Amazon PCDD - Important Update New Community Manager Incoming!

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Hey CAGS,

I’ve got some news I’m both excited and sad to share with you at the same time. I’ll be leaving the Digital Video Games team in Mid-March to join the marketing team for Amazon.com’s Loyalty and Rewards program, Amazon Coins. My boss and I have talked extensively about how to maintain and continue our presence here and across the other communities we’ve created in the past couple of years. To that end I’d like to introduce you to Josh, who take over monitoring, updating, and responding to this thread. Josh will be ramping up over the next couple of weeks, he  will be posting shortly to introduce himself.

Now that the “what’s going on” part of the message is out of the way I want to tell you all how much I love CAG and the posters here. This was the first community I joined when I started this job (anyone still remember that first thread?) and all of you have had a huge hand in shaping how we think about and execute Community Development and Management here at Amazon, which has in turn shaped my career these last two and a half years.

I started to write out a section calling out the regular posters and realized the list would be both overly long and incomplete at the same time. Instead I’d like to thank you all again, you all have my deep and sincere gratitude. I’ll still be around and my gaming accounts aren’t going anywhere so feel free to hit me up anytime you want to chat. I’ll probably still hang out in the thread too :).

Thanks again everyone, let me or Josh know if you have any questions!

The Indie Store has launched!
Amazon.com is launching a storefront dedicated to supporting and promoting PC/Mac/Web-based Indie Games. Our Digital Video Games team is a small group of passionate gamers and we’re all really excited to help Indie developers reach more customers quickly by providing a quick and simple process for bringing their games to market. Additionally we’ll be supporting the Indie Store with a ton of promotions, both at and after launch. Many of these promotions are designed to give the developer the opportunity to maximize their revenue. For example, Amazon is forfeiting all royalties from bundle sales and passing them along directly to the developer, we’ve also created an “Indie Spotlight” program to help customers learn more about the games and developers they love. We view the Indie developers as some of the most creative in the industry and we want to help them continue to create new and innovative experience for customers.

Why we are doing this:

  • Allow customers to discover an entirely new category of games on Amazon.com
  • Help developers reach new customers quickly. Our onboarding process is straightforward and we want to sell every Indie game available
  • We want to leverage our strengths to support and help the developers who are driving forward innovation and creativity in the games industry
General Information

Hi CAGs,
I'll be posting deals we're running on Digital Games (PC/Mac, Free to Play, Sony/Microsoft Points/Subs).

I'm also here to answer questions you might have, get you closer to the developers by hosting Q&As, setting up podcasts, live streaming gameplay etc. If I don't respond to a question you have in thread please send me a PM. These ping my email address and make it more likely that I will see your question and respond more quickly.


Cheers,
Tony


FYI. EA Games sold by Amazon will not activate on Steam.
F.A.Q.S.:

1. Does the game I'm buying from Amazon Activate on Steam/Origin/Uplay? What DRM does the game use?

There are two places to identify DRM on a digital video game detail page:

At the top of the page, below the title:

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In the "Product Description" section:

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2. Note on Electronic Arts Games - For the most part, EA games sold on Amazon do not activate on Steam. Most activate on Origin.

3. Note on DRM with limited activations:

Our Policy



4. Sometimes I'll do giveaways.

5. I work with developers and publishers to get fun (or at least what I think is fun) content to share with you all. Here are some examples:

a. Check out the Pax Gameplay videos here: Xcom: Enemy Unknown I played Xcom with Jake, the Creative Director for the game, a few months before the game came out Also, on this page, check out the Q&A, also a community driven event.

b. Check out the interview on this page: Borderlands 2 we did this interview at E3 with Randy Pitchford this year.

c. We've partnered with the ++GoodGames Podcast to feature many of the games we carry. They talk to the developers about the game development process, how the games are conceptualized and managed, all kinds of fun stuff. I'm working on putting together full link list and will update when I have it.

What else do we sell?

Xbox Live Points and Subscriptions:

1600 Microsoft Live Points
4000 Microsoft Live Points
12 Month XBOX Live Subscription
3 Month XBOX Live Subscription]
12 Month + 1 XBOX Live Subscription

PSN+ Subscriptions and PSN Points:

$20 PSN Points
$50 PSN Points
12 Month PSN+ Subscription
3 Month PSN+ Subscription

We also have a Free-2-Play store supported by our GameConnect technology. Gameconnect allows you to link your Amazon.com account with free-2-play and MMO accounts so that you can buy things like in game currency, premium game time/subscriptions, in game items, etc. on Amazon.com using your Amazon.com payment options and have this content delivered directly into your game.

5. Price Matching notes: Generally we do not match international retailers (GMG, Gamersgate, etc) or physical retailers (Best Buy, Newegg.com, etc.)
To check out the Free-2-Play games we offer you can visit our storefront here: Free-2-Play Store

 
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Man, I feel bad for someone if they max out their credit card to the point that they can't handle anything more than $4... 

I guess it's a lesson in not spending more than you can actually afford.

I think you're complaining about this all wrong though. The fact that you were charged at all is not something to complain about (you likely already played the game, finished it, enjoyed it by now)

The real complaining point would be whether Amazon's "price guarantee", where you automatically pay the lowest price for an item if the price drops between when you order and when it ships. :p 

Considering the game is only $7.99 right now... 

 
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This is so weird, the same thing happened to me.



I bought Tomb Raider back on February 25th, 2013 and was charged for it on December 25th, 2013. Apparently I was never charged for it initially. I'm stunned and I didn't even notice until today when I looked at my emails more closely. Then just a few hours ago I got another email from Amazon letting me know they've issued a $5.00 promotional certificate for any inconvenience. Double wow.

So I had Tomb Raider for free since its release and I didn't even get to revel in the fact of this bizarre occurrence? Damn, shame on me.

Tony, where can I sign up to get Watch Dogs, the Witcher 3, and Dark Souls 2 on this stellar zero-down, zero a month for 10 months + a $5 inconvenience credit? ;) ;) ;)

EDIT: Did anyone else experience this besides CheapyD and myself?
Answered this below.

Tony,

Any chance you could talk to 2K can get the Freedom Force games on Amazon (Steam versions, of course~)? Been forever since they got a 75% off sale on Steam.
I'll ask them about it.

Did anyone else get an email about not being charged for a previous digital PC order? They just now charged me $8.50 for the command and conquer collection that I ordered in July. Not a big deal and they gave a $5 promo credit for the error.

Just FYI if it had been a larger charge like a $60 new release it might have been a bigger deal.

Hey guys I just got an email telling me I was charged for Seduce Me which I did't buy this year. Anyone else have this problem, I asked Amazon for some compensation and they kept telling me size doesn't matter and advising Viagra.

Same thing happened to me. I marked the Tomb Raider purchase down in my spending file so it must have initially appeared on my bank statement but was never finalized. Really surprised to see that it happened to others. Now to find something to spend the $5 certificate on.
And this is why you guys didn't hear from me on Saturday/Sunday (and most of Friday). I spent my entire day Friday until way early AM working on this issue so I didn't do anything work related Saturday or Sunday. I played Skyrim and watched 3 seasons of Battlestar Galactica.

Like the Mark of the Ninja - Special Edition DLC -- http://www.amazon.com/Mark-Ninja-Special-Edition-Online/dp/B00GU040YQ -- which, despite seeing some great discounts, hasn't actually been available ever, since the page went up. :p
Still waiting on keys there too.

I'd like to make a vote for Kentucky Route Zero and Civ5 Brave New World for EC games.

Maybe Deus Ex Director's Cut and Tomb Raider too.

The Rome 2 / Company of Heroes 2 pack would be awesome too!

Thanks Tony for all the hard work.
Word, most of those are on the list I have been sending around. Hopefully a couple of them come through!

So....is the Sega 48-game pack on Steam just not happening?

I've been clicking on that link for a week and it still says Unavailable, with a price of $60-something...?
Still just waiting on keys from Sega :(.

First round of questions done, getting through 5 more pages :).

Cheers,

Tony

 
Still waiting on keys there too.
I half-wonder if it would be easier to get them out of Klei than it would Microsoft? Whoever your distributor is for the DLC (I assume MS, but I could be wrong) seems to be dragging their feet, the page went up about a month ago. *shrug* Granted, with how long it's taking MS to get GFWL codes to Steam to fulfil product already sold (like Fable III), I seriously wonder what the hell is going on with MS these days (and not just with GFWL shutting down).

 
And this is why you guys didn't hear from me on Saturday/Sunday (and most of Friday). I spent my entire day Friday until way early AM working on this issue so I didn't do anything work related Saturday or Sunday. I played Skyrim and watched 3 seasons of Battlestar Galactica.


Cheers,
Tony
Only 3? WHY NOT 4???

In all seriousness, thanks for the continuation of being awesome sauce.
 
Tony - just throwing this out there again - not sure you saw my original suggestion.

Bethesda's Hunted: The Demon's Forge would be great on your EC list.

- It's not a new game (early 2011 release)

- I don't think it sold particularly well

- Mixed reviews

- It's rarely been below $9.99 (GameTap one time at $4.99)

 
So I need some help.

February 2013 I bought a digital download of Tomb Raider from amazon.

I got an email today stating there was a technical error with my credit card and they are now charging me; almost a year later.

Is this even legal since it's almost been a year? (I was not charged prior but I also didn't even notice not receiving a charge)

While I don't argue that even a year later you should have to pay for the product .. even if Amazon made a mistake ..

I completely disagree with how they went about just charging peoples accounts.

What if that charge put me into a negative .. is Amazon going to pay my overdraft fee?

Or similar situation that late charge puts your account fund lower than another charge later that day causing again your account to be overdrafted.

Amazon should have contacted all the affected customers BEFORE taking that charge.

This would allow people time to research this charge .. making sure that a mistake actually happened and that charge did not go through. Not just take Amazon's word for it.
"Amazon should have contacted all the affected customers BEFORE taking that charge."

As a note and for context, there wasn't a human that pressed a button at a specific time, this was a machine based error and thus, it would have been impossible (literally) for us to contact customers prior to the issue occurring. I'm pretty sure we got communication out within 24 hours of initial reports of this issue, it might have been 26.

Cause I dont need anything digital and I'll have to pay shipping if I want something physical -.-

Might have to dispute my charge...
If you contact our CS they'll get you sorted.

Cheers,

Tony

 
Hey Tony, any ETA for the preliminary list 2.0?
You guys will get updates as soon as I get confirmation from the pubs/devs. EA just sent over an update with 3 new deals in it that I'll post here as soon as I get the thumbs up.

Tony - just throwing this out there again - not sure you saw my original suggestion.

Bethesda's Hunted: The Demon's Forge would be great on your EC list.

- It's not a new game (early 2011 release)

- I don't think it sold particularly well

- Mixed reviews

- It's rarely been below $9.99 (GameTap one time at $4.99)
It's on the list of suggestions.

Cheers,

Tony

 
I have...literally 2 games left on my list (and they were just maybies.) C&C Collection and Valdis Story. I've bought so much extra stuff. About to pull the trigger on Alan Wake franchise as soon as another card sells.

I decided a couple weeks ago to spend just gift money this sale and then stop buying games next year while I work on my backlog (just passed 200 on steam, plus all those PS3 and Vita games....) Humble bundle will be the only exception allowed. We'll see if it works.

 
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I have...literally 2 games left on my list (and they were just maybies.) C&C Collection and Valdis Story. I've bought so much extra stuff. About to pull the trigger on Alan Wake franchise as soon as another card sells.

I decided a couple weeks ago to spend just gift money this sale and then stop buying games next year while I work on my backlog (just passed 200 on steam, plus all those PS3 and Vita games....) Humble bundle will be the only exception allowed. We'll see if it works.
Heh... I decided after the Summer Sale to stop buying games until the next sale. I failed horribly.

I think I need to make a New Years resolution to stop buying games after the Steam and Amazon EC sales. Humble Bundles excluded, of course :)
 
Tony - just throwing this out there again - not sure you saw my original suggestion.

Bethesda's Hunted: The Demon's Forge would be great on your EC list.

- It's not a new game (early 2011 release)

- I don't think it sold particularly well

- Mixed reviews

- It's rarely been below $9.99 (GameTap one time at $4.99)

It's on the list of suggestions.

Cheers,

Tony
Well heck if we're recommending old Bethesda (but new to Amazon Digital) games for EC then I will throw a recommendation out for Call of Cthulhu Dark Corners of the Earth.

 
I have...literally 2 games left on my list (and they were just maybies.) C&C Collection and Valdis Story. I've bought so much extra stuff. About to pull the trigger on Alan Wake franchise as soon as another card sells.

I decided a couple weeks ago to spend just gift money this sale and then stop buying games next year while I work on my backlog (just passed 200 on steam, plus all those PS3 and Vita games....) Humble bundle will be the only exception allowed. We'll see if it works.
Did you buy Alan Wake yet? If not I will send you a PM...

 
Cause I dont need anything digital and I'll have to pay shipping if I want something physical -.-

Might have to dispute my charge...
If you got charged by mistake Amazon CS will most likely in those cases refund and offer additional credit as compensation. You got nothing to lose or anything to dispute.

 
You guys will get updates as soon as I get confirmation from the pubs/devs. EA just sent over an update with 3 new deals in it that I'll post here as soon as I get the thumbs up.

It's on the list of suggestions.

Cheers,

Tony
how bout transformer bundle doubtful activioin will bow to u lol but damn i forget i was oging to say something oh yea max payne complete again possibly and so i guess no microsft ddealls anymore damn their greed nice trying ur best tony. and i think few pages back i said bout state of decay 9.99 before ec and injustice no higher than 17.49 before ec maybe teenage mutant ninja turtles for 8.74 before ec that all i wish u can try chatting with them not sur what else i can think besdies those 4

 
Cause I dont need anything digital and I'll have to pay shipping if I want something physical -.-

Might have to dispute my charge...
Hi,

If you want some real advice you should probably ask a lawyer (licensed to practice in your jurisdiction and specializing in contract law) not some yahoos on the internet.

But as a yahoo first class... ;)

[weasle word alert!]

You [might have] cause for a chargeback because Amazon [may have] violated their Merchant Agreement.

For example if this charge was on a Visa Credit card:

Take a look on the US VISA website here: http://usa.visa.com/merchants/operations/chargebacks_dispute_resolution/index.html

-and read the "Chargeback Management Guidelines for Visa Merchants" pdf
-Section 4: Chargeback Reason Codes
-Reason Code 74: Late Presentment

-Sales Receipt Older than 181 Days

"(NR) If the sales receipt was deposited more than 181 days after the transaction
date, accept the chargeback. (In this situation, the cardholder’s account status is
not a factor.)"

"Time limits for depositing transactions are set to ensure timely processing and billing to
cardholders. When you hold transactions beyond the period defined in your merchant agreement
(usually one to five days), you lose money, affect customer service (cardholders expect to see
transactions on their Visa statements within the same or next monthly cycle), and possibly invite
a chargeback. No remedies exist for chargebacks on sales receipts deposited 181 days or longer
after the transaction date."


There are at least half a dozen reasons why the above might not apply. But it's a place to start if you want to research it.

 
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I am not a lawyer, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night and watched a Perry Mason marathon, so I say that Bioshock: Infinite should be on the Editior's Choice list at $12.50.

edit: and Amazon can bill me whenever the hell they want.

 
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The only time I post in this thread now days is to bug you about steam KOA edition,

but will you guys ever have alpha protocol on sale? It seems thats never discounted even though you guys have frequent and deep discounts on SEGA titles.

 
OK, we are all cheepasses, but this is boggling my mind. Do I have this basically straight?

1. People bought a game at a given price and were not charged (oftimes for months afterwards)

2. Said people paid the game without noticing they hadn't been charged

3. When they were finally charged, it was at the low sale price from several months later.

4. They were also given a $5 credit rendering the game basically free

And then 2 possibilities:

5a. The vast majority of CAGs celebrate how awesome Amazon CS is/has been, though recognize that it is weird to have the charge come so late

5b. A few complain based on some principal. Either they somehow cannot afford the game at a discounted price when they had agreed to pay more originally, or that it is just too late and I guess the well-known legal precedent of, finders keepers, losers weepers.

Maybe Amazon should charge the original price to the 5b folks. Talk about biting the hand that feeds.
I'm pretty sure the people are being charged the original price. Which is why they're complaining.

But yeah, I think most people are in agreement that "you bought it, you played it, you still have to pay for it."

Amazon has already apologized for the mistake, and people should get over it.

 
In regards to the Tomb Raider charge delay, I have no complaints because I enjoyed the game thoroughly and was very satisfied with the product overall. I'm not one for squeezing out anything extra by complaining as I find it unethical (personal opinion, I'm not preaching) unless there really is a valid issue or problem. In this case there definitely wasn't. I also appreciate the $5 compensation offered for any possible inconvenience, that was a nice bonus.

Thanks for all your stellar work Tony!

 
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If you want some real advice you should probably ask a lawyer (licensed to practice in your jurisdiction and specializing in contract law) not some yahoos on the internet.
An attorney is going to say: It's a $50 charge for something you bought and received and were happy with. Pay it and get on with your life. It'll cost a whole lot more to pursue it than it's worth.

 
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It's been said multiple times already: SEGA HAS NOT SENT THE STEAM KEYS.

If Tony gets Steam keys there will be Steam keys. If not, nope.
So when are they going to send them?

:wall: This post in made garroting/jest... well one of those. ;)

 
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Don't know if people knew but...

Google Play MP3 been giving away Kanye West's "Yeezus" album + Chvrches' album "The Bones Of What You Believe" for FREE.
Everyone should be downloading Chvrches album!

Balanced or not we are talking about a YEAR later ... and being charged $5 when I am not expecting it to.

If I only have $4 in my account then yeah it will overdraw my account.
If you've only got $4 in your account I feel you have bigger problems to sort out.

 
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