Return your opened 'Mass Effect 3' game to Amazon
A recent post on the Bioware forums discusses a gamer who was unsatisfied with the ending and the general experience of Mass Effect 3, and was issued a full refund from Amazon.com, despite the game being opened. Being slightly skeptical, we decided to contact Amazon directly for the real scoop.
We first spoke with an Amazon representative on chat support, and after a very long pause, were directed to call Amazon’s customer service line.
Using the order of Mass Effect 3 we placed for one of our contest winners as a reference point, we told the Amazon rep we were completely unsatisfied with the game, and made clear that it was not Amazon’s fault; instead, we conveyed that it was the developer’s fault.
After another lengthy pause, Amazon told us they would “issue a full or partial refund if you are not satisfied with the quality of Mass Effect 3, and it is the developer’s fault.” Upon Amazon’s receipt of the game, it would then be sent to the return department for evaluation, and it must be returned within 30 days of purchase. We want to emphasize that Amazon did not promise a full refund, but they did promise, at the very least, a partial refund. And this was for the PC version of the game, and we made sure they knew it was open and had been played.
It’s also worth mentioning that Amazon indeed offered the same type of refund after the release of BioWare’s Dragon Age 2. In a related case, Apple offered dissatisfied consumers a full refund for Final Cut Pro X due to its lack of features.
This is yet another dent in what has been a shaky release for such a highly anticipated title. First there was the file leak over Xbox Live several months before the game was set for release. The ending was leaked and some believed that the resulting outrage might have caused Bioware to change the ending.
One gamer has gone as far to file a complaint with the FTC for a false advertising complaint, stating the ending of the game did not live up to promised expectations.
This only further proves what a following the Mass Effect franchise has established. The fans of this game will go to just about any length to make sure they are not only heard, but that the game reflects the choices they made as Commander Shepard in his mission to stop the Reapers.
[UPDATE] More information can be found about Amazon’s return policy here. It appears as though the return policy is not as clear cut as first advertised. If for any reason you are thinking of returning your opened copy of Mass Effect 3, or any game for that matter, please spend a minute reviewing their policy.
[Editor's Note: This post does not reflect VGW's feeling on Mass Effect 3.]
Amazon must be rich if they will issue a refund to someone who opened the game, played hours of the game and finished it.
kinda stupid. Basically the guy played the game for free.
well i want my bit too! if i play or watch a piece of sh* game or movie, i want my money back!
This opens a very interesting can of worms. the Doctrine of “try it, keep it” has been in effect so long that this kind of deviation feels heretical. But if we look at it objectively, this may actually be good for games. For far too long entertainment has had a pricing problem: good stuff costs the same as bad stuff, and you can’t know the difference until you’ve broken the seal and voided the warranty by watching/reading/playing it.
Now, if we as media consumers are allowed to evaluate the product in a similar way to tangible, physical goods, that changes this dynamic. I think the best case scenario is that media will do what other goods have done given the same constraints: tiered their pricing to reflect the quality of the production.
So maybe in the future a game will have to live up to its $60 price tag, and many publishers will actually deign to make more risky, less-expensive titles. i don’t think the “i didn’t like the way you wrote the ending” argument is a good model for this approach, but i do believe that a reasonable model for judging the market value of a game/movie/etc might be achievable, and would do the audience and the market good in terms of expanding the possibilities on offer.
I think such a plan would make the games industry less likely to take risks, making everything more mediocre. the $60 price tag is for the people that must be among the first to play the game. Bad games rater rapidly fall in price as consumer reviews come in and people sell the titles back to Game Stop. The way I see it you are paying a premium to play a game before spoilers flood the internet, and so that you can talk about it with your friends. No one’s forcing you to buy a game first, as you could easily wait and pick it up a few months later once others have determined weather or not it’s a title worth playing.
This is genius on Amazon’s part actually. It’s a short term loss for a very long term gain. If you hated ME3 and get a refund, you’re probably gonna continue using amazon for future game purchases right? They don’t have to say yes in the future, and not every game is going to get the outrage that ME3 got, so it’s not even like you can return future games. Smart business as always Amazon, Smart.
Okay guys…so I think you’re all taking this way out of context.
“if you are not satisfied with the quality of Mass Effect 3, and it is the developer’s fault”
‘Quality’ in this circumstance has been misconstrued and does NOT mean quality of the story of the game, but quality as in faults with the game as in a corrupted file or freezing of the game or shit like that.
Did you get your refund at the end of watching “The village”?
(crappiest ‘horror’ movie)
I think not.
I feel bad that the ending is shitty, but that’s life. Play dead space instead!!!
I *loved* the endings of Mass Effect 3!
But the authors of the game received so much criticism.
Show the authors of Mass Effect 3 your appreciation of their art by joing the facebook group and share this post to spread the news!
http://www.facebook.com/groups/362681940443797/