than answer the same question over and over again.
 
Has anyone asked that woman what happens if the credit card you used to sign up for their service expires or is canceled? Will you just lose your membership rights or will they vigorously pursue their money?
 
[quote name='gi60']Some more BS from that same post...

Why can’t we terminate via email?

Because the org has grown too large to handle the volume and requiring a mailed piece separates those who are serious from those who are lazy or finicky – joining and leaving repeatedly – and it gives us written documentation, a paper trail to reconcile against

Why don’t staffers stop doing their respective jobs to take the time to respond to my hateful and sometimes very disrespectful email?

You can probably figure this one out. After we have already answered a question we rather exhaust our energies on working with partners on benefits and our government affairs, and advocacy issues rather than answer the same question over and over again.[/QUOTE]
So they see their members as lazy, finicky, hateful, and disrespectful (did I miss anything?). And they declare that they have the right to deny cancellation to any member that they deem too "finicky."

So, so unprofessional. I have to say though, if this is the public face of their organization, the way they choose to portray themselves to the world... what must it be like behind closed doors.
 
If their organization is NOT like this behind closed doors, someone within better get on the fucking ball and get rid of this woman immediately. She sounds like a message board troll.
 
[quote name='arcane93']Not quite an answer (and I still don't fully buy it), but I personally would assume that them claiming that it "wasn't a working option" means that they don't intend to honor it, regardless.

Time to go get some stamps . . .[/QUOTE]
Well, they can have fun trying to renew against an expired CC number.

BTW, how are those new discounts coming ECA? Fail.
 
Lol you can only cancel by mail and this is #12 under the terms section

12. Receipt of Mail. ECA cannot guarantee that it receives any mail that Member claims to have sent. Member should, at Member’s own expense, send any notices to ECA in a form to ensure to Member that their communication arrived at ECA, which form may include but not be limited to FedEx, UPS, USPS Return Receipt Requested and USPS Certified Mail.
 
[quote name='Takeda Kenshi']Has anyone asked that woman what happens if the credit card you used to sign up for their service expires or is canceled? Will you just lose your membership rights or will they vigorously pursue their money?[/QUOTE]

The text of the ECA's terms regarding expired credit cards doesn't even make sense:

[FONT=&quot]5.[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Right to update Credit Card Account Information[/FONT][FONT=&quot]. If the credit card provided by Member to ECA has expired during an attempt to bill fees per section 4, ECA will revise the expiration date and proceed with billing using the same credit card account.[/FONT]
Click to expand...
Um, what? It almost sounds like they intend to just make up a new expiration date. Good luck with that.

[quote name='Jodou']Well, they can have fun trying to renew against an expired CC number.[/QUOTE]

My concern, like the poster above, is that rather than just letting it drop they could attempt to initiate some form of collection proceedings. In the long run they'd almost certainly lose, and the $15-20 is hardly worth the effort anyway, but it would still be a pain in the ass and potentially costly if they did it and I wouldn't put much of anything past them at this point.
 
[quote name='arcane93']The text of the ECA's terms regarding expired credit cards doesn't even make sense:

Um, what? It almost sounds like they intend to just make up a new expiration date.[/QUOTE]
Lol, if they somehow manage to apply a charge to my new card, they're in for one hell of a class action lawsuit.
 
[quote name='Jodou']Lol, if they somehow manage to apply a charge to my new card, they're in for one hell of a class action lawsuit.[/QUOTE]

Subscription services are allowed to pursue current billing information from your credit card company.
 
[quote name='jacknicklson']Subscription services are allowed to pursue current billing information from your credit card company.[/QUOTE]
I've already submitted my cancellation via their website before it was taken down. If they pursue a subscription fee, a case could easily be made for deceptive practices. I sure as hell never received any e-mail from them regarding a change in policy or that canceling via the website was not an acceptable method. They're inviting trouble if it comes to that, but I'm pretty sure it won't.
 
[quote name='Jodou']I've already submitted my cancellation via their website before it was taken down. If they pursue a subscription fee, a case could easily be made for deceptive practices. I sure as hell never received any e-mail from them regarding a change in policy or that canceling via the website was not an acceptable method. They're inviting trouble if it comes to that, but I'm pretty sure it won't.[/QUOTE]

From GypsyFLY admin on the ECA forums...
What I've been told is that the feature was never suppose to be there as you can tell by the terms which have been the same since the beginning. The design firm who made the site used a module that had it in and they were unaware until an actual users on these forums posted about it. They'll most likely look into an automated system at some point in the future.

Was there a button for auto-renewing?

Yes, for some browsers, but it wasn’t intended to be there, wasn’t a working option and was removed as soon as we became aware
Click to expand...


The implication here is that if you pressed cancel when you tried to cancel the auto-renewal, it did not work. You will probably still be billed despite your attempts to cancel. But this is not certain.

There have been questions raised about whether or not canceling before the option was taken down actually worked. These questions have not been answered.

I'm trying to find the part where it says in the terms of service or whatever document that pretty much anything can change without their ever telling you... I'll edit this post if I can find it... and add spoiler tags or else it'll get clunky.

[FONT=&quot]2.[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Membership Term; Renewals[/FONT][FONT=&quot]. A Member shall be entitled to all of the Benefits available to Members of the ECA Service for the ensuing twelve-month period under the annual plan, commencing on the date of acceptance of the Member's application for enrollment for each twelve-month period thereafter (the "Membership Term"). ECA reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to change the terms and conditions of this Agreement at any time, with or without notice to any Member, or to cancel this Agreement or the ECA Service.[/FONT]
Click to expand...

On August 22, 2008, you could cancel by calling them.
6. Right to Cancel; Refund of ECA Service Fee. Members have the right to terminate this Agreement and membership in the ECA Service at any time. A Member may cancel this Agreement and membership in the ECA Service by calling 1-203-761-6180. If a Member cancels before the end of a Membership Term for which Member has paid the Service Fee, the Member cannot receive a refund of such Service Fee, prorated for the remaining unused portion of the Membership Term. Due to the nature of the services provided by ECA (many of which are accessible immediately upon acceptance) it is understood that refunds cannot be issued. Member will remain liable for any other fees or charges to be paid pursuant to this Agreement or the ECA Service.

Now, you have to send verfied mail, it seems like.
[FONT=&quot]Right to Cancel; Refund of ECA Service Fee[/FONT][FONT=&quot]. Members have the right to terminate this Agreement and membership in the ECA Service at any time. A Member may cancel this Agreement and membership in the ECA Service sending such request to Attn: Accounting, ECA, 64 Danbury Road, Suite 700, Wilton, CT 06897-4406. If Member cancels before the end of a Membership Term for which Member has paid the Service Fee, the Member cannot receive a refund of such Service Fee nor any portion thereof. Due to the nature of the services provided by ECA (many of which are accessible immediately upon acceptance) it is understood that refunds cannot be issued. Member will remain liable for any other fees or charges to be paid pursuant to this Agreement or the ECA Service. If Member feels that they have been billed multiple times for the Member Service for one Membership Term, Member should promptly send notice of such, including all membership contact details, billing dates, transaction details and the credit card and/or debit card number that it was billed to Attn: Accounting, ECA, 64 Danbury Road, Suite 700, Wilton, CT 06897-4406.
[/FONT]
 
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this has just gotten fucking ridiculous

what a horribly run "organization"

[quote name='Guerrilla']Call them up with your order number that you have the discount on and have the ASINs ready for the games you want to add. It doesn't matter if you already have some games shipped. Do not mention ECA.[/QUOTE]

the only orders I have left with ECA codes were 10% on items that were in my goldbox, will they let me add stuff to them even though they don't let you combine orders with goldbox orders? :???:

edit:

[quote name='SimaYi']So even after the dead horse has been beaten to hell, the same stackers who fucked it up for everyone are still trying to get their jollies by constantly contacting about adding to their triple-stacked orders that should be cancelled. Next step is for Amazon to stop allowing order additions completely.

Going to be laughing at these same people when their $1000 orders get flagged by a Amazon financial manager and cancelled.[/QUOTE]

at this point after all the crap the ECA has pulled even after the Amazon discount was gone you still are blaming the stackers? :bs:
 
I used the button to cancel, before they took it down and started this bullshit.

However, I find I can still login to my account. Maybe my memoy is fuzzy, but, I thought I was unable to login shortly after I canceled via the button.

To anybody that canceled on their site: Could you access your account after?
 
I notice my account no longer says anything about renewing, just that my membership is set to expire in August... is everyone's like this?
 
[quote name='Rig']I used the button to cancel, before they took it down and started this bullshit.

However, I find I can still login to my account. Maybe my memoy is fuzzy, but, I thought I was unable to login shortly after I canceled via the button.

To anybody that canceled on their site: Could you access your account after?[/QUOTE]

All that the button was supposed to do was cancel automatic renewal, not cancel the account itself -- so your account would continue to work until your current membership year expired, but then would not be (automatically) renewed. There never was a button on the site for canceling your account entirely.

Of course, since they're actively claiming that the button "wasn't a working option" anyway, I would operate under the assumption that even that hasn't happened.
 
if they charge you all you do is call up your credit card company and dispute... hopefully they do this so much they will go bankrupt with all of the fees they need to pay
 
[quote name='arcane93']All that the button was supposed to do was cancel automatic renewal, not cancel the account itself -- so your account would continue to work until your current membership year expired, but then would not be (automatically) renewed. There never was a button on the site for canceling your account entirely.

Of course, since they're actively claiming that the button "wasn't a working option" anyway, I would operate under the assumption that even that hasn't happened.[/QUOTE]

Thanks. Couldn't remember if it kicked me out of the account completely, or just turned off auto-renewal. It has been a while since I thought of it.
 
[quote name='Rig']Thanks. Couldn't remember if it kicked me out of the account completely, or just turned off auto-renewal. It has been a while since I thought of it.[/QUOTE]

right after the Amazon fiasco I remember they were claiming that if you canceled it actually ended your account right away so why would anyone want to do that when they still had so many great deals coming for members :roll:
 
What utter bullshit about canceling. And where are the new membership benefits? The ECA is so full of crap.

[quote name='buckythekat']
the only orders I have left with ECA codes were 10% on items that were in my goldbox, will they let me add stuff to them even though they don't let you combine orders with goldbox orders? :???:
[/QUOTE]
AFAIK you can add to any open order but you don't get to do special stuff like add another goldbox item or combine with other open orders; only new vanilla orders can be added to your current order. Using promotional credit codes is very YMMV but apparently some people have done so.
 
[quote name='buckythekat']right after the Amazon fiasco I remember they were claiming that if you canceled it actually ended your account right away so why would anyone want to do that when they still had so many great deals coming for members :roll:[/QUOTE]

And yet their terms of membership list cancellation of automatic renewal (section 4) and early cancellation of membership (section 6) as two completely separate issues. Of course, I don't think anyone is expecting, oh, consistency at this point . . .
 
Alright i just found out about this. How can we be sure they canceled our membership after we sent the mail? What does the letter need to say? Can I call my credit card company and say fuck em if they charged me? Is that good enough?
 
[quote name='blissskr']Lol you can only cancel by mail and this is #12 under the terms section

12. Receipt of Mail. ECA cannot guarantee that it receives any mail that Member claims to have sent. Member should, at Member’s own expense, send any notices to ECA in a form to ensure to Member that their communication arrived at ECA, which form may include but not be limited to FedEx, UPS, USPS Return Receipt Requested and USPS Certified Mail.[/QUOTE]

that is ridiculous!
good thing I used a temporary credit card # to pay for this membership.
 
Wow, an organization that says "We can't handle e-mails"? That's pathetic...

And mail separates the ones who are serious from "those who are lazy or finicky?" Well, here's a simple solution: offer a "cancel my membership button." Those who click on it get their membership canceled, and if they want back in, they have to cough up another $20. DUH!

I canceled using the supposed "non-working" button. My membership expires in April, so we'll see.
 
[quote name='jacknicklson']Subscription services are allowed to pursue current billing information from your credit card company.[/QUOTE]

Absolutely correct. When my credit card number expired and changed a few years back, the organization that I had my old expired cc number registered with was able to initiate a new charge on my new credit card number.
 
Their newsletter today is sponsored by the following:
"Through 11/30/09, ECA members receive
$5.00 off the PC game Borderlands!"

Thanks for the expired offer, numbnuts.
 
Wow, just noticed this thread and decided to take a peek. I'm pretty pissed now that I can't cancel my membership and that the only way would be through snail mail.
 
Mine says
ECA Full Membership This role will expire on 09/02/2010 - 21:45 Does that mean its cancelled ? or is it going to auto renew?
 
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[quote name='Jav0r']Mine says
ECA Full Membership This role will expire on 09/02/2010 - 21:45 Does that mean its cancelled ? or is it going to auto renew?[/QUOTE]

Mine also says that too, but their terms say they will just autorenew memberships.
 
Really pathetic showing by the ECA. Their website is so bad that I still get newsletters from them despite having tried numerous times to unsubscribe from their mailings.

I entrusted my credit card information to this gaggle of idiots. Wow, I am absolutely hating myself for that move.
 
The bastards - and I signed my wife up when they were "figuring out" the Amazon issue because I thought they'd return with discounts tied to accounts so I wanted to be sure I had one to use on her account (since we have some credit there as well). I never even was able to generate a code with hers. So now I have two to worry about cancelling later. I was going to give them time to get some good discounts back but they seem to be making it worse and worse. Meh, hopefully they'll fold before next year...
 
Holy shit, the ECA's shadiness has gone to a new level. As I've said from the beginning Ive always found the concept of a non profit to represent video gamers rights to be comically stupid, but this is absurd. If they attempt to charge people who reasonably believed they canceled, which she seems to suggest, they will be committing credit card fraud in my opinion. The mod that represents the company comes off like a total idiot. I would love to see what this non profit does with all their dues- I bet their "administrative costs"(ie salaries) make up the lions share of the budget.

They cannot retroactively say the cancel button was never intended and then charge people, that's absolutely atrocious and in my opinion criminal.

No wonder why Amazon wants nothing to do with these scammers.

edit: the title of this thread should be updated so people know they may be charged even if they canceled.
 
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[quote name='caltab']...quote removed upon user's request...[/QUOTE]

I agree that the title should be changed. I didn't know anything till I tonight.
 
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Has anyone found clear instructions as to WHAT we are supposed to put in the snail mail cancellation letter? Just our account name?
 
[quote name='Gourd']Has anyone found clear instructions as to WHAT we are supposed to put in the snail mail cancellation letter? Just our account name?[/QUOTE]

Not sure, but I'd send it certified mail so they cannot say they haven't gotten it...they even say somewhere they can't be held liable for lost mail and you still being charged. I can't believe I gave these shady SOBs my credit card info, what I fool I am.
 
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