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Yet again I was right in not trusting digital distribution and downloading every file I bought instantly on GoG and HB ever (except MAC versions) from the beginning.
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Klumpen0815: Yet again I was right in not trusting digital distribution and downloading every file I bought instantly on GoG and HB ever (except MAC versions) from the beginning.
I used to trust GOG (and I did not had the space to download everything) but I'm now downloading everything.

Luckily, I had already downloaded Dracula 4.
I backup my purchases since the pr stunt. Almost a 1Tb only for windows. I'm afraid to check how much it will take to get also mac and linux. However, as I said, checking what has changed it not an easy task and GOG did an incredibly poor job managing that.

I would hope that instead of adding draconian and exploitable (by them) new policy in their agreement, the would submit, in an act of good will, to some rules that bind them legally to be more upfront and fair with their customers.
Right now their principles are just something they wave to attract attention but are actually void.
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MIK0: I backup my purchases since the pr stunt. Almost a 1Tb only for windows. I'm afraid to check how much it will take to get also mac and linux. However, as I said, checking what has changed it not an easy task and GOG did an incredibly poor job managing that.

I would hope that instead of adding draconian and exploitable (by them) new policy in their agreement, the would submit, in an act of good will, to some rules that bind them legally to be more upfront and fair with their customers.
Right now their principles are just something they wave to attract attention but are actually void.
What is/was the "PR stunt?".
From MaGog's logs for 4 February:

NOTE! CHANGED Race the Sun, file_size: 25 MB ***TO*** 26 MB
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MarkoH01: What is/was the "PR stunt?".
GOG's "closure" back in 2010.
*sigh* It's time to find that second external HDD as I don't fully trust my current backup drive. Hate to lose my goodies :/
GOG threw us under the bus again, eh?

*sigh* Who do I e-mail?
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Gonchi: GOG threw us under the bus again, eh?

*sigh* Who do I e-mail?
When I have a GOG issue that Judas can't solve, I find that the most effective method is to email my mother. Do you want her email address?
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Gonchi: GOG threw us under the bus again, eh?

*sigh* Who do I e-mail?
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mrkgnao: When I have a GOG issue that Judas can't solve, I find that the most effective method is to email my mother. Do you want her email address?
Nah, I already have her number.
The simplest way to get anything sorted in life, is to hit them where it hurts.
...in this case, with money.

Demand your money back because the contract you entered into when purchasing 'the goods' has been breached. You purchased the goods solely based on the 'FREE' extras being supplied, which are now no longer available as part of your original purchase.

If a freebie comes as part of a purchase - eg, a laptop with a mobile broadband contract - you've exactly the same rights as if you'd bought it. Your rights of course, are different in every country, so check if it applies.
GOG really needs a better way of handling content removal. Retroactively removing content and features from users has lead to lawsuits for other companies in the past. I'd hate to see the same happen to GOG.
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zaine-h: GOG really needs a better way of handling content removal. Retroactively removing content and features from users has lead to lawsuits for other companies in the past. I'd hate to see the same happen to GOG.
But that is exactly what has to happen if we ever want fair laws for the relatively new field "digital distribution".
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JudasIscariot: Rights holder request is the reason we pulled that soundtrack.

That's the reason we pull ANY bonus.
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MIK0: Just say NO then.
They may be the rights holder, but in not way they could change what was purchased. They could ask not to sell it again but what it is done it is done.
What if they asked you to remove the actual game from the users account?

How come you can conventiently bend ANY of your principle when that suits you?
So after the regional pricing the next thing is EXTRAS-free games?

Also, it's a matter of communication. And that does not cost very much.
An honest company would:
- say no to the rights holder if he require to actual damage your customers. you need both publishers and customers to survive.
A not honest but not behind redemption company (oh wait...) would:
- prior to executing the removal, contact all the users that would be involved in the change.
- offer with no exception refund to all the people involved that doesn't feel pleased by this change. even some kind of compensation for the throuble should be considered.
- Dedicate a news about the matter with the same emphasis of news of the caliber of "Good News..." or "Getting back to our roots" (spoiler alert: you didn't). That at least would give the illusion that you don't actually communicate only when you are trying the sneak behind your customers backs. Also publishers could say nothing if what you post it's true and if by that they (or you) get bad publicity, that's a thing you should live with.

Also I want to point out the fact that while you made pretty clear that GOG cannot be trusted about purchased content (starting the the infamous PR stunt that will always be remembered and brought up occasionally), you also made a majestic job at creating the worst condition for customers to backup their collection.
The actual account page give very undetailed informations (md5?, file date?). You also don't communicate throughly when something in the account changes. You went out of your way to gives files names and folder that is not intuitive and mess up any kind of sorting or archiving method.
For that reasons users have to rely on the wonderful job of people that, without your means and data, manage to do a better job at giving informations that would otherwise not given at all.
Maybe you should consider paying someone to sort out the mess that it's your customer satisfaction policy.

An while having community managers it's good and fun, the fact that 99% of the times they cannot gives proper reply to the users inquiries (because you didn't provide that kind of informations to them) means that you have really great problem to solve about community.
I would like to see this kind of matter treated with the same importance that you usually give when you do a pr news or when you are trying to forge a good image for the company.
There are a lot of critical topic where users get only dismissive and uncertain official opinions when they get a reply at all.
Just to reinfore the importance of this, which sums up the claims that have been wandering the community for a long time. I know that prolly poor Judas will read it and that´s all. Nothing will happen. But again I felt this deserve some bump.
Yes, this is an important matter that should not be treated lightly from GOG. Unfortunately Judas soes not seem to be the one who is in charge with those things - he only gives informations to us which he has received. So who do you write to (from GOG - so please not another mother mail... even if it is a mother from people at GOG) to express why this is absolutely wrong and hardly legal?
Post edited February 05, 2015 by MarkoH01