Kung Fu Tea Promotion [Merged]

[Jevati.4328]

I think at this point, for many people in this thread, it’s less about what actually happened and what the legal aspects are, and it’s more about feeling betrayed.

 

We don’t know KFT, so whatever they did or don’t do, it can feel more distant and less personal.

 

But we know ANet. At best, it can feel like they let this happen to us and now they’re not making it right. And at worst, we trusted ANet but they did this on purpose to make a profit and don’t care.

 

I firmly believe they did NOT do this on purpose, and I also firmly believe that they DO care and are actually in the process of trying to make it right. But a lot of people seem to be confusing ANet’s silence with apathy, when I think it’s much more likely that ANet is doing what they can to sort through this, and it’s just taking much longer than any of us would like.

[Danikat.8537]

I certainly hope they're doing something to sort this all out. So far this promotion has been disabled for 1/2 the time it's been running and all we've heard is "we're working on it".

 

Hopefully they'll get it enabled again soon, but IMO if it doesn't happen by Monday they should extend the promotion. It was disabled last Tuesday so that will be an entire week or 1/4 of the promotion period it's been down. And there's no guarantee the app will be working properly when it goes back up and people will be able to get the codes without multiple attempts.

 

In addition I'd really like a statement from Anet about the sudden change to US-only. Was it always supposed to be that way and if so why did they translate the announcement for people in other parts of the world and promote it internationally without making that clear? If not are non-US residents risking their accounts if they use codes obtained before the change or by a friend? Can we expect there will eventually be a way to get these codes outside the US?

[NicholaLord.2630]

> @"Shikigami.4013" said:

> How are they even going to check if anyone linking his social media account is a "US resident" or not? In case of Facebook it probably comes with your acceptance of sharing your location withing Facebook, but what about Twitter or Instagram? I don't remember Twitter or Instagram regularly giving away the place any user lives.

>

> If this is going to be done by a stupid IP restriction then every US resident who is not currently in the US will be locked out although he should be able to participate, also any non-US resident who just happens to be in the US currently would be included although he should not be included. All it would do is make people who happen to be in the US (resident or not) farm the codes in order to give/sell them to people who are not in the US and would have been able to obtain them without problem before, but cannot now.

 

There are tools on google to restrict apps.. KFT obviously wanted this to be global as it was originally so did ANET as they translated the avert on the launcher for may EU languages... Pls dont buy into the BS that this was meant for US, and we made a mistake... it clearly was meant to be global, only when KFT couldn't handle the volume was it then changed.

[Blanche Neige.7241]

Misread something , please delete.

 

My apologies to Mewcifer.5198

 

 

[Mewcifer.5198]

> @"Blanche Neige.7241" said:

> > @"Mewcifer.5198" said:>

> > If this was intended to be for US residents all along, I hope that they have a separate promotion for non-US residents to allow them to get the things as well.

>

> Really? I'm sure you can give your source for such an affirmation.

>

> Also, could you explain that if it was planned for the US only from the start, why was it announced on every launcher for the game and localised for each officially supported language?

>

>

 

I am not sure what you are asking from me, I did not make any definitive statements that would require proof or sourcing. I spoke about **if** something were true and then added my personal opinion.

[BunjiKugashira.9754]

> @"Shikigami.4013" said:

> How are they even going to check if anyone linking his social media account is a "US resident" or not? In case of Facebook it probably comes with your acceptance of sharing your location within Facebook, but what about Twitter or Instagram? I don't remember Twitter or Instagram regularly giving away the place any user lives.

>

> If this is going to be done by a stupid IP restriction then every US resident who is not currently in the US will be locked out although he should be able to participate, also any non-US resident who just happens to be in the US currently would be included although he should not be included. All it would do is make people who happen to be in the US (resident or not) farm the codes in order to give/sell them to people who are not in the US and would have been able to obtain them without problem before, but cannot now.

 

It would most likely be a IP restriction. So anyone can still get the codes by using VPN.

[Lisse.4597]

The issue to me is more about the whole promotion in general then it being implemented badly. It rly feels to me like anet is selling their playerbase out to another company, giving kung fu tea some free online advertisement etc. while the way they gave it to us was as a nice gift of a free item for a simple signup. I rly hope they don't do this type of marketting action ever again, whats next, some free gems with every 2l bottle of coca cola we buy, or some fancy boot skins for liking nike on facebook?

[Linken.6345]

> @"Lisse.4597" said:

> The issue to me is more about the whole promotion in general then it being implemented badly. It rly feels to me like anet is selling their playerbase out to another company, giving kung fu tea some free online advertisement etc. while the way they gave it to us was as a nice gift of a free item for a simple signup. I rly hope they don't do this type of marketting action ever again, whats next, some free gems with every 2l bottle of coca cola we buy, or some fancy boot skins for liking nike on facebook?

 

Id like nike on facebook for invisible shoes skin any day =)

[Menadena.7482]

> @"Lisse.4597" said:

> The issue to me is more about the whole promotion in general then it being implemented badly. It rly feels to me like anet is selling their playerbase out to another company, giving kung fu tea some free online advertisement etc. while the way they gave it to us was as a nice gift of a free item for a simple signup. I rly hope they don't do this type of marketting action ever again, whats next, some free gems with every 2l bottle of coca cola we buy, or some fancy boot skins for liking nike on facebook?

 

They pretty much did. We do not know the details but it was something along the lines of 'send your customers to our app and we will send our customers to your game'. If that is the case, anet fulfilled their end of the deal and KFT reneged ..... which is why there are probably lawyers in discussions right now.

[Shikigami.4013]

> @"NicholaLord.2630" said:

> [..] Pls dont buy into the BS that this was meant for US, and we made a mistake... it clearly was meant to be global, only when KFT couldn't handle the volume was it then changed.

 

Sorry if it sounded like that to you, but it was not meant that way. It is completely obvious that the promotion contained two seperate parts, one was the sweepstakes and one was the giveaway. They specifically restricted the sweepstakes, but did not mention anything about the giveaway at all at first. It is common sense that if a company has a promotion with 2 elements, and then specifically lables just one of them as being restricted, that the other one is NOT restricted.

 

Otherwise it would be like a store selling 2 different items and then hanging up a sign "Item 1 will no longer be sold". You enter the store to buy item 2, pay, and then the storeowner says "Sorry, we also stopped selling item 2 but thanks for your money and your understanding."

 

 

 

[Bloodstealer.5978]

> @"Linken.6345" said:

> > @"Lisse.4597" said:

> > The issue to me is more about the whole promotion in general then it being implemented badly. It rly feels to me like anet is selling their playerbase out to another company, giving kung fu tea some free online advertisement etc. while the way they gave it to us was as a nice gift of a free item for a simple signup. I rly hope they don't do this type of marketting action ever again, whats next, some free gems with every 2l bottle of coca cola we buy, or some fancy boot skins for liking nike on facebook?

>

> Id like nike on facebook for invisible shoes skin any day =)

 

Invisible ones smothered in flames.. I would buy me some of those ones.

[kurfu.5623]

The fact that you had to purchase something (buy a drink and take a picture) to enter the sweepstakes makes it a *lottery*, and therefore illegal in many areas.

[Linken.6345]

> @"kurfu.5623" said:

> The fact that you had to purchase something (buy a drink and take a picture) to enter the sweepstakes makes it a *lottery*, and therefore illegal in many areas.

 

Yea and that was only for usa from the start so I think they got the laws from their own country nailed down.

Got any usefull to add to the switcheroo that was the free heroic code/outfit that got switched from everyone to usa only?

 

[NicholaLord.2630]

> @"Shikigami.4013" said:

> > @"NicholaLord.2630" said:

> > [..] Pls dont buy into the BS that this was meant for US, and we made a mistake... it clearly was meant to be global, only when KFT couldn't handle the volume was it then changed.

>

> Sorry if it sounded like that to you, but it was not meant that way. It is completely obvious that the promotion contained two seperate parts, one was the sweepstakes and one was the giveaway. They specifically restricted the sweepstakes, but did not mention anything about the giveaway at all at first. It is common sense that if a company has a promotion with 2 elements, and then specifically lables just one of them as being restricted, that the other one is NOT restricted.

>

> Otherwise it would be like a store selling 2 different items and then hanging up a sign "Item 1 will no longer be sold". You enter the store to buy item 2, pay, and then the storeowner says "Sorry, we also stopped selling item 2 but thanks for your money and your understanding."

>

>

>

 

You miss my point?

KTF are saying that it was a mistake and it should ALL have been US only, not this or that ALL!

 

[Shikigami.4013]

> @"NicholaLord.2630" said:

> > @"Shikigami.4013" said:

> > > @"NicholaLord.2630" said:

> > > [..] Pls dont buy into the BS that this was meant for US, and we made a mistake... it clearly was meant to be global, only when KFT couldn't handle the volume was it then changed.

> >

> > Sorry if it sounded like that to you, but it was not meant that way. It is completely obvious that the promotion contained two seperate parts, one was the sweepstakes and one was the giveaway. They specifically restricted the sweepstakes, but did not mention anything about the giveaway at all at first. It is common sense that if a company has a promotion with 2 elements, and then specifically lables just one of them as being restricted, that the other one is NOT restricted.

> >

> > Otherwise it would be like a store selling 2 different items and then hanging up a sign "Item 1 will no longer be sold". You enter the store to buy item 2, pay, and then the storeowner says "Sorry, we also stopped selling item 2 but thanks for your money and your understanding."

> >

> >

> >

>

> You miss my point?

> KTF are saying that it was a mistake and it should ALL have been US only, not this or that ALL!

>

 

No actually you miss my point. You said to me "Please don't buy into the BS that it was only for the US and they made a mistake" as if I did that. I did not.

Then I replied that I didn't, and you repeat the same thing, although I just made a whole post about how clear it is that I am NOT "buying into the BS" and how painfully obvious it is that the claim that "it was all supposed to be US only" is nonsense.

 

I don't understand why you keep arguing with me although I never said anything else than you do.

[Absconditus.6804]

Hopefully there'll be some feedback from ArenaNet early next week. KFT suddenly stated it was always intended to be for the US only, which just makes no sense what so ever given how it were promoted. I'd like to hear from ArenaNet on this, not necessarily KFT. I were sent to KFT by ArenaNet, they are the reason I feel deceived into giving my private data and post history to a third-party company with nothing in return.

[MaxRunes.8695]

hey guys. so i got my codes the first day but it cut off all of the outfit code. so i got pissed and forgot about it. went to enter my heroic edition code today as i didnt know it could be used on a heroic account and its not letting me redeem. did they void out all the codes or is it an issue in the code redeem section?

 

[Aaralyna.3104]

They should give the codes for both Heroic Package as well as costume one to everyone. Connected my facebook (and thereby they got my personal data) before they changed their terms. When I did this, as a non US, I read the promo and it said sweepstakes only for US (which is deluxe edition and needed to purchase the drink), and the DLC promo was not for US only, but global. By not giving the codes after we giving them our data, it is a breach between the one providing the data (the personal social info) and KFT + Anet (they both do this promo and both failed to deliver). It was advertised on the EU launcher and I actually read the promo from the site of KFT as well that had the original terms (the one applicable when I connected my social media to them). And atm we know nothing, hear nothing.... my personal data is in their system (and who knows sold on to third parties as well..), and as of now we cannot unlink our profiles either since we still have no info whatsoever. I surely would not agree if this thing turns out to be an unfair advantage against any non US, not to mention that I then want to know exactly what my data has been used for (followed by actions if needed).

[Lisse.4597]

> @"Menadena.7482" said:

> > @"Lisse.4597" said:

> > The issue to me is more about the whole promotion in general then it being implemented badly. It rly feels to me like anet is selling their playerbase out to another company, giving kung fu tea some free online advertisement etc. while the way they gave it to us was as a nice gift of a free item for a simple signup. I rly hope they don't do this type of marketting action ever again, whats next, some free gems with every 2l bottle of coca cola we buy, or some fancy boot skins for liking nike on facebook?

>

> They pretty much did. We do not know the details but it was something along the lines of 'send your customers to our app and we will send our customers to your game'. If that is the case, anet fulfilled their end of the deal and KFT reneged ..... which is why there are probably lawyers in discussions right now.

 

That is partially my point, they sold out their player base (as a first time and as to what to me feels like a test run to see if the playerbase reacts to it). The playerbase does seem to react to it, but only because it doesn't work as intended, not becaus they're selling our "loyalty" to another company. Wich is concerning in my opinion. This to me is much more triggering then the whole mount rng controversy, but because it doesn't work how they intended the focus seems to be on why it isn't working right, rather then arena net selling their playerbase out as a clickfarm for another company. I do not think however kft is purposly witholding their end for anything. After all, they probalbly aren't offering anything in return. All the participating players get is an outfit wich is already created and doesnt cost arena net anything new. They are giving some sort of gambling system for american players that buy stuff in their store with an rng system as far as I can tell but that again is no cost to arena net more then the maintanance of changing a couple bits in their server. (And I'm asuming kft won't even have to pay the price of upgrading a free to play account for that). So I'm just asuming that the system is bugged and to me that is just a sad distraction of what is really going on, wich is arena net testing the waters to see if it is ok for them to sell out to third parties.

 

(For the record this is my 3d post in this topic and I wrote my 1st and 3d post whilest somewhat drunk and english isn't my native language so forgive my spelling and grammatic errors, I love guildwars and I hate to see it's ideals decline!)

[Blanche Neige.7241]

I'm wondering what Anet is expecting to get from this promotion.

 

With only 187 stores in a handful of states (including the ones to be "opened soon"), I doubt Anet is going to attract a lot of new players to the game. There is probably only a tiny fraction of KFT's customers that are potential customers for Anet. To me, it does not make a lot of sense to spend ressources on that.

 

And seeing the way KFT is managing this promo, it may hurt Anet a lot more than benefit them if they don't find a way to not give non-US players the feeling they got screwed with all this mess.

[Mewcifer.5198]

> @"Blanche Neige.7241" said:

> I'm wondering what Anet is expecting to get from this promotion.

>

> With only 187 stores in a handful of states (including the ones to be "opened soon"), I doubt Anet is going to attract a lot of new players to the game. There is probably only a tiny fraction of KFT's customers that are potential customers for Anet. To me, it does not make a lot of sense to spend ressources on that.

>

> And seeing the way KFT is managing this promo, it may hurt Anet a lot more than benefit them if they don't find a way to not give non-US players the feeling they got screwed with all this mess.

 

I kind of suspect their thought process didn't go much beyond "we are a game about fighting dragons, their logo has a dragon, it's a perfect match"

[Menadena.7482]

Actually, anet does get something: new customers (it is not just existing gw2 people that used this promotion). I am guessing the deal included KFT paying something for the codes as well.

[Illconceived Was Na.9781]

> @"kurfu.5623" said:

> The fact that you had to purchase something (buy a drink and take a picture) to enter the sweepstakes makes it a *lottery*, and therefore illegal in many areas.

 

You don't (or rather did not) have to purchase something. You could use someone else's photo.

[Lisse.4597]

> @"Blanche Neige.7241" said:

> I'm wondering what Anet is expecting to get from this promotion.

>

> With only 187 stores in a handful of states (including the ones to be "opened soon"), I doubt Anet is going to attract a lot of new players to the game. There is probably only a tiny fraction of KFT's customers that are potential customers for Anet. To me, it does not make a lot of sense to spend ressources on that.

>

> And seeing the way KFT is managing this promo, it may hurt Anet a lot more than benefit them if they don't find a way to not give non-US players the feeling they got screwed with all this mess.

 

I hope kft payed them a good amount of money for this (but prolly not). But I wouldn't worry to much. As a european player we're basically hoping for an outfit we would probably never wear, and if they really can't fix it so that we only get the outfit for posting "free" advertisments for kft by linking them to our social networks I'm guessing they can still add that outfit as a free gemstore item for a week or something, actually fullfilling it's use as a gift to the players for the games sixth birthday....

[Etria.3642]

Maybe someone thought , oh, only a hundred stores, maybe a thousand codes handed out, this will be easy.

 

Not.