Gametap: First two months for 49 and a half cents

edited July 2008 in General Chat
Okay, I found this quite interesting.

I signed up for GameTap because it was 99 cents for the first month, and I thought Insecticide was up on the service. Apparently it's not. Mneh.

This anecdote has a point, I promise.


Anyway, I've actually fairly well enjoyed it, but after all the Season 2 stuff, I didn't want to continue paying for another month and I don't really have enough laying around to be able to throw down the yearly subscription. So, I decided to cancel. The process sort of went like this:

GameTap: "Are you SURE?!"

Me: "Yep."

GameTap: "You get ALL THIS GREAT STUFF WITH GAMETAP...."

Me: "...Nah, still sure."

GameTap: "Okay, just fill this out: Why?"

Me: "Okay, here's why. Still canceling."


This is where GameTap became desperate, and did something I really never would have expected....


GameTap: "....Well, you sure you don't want...A FREE MONTH? Eh? Eh?!"

Me: "....Oh! Hm. Yeah. Okay!"

And that's how I got GameTap for two months with a monthly fee of roughly 49 and a half cents.

Comments

  • edited July 2008
    Wow, I don't like that they make the process more difficult than it has to be to cancel, but the service is well worth $60 a year (I think they still have this deal). It has paid for itself for even the few games I have played on the service. I am interested in hearing why you wouldn't want to continue... just not the types of games that interest you?

    Wow, now I sound like the guy on the phone...
  • edited July 2008
    Oh no, the service has quite enough games that I've enjoyed playing. And several that I'd like to get into. That's not the issue.

    It's just money. I'm going into college and I still need to buy books.

    Also: I just bought a bunch of Season 2 stuff, and I saw Dark Knight in IMAX. That basically ate up my fun money for a bit, and I'm gonna have to wait for more money to come in.

    Anyway, the process isn't really difficult at all. It just involves clicking "Yes I'd like to cancel" about four more times than I really feel is necessary.
  • edited July 2008
    Oh, this wasn't a phone call? Sweet, not painful at all then!

    Yeah, the college life does get pretty bad. As for seeing a movie in IMAX, that eats up a ton of money for 2-3 hours... which is why I have only been to one IMAX movie.
  • edited July 2008
    Yeah, they did away with the phone call, which was pretty much 70% of the reason I decided to try it.

    Yes, it really really does. But I thought it was worth it for Dark Knight, and I was really wowed by the first one in IMAX. Besides, the director was doing some radical things involving IMAX cameras, and I knew it was an experience I wouldn't be able to repeat once the movie went to video. So I sprang for it.
  • edited July 2008
    Yeah I think Insecticide is only available for purchase in the store area of Gametap's site, rather than being part of the library in the actual client.
  • edited July 2008
    I don't think I can tell right now, since the official website for the game says it is coming to GameTap "soon". It's been like that for a month, so...yeah. I joined GameTap when a misinformed blog entry stated that it was now available on GameTap, Steam, Direct2Drive, and TRYGAMES. It's really only available in the last three, though.

    And I can't find ANYTHING about the DRM of these sites, other than Steam. I know how Steam works, and while many people prefer it, I simply don't like it at all and I personally refuse to use it.

    It's kind of sad that I see their product, I'm EXCITED about it, and I am not sure how to get my hands on it.
  • edited July 2008
    They did the same for me. I was going to cancel because of some financial difficulties at the time, but then they hit me up with a free month. (Enough time to clear up my troubles.)

    That was really cool of them, even though it's just a sly marketing trick.
  • edited July 2008
    I am just looking forward to tomorrow... the American McGee Grimm game come out on Gametap... hopefully they are actually good (Seeing as I have been hyped for them for the past year)!
  • edited July 2008
    Didn't realize they'd give you the free month that soon. Let us know if they give you another free month when you try to cancel again XD
  • edited July 2008
    I know how Steam works, and while many people prefer it, I simply don't like it at all and I personally refuse to use it.

    You're not alone. I can't stand Steam either.

    I'm pretty accustomed to redundant questions when I try to cancel things, though. Mostly from playing old PC games where quitting back to DOS consisted of playing Twenty Questions with the game.
  • edited July 2008
    I kinda want to subscribe to Gametap because they seem to have all the mediocre games that I've always wanted to try but not buy. I wish they had Sierra games available for Canadian audience though.

    I love steam btw. It used to suck when it first came out but now it's great, and I love the idea of steamworks and steamcloud. Valve seems like the only company that gives a damn about PC gaming industry and willing to help out fellow PC game developers altruistically. I believe in Valve. Valve is my Harvey Dent.
  • edited July 2008
    I love Steam. If a game's not on Steam, the chances of my buying it are significantly reduced. It's great to have all my games in one place without having to worry about physical media and know that I can delete and reinstall at any time on my current computer and all future PC upgrades. I also have GameTap. I don't actually use it much but support the concept enough that $10 a month isn't a big deal to me.
  • edited July 2008
    Jayel wrote: »
    I kinda want to subscribe to Gametap because they seem to have all the mediocre games that I've always wanted to try but not buy. I wish they had Sierra games available for Canadian audience though.

    I love steam btw. It used to suck when it first came out but now it's great, and I love the idea of steamworks and steamcloud. Valve seems like the only company that gives a damn about PC gaming industry and willing to help out fellow PC game developers altruistically. I believe in Valve. Valve is my Harvey Dent.
    ...
    The implications of that statement are very unfortunate.

    Anyway, I don't get what people have against Steam. It's unintrusive, it's got a number of good games, and it's rather reasonable in what it allows you to do with your purchases.
  • edited July 2008
    GameTap is infamous for offering free months to prospective cancellers. It's even built into the web cancellation service. Practically unheard of. Usually that's only for companies that require you to cancel on the phone, but no...
  • edited July 2008
    If it happened to me, after I figured it out I'd be shreiking violent obcensities till my neighbors called the cops.They'd find me wearing a plastic hockeymask and with a machete, to show what I think of Game Tap in it's lobby, in a very graphic way.
Sign in to comment in this discussion.