Click and Buy and Crysta? Garbage, SE

I liked this game. It has it's flaws and good days and bad days and while the dev team has done some amazing things and shared their plans with us CAN YOU REALLY NOT DEVISE A MORE STRAIGHTFORWARD BILLING SYSTEM?

I mean, come on - in this day and age you could at least be reasonably efficient. Click and buy? Are you kidding me? This hunk of garbage service literally does not let you easily unregister existing credit cards. I am going to pay for my girlfriend's account but guess what? I can't do that with the same card?

Maybe I can add Crysta? Ok, really? Crysta is just an online version of Chuck-e-Cheese tokens that you use to buy pencil erasers from the redemption counter. Oh, and the great thing about that - you can ONLY buy even amounts of Crysta while the billing service is an uneven amount of money. This means that every transaction it is mathematically to avoid breaking even unless I maintain the account for an incredibly long amount of time to which point the equation finally is equally spent.

Why is paying for your product harder than cancelling or enrolling for a gym membership? I bought a used car with more ease than this. My college tuition and student loan process is about 8 steps shorter than this. My FAFSA took less time than setting up a billing account with your company.

Enjoy the steep dropoff this week and you probably want to look into firing whoever thought this garbage up.

I find your sig racist

I wasn't able to use C&B - outside of the US.

Crysta was the only option, and I used Paypal. I only paid what was needed. No even amounts or things. Or is that option unavailable in your country?

I mean, yeah - it would be better if it was a direct transaction instead of using C&B or Crysta. But right now you can pay the exact amount you want.

http://i.imgur.com/jivfM.jpg (FABULOUS proof #1)

http://i.imgur.com/i8neL.jpg (FABULOUS proof #2)

By using Crysta, you are charged 999 Crysta per month. You can buy Crysta in increments of 500. You are losing a penny a month.

BIG DEAL

And yeah, like the above poster mentioned, if you use PayPal you can buy whatever amount of Crysta you want. Problem solved.

did we really need another thread on this? OP is horribly late to the "OMG payment sucks" train as well ;p

I have my account set to Crysta, and I bought some in about... *thinks* a minute?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Meow_Zedong

By using Crysta, you are charged 999 Crysta per month. You can buy Crysta in increments of 500. You are losing a penny a month.

BIG DEAL

---

Sure, but the principle is the issue. This is actually an old carnival scam that originated in Europe and is illegal in a majority of the world. If my penny isn't a big deal then charge me for it without the facade.

But let's do the math, just so you can see the joy of how this works.

-1,000,000 subscriptions a month
-$0.01 overage charged per account
-$10,000 each month from overage charges

In the grand scheme that isn't a whole lot but consider the ethics of the practice. Is it right to do so? Nope. Is it right to support it? Not really.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kaizlu

I wasn't able to use C&B - outside of the US.

Crysta was the only option, and I used Paypal. I only paid what was needed. No even amounts or things. Or is that option unavailable in your country?

I mean, yeah - it would be better if it was a direct transaction instead of using C&B or Crysta. But right now you can pay the exact amount you want.

http://i.imgur.com/jivfM.jpg (FABULOUS proof #1)

http://i.imgur.com/i8neL.jpg (FABULOUS proof #2)

---

Im in argentina (thats in south america..OUTSIDE of the us) and I could use click and buy just fine...but dropped it ocne I discovered I could use paypal to buy crysta.

You must be doing soemthing wrong

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Yves

Sure, but the principle is the issue. This is actually an old carnival scam that originated in Europe and is illegal in a majority of the world. If my penny isn't a big deal then charge me for it without the facade.

But let's do the math, just so you can see the joy of how this works.

-1,000,000 subscriptions a month
-$0.01 overage charged per account
-$10,000 each month from overage charges

In the grand scheme that isn't a whole lot but consider the ethics of the practice. Is it right to do so? Nope. Is it right to support it? Not really.

---

Once again I say: Big deal. If a penny a month from me means more money for SE to pay there hard working employees, I'm all for it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Irana

Im in argentina (thats in south america..OUTSIDE of the us) and I could use click and buy just fine...but dropped it ocne I discovered I could use paypal to buy crysta.

You must be doing soemthing wrong

---

I'm in Mexico. When I began playing I tried to setup a C&B account (using an american credit card and billing address) and wasn't able to. After two tries my account was "blocked". I was actually scared (blocked sounds like something really bad happened) and contacted customer support. Here's what they told me:

Quote:

---

Thank you for contacting ClickandBuy and for your message.

Our records show that you are currently outside the United States.
Please note that Square Enix US can only be used from within the US.

Therefore, you are not be able to use your ClickandBuy account for purchases from this merchant in spite of your ClickandBuy account having been successfully activated.

Since this is a matter beyond our influence please contact Square Enix directly for further information.

---

But it doesn't really matter now. I used Paypal without any issues (took less than 5 minutes and didn't have to create yet another account in the web), and only added the exact amount of Crysta needed.

I've put together a thread that shows that us Swiss players can't use PayPal (or Tessin users, who knows).
You can find it here. It's enough proof that we can't select PayPal, neither Crysta =)

I'm really hoping for this new direct payment system they're gonna release.

They said they going to add more payments plans for everyone in the world it's the 3 right now 2days away from us have to pay and there still no news on this -.-

I find it extremely disturbing that , for once, my shitty excuse of a country (Argentina) actually has soemthing good online.

I envy all you people who can actually use paypal/crysta... v_v

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Catapult

I envy all you people who can actually use paypal/crysta... v_v

---

What region is PayPal an available payment option?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Len

What region is PayPal an available payment option?

---

Wherever Crysta is available. I don't know where crysta is available, just that it isn't in my country and a lot of other "smaller" countries.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Catapult

Wherever Crysta is available. I don't know where crysta is available, just that it isn't in my country and a lot of other "smaller" countries.

---

That's strange. I'm living in the U.S and I can't select PayPal as an available payment method.

http://i.imgur.com/hNg9M.png

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Len

That's strange. I'm living in the U.S and I can't select PayPal as an available payment method.

http://i.imgur.com/hNg9M.png

---

Well, the thing is that you have to pass trough UltimatePay and then use PayPal. And UltimatePay gives you more options on how to buy Crysta.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Yves

Maybe I can add Crysta? Ok, really? Crysta is just an online version of Chuck-e-Cheese tokens that you use to buy pencil erasers from the redemption counter. Oh, and the great thing about that - you can ONLY buy even amounts of Crysta while the billing service is an uneven amount of money. This means that every transaction it is mathematically to avoid breaking even unless I maintain the account for an incredibly long amount of time to which point the equation finally is equally spent

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Meow_Zedong

By using Crysta, you are charged 999 Crysta per month. You can buy Crysta in increments of 500. You are losing a penny a month.

BIG DEAL

---

What do you guys mean?
You can choose the amount yourself. I buyed exactly 999 crystas last month per PayPal. Not more, not less

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Felis

What do you guys mean?
You can choose the amount yourself. I buyed exactly 999 crystas last month per PayPal. Not more, not less

---

I've been reading through the posts waiting for someone to mention it. Congratulations, you won a cookie ;)

Seriously people, how about you check out the new options before starting a thread with half-outdated info?

OP, you had me feeling for you for about 2 sentances, then I glanced to the left side of my screen and saw your character name. Then I realized It was time to stop reading after those 2 sentances, because I could no longr take anything you say seriously.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Kaizlu

I wasn't able to use C&B - outside of the US.

Crysta was the only option, and I used Paypal. I only paid what was needed. No even amounts or things. Or is that option unavailable in your country?

I mean, yeah - it would be better if it was a direct transaction instead of using C&B or Crysta. But right now you can pay the exact amount you want.

http://i.imgur.com/jivfM.jpg (FABULOUS proof #1)

http://i.imgur.com/i8neL.jpg (FABULOUS proof #2)

---

What's ridiculous is that ClickandBuy is based in London, so you get slapped with foreign transaction fees if you pay through them. On top of that CnB has a questionable reputation and has a negative rating with the Better Business Bureau.

CnB is primarily used by gambling organizations, because of their sloppy paperwork, and they have no real regulation.

Square-Enix's usage of CnB, and my discovery of CnB's reputation and lack of customer support, was why I terminated my credit card on the spot and had a new card issued. That was a huge inconvenience for me in the middle of the college season!

It's really irksome that SE hasn't added more payment options.

P.S. When you buy Crysta, you end up paying service charges to PlaySpan...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SilvertearRen

P.S. When you buy Crysta, you end up paying service charges to PlaySpan...

---

I was actually worried about this, I've read it before but since C&B is not an option I went ahead and used the other service. I just checked my credit card statement/thing and the charge was only for the amount added. So I really don't see that "service fee".

Who knows. Thing is SE should implement a simple way to pay or at least let us use PayPal directly without going trough another service/company.

Ya, I've done both so far for FFXI. Click and Buy for Canadians almost adds an extra 1$ per transaction. Ultimate-Pay with Crysta only adds about 40 cents so it stays under 14$. Either way you look at it though, they both add transaction fees which is ridiculous. For now, I'm still paying XI with Crysta since it's the cheaper option, but it's ridiculous nonetheless.

Best part is SE had announced they were looking into these additional charges through Click and Buy, they were supposed to resolve them, and of course, nothing happened. Why they can't bill us directly to our CC's without adding fees on top of it beyond the advertised price... I don't know. Every other MMO in existence can do it, but not one with a massive company running it.

Pretty sure transaction fees are typical of almost any banking, especially western banking -- Long as no one uses ATMs, I guess you never encounter service charge of any kind in your life.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Monty

Best part is SE had announced they were looking into these additional charges through Click and Buy, they were supposed to resolve them, and of course, nothing happened.

---

SE doesn't own, run nor invest in Click & Buy, they can't directly control them.

Exactly! So why keep going with them, it makes no sense! Not once, with the old billing system on playonline did I get overcharged. They charged me 12.99$, US to Canadian currency exchange rate, that was it! Nothing more, nothing less! By looking into it, I'd assume they'd go: "Hmmm, people are getting over charged by this company, maybe we should take our business elsewhere, or offer options with no extra charge!"

I know, I never had problems with POL either -- Yet a lot of people complained about it for the mere fact they couldn't get into FFXI with 1 click.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Coglin

OP, you had me feeling for you for about 2 sentances, then I glanced to the left side of my screen and saw your character name. Then I realized It was time to stop reading after those 2 sentances, because I could no longr take anything you say seriously.

---

I went back to reread that post after this and burst into a teary eyed giggle upon seeing the name.

I'm sorry OP that I do not have anything new to contribute, I think I will have to review the options again.

If I understand some of what you're saying, it's like the gas stations that charge 9/10s of a penny. What happens to that 1/10? I suspect Richard Pryor may be behind this.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Fiosha_Maureiba

I went back to reread that post after this and burst into a teary eyed giggle upon seeing the name.

I'm sorry OP that I do not have anything new to contribute, I think I will have to review the options again.

If I understand some of what you're saying, it's like the gas stations that charge 9/10s of a penny. What happens to that 1/10? I suspect Richard Pryor may be behind this.

---

Right. And no, Richard Pryor was cleared of all suspicion in 1988...although I feel it was more of an "OJ was found not guilty" type of thing.

But seriously, SE is doing business with clickandbuy - a notoriously shady comapny and the only other options require either an overage or a service charge. The point is that they are capable of a single-pay system that does not require you to use third parties in order to avoid an overage - third parties that charge a transaction fee.

I'm just glad theres a discount at present, so I'm going for the 6 month option :)

Thought I'm not sure I understand 1 crysta = 1 cent in the Account Control panel, as 1 cent doesnt equate to 1 pence in RL ;) (as i'm sure it doesnt in all other countries)

Its only a minor complaint though, given I've stupidly been paying for XI since forever (minus a few months when my card expired), also stupidly thinking us long term XI players/subscribers might have got something more than a "token item(s)" in XIV /sigh

Ah well.... Happy new year all :)

When I initially set up my account at launch I opted for the Click and Buy method, but also heard about their shortcomings afterward. This time I chose the crysta option but would still prefer to directly pay to SE like I did with Blizzard back when I played WoW. I'm sure i'll get some hate on this, but I was one that never minded POL, and given what we have now as payment options, I would have no issues going back to that.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Irana

I find it extremely disturbing that , for once, my shitty excuse of a country (Argentina) actually has soemthing good online.

---

Hello! I'm from Argentina (South America) too, but i don't understand how is that you can use PayPal. Ever since I started playing this game (one year ago) the only option I have is Click & Die payment method.
When I log in my account I have no way to add Crysta on my account via Paypal payment and, of course, I can't directly use my VISA credit card.
First of, registering at Click&Die was a pain because they didn't accept my adress. After that, when i tried to verify my account it got blocked and I tried to call Support several times with no response and E-mailed them in english and spanish twice with no response.
I live in a shitty country and SE doesn't make it very easy for me to pay them with more shitty payment methods.

"you can ONLY buy even amounts of Crysta while the billing service is an uneven amount of money."

I used Ultimate Pay (VERY easy, and friendly too use compared to C&B). I bought 795 Crysta as I had some left over from my FFXI Crysta purchases. Took me about 20 seconds. No reason to complain really.

Also, I don't mean to be an ass, but if you can't figure out this process when they posted a guide how to do it on the lodestone. I don't believe for a second you're in college or filled out a FAFSA.

I have to admit it took me awhile to figure out the CC/paypal option was WITHIN ultimate pay. I do not expect a service fee for using ultimate pay (i did not see a disclosure). I'd be surprised if I get hit with a fee - and i'd have to rethink paying for this game service...

Enri: the Paypal option appears to be available to people who pay via "UltimatePay" only. Click and Buy does not have Paypal as a payment method, despite being "one of the European market leaders for online payments." No, it does not take a degree to register and make purchases, but it is tedious. With online purchases, each additional step could potentially cost a company a percentage of their customers. SE needed to outsource their accounts and billing services and these two, with their international reach, fit the bill.

Snippets from the Click and Buy website:

Quote:

---

ClickandBuy makes Internet payments easy! For 8 years, our innovative Internet billing system ClickandBuy has been one of the established market leaders in Germany. Just register and you can simply and securely pay 14,000merchants around the world. Among the merchants are Stiftung Warentest, RTL, n-tv, Tomorrow Focus AG, bild.t-online.de, Spiegel.net AG, Playboy, Financial Times Deutschland and UNICEF.

---

Only the Financial Times keeps the world in balance. (until it takes an arrow to the knee)

As for cancellation:

Quote:

---

Do I have to cancel ClickandBuy?

Cancellation is not required

As a user, you are not required to cancel expressly, since you incur no charges or other obligations to ClickandBuy. All you need to do is simply stop using the system.

If you want to cancel your membership, just send us an email, indicating your customer number.

---

It's easy guys; just stop using the system!

As for UltimatePlay, provided by PlaySpan®:

Quote:

---

On March 1, 2011, Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) acquired Playspan Inc. Media inquiries may be directed to globalmedia@visa.com; investor relations questions may be directed to ir@visa.com.

---

Wait, what? The credit card company that owns the company and offers itself as a payment method? Fabulous! That's probably one of the reasons why Paypal is acceptable on UltimatePay (would you want to be on Visa's bad side?) and not Click and Buy.

It's a commercial world, friends. We're just numbers.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Irana

Im in argentina (thats in south america..OUTSIDE of the us) and I could use click and buy just fine...but dropped it ocne I discovered I could use paypal to buy crysta.

You must be doing soemthing wrong

---

Are you registered as living in Argentina in your Account, cuz i'm from Chile and i only have Click and buy shit...doesnt let me buy Crysta...and it shouldnt be so different Chile from Argentina!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Coglin

OP, you had me feeling for you for about 2 sentances, then I glanced to the left side of my screen and saw your character name. Then I realized It was time to stop reading after those 2 sentances, because I could no longr take anything you say seriously.

---

But its MUCH easier to take someone in a reindeer costume playing an online fantasy game as elf seriously? Grow up man, really? Your splitting hairs. The crysta system is a joke, and if people think paypal is a secure way to manage their bills, they are fooling themselves. That shit gets hacked all the time.
Their billing system is just as halfassed as the condition this game was in at release.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Irana

Im in argentina (thats in south america..OUTSIDE of the us) and I could use click and buy just fine...but dropped it ocne I discovered I could use paypal to buy crysta.

You must be doing soemthing wrong

---

I can't add Crysta in my account, how is that you can?
I only have Click&Buy as payment method and Ultimate Pay doesn't exist.
You only said that you are in Argentina, but did you make your registration with Argentina as country?

these are some intersting things people are still saying, since most are now, not even true....

you can charge a specific amount of crysta now, so you can buy 999 and not 1000
I used paypal and Ultimate buy, and was only charged the $10 I spent buying 1k crysta

I was under impression you can have your account paid automatically through click and buy without having to purchase crysta with it :/