Want to set the record straight

[sky_bax]

Hi  

I only fly AH off-line because I have been in WB for 1 year and didn`t switch counting on the flat-rate program to go into effect this year and I didn`t want to leave for many reasons or add another $30 to my monthly bills. Most importantly I really like it.

AH is a great sim, and so is WB.

They have their good points and bad equally. Alot of that is personal opinion and taste.

They both have their bad apples in the community, but for the most part both sides are top notch.

We are very lucky to have these two sims.

Right now is a great oppertunity to put alot of bad feelings to rest because of what the WB team has done in the past few months. We can now enjoy both equally. I look at it as we have the top 2 fight sims on the market. There should be more of a joining and welcoming now between the two communities. Even though competition is still a good thing.  

For those of you who have never flown WB and read many negitive posts on this board from ones who have, I just want to say that one persons experence is not allways the same as the next.

I see alot of comments like:

"I left because of terrible warps"

I rarely see them in my 12 months of flying.

"The connections are crap"

95% of the time my connects are perfect.

"Customer service sucks"

I allways have had great customer service.

"They keep billing me after I left"

Any problem was always solved with one phone call in my experence, and they were always very polite and helpful.

And the list goes on and on. All games and sims have their share of connection issues because we rely on the internet.

This is not spam, a sales pitch, or a "hey come on over and switch sides"

This is a honest post about us, not about the companies who provide these awesome services.

A big <S> to AH for the standards they have set this past year. A big <S> to the guys at WB for turning things around this year. And a big <S> to both communities for hanging in there.

Blue Skies,



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Skybax
328th Fighter Squadron
 www.352ndFighterGroup.com
Blue Nosed Bastards of Bodney

[AKSeaWulfe]

 

Originally posted by sky_bax:

"Customer service sucks"

I allways have had great customer service.

"They keep billing me after I left"

Any problem was always solved with one phone call in my experence, and they were always very polite and helpful.

Okay, but these are your experiences. I'll share mine with you. I had a basic account, which I don't recall signing up for, which was the 9.95/month thing. I opened an account for a free weekend of DoA over a year and a half ago. I never entered CC info. I never played WB after 1.11r3. Yet somehow, note I did _not_ sign up ever again for an account after the DoA thing, earlier this year around May I recieved a bill on my CC for iEN for the flat 9.95 rate. Hmmmm? Well I'll close this. Wait a second, I don't even know what username or password I have??? Nope, can't close it using admin features. I mail the accounts or billing@iencentral.com. NO reply. After about 3 months of this I get really P.O.ed as you can imagine, and call my CC company. Nope, they can't cancel the payments unless I get iEN to call them. Fine, I email iEN and tell them to either cancel my account or call my credit card company and explain to them why they can't close the account. Lookie here, I got a reply! I told them my name and stuff so they atleast had my account # as they forwarded to billing@iencentral.com telling them to close account #something at users request. Yes! I got them to cancel it!

NOOOOPPPPPEEEEE! Sorry buddy, next month I got a bill on my credit card statement. This time I call my cc company and give them ien's info. Phone #, address and who to contact.


That got some attention, no more billing from them.
So this is how business is run in today's society? I see. I learned my lesson, I'll deal with the people I can trust through past experiences. They burnt me and even if that game was free, I wouldn't give them the satisfaction of playing on their servers for those <numerous expletives deleted> "business people".

Double <FINGER> Salute! ien!!
-SW

[Ozark]

Hi Skybax,  

Good to see you posting here. I hope all is well with you and the squad.

I agree the the flat rate is great. However, IMHO, it's about a year too late.   WB's "was" always "on the cutting edge". It's too bad the pricing system wasn't.  

I really had a great time with WB and enjoyed the wonderful friendship there. (now getting to the point) I have and always will enjoy WB! BUT!! I will never send another dollar to iEN. iEN has been charging me for the last 5 months. Guess what! I requested that they terminate my account 5 months ago...and 4 months ago...and 3 months ago..and 2 months ago and...and...and!!!!!

It will be a cold day in hell before I go back to IEN!

OK...I feel better now.  

...but I do miss many great friends there.

Regards,

Ozark




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332nd Flying Mongrels

[Lance]

I've not flown Warbirds and have no intention to.  Not because of other peoples opinions of it, but because I am exceedingly satisfied with Aces High.  I've got no reason or desire to look for greener pastures.

Gordo
Fat DRUNK Bastards!

[Kieren]

Sky_bax-

Anyone here can tell you I am a peacemaker, or try to be. I appreciate the virtual hand you are extending. S!

I do have to say, the reason I am here today is the "5-minute-max-duration-connect-for-six-solid-weeks" experience I had. I didn't have the billing nightmare, I loved the game, but I couldn't stay in, period. After 6 weeks off I no longer cared if I played or not.

The one thing that did miff me was the constant stance that "it was MY problem, not iEN's", when, in reality, the DoA arena was dumping every 10 minutes or so. That wasn't just my end...  

[Gadfly]

AKSeawolf-Somewhere along the line you gave them your cc number and opened an account.  I doubt they came to your house, stole your wallet, got the cc number and put your wallet back before you noticed, just to bill you for 9.95.

[Duckwing6]

Had an account, cannceled it after a year .. and guess what bills still on my CC statement ..

Oh and btw ... the 1 phone call thingy isn't all that simple from international ..

No 1-800 numbers to call .. adn a 8 hours time difference don't make it all too simple eh ..

Cost me a fortune when the guy says hold the line for a sec. and i stay in the holding loop for 5 mins ...

Oh well

DW6

[NHFoxtro]

I have an account with Warbirds,been playing for allmost a year now, never had one problem except the cost. Thats what made me go looking for another game. After playing this one for three months now I really don't miss Warbirds at all, just the community. So every now and then I pop in to say high. I know alot of guys that did the same thing and they feel the same about this game also.This is a best flight sim I have ever seen and the Community is Top Shelf. <S>

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NHFoxtro
-XO- Night Hawks

[AKSeaWulfe]

 

Originally posted by Gadfly:
AKSeawolf-Somewhere along the line you gave them your cc number and opened an account.  I doubt they came to your house, stole your wallet, got the cc number and put your wallet back before you noticed, just to bill you for 9.95.

Yeah, I opened an account with Warbirds, closed it after 1.11r3. That's the only time I gave or entered information for THAT credit card. Mysteriously I get billed in May even though the last time I happened to open an account was over a year and a half ago????

Nope, I know what and when I did it. Bills just don't show up on people's credit card statement unless they were on drugs or credit card fraud is taking place.....
Sorry, defend iEN all you want but I know what happened and it's rediculous.
-SW

[easymo]

 When I started WB It was in the ACA. At that time they had full realism in the ACA. Then one day they pulled the FR without a word of warning, or explanation. In other words they F**ked us. I can guess the explanation. They are a bunch of greedy bast$%#s. And if it were not for the flat rate at HTC. You would still be paying 2 bucks an hour for your nerf ammo.

 It should be noted that HT was still there at the time. Finger pointing aside, this pretty much blew any brand loyolty, I might have had, out the window. Im going with the best sim available. And im moveing to the better one whenever it is offered. Right now it aint WB.

[1776]

Somthing to think about.  Within the last year AH has grown from almost nothing to the finest sim around.  With a 6 person crew and dedication we have what is something light years ahead of all others!!!

What have the others been doing during that time:AW promise of new engine and new game(still waiting).  Now they announce AWME.  I understand it is AW with a few features that resemble AH!!
WB promises WBIII.  I have heard that it is in beta.  Anyone know any different?

WWIIonline:who really knows where it is???

Talk,talk,talk,talk,  That is all I ever hear and a few pixs now and again.  These companies are huge compared to AH, but look who really delivers!!!

<S> HTC!!! Have fun at the con!!!

[Westy]

Amen 1776.

BTW,  "Now they announce AWME.  I understand it is AW with a few features that resemble AH!!" AWME is a bug fixer with some minor tweaks that help dumber people use it's already simple interface. In others words. They are preparing it for the unwashed EA/AOL masses.    They did add  bomb dispersion and the ability to jump to guns if you're the pilot.  Otherwise AW "ME" is still the old AW and not much more.  No way is it on the same level as AH in any regard, imo of course.

  -Westy

[This message has been edited by Westy (edited 10-05-2000).]

[Vulcan]

Well your one of the lucky few Sky_bax.

I had played WB since the Confirmed Kill beta days. Late in 1999 their connection problems were added to by some very flakey servers (including periods where the main servers fell over for up to 12 hours).

So bad was it that I decided that after many years (I believe 5 or 6?) of being a WB customer I'd give it up. This belief was based on a lot of feedback from other WB players having the same problem.

So, I quit because of bad connections, warping, and server problems.

Then I tried to cancel my account. Ohhh what fun. It went on for 3 months where they kept billing me. It all stopped when I complained to my CC company and noted this was a problem for other people. AND when I cc'd the editorial staff of an online gaming site (www.cdmag.com) with a BIG BIG detailed complaint about what IEN were doing.

Funny thing was I never received any service or any replies UNTIL I cc'd that email. Then the replies were instantaneous.

Now, around 9 months later I am so happy with the customer service, development, and features of AH I have no reason to look at WB again.

IMHO IEN are leeches... no wait thats an insult to leeches. They have a product that is not superior, that has lousy service, and IMHO has only come out flat rate (which they said they would NEVER EVER do) in response to a market that is walking away from them.

I will look at WWIIONLINE when/if it hits, but not for air2air - more for the land combat side. Although AH seems to be getting more land combat features every day, so I may not need to go elsewhere.

signed
a pissed IEN customer no more
a very happy HTC customer now
(p.s. I expect IEN would have to get a dictionary to know what the word customer means)

[Gadfly]

Perhaps they can also look up "clue" while they are in the C's, eh?