About the EU campaign for maid outfit and fat chocobo

All four of my posts got deleted. It makes it look like I'm happy or not bothered by this promotion. I stated fact. I'd like to state another...

I am not impressed by this promotion and I do not support it in any way whatsoever.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Chiramu

I was wondering about it and I saw this, hopefully what is planned is more reasonable :).

---

Fingers crossed. I know putting all your fat chocobo eggs in one basket is a silly thing to do with SE, but it seems for a lot of people like me the (final?) chance to get these items now rests in the hands of those other territories!

Oh my. That promotion is really messed up. I hope that at least SE thinks twice about making exclusive region items after this.

I just wish we would know what the other promos will be. We're part of the same region, yet SE is still dividing us. Should have just announced all of the promos at the same time, so people can see which is better for them. I don't want to wait until October for the other promos only to see that they're even worse than this one and then regret waiting because all of the copies of the magazine will be gone.

Hoping that other EU countries have better promotions that aren't going to take as long or be as much of a hassle. The magazine isn't even stocked in stores in my area, and I can't get the magazine online until later (if I wanted to, but I'm not supporting this promotion) so is there a limited code stock and will they notify buyers when it runs out so we don't get some magazine we don't want with no code in sight?

Really disappointed, I was holding out on buying some things on Amazon in case they went towards the promotion and now this. Really sucks.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Aronys

I just wish we would know what the other promos will be. We're part of the same region, yet SE is still dividing us. Should have just announced all of the promos at the same time, so people can see which is better for them. I don't want to wait until October for the other promos only to see that they're even worse than this one and then regret waiting because all of the copies of the magazine will be gone.

---

+1

I'm afraid to think the three copies implies they will step by step release other promotions until september include to make all available, for the whole UE, until the end of december.

On one hand, it is not that bad for all people who live in complicated place -as postal services matters, thought Internet should allow to solve easilly such kind of problem-, on the other hand, time will be long...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Spethah

I'm in the UK, it's 1:04am in the 13th July. They still have an entire day to change the deal to digital at the very least. I mean they did it with Amazon and the NA promo, they can do it here. No excuses.

---

I'm in the UK as well, but the magazine would have been printed days ago now, they will not be changing anything.

My post got deleted? Way to go to cover your own short-becoming, SE.

Still

NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE

Am I the only one for who the Ravana BGM starts playing in their head whilest reading this thread? Anyways, I have not really anything to add since basically all the previous posters said everything. I want to add my voice that this campaign feels half-hearted and not thought through well. This whole europe chaos feels like a slap into the face. I hope the alternatives for the other countries will be reasonable in some way. I really like you SE, I really do but as EU player I feel like an unwanted customer who gets fobbed off with a half-hearted gesture and this feels discriminating in the end. I feel alienated to a certain degree to be honest. I don't know the backgrounds of the contracts and all ofc, what complications SE might have encountered. But I can't believe that this chaos and disparate campaign (in comparison to NA and JP) was the only possible deal.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ErryK

TL;DR: Stop jumping to conclusions and wait.

---

I would have kinda agreed with your post if we got all the information about the other promotions already but we don't. We do not know when they will happen and depending on the time it will be way to late to still choose to participate in the UK campaign..Who knows if they other campaigns are not even equally bad or even worse, but at the time we will know that we probably wont be able to get the other magazines (not that I plan to buy them even if the other promotions would be bad too..)

And this is even already bad for the intended UK players..people need to buy two of the three magazines solo because it was already to late to sub for them and at the same time have to subscribe for another three magazines to get the most wanted items (or play roulette and hope that the single magazine would not be sold out)..and after all of that they have to send an email with their picture to a company that has a bad reputation to get the mount...

I am sorry but this is not a equal good deal like the other two, especially since its not even 100% safe that you will get everything..So even if I still have the possibility to wait for the other campaign this does not change the fact that this is a bad promotion and that people should tell them what they think about it..if you like it than thats okay, everyone can have their opinion about it, but don't tell us to just sit here and hope for something better in the future..we are customers and have the right to be angry..

I guess I'll add my voice to the chorus as constructively as I can.

I kept an open mind about this promotion and went to explore the newsagents around me (I live in Northern Ireland). I can categorically say that the major newsagents, and supermarkets, do not supply this magazine in this country and we are part of the UK.

You might say "buy it online", but my rebuttal for this is that I have no use for a digital copy of this magazine. If I bought a hard copy, I would be able to turn this in to animal bedding.

An available magazine, at a nationwide level, should be the likes of "Edge" as an example, as they are available in most major chains across the United Kingdom. Frankly, your promotion is the first I've ever heard of "Game Master" and my original reaction was "Is that a D&D magazine?"

Please consider an alternative means of implementing this promotion or I'll have to hope for a more simplified method through another European country...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Momoga

An available magazine, at a nationwide level, should be the likes of "Edge" as an example, as they are available in most major chains across the United Kingdom.

---

You might find it surprising but GamesMaster outsells Edge, and they are both published by the same company.

I've found a shop that sells GamesMaster, and was the first one I went to. I've asked them to hold a copy of issue 306 for me till Friday when I'm back to town for work, which they agreed to do for me.

(GamesMaster was originally made to accompany a TV show of the same name, and has been running since 1993)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Lambadelta

You might find it surprising but GamesMaster outsells Edge, and they are both published by the same company.

I've found a shop that sells GamesMaster, and was the first one I went to. I've asked them to hold a copy of issue 306 for me till Friday when I'm back to town for work, which they agreed to do for me.

(GamesMaster was originally made to accompany a TV show of the same name, and has been running since 1993)

---

It may outsell Edge, but Edge is featured Nationwide, that was really the difference I was trying to make. Your location and outlets might be fortunate enough to have Game Master stocked, but it's not widely available across the entirety of the UK which is the main issue I take with it.

I'm antsy about the whole "selfie" business, but as I said, I tried to be open minded until I realised it simply isn't stocked where I come from. Nationwide =/= England (If you get my meaning)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Momoga

It may outsell Edge, but Edge is featured Nationwide, that was really the difference I was trying to make. Your location and outlets might be fortunate enough to have Game Master stocked, but it's not widely available across the entirety of the UK which is the main issue I take with it.

I'm antsy about the whole "selfie" business, but as I said, I tried to be open minded until I realised it simply isn't stocked where I come from. Nationwide =/= England (If you get my meaning)

---

Well I'm guessing Square Enix wants people to order the issues directly through the website if they can't find one locally as the site does offer them once they go on sale locally. This means tomorrow people can order issue 306 off the website.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Lambadelta

Well I'm guessing Square Enix wants people to order the issues directly through the website if they can't find one locally as the site does offer them once they go on sale locally. This means tomorrow people can order issue 306 off the website.

---

A valid point, but I think in this scenario I'll hold off and simply wait to see how the other European promotions go. I can call in a favour from my friends in those particular countries if they get a much more practical deal.

I have no real use for a magazine in a digital form (I don't read gaming magazines), so I can't even turn it in to something useful by shredding it or using it in crafts!

I just figured I'd voice my own concerns on it even if it's unlikely to change the situation, I'll just be mindful of the other countries and hope they get off with an easier deal! :3

The thing is, digital copies aren't even eligible for the codes, you need to get physical copies. So, even if you order, the thing can be out of print, as it barely stocks 18k copies per month. How many players are in UK that play this game? I'm pretty sure it's more than that. Not to mention that people from all over Europe might want to order them to get their items sooner. With the NA promotion, at least people could order digital items such as game time cards, which are in limitless supply. The offer Europe is getting so far is not even close to what other regions got.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Aronys

The thing is, digital copies aren't even eligible for the codes, you need to get physical copies. So, even if you order, the thing can be out of print, as it barely stocks 18k copies per month. How many players are in UK that play this game? I'm pretty sure it's more than that. Not to mention that people from all over Europe might want to order them to get their items sooner. With the NA promotion, at least people could order digital items such as game time cards, which are in limitless supply. The offer Europe is getting so far is not even close to what other regions got.

---

No NA could not purchase digital items it had to be physical item.

They could purchase game time cards. Unless you can't purchase digital cards on Amazon, dunno how that works, but I remember people saying they just got time cards and got their codes.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rita1989

No NA could not purchase digital items it had to be physical item.

---

But they probably had more physical copies of said purchases than a magazines no one knows / read

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rita1989

No NA could not purchase digital items it had to be physical item.

---

I can confirm that gametimecards worked. A NA friend of mine got his items this way. And since you need gametime anyway... I really wish we would've gotten a similar deal in EU...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rita1989

No NA could not purchase digital items it had to be physical item.

---

I remember people talking about buying things that didn't require being shipped.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Cakekizyy

I remember people talking about buying things that didn't require being shipped.

---

I think you're right, but it doesn't matter. I ordered a Nintendo points card (physical), but received the email ffxiv code immediately.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ErryK

You have to remember it is PART of the third group as well... people act as if it's the only set of hoops they have to jump through, yet it's not, it's been stated it's not.

---

Or I'm just talking about them as the 3rd group because the rest of EU has been demoted to being a 4th group that has to wait even longer.

Or it doesn't matter which way I meant it because you're just nitpicking pointless semantics and my point remains the same either way.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Rita1989

No NA could not purchase digital items it had to be physical item.

---

It could be digital. i ordered a direct download copy of a Sims 3 expansion and it worked with no issue.

I just don't get it. The 'Final Fantasy' name isn't obscure. Multiple companies should have been jumping at the opportunity to do a promotion with Square Enix. With that in mind I'm baffled that we didn't get something more mainstream and accessible.

If it's due to complicated laws then...let us know which, exactly, got in the way. At least then those of us who care about such things can raise the issue with our local politicians.

Personally I just wanted something simple. I wanted to throw money at something, get a code and then receive the items immediately. Instead people are encouraged to panic - what if the magazines don't arrive? What if the codes don't work or aren't available? Some people have already been misled into subscribing to the magazine when they do not need to.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Theodric

If it's due to complicated laws then...let us know which, exactly, got in the way. At least then those of us who care about such things can raise the issue with our local politicians.

---

I am 99% sure it has nothing to do with UK law.

I doubt anyone who claims otherwise can cite a specific law which forced this specific partnership with this magazine.

Moved my comment below from another thread since it was unrelated to that one but is related to this one.

Quote:

---

SE really screwed over UK players with this version of the promotion and I am not sure if it is partly due to NA players abusing the Amazon version of the NA promotion or maybe someone at SE's EU offices (or even from the JP offices if they handled it since it forced the value of the yen up which is bad for the Japanese export orientated economy) and that person who handled it resents the UK's brexit vote from the the EU so is using this promotion to lash out at UK residents that happen to play FF14...purposefully choosing the worst possible deal for UK FF14 players and doing so maybe just out of spite.

I am not saying that it without doubt was a politically motivated decision to screw over the UK FF14 players by whoever made the selection choice but I also do not rule it out because it is a possibility even if is is not the most likely one. I do not believe for one second this was the only partnership option available to them in the UK by any stretch of the imagination but I do believe it is one of the worst options they could of chosen for UK players. We shouldn't have to wait 3 months to get them all when NA and JP players could get theirs within 24 hours plus we should have been given more useful or broad options instead of only a low circulation physical magazine.

Whatever the reason, SE is (whether intentionally or not) giving the UK players of their game a REALLY bad deal on this. Compared to the NA and JP versions of the promotions this one is far more unfair and far less reasonable. A lot of NA players may have screwed over SE by abusing the order cancelling system of Amazon but it is not fair to take it out on UK players for what NA players did. There must have been better options available to SE than this unknown/unwanted physical magazine that has a three month long subscription requirement. I blame the NA players who abused the NA promotion plus the person at SE who made the choice to pick this partnership over what was probably many other options.

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Snugglebutt

...

---

Got some kind of doubt. Many people thought Remain would win then I hardly imagine, considering the time for negociations, they purpolsely suddenly plan this as a punishment. Not i'm saying it is impossible but pretty unlikely. Enterprises rarely do politics considering random individuals but politicians themeselves and it is more likely banks and some kinds of funds that do so. Soros is well known to use his ONGs in this own interest, since, using his own words : "Why should I avoid to do something that suits my interests, even if not ethical, if it is legal?". But SE is not especially this kind of entreprises who have such interests or needs.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Eldevern

Got some kind of doubt. Many people thought Remain would win then I hardly imagine, considering the time for negociations, they purpolsely suddenly plan this as a punishment. Not i'm saying it is impossible but pretty unlikely. Enterprises rarely do politics considering random individuals but politicians themeselves and it is more likely banks and some kinds of funds that do so. Soros is well known to use his ONGs in this own interest, since, using his own words : "Why should I avoid to do something that suits my interests, even if not ethical, if it is legal?". But SE is not especially this kind of entreprises who have such interests or needs.

---

I agree it is not very likely but I just don't rule it out as a possibility. I also agree SE as a corporation is unlikely to do such but at the same time the selected choice is based on a specific person within the corporation and their motivation for this choice is something I have doubts about based on the reasonable belief that this selected option was by no means the only partnership offer that they had to choose from and it is a truly is a bad deal for UK players of this game to have picked this one. In the end there is nothing I can do to change what has happened but I can complain about it and hope other region options within the EU offer a better deal open also to UK players.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Alistaire

Or I'm just talking about them as the 3rd group because the rest of EU has been demoted to being a 4th group that has to wait even longer.

Or it doesn't matter which way I meant it because you're just nitpicking pointless semantics and my point remains the same either way.

---

Well if you want to look at it that way sure, but that's your perspective, and you're apparently preferring to look at it in an extremely negative way. I'm not gonna bother swaying you away from that either, so there's that.

I really wanted that butler outfit but... yeah, no.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Snugglebutt

I am 99% sure it has nothing to do with UK law.

I doubt anyone who claims otherwise can cite a specific law which forced this specific partnership with this magazine.

---

Well, it's possible. Bear in mind that UK players were expected to pay more than everybody else for the Heavensward Collector's Edition and we never got any clarification or a solid explanation as to why, exactly, that was the case. In WoW, too, UK players are screwed over by being forced to pay more than players in other regions...even for purely digital services. The WoW subscription cost, for example, was specifically adjusted to go up in price for UK players - and the reasoning for that was equally flimsy/without explanation.

So, in short, it isn't only Square Enix who treat UK customers poorly. It may not be intentional but it is unlikely to be a coincidence I think.

This partnership with the game magazine, is probably the worst partnership since FFXIV 1.0s Click & Buy subscription payment system, and that is saying a lot how I badly I feel about this EU Campaign.
Disappointed :(

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Theodric

Well, it's possible. Bear in mind that UK players were expected to pay more than everybody else for the Heavensward Collector's Edition and we never got any clarification or a solid explanation as to why, exactly, that was the case. In WoW, too, UK players are screwed over by being forced to pay more than players in other regions...even for purely digital services. The WoW subscription cost, for example, was specifically adjusted to go up in price for UK players - and the reasoning for that was equally flimsy/without explanation.

So, in short, it isn't only Square Enix who treat UK customers poorly. It may not be intentional but it is unlikely to be a coincidence I think.

---

Thought Aus paid most.

Awww reading this makes me sad for our EU brothers and sisters. I'm sorry. :( I would say send in your feedback both to the company (both the magazine and Square Enix EU) and post your displeasure on the forums here. It might not seem like it but feedback does make a difference. Seeing the Amazon promotion extended due to popularity is proof of it. Wish this was more convenient for you guys :(

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Zojha

Mostly because they were afraid of people again cancelling their orders after getting the code. That alone could have been prevented by physically shipping the code with the product, but that would have restricted eligible goods to items sold by amazon itself.
Plus, one could simply return the good without naming a reason within a week or two, not accounting for guarantees.
That in turn could be prevented by requiring buyers to formally resign from that right, either directly when buying, which would put the buyers at the mercy of amazon, or any time after receiving the goods, in which case the code would have to be given out with a delay.

In any case, I'm sure there are much better ways to handle it.

---

Pretty sure the items had to be 'sold and shipped by amazon' to qualify for the promotion in the first place.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ryuusama

I know, I saw 2 tread to disappear :D

---

Well, the one I recall was a thread made specifically to discuss the removal of this thread.
And I'm pretty certain that almost all forums have rules against discussing moderator actions.

So that one was pretty justified.

I have a weird comment reading this thread. I am guessing that they must have contacted several companies with the chance for this promotion. I would guess that this magazine publisher offered them the most financial benefit. The forums have a large percentage of players that defend the other financial choices that SE makes. Is this just not another financial choice?

I am becoming kind of numb to the bad choices and how they chose to react to them. I am surprised that people are so shocked that SE lined there pocket(made a bad decision) in some way at the players expense.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Stormrider

I have a weird comment reading this thread. I am guessing that they must have contacted several companies with the chance for this promotion. I would guess that this magazine publisher offered them the most financial benefit. The forums have a large percentage of players that defend the other financial choices that SE makes. Is this just not another financial choice?

I am becoming kind of numb to the bad choices and how they chose to react to them. I am surprised that people are so shocked that SE lined there pocket(made a bad decision) in some way at the players expense.

---

If SE's primary motivation was truly just about the money they would sell it on mogstation and by proxy cutting out the middle man while charging the same amount. I have my own suspicions about the motivation for choosing this particular partnership option which I mentioned on the other page but it could simply be whoever was in charge of the selection process made a bad choice.

I seriously cannot believe this was the only option available to them or that this option that forces UK players of their game to wait 3 months to receive all the rewards (compared to within 24 hours for JP and NA players) via an irrelevant physical magazine product which is invalidated by the invention of the internet and that may not even have the supply to meet the demand...then again based on how negative people are viewing this arrangement maybe they will have the supply to meet the demand because the demand has been lowered through less participation due to being a really bad deal for the UK players.

I just cannot bring myself to believe that this was the best option open to SE...I really can't. It is certainly not a good option for UK FF14 players but I do not think we can do anything about it other than vote with our wallets and not buy the magazine plus voice our opinion on here to hopefully prevent future occurrences of bad deals like this. I had a feeling something like this might happen when NA players started screwing over SE by abusing Amazon's promotion via cancellations after receiving the codes. I even mentioned this at that time, said NA players who were doing it were not taking into account how would impact other regional promotions. :(

One more to the list... For household that has more than one FFXIV players who want the reward, we will end up having multiple copies of the magazines that nobody reads. What a waste of money... not very eco-friendly.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by PahecBoey

I need to second all of those complaints in this thread.
I think we've waited long enough for all those items but you guys just decided to make us wait even longer, pay more than NA and JP, fulfill ridiculously stupid tasks (sending a picture of ourselves to get the last item??) and make other countries in the EU (and AUS) wait even LONGER...

This is just not nice. And incredibly unfair. :(

---

I will third all of the complaints also have a question what if your Australian but playing on a na server ?