A frozen video game and a long wait for help

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By Christopher Elliott

When Linda Cameron’s video game freezes, she turns to the seller for help. But despite a promise of a prompt reply, it ignores her. What now?

Question

I’m having a problem with Big Fish Games, a site that lets you subscribe to video games. One of their games froze up and I wanted a coupon for a replacement.

I’ve sent four emails to the company but the only response I’ve gotten is a form letter to say they’ll respond within 24 to 72 hours. That was over three weeks ago!

I would like a coupon for a replacement game. Can you help? — Linda Cameron, Juneau, Alaska

Answer

My family and I love playing games as well, but most of our games happen during our roadtrips. How annoying. A video game that freezes up your phone or computer can be a sign of shoddy coding — programming with poor structure or inadequate documentation. It’s no different than buying a lemon from a car dealership. You deserve better.

Big Fish, which operates on a subscription model, shouldn’t be selling buggy games. There are so many great games out there that work. Why dilute your store with the substandard?

But Big Fish, which promises a new game “every day,” protects itself from claims against them that arise from nonworking programs. “In no event shall Big Fish Games or its suppliers be liable for any damages whatsoever — including, without limitation, damages for loss of business profits, business interruption, loss of business information, or any other pecuniary loss — arising out of the use of or inability to use the software,” it says in its end-user agreement, the legal agreement between you and the site.

That about covers it

Big Fish offers contact information on its website, but it doesn’t exactly make it easy to get through to the right person. You have to do a little sleuthing to figure out its email naming convention, which is [email protected]. You might have dropped a line to someone like Jon Grande, Big Fish’s senior director of product management, to let him know of your disappointment.

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I can think of no excuse for waiting three weeks for a response that should have taken less than a day. You weren’t even asking for your money back — just a replacement. (Related: I’m done playing phone games with HP.)

Even though you contacted Big Fish several times, I couldn’t see a ticket number on your messages. When you send an email, it should generate an automated ticket number that can be used to track a request. I urged you to send one more message, if for no other reason than to generate ticket number.

Separately, I also contacted Big Fish on your behalf. The company agreed to send you a coupon for a new game. This comprehensive guide will teach you how to fix your own consumer problems.

Read a related story here.

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Christopher Elliott

Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that empowers consumers to solve their problems and helps those who can't. He's the author of numerous books on consumer advocacy and writes three nationally syndicated columns. He also publishes the Elliott Report, a news site for consumers, and Elliott Confidential, a critically acclaimed newsletter about customer service. If you have a consumer problem you can't solve, contact him directly through his advocacy website. You can also follow him on X, Facebook, and LinkedIn, or sign up for his daily newsletter. He is based in Panamá City.

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