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Good experience with Stardock customer service

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Good experience with Stardock customer service

from Elemental Forums

Sharing a good experience I just had with Stardock customer service.  I asked for a refund on Friday, they got back to me today (1 business day), no arguments, full refund processed within 3 days. 

Not only was it prompt service, but it's incredibly hard to get refunds in the entertainment software world.  Some of you might remember that there used to be places like Gamestop that would permit you to return PC games within 30 days, but rampant piracy has long ended that policy.  So if there's anyone else playing a very crash-prone Elemental on Win 7-64 who felt more like a tester than a customer, the refund process was quick and painless.  For this customer, it definitely helped restore some Stardock brand equity.

elemental
16,211 views 28 replies
Reply #26 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Angelo85, reply 11
Guys step down a notch. This game will be supported with future updates. The CEO of Stardock has stated so on many occasions.

Even if this wouldn't be the case (mind you IT IS), the Modders will create massives amount of content and fixes. In fact, they are already doing a hell of a job with the currently limited ressources available.

 

Just give this game some time. If you come to think of it, the release version of Elemental is in indeed in a far better state than most comparable games were when they got initially on the shelves.
End of Angelo85's quote

I firmly disagree.  I think the only studios that will respond to customer refunds and take something out of the ordeal ("Hey we shouldn't release buggy, broken games") are supposedly smaller ones like Stardock.  Therefore, I think anyone having legitimate issues with the game and that feels unhappy/cheated/disgruntled/etc should request a full refund.

 

The "modders will fix it" response works fine for indie-priced ($15-30) games, but for $50 most gamers demand a working product out of the box.

 

 

So, I think the OP is right in getting a refund, and I am happy it is a quick and less painful experience than he was having with the game (lol).  If most of the people who cannot play, or are "shelving" the game until later get a refund, they'll be able to use the money on actual entertainment ... and when Elemental is actually working to their standards, they can give it a second look.

 

Asking people to pay for something they dislike, then let it sit on a shelf until it hopefully gets better, is bad business.

Reply #27 from Elemental Forums Top

I don't have the heart to ask for a refund. There's a ton of stuff I don't like about the game, I'll even say its a bad game, and I really wanted it to be good. But sitting through the beta test and watching these guys work so hard on my behalf, even if they weren't always working smart, I don't feel right thumbing my nose at them. Making games is one of the hardest things you can do.

I want Stardock to learn, not fail.

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