- Report: #589556
Complaint Review: GameForge AG - Karlsruhe Select State/Province
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GameForge AG
Albert-Nestler-Strasse 8 76131 Karlsruhe, Select State/Province, Germany
Phone:
+49 721 354808-0
Web:
www.gameforge.de
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GameForge AG GameForge - STEALS MONEY from Customers Karlsruhe, Germany
Ikariam.org and Ikariam.com are an online video game developed by the German company GameForge. It's important to note that the company is German, because American laws and the BBB don't apply to them.
Ikariam is a game similar to the Sims, which allows you to develop cities and armies and more over a long period of time. I began playing the game about a 1.5 years ago. In that time, I spent $120 USD purchasing "ambrosia" in the game (which is used for upgrades to your account that allow you to grow faster).
About one month ago, my girlfriend started playing the game, as well. We live together, and she wanted to play with me so we could spend that time together. Being that we live together, we often played from the same machine. We didn't realize that Gameforge had a rule in place that disallowed people who play from the same computer to help each other in the game. Being that my girlfriend was relatively new (and having helped dozens of other people in the past), I naturally helped her by sending her supplies.
Without a single warning, Ikariam "banned" both of our accounts permanently. We sent several petitions to the support team, but they ran us around in circles, saying there was nothing they could do. We were escalated a total of 6 times "to the next level", even though one support agent admitted to us that there are only 3 levels of support staff. Furthermore, the ENTIRE support team is run by volunteers who have no direct line of communication with the company. This is a team of people put in place to run customers around in circles.
Here's where it gets tricky. I had a balance of "ambrosia", the Ikariam currency, in my account that they banned. This "ambrosia" has cash value. They refused to return it to me. This is the equivalent of selling something then not delivering it.
What we were told is that we were "allowed" to begin new accounts in the game. What an absurd rule. We're "banned" but still "allowed to play"? Something fishy is up there...
My hypothesis is that Ikariam has devised a very loose set of rules to get people to play, pay, invite their friends, and then get drawn into an unfair ban, only to have to begin a new account and pay again. The reason they need this cycle of banning is that accounts only need ambrosia in the first year of development. Beyond that, they are self-sustaining. The ludicrous manner in which they ban patrons who have been playing by the rules for years WITHOUT WARNING, then invite them to start again, is extremely suspicious.
This is a WARNING to anyone thinking about playing Ikariam (or any GameForge game) - these games are designed to take your money REPETITIVELY. They market themselves as "free games", but trust me, if you play regularly and seriously, you WILL pay - MORE than you would pay for a full featured cash game.
CAVEAT EMPTOR.
Ikariam is a game similar to the Sims, which allows you to develop cities and armies and more over a long period of time. I began playing the game about a 1.5 years ago. In that time, I spent $120 USD purchasing "ambrosia" in the game (which is used for upgrades to your account that allow you to grow faster).
About one month ago, my girlfriend started playing the game, as well. We live together, and she wanted to play with me so we could spend that time together. Being that we live together, we often played from the same machine. We didn't realize that Gameforge had a rule in place that disallowed people who play from the same computer to help each other in the game. Being that my girlfriend was relatively new (and having helped dozens of other people in the past), I naturally helped her by sending her supplies.
Without a single warning, Ikariam "banned" both of our accounts permanently. We sent several petitions to the support team, but they ran us around in circles, saying there was nothing they could do. We were escalated a total of 6 times "to the next level", even though one support agent admitted to us that there are only 3 levels of support staff. Furthermore, the ENTIRE support team is run by volunteers who have no direct line of communication with the company. This is a team of people put in place to run customers around in circles.
Here's where it gets tricky. I had a balance of "ambrosia", the Ikariam currency, in my account that they banned. This "ambrosia" has cash value. They refused to return it to me. This is the equivalent of selling something then not delivering it.
What we were told is that we were "allowed" to begin new accounts in the game. What an absurd rule. We're "banned" but still "allowed to play"? Something fishy is up there...
My hypothesis is that Ikariam has devised a very loose set of rules to get people to play, pay, invite their friends, and then get drawn into an unfair ban, only to have to begin a new account and pay again. The reason they need this cycle of banning is that accounts only need ambrosia in the first year of development. Beyond that, they are self-sustaining. The ludicrous manner in which they ban patrons who have been playing by the rules for years WITHOUT WARNING, then invite them to start again, is extremely suspicious.
This is a WARNING to anyone thinking about playing Ikariam (or any GameForge game) - these games are designed to take your money REPETITIVELY. They market themselves as "free games", but trust me, if you play regularly and seriously, you WILL pay - MORE than you would pay for a full featured cash game.
CAVEAT EMPTOR.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Mke
United States of AmericaYour Own Fault
#2Consumer Comment
Wed, April 06, 2011
"We didn't realize that Gameforge had a rule in place that disallowed people who play from the same computer to help each other in the game."
In other words it's your own fault for not bothering to read the rules OR the Terms and Conditions. Yes, I agree the T&C is filled with all kinds of legal stuff that no one ever bothers to read, but the rules of the game are posted in simple to understand English where everyone can read them. Why would you play a game without reading the rules anyway? In the 1.5 years you played you never once thought to read them? Also, the multi account rule is pretty much standard across every Gameforge game.
"I had a balance of "ambrosia", the Ikariam currency, in my account that they banned. This "ambrosia" has cash value. They refused to return it to me."
Again, those T&C you agreed to when you started playing AND when you agreed to pay them money for the ambrosia states that you will not get a refund. This isn't some kind of unique rule ether. Any game that you pay to play will not refund your money if you get banned. You admit to breaking the rules and getting banned for it. I see no problem here. I've been a customer of Gameforge for years now and never had any problems with payment or getting banned in any game I've played. Which includes Ikariam.
