(FREE) ECA Membership, Amazon Codes are down for time being

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emeraldgsl

emeraldgsl

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Mods' edit:
No begging for codes. Beggars will be permabanned on the spot.

[img-l=5198]6006[/img-l]Get 10% off all your Amazon gaming purchases for a year and receive other special benefits by joining the ECA, a non-profit advocacy organization which is dedicated to defending and advancing the interests of gamers. Codes aren't available at the moment, unknown ETA when/if they'll be back.

icon4.gif
Join the ECA $14.99 (college students & military), others $19.99

(Free memberships available, see below.)

Complete list of discounts/benfits [hiddenlist]
Discounted games sales/rental offerings from:

  • Amazon.com - download a code from the Benefits section to use at Amazon.com towards 10% off your games purchases. If you buy three or more games a year, this benefit alone makes being a member worth it.
  • Direct2Drive.com - download your code from the ECA's exclusive member benefits section to use at Direct2Drive.com towards 10% off your game purchases.Direct2Drive's easy and secure system lets you download full pc games, arcade games, anime, game guides, and comics from home instead of dealing with waiting time and inventory stock-outs. Check out thier site for the best way to buy!
  • GameFly - is offering ECA members a 30-day free trial to their video game rental service.
  • Good Old Games - a leading destination for download-to-own DRM-free classic PC games, is offering members 20% off of new game purchases.
  • Newegg/Patriot Gaming - get $10 off when you buy select memory sticks.
Discounted admission/access offerings from:

  • NYComiCon - is offering members a discount on the price of admission.
  • Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) - members receive 10% off the price of admission to the Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle, Washington for pre-registrants.
  • TooManyGames - get $1 off entry to gaming community events.
  • VGXPO - America's Video Game Expo is offering 10% discounted admission.
Discounted/Free Trial offerings from:

  • GameJobs - ECA members receive free resume uploads at GameJobs.com, the leading job board and career site serving the games business.
  • Hyatt Hotels - members receive a 5-10% discount on room rates at Hyatt Hotels throughout the US and Canada.
  • Prima Publishing - get 10% off of over 500 hint book and strategy guides.
  • Warcry - ECA members are invited to take advantage of a 30-day free trial membership in the Warcry Network's "Choice" program.
[/hiddenlist]

[quote name='dallascowboys']If you use the code GIMAG on theeca.com (found in an article of the new Crackdown GI issue), you can receive a free, full 1 year membership (I think it's only for new accounts). You do need a credit card to sign up, but if you cancel before the 1 year is up, you won't be charged. This is a great deal for the free amazon discount. Be sure to use the coupon soon, because the article doesn't mention the expiration for the coupon.
Enjoy guys!
dallascowboys

P.S. Now all of CAG can have an ECA membership!

Also, after you enter your CC number and the coupon, the page after lets you check everything before you submit your order. That way you know that the coupon worked and you won't be charged.

-----------------------

LinkinPrime Edit:

Check your spam filters for the confirmation link, if you signed up for the newsletter you will get 2 emails, one for the newsletter and one for the membership. For some reason the newsletter one showed up in my inbox and the membership was in my junk mail folder, so keep an eye out.[/QUOTE]

[quote name='slickkill77']You weren't kidding. Ok I found this on page 28. All credit goes to jacknicklson for the original faq (1-6).



ECA/Amazon FAQ

1. I can't get into the member's area/can't find out where to pay. Help!

After the initial registration email, you should receive a second email linking you to a payment page. You can request that this email be resent if need be. Make sure to check your junk/spam folders as well.

2. Will this work on consoles?

No. Games and most accessories only. Physical point cards are also eligible, but not digital point codes.

3. Do these work on Quick Picks/Deals of the Day/Trade-in Coupons?

Yes, Yes, and Yes!

4. How do I get my Quick Picks to show games?

http://betterelevation.com/2009/02/1...old-box-trick/
This should be a basis to get it to work for whatever you are interested in. It is not a science though so be persistent.

5. Does this work on Pre-orders?

Yes, it does. The price will also automatically take off 10% of whatever the final selling point is due to the Pre-Price Guarantee that Amazon offers.

6. I have heard that these offers have expired/been removed, is this true?

There have been a few instances where codes expired or they ran out but The ECA and Amazon have usually rectified the situation within a week or so. Also, the Terms of Service state that any membership benefits can change or be canceled without any notice so keep that in mind when signing up.


7. Double and Triple stacking

This is no longer possible. Don't bother trying. Originally when the ECA would run out of codes and switch to a new batch members were able to stack codes. A glitch in Amazon's system would keep older codes in your account, and it was possible to add codes from the newer batches to obtain more than 10% off. Amazon found out about this, hence the reason the codes are currently down/ being worked on.

8. Begging/Asking for codes

This is not allowed. If you beg/ask for a code you will be permabanned. No questions asked.

9. Selling codes

Definitely a big no no. If you do this, you will get reported to the ECA and your account will be shut down.

10. If I make a pre-order with a code a cancel it, will the code still work?
Yes. Codes should remain in your account but again they will no longer stack. It is one code per game. Amazon and the ECA are working on codes tied into our accounts but this option is not yet available.

11. If I already have a pre-order made, can I add a 10% off code to it?

You can not add a anything to an order once it is made except a gift card. You can try emailing Amazon customer support and ask them to add it. Generally they have no issue doing this for you but it's a crap shoot.

12. What if I already have a pre-order with the old codes applied? Should I be worried?

We don't know definitively, but chances are good that Amazon will not touch the pre orders we have already made.[/QUOTE]
 
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Stepping into this thread makes me feel like I'm back in middle school due to those whining about people getting in on this offer for free and those who got it for free whining that there are no more codes. To the former group: whine to Game Informer and stop acting like you wouldn't have jumped on this had you not already been a member. To the latter group: you didn't pay for anything so it's not like you lost any money on this deal.

Jesus.
 
[quote name='distgfx']http://forums.theeca.com/showpost.php?p=107850&postcount=212

More codes coming soon, there.[/QUOTE]

LOL

Just wanted to give you guys a heads up that as of yesterday evening, yes, we are running low on codes again


some reason that just reminds me of my cousin coming in the house one day few years back screaming


We are running low on TP Again... Like there was going to be a massive run on TP in the next few hours



quote
Now if you want to use the code in a more honest way like using it on a friend or family members Amazon account (NO SELLING) and they are not an ECA member but you are, that's fine as well. Although we would love if they joined the family


me--- got to wonder if they are going to start to try to tie email address together


NOW I DONT UNDERSTAND THIS ????

QUOTE
Now I heard a few grumbles about the free trials going on. There are a few free trial offer promotions that the marketing department will be running, for college students and so on


how can they call 10000's of free accounts a FEW ???


about the new codes coming tomorrow i know for a fact im grabbing 3 of them and writing them down in case this happens cause with the 10,000 new account even the new batches will be gone within a week..


Now I say this new batch MAY BE THE FINAL BATCH or maybe 1 more why

Eca march 28 to amazon we need a new batch of codes
Amazon okay


ECA June 28 to amazon... we need another batch of new codes
AMazon okay (been 3 months like last time)



ECA SEpt 28 to amazon we need another batch of new codes
amazon Okay (been 3 months like last time)


ECA OCt 15 to amazon we need another set of codes
amazon WTF its been only 2 weeks RED FLAGS

and boom promo is gone for good
 
[quote name='confoosious']How can we take that Gypsyfly person at her word for anything when she doesn't even know about the gameinformer promo?[/QUOTE]

very simple ... one person works with codes and other stuff office another person works in another promo office ..... she might be in charge of keeping track of codes and has nothing to do with sales and marketing...

I know with the paper once a place has a deal with a promo to a business another department takes it and runs... while another department is out there looking for more deals to make

simple as that
 
[quote name='slidecage']very simple ... one person works with codes and other stuff office another person works in another promo office ..... she might be in charge of keeping track of codes and has nothing to do with sales and marketing...

I know with the paper once a place has a deal with a promo to a business another department takes it and runs... while another department is out there looking for more deals to make

simple as that[/QUOTE]
Except it's all over the thread and she specifically mentions the CAG.com people (lol), so either she's an idiot or they're pretty awful at doing their jobs. If something at my workplace suddenly got tons of attention or complaints, I'd find out why. Besides, they should have been better prepared with codes if they knew this was going live.

Yes, I know. Not everyone can be as awesome as me.
 
[quote name='slidecage']very simple ... one person works with codes and other stuff office another person works in another promo office ..... she might be in charge of keeping track of codes and has nothing to do with sales and marketing...

I know with the paper once a place has a deal with a promo to a business another department takes it and runs... while another department is out there looking for more deals to make

simple as that[/QUOTE]


I understand that. What I'm saying is how can we count on what she says when she clearly doesn't know the whole picture.

You would think that the marketing folks would inform her when they're doing something that could potentially affect her cache of codes.

But they didn't. So whether it's a failure on her part, the marketing folks, or both, isn't the issue. THey could do something that completely affects her codes in the future and she might not know about it.
 
[quote name='Muthafodder']
EDIT - In the meantime why not come together and report these Assholes to eBay for fraudulent listings.
[/QUOTE]

They're like cockaroaches! As soon as you stomp one, another scurries in.
 
I didn't know how long the 'coming soon' has been there.

The OP of these threads should update the OP...all of this bickering is insane.

Obviously a Consumer's Organization isn't going to piss off the whole lot of 'consumers' they have brought together.

In the meantime...I've heard of others being able to 'link' their account with Amazon so that the coupons aren't even necessary...there automatically linked to your shopping cart.
 
[quote name='Muthafodder']I didn't know how long the 'coming soon' has been there.

The OP of these threads should update the OP...all of this bickering is insane.

Obviously a Consumer's Organization isn't going to piss off the whole lot of 'consumers' they have brought together.

In the meantime...I've heard of others being able to 'link' their account with Amazon so that the coupons aren't even necessary...there automatically linked to your shopping cart.[/QUOTE]

I saw that in the slickdeals thread. I think it's misinformation. If you were able to do that, effectively a multiuse code, wouldn't the ECA have done that with existing members by now?
 
[quote name='Muthafodder']In the meantime...I've heard of others being able to 'link' their account with Amazon so that the coupons aren't even necessary...there automatically linked to your shopping cart.[/QUOTE]
Lol, that's called hoarding.
 
[quote name='kyle4404']The free promotion destroyed all the codes!

This is not the best timing. God of War Blu-ray collection is finally in my gold box. But no code to take advantage... Hopefully this will be fixed asap.[/QUOTE]

I was all excited because this was also in my Gold Box today and I haven't had a game pop up in awhile and the codes don't work - again!! It seems like every time I want to use this the codes aren't working!
 
It's not linked to your account. That's coming. What you do is preorder a game with a coupon, cancel the preorder, and the code will still be in your account.
 
Too much bitching for me to read through...but just from reading the ECA post...they're CONDONING sharing these codes with friends and family?? What the...

So that's basically admitting they have no means of "tracking" who is using these and you could theoretically sell these to anyone as long as it's not in a public forum like eBay or something that someone would report you for?

I don't intend on doing this, but uh...yeah...interesting that they just went up and said that.

Well all this drama is certainly entertaining. I think I've bought like 20 games with these codes, and I have to admit it's like Christmas everytime a preorder comes in; I have honestly forgotten about all the games that I've bought.

I have to imagine this deal is dead at the end of the month though? Or are they going to restrict the free members from getting any more?

I had a feeling something like this would happen. I stockpiled about 10 codes and now I'm down to 3...still waiting for two games to show up in my Gold Box (which has been in a coma for weeks).
 
[quote name='kyle4404']The free promotion destroyed all the codes!

This is not the best timing. God of War Blu-ray collection is finally in my gold box. But no code to take advantage... Hopefully this will be fixed asap.[/QUOTE]


Is everyone's Gold Box different. I'm not real sure how the Gold Box works.




[quote name='Jodou']Lol, that's called hoarding.[/quote]


How could you even rationalize that this would be hoarding.


EDIT - Someone's post above had a link to the ECA forums in which a 'mod' stated new codes were going to be up tomorrow.
 
[quote name='Muthafodder']How could you even rationalize that this would be hoarding.[/QUOTE]Because you're misinformed. The people able to 'link' codes to their account are just using the codes on an order and canceling it. The discount then applies to your next order and doesn't expire from what I've been told. That's why I have five stored or 'linked' to my account right now. Pretty sure that qualifies as hoarding.
 
[quote name='slickkill77']I think everyone had the god of war collection in the gb today.[/QUOTE]


I don't see it, is it still there?
 
[quote name='Ndolger']So that's basically admitting they have no means of "tracking" who is using these[/QUOTE]
Well, you had to figure this was the case, but I too was shocked that they also condone letting family members use them. Shit, I would have told my brother to forget about signing up and just let him bum off me. He's already made his dues back and stored some codes as well, so whatever.
 
Was the God of War collection in your quick pick?

Screw ECA codes...I'd jump on it anyway...someone care to paste a link to the GoW collection that has a discounted Gold Box? Or help me understand why I don't see it?
 
[quote name='KongaKing']No $5 for me and I've been a member since the start. Did they just give $5 to newer members to make up for the free membership now?[/QUOTE]

They didn't give us anything. The people that had the $5 promotion probably got them through other means (pre-order bonus, etc.)
 
Most of the time, waiting for the Gold Box isn't worth it. Unless you're buying something really expensive, then the 5% savings might be more worthwhile. I don't bother with it.
 
[quote name='Firefly Flanatic']I was all excited because this was also in my Gold Box today and I haven't had a game pop up in awhile and the codes don't work - again!! It seems like every time I want to use this the codes aren't working![/QUOTE]

Same situation here with the God of War Collection in my quick picks today. Oh well, hopefully it will show up there again sometime when there are codes available :pray:.
 
Don't panic.

The ECA Amazon discount WILL continue past 9/30/09. Apparently everyone involved is quite happy with how things have been working out. Obviously if you do something stupid like sell Ebay codes that could change the equation but for right now I think ECA is trying to find a "friendly" medium between "guard codes with your life or else the program dies" and "give them to everyone you know." I think the point is if you give 1 or 2 codes to (real!!) friends or family members (I don't consider responding to begging on message boards the same thing) it helps get the ECA word out. But don't abuse it. For whatever reason they're on the honor system right now, don't abuse it or be stupid about it.

But seriously, I have it on pretty high confirmation that the Amazon code program is NOT going away in the immediate future (or hopefully even the distant future! :) ).. 9/30/09 is just a date for that batch of codes. Probably the next batch will go up with 10/30 or 12/31 as the expiration... just be smart about what you do with your codes and keep buying lots from Amazon. ;)
 
Regarding the Amazon Quick Picks 5% discount. Should I remove the games from my Wish-lists and Saved cart if I want them to show up as a Quick Pick?
 
[quote name='Muthafodder']Regarding the Amazon Quick Picks 5% discount. Should I remove the games from my Wish-lists and Saved cart if I want them to show up as a Quick Pick?[/QUOTE]
Your answer is in my FAQ.
 
[quote name='Justin42']Don't panic.

The ECA Amazon discount WILL continue past 9/30/09. Apparently everyone involved is quite happy with how things have been working out. Obviously if you do something stupid like sell Ebay codes that could change the equation but for right now I think ECA is trying to find a "friendly" medium between "guard codes with your life or else the program dies" and "give them to everyone you know." I think the point is if you give 1 or 2 codes to (real!!) friends or family members (I don't consider responding to begging on message boards the same thing) it helps get the ECA word out. But don't abuse it. For whatever reason they're on the honor system right now, don't abuse it or be stupid about it.

But seriously, I have it on pretty high confirmation that the Amazon code program is NOT going away in the immediate future (or hopefully even the distant future! :) ).. 9/30/09 is just a date for that batch of codes. Probably the next batch will go up with 10/30 or 12/31 as the expiration... just be smart about what you do with your codes and keep buying lots from Amazon. ;)[/QUOTE]

How can you say that? This ECA rush has been over 48 hours, mostly on weekend time. You're telling me Amazon and the ECA had time to crunch the numbers and figure out that the influx of free users hasn't bankrupted the system? Sounds fishy to me, unless some poor accounting intern is working weekends now.

I'm sure the Amazon code program wasn't going away before this weekend, but until the effects of the free users can be known I wouldn't guarantee it.
 
There's also a really good chance that in a few weeks a ton of us newbie, freebie, users will have forgotten that they even joined and won't be using the service as much. However, right now, there's just a huge influx of newbies which is causing mass hysteria in the short run. In a few weeks things will calm down.

And for that reason it's probably best that the current batch of codes are gone. A LOT of people are going to be in a "Screw this" mindset since they couldn't get a code today and won't come back. So in a few weeks when new codes are generated things will be a lot more calm and orderly. I hope.
 
[quote name='kodave']How can you say that? This ECA rush has been over 48 hours, mostly on weekend time. You're telling me Amazon and the ECA had time to crunch the numbers and figure out that the influx of free users hasn't bankrupted the system? Sounds fishy to me, unless some poor accounting intern is working weekends now.

I'm sure the Amazon code program wasn't going away before this weekend, but until the effects of the free users can be known I wouldn't guarantee it.[/QUOTE]

I'm saying that I've been in contact with ECA people who have asked me to pass on that there is absolutely no reason to panic. And given that they already appear to have new codes in progress to be loaded up, and those involved with the ECA are saying there's no problem today or on 9/30-- I'd believe that much more than guesses and idle internet speculation that there MUST be a problem.

Granted, sure, Amazon could change their minds at any time. That's why you shouldn't sell codes or whatever. But Amazon also gets the benefits of people BUYING from Amazon.. how many of us have cut down (or eliminated?) buying from anywhere else because of ECA codes? I know my purchases have dropped to almost nothing from anywhere else. There's more to this equation than just "Amazon's losing money!!"
 
[quote name='Angelwatch']There's also a really good chance that in a few weeks a ton of us newbie, freebie, users will have forgotten that they even joined and won't be using the service as much. However, right now, there's just a huge influx of newbies which is causing mass hysteria in the short run. In a few weeks things will calm down.

And for that reason it's probably best that the current batch of codes are gone. A LOT of people are going to be in a "Screw this" mindset since they couldn't get a code today and won't come back. So in a few weeks when new codes are generated things will be a lot more calm and orderly. I hope.[/QUOTE]


Every amazon deal posted here has ECA in the title so I dont think and I'm pretty sure, dont quote me one this, "newbies" wont use a code.
 
[quote name='Angelwatch']There's also a really good chance that in a few weeks a ton of us newbie, freebie, users will have forgotten that they even joined and won't be using the service as much. However, right now, there's just a huge influx of newbies which is causing mass hysteria in the short run. In a few weeks things will calm down.

And for that reason it's probably best that the current batch of codes are gone. A LOT of people are going to be in a "Screw this" mindset since they couldn't get a code today and won't come back. So in a few weeks when new codes are generated things will be a lot more calm and orderly. I hope.[/QUOTE]

thats not gonna happen because if you read amazon deals here or at SD, someone will always remind people" dont forget about eca discount we all signed up for last week, etc"

ECA is just like Edge Card, if you have it, you are going to use it.
 
Bunch of PS3 games in my Quick Picks today! Hate that I can only get one. :/ I'm guessing Amazon should be able to apply the coupon codes to an old pre-order once more are in stock, right?
 
I was planning on signing up myself for the new releases and to buy a Dual Shock 3 but it being free is just icing on the cake. Got my fingers crossed for some new codes!
 
[quote name='rcavictor1956']So everyone who purchased a PS3 for $399 and more should get a refund of the difference since it is now $299? I can understand why someone who just purchased this membership one week ago may be somewhat upset however that is how things go sometimes. I myself would have never picked up a membership without the deal they offered for a free one. Now....I will see the benefits and pay next year when it is time to renew. The same goes for the PS3.....there were people that were not going to buy a PS3 until it reached a certain price. It finally reached a price where we are now seeing first time PS3 owners coming into the market. Sony without a doubt is going to gain market share with the slim and price reduction. Should I receive a refund of $200 because I decided to buy one a couple of years ago? Of course not..that is absurd. I paid $500.00 as I felt it was worth $500 and today I still feel it was worth the money.

This stuff happens every day...every week...every month. It will continue to happen again and again. I know something will go down in price if I wait long enough and that is what it comes down to in the end. How long do I want to wait for a price that I like? There are many people who pay top dollar for things when they first hit the market. There are many other people who sit back with patience and wait for a price they want to pay for games or systems. I myself find it very hard to pay more than $30-$40 for a game so I wait and refuse to pay $60.00 for a game upon release. If I buy a brand new game like Red Faction for $60.00 then one week later it can be bought for $39.99 which actually did happen....should I be entitled to a refund? Absolutely not...... :)[/QUOTE]

Where did I say we should get a refund? I said if they were going to just give away free memberships for everyone that it should have just been free in the first place and your comparisons are horrible. If they lowered the price to 10 bucks thats one thing, they gave it away for free!
 
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frankly I'll be very surprised if there's more codes tomorrow... not saying there won't be any more... but usually when they say tomorrow it's more like 5 days...
 
[quote name='az0madman']Bunch of PS3 games in my Quick Picks today! Hate that I can only get one. :/ I'm guessing Amazon should be able to apply the coupon codes to an old pre-order once more are in stock, right?[/QUOTE]

Open the quick picks page. Right click the add to cart button under each one you want and pick open in new window. This will add all of them to your cart with the discount applied.
 
[quote name='Justin42']
Granted, sure, Amazon could change their minds at any time. That's why you shouldn't sell codes or whatever. But Amazon also gets the benefits of people BUYING from Amazon.. how many of us have cut down (or eliminated?) buying from anywhere else because of ECA codes? I know my purchases have dropped to almost nothing from anywhere else. There's more to this equation than just "Amazon's losing money!!"[/QUOTE]

When you order games with ECA, how often do you add a high margin item to your cart?

How often does everyone else?

That's the question.
 
Most video games are over $25 bucks and qualify for free super saver shipping. Why order anything else at the same time unless its something you absolutely need?

For the games that aren't over $25, I imagine most people probably add another cheap ass video game or some kind of accessory. Like when some game was under $20, I just added a perfect shot gun and got money off that too.

Most people aren't going to add more than $15 to get over that $25 mark.
 
I am on the theeca website, and under the member section, there is the amazon.com part which is first on that page. It tells me to scroll down to get the 10% code, and it will expire, 9/30. It tells me to click a link, but I do not see a code or link anywhere. What am I doing wrong?
 
[quote name='illmatic8582']I am on the theeca website, and under the member section, there is the amazon.com part which is first on that page. It tells me to scroll down to get the 10% code, and it will expire, 9/30. It tells me to click a link, but I do not see a code or link anywhere. What am I doing wrong?[/QUOTE]


Are you flipping serious...
 
[quote name='illmatic8582']I am on the theeca website, and under the member section, there is the amazon.com part which is first on that page. It tells me to scroll down to get the 10% code, and it will expire, 9/30. It tells me to click a link, but I do not see a code or link anywhere. What am I doing wrong?[/QUOTE]


use the search tool.

OP or MOD please update first post. this thread looks like this:

User 111: "hey guyz I just signed up totaly fre wherz ma codez?"
User 222: "They are all gone,"
User 333: "I paid and didn't get any, free people killed this"
User 444: "I hoarded them all, rot in hell I'm getitn mine"
User 111: "Teh lamez"
 
[quote name='reddjoey']use the search tool.

OP or MOD please update first post. this thread looks like this:

User 111: "hey guyz I just signed up totaly fre wherz ma codez?"
User 222: "They are all gone,"
User 333: "I paid and didn't get any, free people killed this"
User 444: "I hoarded them all, rot in hell I'm getitn mine"
User 111: "Teh lamez"[/QUOTE]


No kidding...the last poster proved this has gone beyond ludicrous.
 
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