DDI annoyance: a solution to forced/unavoidable continuing billing

[SableWyvern]

The images hosted on the site are not on a secure page. It's a pretty common slip-up with many ecommerce services; ideally, Wizards should be hosting all images on the same server in which they've applied the SSL.

Ideally indeed. That kind of sloppiness means that someone savvy enough to check for security, but unable to discern why there's an issue (such as me) is probably going to turn into a lost sale.

 

[Chris Knapp]

This is great, if you can get it. I haven't found anybody in Singapore that offers it yet...

And neither American Express nor Discover Card have any idea what you are talking about if you ask for this. . .

 

[Griogre]

And neither American Express nor Discover Card have any idea what you are talking about if you ask for this. . .

Just an FYI, if you have a Discover Card you can get one use numbers for use on the Internet. I use them all the time - one of Discovers best features, IMO.

 

[keterys]

There are many cases where I want autorenewing - I don't pay enough attention and I'd let my subscription lapse otherwise so I'd just as soon have it work until I choose to stop it.

However, it should always only be an _option_ not a requirement, and it should always be easy to cancel such a subscription.

I've never actually had any difficulty with doing so with internet things (like MMOs, for instance), but the one use credit card numbers sound pretty darn nifty.

 

[TheLordWinter]

Wow. Well, I was kind of excited about DDI for awhile, but this info has pretty much ended that. Now please don't get me wrong, I do really like 4th edition, however I think that this entire process of the "digital initiative" has been handled poorly, has been sloppy and has been of a quality for which I am unwilling to shell out money.

I have been unimpressed by the quality of the online content of the magazines. The features that interested me in DDI in the first place are still unavailable, such as the virtual character visualizer and the game table. I don't buy anything without trying it out, but Wizards is asking me to buy blind on this one. And to that, I say: no dice.

On top of that, having to jump through hoops if I want to stop the service is one of the last things I want to do. I'll save my pennies and keep buying the books themselves when they catch my eye, but I think the online content just won't be for me.

 

[Stogoe]

I love how people say it's been 'handled poorly' because they themselves personally don't like what's offered.

 

[Stormtower]

As someone who was initially skeptical of both 4E (thankfully wrong here, the game is terrific and well balanced) and of DDI, I am not impressed by the latter's choice of payment options and auto-renewing billing.

The price is certainly right, for about $5 US per month on the yearly billing, but there is no good reason to use this slightly shady auto-billing option with no obvious way to cancel it. D&D'ers who are likely to purchase DDI are probably more tech-savvy than the average 'net consumer, and such decisions by WotC do them no favors in attracting potential subscribers like myself.

I am loving 4E so far, but the DDI content is far behind where it was promised to be and this billing system seems to be rushed out the door. I was initially going to subscribe, but after this I will wait and see for awhile.

WotC, I'm one of your "buy everything" customers (books, minis, map sets, etc.) and I'm not happy about this. A strong, transparent billing policy for DDI will attract and retain subscribers like myself. This slapdash way of doing it, though, will keep me away.

 

[TheLordWinter]

I love how people say it's been 'handled poorly' because they themselves personally don't like what's offered.

I say handled poorly because the things people were promised haven't been forthcoming, and having my credit card info openly floating around the 'net isn't something that makes me feel safe and secured. Would you consider a business to be handling things poorly if they left your personal documents where someone might take them, without taking all the necessary precautions?

In addition to that, the content simply doesn't feel up to the standards it was during Paizo's era. Now I'll admit, that is certainly a matter of personal opinion, as is the fact that I preferred to have the magazines in my hands and reading it that way. I had a long-running subscription to Dragon Magazine and I was always thrilled to have it arrive in the mail. While the contents weren't always thing I'd use in my games, it was at least something I enjoyed flipping through and taking a look at. I just can't say I'm as taken by what's been offered by DDI during the free trial.

 

[King Nate]

My solution is to us a virtual credit card # from my credit card company. It expires in 2 weeks and no other vendor can charge to that # after the first vendor does.

Best way to buy stuff online IMO.

How do you get one of these? I never heard of this before.

 

[Mercule]

This sort of thing is pretty much SOP for almost anything I've seen that has for-pay membership. Yes, it annoys me every time, but it's not like WotC has cranked it to 11.