You are legally entitled to a refund if Telltale breaks it's promise (4-6 weeks) again for Episode 3

himmatsjhimmatsj Banned
edited February 2014 in The Walking Dead

From the TWD S2 FAQ on TTG's website:

How many episodes are there in a season, and when are they made available?

There are five episodes in each season. Episodes are usually available to download between 4 and 6 weeks apart.


Notice that Telltale says episodes will usually be released 4-6 weeks apart. At present, we are going into the 8th week since episode one was released, so obviously Telltale is behind schedule with regards to what was promised by fans.

But, at the same time, Telltale uses the word "usually". This gives them some room to wriggle in. However, if looked at from a purely legal aspect, "usually" gives them room for just one delay.

How so? Usually *carries the meaning "more often than not". To be sure,Collins English Dictionary defines "usually*" as: "customarily; at most times; in the ordinary course of events".

As such, "usually" here gives TTG room to not meet the deadline just the once. Why? We have four waiting periods. For "usually" to hold true, three of the waiting periods must at least meet the deadline.


In short, if Telltale Games misses the 4-6 weeks deadline from episode two to three, or for any episode after that in this season, you are entitled to a refund on the basis of false promises made.

Steam will oblige as long as you take a screenshot of the posting, share the URL and state the definition of "usually" for them to understand in simple words.

TWD S2 FAQ: http://www.telltalegames.com/walkingdead/season2-faq/

PS: *Kentucky Route Zero stated all 5 acts will be released in 2013. However, only 2 of them were released last year. Steam has started honoring refund requests for the game. *

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Comments

  • edited February 2014

    I might ask for a refund if I didn't have an insatiable desire for more episodes, on schedule or no. Telltale might piss me off, but I still want to play their game.

  • Don't do that :(

  • I don't think we'd get pissed off that much. I think this episode will be the longest wait anyway (first Season's second Episode took ages also) and from then on in, it'll be less than eight weeks apart. But I sincerely doubt Telltale will make the 4-6 week deadline with the fact they're running two series simultaneously right now.

  • If that is the case, then why say so in the FAQ for the game? People DO consult FAQs you know before buying games. 4-6 weeks clearly gives the impression that wait time will be considerably shorter compared to TWDS1, where wait times were 6-9 weeks apart.

    You don't just say something to mislead your customers. That is highly unfair to the customer.

    CathalOHara posted: »

    I don't think we'd get pissed off that much. I think this episode will be the longest wait anyway (first Season's second Episode took ages als

  • don't be salty

  • edited February 2014

    I will admit that I absolutely love the game, and played the first series from the very first episode and waited until the last. And it was painful, but I'm slightly worried that delays are interfering with people's patience. Obviously quality comes first, it's just that I'm struggling to remember people from the first episode of the second series. Sure, I can describe everyone (such as the woman that was a total bitch to me, the pregnant one). Haha.

  • Um, doesn't Telltale take two weeks off for the holidays? They have families too, we've been told to ignore those two weeks, so TECHNICALLY; we're still on schedule. TECHNICALLY.

  • I guess I will never understand why this is such a big deal.

  • OzzyUKOzzyUK Moderator

    I don't care if they broke their 4-6 week deadline the game is worth every penny i paid and would happily have paid more for it and would never ask for a refund, Maybe they should have said 6-8 weeks but people need to be more patient as they did have their Christmas break and also TWAU delay could have caused some problems within the company causing a delay to TWD, season 1 was also delayed and took around 8 weeks for most of the episodes.

  • Don't mind him, this guy's just another attention whore. I suspect that even if he did get a refund, he'd keep complaining. People have always got something to complain about.

    KCohere posted: »

    I guess I will never understand why this is such a big deal.

  • edited February 2014

    If you don't want to pay for the season until it's fully released, fine, but release dates aren't kept fluid because Telltale enjoys delays. Complications happen, and waiting a few more weeks is preferable to rushing out a project and hurting the long-term quality.

  • this is so AWESOME. POWER TO THE PLAYERS, don't ever forget trolltale WE ARE WHY YOU HAVE BUSSINESS

  • That's not even half of it. Making quality games is how Telltale have business. If they stuck to a regimented release schedule, the games would be rushed and quality would drop.

    A delayed game that's good is far better than a bad game released on time.

    this is so AWESOME. POWER TO THE PLAYERS, don't ever forget trolltale WE ARE WHY YOU HAVE BUSSINESS

  • Rather have a nice game that takes 3 months than a crap game that takes 3 weeks. I dont see why waiting is such a burden for people

  • VainamoinenVainamoinen Moderator
    edited February 2014

    Telltale Games wrote: Episodes are usually available to download between 4 and 6 weeks apart.


    @himmatsj wrote: Notice that Telltale says episodes will be released 4-6 weeks apart.

    No, I'm sorry, they absolutely did not and do not.


    @himmatsj wrote: Steam will oblige

    Telltale occasionally did, Steam absolutely does not. Steam's history of refunds is laced with nonexistance.

    Steam Refund Policy wrote: "As with most software products, we do not offer refunds or exchanges on games, DLC or in-game items purchased on our website or through the Steam Client. Please review Section 3 of the Steam Subscriber Agreement for more information."


    @himmatsj wrote: Kentucky Route Zero stated all 5 acts will be released in 2013. However, only 2 of them were released last year. Steam has started honoring refund requests for the game.

    KRZ will likely not be finished. Act 1 released in January 2013, for crying out loud. After episode 2, they haven't released an episode in more than half a year, although they had advertised to conclude the series in 2013. TWaU WILL be finished, with nowhere near the delay of KRZ. But why am I telling you this? The Steam community has told you yourself already.

    http://steamcommunity.com/app/231200/discussions/0/648816742364445823/

    There is no one on your thread there who got a refund for Kentucky Route Zero. And I do believe THEY might actually be entitled to one. But still many in there are absolutely willing to wait in honor of the work of art this game is.


    Cool it a bit in here, OK? Good things are coming faster now.

  • Sheesh, this is so serious sounding. What are you, their lawyer?

  • Sheesh, this is so serious sounding. What are you, their lawyer?

    I wanted to take this thread seriously, sorry about that. The Wolf among Us fans have just had an actually long wait for their second episode. I don't agree with the communicative way this is handled, but I believe one central reason for the radio silence and the total lack of the word 'delay' in Telltale's PR might have to do with customers like himmatsj... after all, it's not a delay until you concede it is.

    The thread needed some facts and there they are, no opinionated lawyering done. I'm not happy about all of these facts. What I would like to achieve, bluntly, is that critiques concentrated on more sensible topics. Telltale has road bumps to iron out. The release schedule is absolutely one of them. Dreaming about refunds? Not helping.

    Sheesh, this is so serious sounding. What are you, their lawyer?

  • I can't understand why you get downvoted, really.

    It's one of the only comments that makes sense around here.

    Of course they take holiday too, so yeah

    Welcome to week SIX.

    Um, doesn't Telltale take two weeks off for the holidays? They have families too, we've been told to ignore those two weeks, so TECHNICALLY; we're still on schedule. TECHNICALLY.

  • guys, don't downvote him. It is a consumers right to want their money back if they are dissatisfied with the product or how it was delivered to them. You may not agree with his views, but if he thinks he is being cheated from his money, then he should just get it back and be done with it. This is way better than him suing TTG and court deciding that he is right, which could end up for TTG to have to pay a huge fee as penalty.

    Obviously, the majority here will not claim a refund, so my guesses are that even if things would really take a turn for the worst, TTG would only lose a little of their profit by refunding a couple of customers.

  • It's cause of All the games they want to do.. They seriously just need to focus on 1 game. Just one until it's finished then work on another one.. They are obv still to small to work on 2.

  • They said 'usually'.

    You have no legal claim at all.

  • Whether he/she would get a refund is immaterial. The worry is, people are actually going down this road because they are sick of waiting and feel let down or worse still, conned.
    People on this forum can downvote them all they like, it isn't going to change the fact that there are some seriously pissed off customers out there.
    If you pay money you want the product, it's as simple as that. Yes, the vast majority understand the episodic nature of the game and are willing to wait a few weeks, but this is ridiculous. Especially with the vague and silent treatments Telltale do to their customers.

    Thing is, if just one person on this forum is willing to try and get a refund, how many in the real world are doing the same. It's no good Telltale burying their heads in the sand, they need to update people properly. It's starting to happen. People are losing faith in Telltale. If they continue the way they are, I can see this company going under.

    Flog61 posted: »

    They said 'usually'. You have no legal claim at all.

  • edited February 2014

    i agree the long wait is pissing me off, but the great game makes up for it....

    Riadon posted: »

    I might ask for a refund if I didn't have an insatiable desire for more episodes, on schedule or no. Telltale might piss me off, but I still want to play their game.

  • Well, as you say, technically. But then they should have put up as disclaimer as well saying "not including holidays" or something like that. The average person doesn't give a crap if they want to go on a holiday or not so long the episodes are here in 6 weeks.

    Um, doesn't Telltale take two weeks off for the holidays? They have families too, we've been told to ignore those two weeks, so TECHNICALLY; we're still on schedule. TECHNICALLY.

  • I had no choice. I'd have bought on a per-episode basis, but on Steam they're just selling the season pass.

    Mikejames posted: »

    If you don't want to pay for the season until it's fully released, fine, but release dates aren't kept fluid because Telltale enjoys delays. C

  • It's been stated before that the FAQ is more of a guess, and isn't official.

  • edited February 2014

    when episode 2 comes out I will play ep1 again for refreshment. I have already played ep1 3 times now.

    I will admit that I absolutely love the game, and played the first series from the very first episode and waited until the last. And it was pa

  • Then don't make false promises and get players hopes up. Simple as that. They could have easily said each episode will be out "between two to three months from the last", but no they went for broke and said 4-6 weeks. Many people bought it because a shorter release period compared to TWDS1 was offered.

    That's not even half of it. Making quality games is how Telltale have business. If they stuck to a regimented release schedule, the games woul

  • edited February 2014

    In all honesty I feel getting a refund due to the delay is silly. However, this technique definitely can be used in case the quality for the episodes go down for example. If the quality does go down(And I believe it has a bit, not enough for me not to enjoy it though, yet) significantly then this a good way to get a refund, as that's the problem with these episodic formats as the team can change between each episode and produce one that isn't very good.

    Of course this isn't a problem on some consoles, but on PC we have to buy them all at once so its good knowing I can stop paying if the game starts to suck :). I don't think it will though, I trust telltale to pull through after the current problems have been dealt with :). I would only demand a refund if it takes 6 months for an episode, especially if there is no communication. If they fix that problem I could probably hold out a year lol, don't think that would happen though :D.

  • There was a 16 week gap between TWAU Episodes 1 and 2.

    People asked Telltale if they could get a refund.

    They said no.

    This thread is stating that we can get a refund, so it isn't immaterial to disprove it.

    It is not going to happen.

    Sorry.

    Whether he/she would get a refund is immaterial. The worry is, people are actually going down this road because they are sick of waiting and f

  • himmatsjhimmatsj Banned
    edited February 2014

    Ok, for the first point you raise right on top, it's a slip on my side. However, you know I was referring to "usually" and not "will". Just a honest slip and I'll correct it. The rest of my post explicitly talks about it in terms of "usually" not "will".

    No sane gaming company is gonna say "If you are not happy with your purchase, we will gladly offer you a refund". Such disclaimers are there to deter people from asking refunds.

    I have personally gotten refunds for two games, and am a huge proponent of helping gamers get refunds where there is a valid reason. One game I got it for was Dark Matter. Another game I cannot recall what its name was.

    Also, quite a few people got refunds fr KRZ. Don't read my thread, read the other thread. Also, there was a cricket game recently (Ashes 2013 I think) where Steam offered refunds to unhappy buyers.

    Thing is, you gotta press them for it and hard but not harsh. You can't go in there all smiley-smiley expecting a refund, cause Steam will turn you down or just ignore.

    Vainamoinen posted: »

    Telltale Games wrote: Episodes are usually available to download between 4 and 6 weeks apart. @himmatsj wrote: Notice that Tel

  • the FAQ isn't official? Then on earth is it doing on Telltale's website? Might as well put up disclaimers in bold if that was the case: THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL FAQ

    MegaMoto posted: »

    It's been stated before that the FAQ is more of a guess, and isn't official.

  • Which, if you read why entire post, I am perfectly aware of. Long story short, usually means "more often than not". Which implies more than 50% of the episodes must come in that period of time i.e. 4-6 weeks. We need to wait four times. So more than 50% implies at least 3 episodes need to be on time as promised, and they have a leeway to slack up on one of them.

    Flog61 posted: »

    They said 'usually'. You have no legal claim at all.

  • You should never ask Telltale for a refund. Why on earth would they grant you one? Ask the stores they sell this game on, i.e. Steam, Xbox Live, PSN etc.

    Also, I am not aware of TWAU promising a 4-6 weeks release schedule. If you can find such a wording, I will be sure to post this same thread in the game's discussion boards here. However, TWAU did promise an overall release date of Summer 2013, so if they miss that, you are free to get refunds.

    Flog61 posted: »

    There was a 16 week gap between TWAU Episodes 1 and 2. People asked Telltale if they could get a refund. They said no. This thread is

  • Hmm perhaps I worded it wrong. My point is it's been stated the FAQ can't be trusted, plenty of times.

    himmatsj posted: »

    the FAQ isn't official? Then on earth is it doing on Telltale's website? Might as well put up disclaimers in bold if that was the case: THIS IS NOT AN OFFICIAL FAQ

  • Dude, you gotta be kidding me. If the FAQ cannot be trusted, that leaves room for a whole range of legal action if somebody really has all that time or money to devote to something like this.

    MegaMoto posted: »

    Hmm perhaps I worded it wrong. My point is it's been stated the FAQ can't be trusted, plenty of times.

  • Thank god I rarely, if ever, pay for anything in advance.

  • i'm sure they will meet dealies in the next eppisodes tehre was just a delay of episode 2 because of TWAU delay

  • You really sound like a cheap lawyer.

    himmatsj posted: »

    Dude, you gotta be kidding me. If the FAQ cannot be trusted, that leaves room for a whole range of legal action if somebody really has all that time or money to devote to something like this.

This discussion has been closed.