Discussion: When Do I Get My Paragon Points and Reward Tokens? (VIP)

FWIW, bill date of the 9th, I've now gotten my points sometime before 10PM EST on the 10th. I did not have my points around 8PM EST on the 9th.

I've already forgotten about most of you

I just found out why it is so difficult to get my reward token, it took some effort, this month's resources, seven "AAA" batteries and cost me one drone, but I found out that -some- of the Stipends are directly extracted out of PlayNC employees!

It's like drawing blood but from what my camera's have shown very dull and often rusty instruments are used, It's comparable to mid-evil torture devices, I could have sworn I saw one poor fellow in what looked like a modern iron maiden!?

I also saw one department where they were using some type of machine to extract the soul essences of children! I even managed to cross reference a few of those poor kids with images found on the milk carton!

I don't know how things came to be this way or even why, but all I know is this is what it takes to get.. hang on, Iv'e been spotted I need to move...

Ok, the sirens are going off but they haven't found me yet. The facility appears to be on lockdown. good thing I'm one hell of a digger.

This explains alot.

I often wondered why it was such a pain to get our rewards and knowing that it is an extremely painful process to develop those rewards it all makes sense!

Crap they found me!

Rabbit out!

So this is STILL broken.

I'm Still waiting on a yearly badge since November.
I am Still missing paragon points, and reward tokens.

There is still no clear date as to when they should be awarded.
There is still no clear way of telling what you spent points on.

Customer service still has no clue as to how it should work, and send you to a fan site (paragonwiki) for reference because they don't have anything to work from.

This still makes no sense.

"Sorry bucko, but CoH and CoV are the same game." -BackAlleyBrawler
"Silly villain, CoX is for Heroes!" -Saicho

Here's what I got in an email.

"Rather, it should come at the end of each month spent as a VIP subscriber."

See, they have absolutely zero problems taking that 15$ but when it comes to shelling out those rewards...It's like ripping out fingernails.

I guess this "on time" thing is what they call... "subjective"

Oh, and uh, ragebah.

Gimme my friggin' token.

I spent my money now GIVE.

For me, it's mainly just not having that "vet" badge, particularly since I was scheduled to get my 5th year vet badge exactly 2 weeks after "freedom" hit. I'm ok with the paragon points coming when they come, and once I realized they were on a different schedule, I'm ok with the reward token coming when it comes. I got my yearly server slot a while back, I had forgotten that was even a thing I should expect and I dont really care that much about the transfer token but it's fine too.

It's the badge. I want my f'in badge.

wasn't this supposed to be fixed in February? So now instead of getting them early, now I am late...

i am hoping this is fixed and over but we will see what next month brings.

I just wanted to chip in my thoughts about the way points and tokens are awarded based on how I renew, which is periodically, usually with time cards, but sometimes with a standard subscription of a month or more. I don't auto-renew, because I never know what things might be like in a month, so there might be time I need to drop back to Premium. However, if things change, I often renew my VIP status. I don't keep track of my dates, I simply pay for more months or days in some fashion (since as we all know at this point, a 30 day or 60 day timecard is just that, regardless of whether you use it in February (28/29 days), you still get your full amount of days.

Unfortunately, the reward system does not currently line up with how people like myself play, and as a VIP, by definition, I think it should. Are we not the "best and brightest" of your subscriber base, at least from a press release standpoint? Here's the letter I posted to support. I wanted to add it here for everyone to discuss, especially those in a position to implement the changes, because I feel it's the only way to be fair to everyone and provide the value that I'm sure Paragon Studios is hoping to provide to their excellent game.

[message begins]
I would like to suggest a change in how rewards are given based on providing real value to the VIP who chooses to pay for a subscription on a F2P game. Currently, it appears VIP Paragon Point rewards (400/550 a month) are awarded based on the date the account was created, which then becomes the renewal date. This date never changes, so it creates a disparity between people who don't continually renew, and those who do. Those who have a lapse in their account end up getting LESS value than those who keep their accounts active constantly, due to their rewards being based around a now arbitrary date that has no relation to their actual renewal date once they resubscribe.

Furthermore, awarding the VIP tokens at the end of the month, rather than the beginning, shows another slight toward VIPs who must wait for their rewards, rather than people who play for "free" but buy points from your store every month, and get their rewards immediately, with a bonus every year or so of another token. Incentives are certainly there for spending a year's worth of money up front, getting a massive amount of tokens and points, and then perhaps finding a decent deal once in awhile on a retail box to play as a "full" VIP with all the other swag they've had since the beginning of the year.

Perhaps this is exactly how you intended your business model to be. However, it is certainly not a fair and equitable model, and it is not a model that supports your statements to the press. You have stated time and time again that you value your VIPs and that you want them to feel like their subscription dollars are worth it. I put to you that these practices do not reflect this stance. I'd ask that instead of just adding content and more items to the store, you first focus on making the VIP reward system a bit more rewarding by implementing the following changes:

Tie account renewals to the reward system: Make it so both tokens and points are awarded at the beginning of the month, so that the VIP has access to both of them from day one, the moment they are able to log in.

I think if you're going to make statements about how important your subscriber base is to you, you should take these suggestions to heart. You'll still make plenty of money from your store, I promise! Check my account. I bought 1320 points the moment I was awarded my 400 for the month. If I'd gotten those on day one of my renewal, so too would you have received an extra purchase from me, because I needed those 400 points to be able to afford what I wanted to buy.
[message ends]

This is basic economics, money you have now is worth more than that same money sometime in the future. Whether it's a few days, or a few weeks, shouldn't you be giving the players the most value for their purchases, and by extension, reaping the most rewards by doing so? I think this is what they call a "win-win" scenario, so let's stop repeating the same message of "this is how the system currently does it, and all I can do is explain that to you and apologize for the inconvenience," and start saying "This is how it should have been all along and we apologize for the delay in making it right. As a way of making it right, we will award everyone 400 Paragon Points on the day our new reward system rolls out." Okay, maybe the bonus points is just wishful thinking, but given how long this has been going on, it feels like the right thing to do.

I think we need to divorce the idea of "earned" from what we purchase. When I purchase an electronic asset from City of Heroes, there's no reason that it shouldn't be awarded at the same time, since all that needs to be done is having proper code written to do so. Nobody needs to forge my token over 30 days, and there's no logical reason that I should be set on a timer when I subscribe. Do people spending $15 on Paragon Points wait 30 days? It's a glaring problem in the reward system, and it's time that it became a top-shelf resolution. I brought this up when Issue 21 was released, and still it remains in Issue 22. I'm all for new content, but I think perhaps ensuring that every paying customer is treated equally takes priority over that, don't you?

Thanks for taking the time to read my lengthy post. I hope something can be done soon to remedy this issue.

Main issue in a nutshell: The people actually in charge of this issue are not the people that read these boards or these threads, and pay about as much attention to the employees that ARE here to read the boards as the devs pay to us on design decisions. If enough noise is raised for long enough then eventually it'll get changed a bit, but by and large they do things their own way. Things are *extremely* likely to unchange because the folks that actually care about us do not actually have the power to help us.

The rednames replying here and trying to explain how it works? They want it to be better. They want to help you, and they're frustrated at how it works right now too. I guarantee it. It's just that they have very little power to actually effect change.

So... what I'm hearing is this:

You send in a support ticket on a problem that directly results in a lessening of value to the customer, BY DESIGN, and the support people say something to the effect of: "I really hear what you're saying, and I agree, but as the system currently stands, this broken system that continually rips you off is all that we have. Here's a thought! Go post on the forums! The developers read them often, and take their ideas from them on improvements that can be made to the game."

According to Taiyanna, any redname that replies to me and agrees is not in any position to see those changes implemented? What about Posi? What about Ghost Witch? I refuse to believe that coming here, posting a well-constructed argument that shows a discrepancy in how rewards for subscriptions are awarded will simply be ignored by anyone in a position to do something about it?

Ok, that IS something I'd like an answer to, by a red name, if possible. Is making suggestions, especially those as pertinent as this one, in the forums pointless, or does it actually help prioritize updates?

Good luck with getting a Redname to post on this- I think they are hoping it just goes away.

For the last few months I'd been pulling my points, regularly, on the 29th.
This month I got them on the 28th.

DOOOOOOOOOOM!

Clicking on the linked image above will take you off the City of Heroes site. However, the guides will be linked back here.

@Hyperstrike: I agree, that's a good way to approach the problem. I think the evidence is pretty compelling, however, that the problem exists, has existed since Freedom went live, and that efforts to get it remedied seem to go mostly unheard. I requested a Red Name post simply to try to get some sort of "voice from the other side" to share their side of things with us, the paying (cough...keyword...cough) customers. It's not my intention to start any sort of war. I mean, what's to argue, really? Is it okay for us to have the value of our purchase reduced by a glitch in the system? I think not. I would simply like to hear that sentiment echoed by someone with a chance, however remote, of remedying it.

The major problem I been Having is this I buy some points near my anniversary date, then I do not receive my Vet rewards send in petition, they say oh you already received them. I tell them I have not, then they say oh you are not due till a certain date. Befor March I was getting my Reward Token on or around the 5th, then they tell me it is not due till the 28th when I should receive my Paragon Points. Which by the way I have yet to receive. Send in another petition, they say oh you are not due for that till the 4th of April. So I reply back saying so I do not receive any for the month of March? It is getting to the point where even though I like playing the game, I might just go some where else. If this is the way they are going to treat there customers who has been playing this game for years, then that is just bad business practice, good way to lose costumers in my book. Especially when they come out with new powers and u have to purchase them, or anything else new. But they wont give you the points that you are titled too?