When did FREE stuff become a slap in the face?

[Orange Joe]

When every other company in the MMO business appreciates their customers and gives them nice things for their anniversaries, we have every right to be miffed about a lousy 9% XP. It's nice when you accept a lousy gift, while everyone else gets nice gifts, but not everyone like to be walked all over.

Everyone at my workplace gives out pie on their birthday, to everyone at the office. When someone gives biscuits instead, I am annoyed. Same here.

Is someone holding a gun to your head making you play wow? If you care that much about a stupid anniversary gift why are you even playing wow?


They even told us years ago to NOT expect anything because they aren't going to give pets every year.

[dacoolist]

Ive spent close to 2,000 dollars on this game. If they can design 5 new pets a year at least for the blizzard store I don't see why they can't give one away a year for their anniversary. I don't think this is unreasonable. I don't expect more than fireworks for next year at this point. They really don't offer any long term customer appreciation gifts like they should considering the money they make.

I usually defend Blizzard to the end.. But cptaylor hit's it HEAD ON. I agree 100%, for the amount of awesomeness they put out, how awesome it would be to get something cool each year through the anniversary celebrations.. Because the first TWO were EPIC! The last bunch were

I love feats of strength, I really do, it's one of my highlights, but a cool pet, or something would be awesome. I know I know, special snowflake comes to mind, but at least it would be something to always look forward to - LIKE the Winter's day/week gift unwrapping event.


Cheers

[Thimagryn]

Yeah, and it'll still be gone when you're done eating it. And after, say, a couple months it'll be trash from sublimation.

The point is that your analogy doesn't work as a necessary condition to your conclusion. It works as a sufficient condition. Nothing more.

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What kind of restaurant gives you a free cake for your birthday? This has never been my experience.

Many restaurants give free stuff if it's your birthday. It promotes getting big groups and repeat customers at their establishments.

Also you're totally off about the birthday cake thing. It's not a temporary gift, you've consumed it. Any anger after that's gone is a completely different situation to what is going on here with the complete lack of incentive from an annual tradition that Blizzard had been promoting.

Just look at how fans were upset that Diretide didn't happen this year with DOTA2. They've only done Diretide once, and it was enough to make the fans question why they didn't do it this year, leading Valve to do a public apology/explanation and ushering in a late event.

It's about appeasing the fans, and whether you feel it's entitlement or not, it doesn't stop the demand for content and incentives.

I'm unsubbed for the very reason that there is no lasting content nor any incentives for me to come back. If they gave me a free 80 for resubbing for a month? Sure, I'll do it. If they gave me a new mount or pet for coming back? Sure. However they're keeping all of that on their pet shop. I was one of the people who did the Annual Pass, even though I didn't play the last 4 months of Cataclysm. I feel like I got what I paid for still. I'll just wait it out and play other games till there's something to come back for.

[Waniou]

$1 says that next year, we get revamped revamped Onyxia for the 10th anniversary.

Also, I'm really not sure why people are complaining. If you don't like it, don't use it.

[Delaios]

I'd like the rep and exp boost to be a bit higher than 1% per year, it's barely noticeable right now. 5% a year would motivate me more to level new alts and grind reps. Monks already get 50% bonus XP, so it wouldn't be too unbalanced.

Do you get an achievement when you log in?
Should I pay for a month or not?

You get a FoS for logging in with a character. The "event" lasts for about a week. Up to you if a FoS is worth a month's subscription.

[Deleted]

Corporations celebrate anniversaries all the time. Not sure the workers ever really get anything other than an email or a piece of cake.

Cake would be very welcome, though.

[worsthitmanNa]

Whatever happened to "It's the thought that counts"?

They haven't put any thought into the buff its been the same forever and that is the stupid part. At least upgraded the exp and show you didn't just copy and paste.

[Thimagryn]

Okay, say your parents buy you a smart phone for your Birthday. Next year comes and they give you a card that's says how much they love you and a gift card to a restaurant you like. Do you throw the card in their face and ask them why this years gift wasn't up to par as last years smart phone? Are you ungrateful that your parents still thought about you? Are you going to bitch at them?

So you're saying I should view Blizzard as closely as my family, and that I should have the same empathy towards a company that I pay for content as I do with the people who raised me up? I guess you're one of those people who feel genuine sentiment towards their phone plan providers when they offer free texting for 30 days.

[Pascal]

The difference between you getting a cupcake for someone else's anniversary is that you weren't personally involved in making sure that they anniversary was a thing. We pay Blizzard money so that they can keep making money off of the game in order to keep it going, so that it has an anniversary. If your friends who have been married for 9 years have an anniversary party and invite you, you get a cupcake without having given anything in return. We each pay Blizzard thousands of dollars and for their 9th anniversary that we are responsible for enabling to exist, we get basically nothing.

It's compounded by the fact that they USED to give us pets for their anniversary. Each anniversary before used to be special and they used to thank us for it with something noteable and (digitally) tangible. It's almost like they got too good for us and forgot that we are the ones making this possible for them.

Now, I'm not saying we deserve a free week of play time, a mount, a free server transfer, and WoD beta invites. I'm just saying that your comparison sucks.

[Amerissis]

Okay, say your parents buy you a smart phone for your Birthday. Next year comes and they give you a card that's says how much they love you and a gift card to a restaurant you like. Do you throw the card in their face and ask them why this years gift wasn't up to par as last years smart phone? Are you ungrateful that your parents still thought about you? Are you going to bitch at them?

You seem to forget that we are paying customers and they are a company that should show us some appreciation. Your analogies make little sense. Are you trying to say a free pet or a tabard or something is worth as much as smartphone? The gifts Blizzard could give, instead of 9% XP, are FREE. We don't expect money or anything, just pixels. Like EVERY OTHER COMPANY does.

No, I wouldn't bitch at my parents for not getting me a smartphone every year, but that has nothing to do with any of this.

I'm so surprised people defend Blizzard's stance in this. Why would you rather bend over and take it, then expecting a FREE gift from a multi billion dollar company that can crank out stuff for the store any time, but gives us 9% XP to show us how valuable we are to them? It's not like we demand anything outrageous.

So, instead of expecting me to explain why I am not grateful, explain why you don't expect anything for your loyalty?

[Thimagryn]

You can change parents to a good friend.

Which Blizzard is neither of. Try company that provides services and goods, with incentives for repeat customers.

Even Starbucks offers free coffee when it's your birthday. The day they decide to refuse that is the day they'll be getting angry customers.

[Thimagryn]

And I don't think you're getting my point. Cause even if the scenario was a friend or even a total stranger, most people wouldn't be so greedy, self entitled, and self absorbed to expect something of the same value or better the next year.

Because of human sentiment.

You don't pay your friends $15/month do you? Now can you imagine the relationship you would have with an associate if you paid them $15/month for their services, say just to keep you company? It's not going to be the same sentiment as true friend, which you are always making the analogy to.

You're making the assumption that we should be having the same expectations with a business as we would with personal relationships, and that's the ultimate flaw in your argument.

[Thimagryn]

If my Cable company gave me 10$ one year for being a costumer for a number of years, I would be grateful and not expect the same thing again. And if they did happen to give me a card the following year, instead of cash, I STILL would be grateful that they took the time to thank me for being a customer.

If another company offered better incentives, say giving you free Netflix and your first 4 months are free, you'd find 'new friends'. How much sentiment can you really have when it comes down to business?

[Orange Joe]

Because of human sentiment.

You don't pay your friends $15/month do you? Now can you imagine the relationship you would have with an associate if you paid them $15/month for their services, say just to keep you company? It's not going to be the same sentiment as true friend, which you are always making the analogy to.

You're making the assumption that we should be having the same expectations with a business as we would with personal relationships, and that's the ultimate flaw in your argument.

I pay $50 a month for my phone bill. Haven't ever gotten anything from my phone company.
I pay 50-70 a month on electric. Never got anything from them.
I pay 400 a month in rent. Nothing from my landlord.
I pay 10 a week for insurance. Nothing here either.
I pay 50-70 a month for heating. Nope nothing here either.



How is any of this any different?

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If another company offered better incentives, say giving you free Netflix and your first 4 months are free, you'd find 'new friends'. How much sentiment can you really have when it comes down to business?

Many games do give you something every year. Why are't you playing them?

[Thimagryn]

Go find a new game then....you still haven't answered my question though.

As I've explained before, I'm not currently subbed to WoW. For many reasons, including the lack of content and incentives that Blizzard has been lacking on comparatively to the past. I'm waiting to see what Warlords will provide and whether or not it is worth coming back.

And I don't see any of your questions that aren't filled with erroneous analogy to answer

[Deleted]

its not our bday, its wows bday, why did we get anything at all

Because you payed each month for WoW to live for 9 years. They should be thankful to you for that. Or maybe you'd like that, on WoW's birthday, you should be required to give Blizzard 10$? I mean, it is their game's birthday after all!

[Thimagryn]

Many games do give you something every year. Why are't you playing them?

Who said I wasn't playing them?

[Heyer]

Why does people always want so much? :P

[Orange Joe]

Who said I wasn't playing them?

So why are you here complaining about a gift you didn't get because you aren't even subbed to the game?

[The One Percent]

So the logic here is to never question whether you are getting the most out of the money you give to a company?