What makes a whale?

Bloody_Marvel

How much money do you have to spend, and in what timeframe, in order to be considered a whale? You know, someone who the D3Go team will go out of their way for to keep happy? To allow exceptions to the rules?

I spent over $1500 over two months, and asked for a favor that deviated from the rules, namely a color change for my 11th green Moon Knight cover (4/3/5 & 0/0/5), and was turned down. Of course it's their prerogative to grant or deny requests, just like it is my choice to stop spending money, but I'm just curious where the tipping point lies.

broll

I don't think being a whale matters for that. They've documented that they have official policies for when they do or don't swap covers (currently Latest only, but even that has stopped or is stopping soon).

Outside the CS discussion. I personally think if you spend over $200 a month that's a whale.

GrumpySmurf1002

Bloody Marvel wrote:

How much money do you have to spend, and in what timeframe, in order to be considered a whale? You know, someone who the D3Go team will go out of their way for to keep happy? To allow exceptions to the rules?

I spent over $1500 over two months, and asked for a favor that deviated from the rules, namely a color change for my 11th green Moon Knight cover (4/3/5 & 0/0/5), and was turned down. Of course it's their prerogative to grant or deny requests, just like it is my choice to stop spending money, but I'm just curious where the tipping point lies.

Just don't accept no for an answer. Respond asking to reconsider in a respectful manner, mention you support the game, and they'll likely make the switch as a "one time exception. "

As far as "jump through hoops" whaling, you're probably short a zero. Maybe two.

Bloody_Marvel

GrumpySmurf1002 wrote:

Just don't accept no for an answer. Respond asking to reconsider in a respectful manner, mention you support the game, and they'll likely make the switch as a "one time exception. "

As far as "jump through hoops" whaling, you're probably short a zero. Maybe two.

I did mention the support I gave to the game (with proof), and it apparently didn't add any weight when it came to making a decision.

If it had been RBK who turned down the request I would've asked to reconsider. Unfortunately the reasonable one of the two, TJM, turned it down, so there's nowhere else to go with this.

Fightmastermpq

Bloody Marvel wrote:

How much money do you have to spend, and in what timeframe, in order to be considered a whale? You know, someone who the D3Go team will go out of their way for to keep happy? To allow exceptions to the rules?

I spent over $1500 over two months, and asked for a favor that deviated from the rules, namely a color change for my 11th green Moon Knight cover (4/3/5 & 0/0/5), and was turned down. Of course it's their prerogative to grant or deny requests, just like it is my choice to stop spending money, but I'm just curious where the tipping point lies.

No offense, but that's nothing - at least in D3's eyes. It's not nothing, it's a ton of money to spend on a free game, and thank you for helping to support the game that we all love. But I know of guys that spend more than 2x that amount and still get denied even less extreme exceptions to the rules.

It's both good and bad. If whales get super special treatment it's unfair to the playerbase that has to compete within the rules, but at the same time we are talking about digital goods in free game - that amount of spending should at least afford you reasonable treatment from CS.

And not to be harsh, but your request is IMO not reasonable. With that amount of spending you should have been able to reset and empty enough vaults to get you the exact cover that you were looking for and/or purchased the cover directly with CP.

GrumpySmurf1002

Bloody Marvel wrote:

GrumpySmurf1002 wrote:

Just don't accept no for an answer. Respond asking to reconsider in a respectful manner, mention you support the game, and they'll likely make the switch as a "one time exception. "

As far as "jump through hoops" whaling, you're probably short a zero. Maybe two.

I did mention the support I gave to the game (with proof), and it apparently didn't add any weight when it came to making a decision.

If it had been RBK who turned down the request I would've asked to reconsider. Unfortunately the reasonable one of the two, TJM, turned it down, so there's nowhere else to go with this.

TJM turned down my requests each of the last 2 times (to swap my 8th and 12th 5*Jean Green), I responded, former I got meh compensation (but still something), latter I got the swap done.

I've never accepted the initial no. It doesn't always work, but they seem to form letter that 'no' response, so I take it at zero value. The worst that happens is they say no again.

aesthetocyst

Based on the information provided and more importantly the implications of your signature .... just CP-whale that cover 13th cover and use the cover on hand to champ MK. 120cp should be about 4 days worth.

Bloody_Marvel

Fightmastermpq wrote:

No offense, but that's nothing - at least in D3's eyes. It's not nothing, it's a ton of money to spend on a free game, and thank you for helping to support the game that we all love. But I know of guys that spend more than 2x that amount and still get denied even less extreme exceptions to the rules.

It's both good and bad. If whales get super special treatment it's unfair to the playerbase that has to compete within the rules, but at the same time we are talking about digital goods in free game - that amount of spending should at least afford you reasonable treatment from CS.

And not to be harsh, but your request is IMO not reasonable. With that amount of spending you should have been able to reset and empty enough vaults to get you the exact cover that you were looking for and/or purchased the cover directly with CP.

You make valid points, except for spending extra money (or HP or CP) to get the cover I need for one character when there are 44 other 4* characters that also need covers.

It's a competitive game, and the competition should come from competing through playing the game, and not from buying your way through the game. However, the game does offer, and actually relies on in-game spending to progress faster. From a business perspective you'd want to keep your good customers happy so they keep coming back and spend more.

The question therefore becomes: When does a request to change the color of an 11th cover (not 6th, but 11th) become a reasonable request to make, if ever? Or to make an analogy using another type of business... when do you offer a replacement drink to a regular customer in your restaurant if he accidentally ordered the wrong one? Is it reasonable after he's spent $75 twice a week for two months, or do you feel it's poor business sense to offer a $3 drink to such a customer?

Now, is that customer entitled to a drink replacement if he ordered the wrong one? Of course not. But it's not unreasonable to expect that kind of service after his patronage. If he is told that he can't get a Sprite because he did order a Coke, he might feel (maybe wrongly so) that his business is not appreciated, and take it elsewhere.

LifeofAgony

Also, 1 4* isn't worth possibly burning your 1x exception with CS.

I agree it's not an unreasonable ask, but you're better off waiting to try and get a 5* swapped over any 4*.

Spend the 120 if you really wanna finish him now.

aesthetocyst

Bloody Marvel wrote:

You make valid points, except for spending extra money (or HP or CP) to get the cover I need for one character when there are 44 other 4* characters that also need covers.

Please. You aren't going to be coverscrewed on every 4*. Stop burning CP on tokens (which in turns results in burning covers) and instead spend the CP to save covers you are otherwise blessed with.

Those "extra" greens would have all been champ levels.

This sounds to me like a request to bail someone out after they squandered resources ill-advisedly, or is simply refusing to spend over suddenly feeling self-entitled due to having spent.

Bloody_Marvel

aesthetocyst wrote:

Bloody Marvel wrote:

You make valid points, except for spending extra money (or HP or CP) to get the cover I need for one character when there are 44 other 4* characters that also need covers.

Please. You aren't going to be coverscrewed on every 4*. Stop burning CP on tokens (which in turns results in burning covers) and instead spend the CP to save covers you are otherwise blessed with.

Those "extra" greens would have all been champ levels.

This sounds to me like a request to bail someone out after they squandered resources ill-advisedly, or is simply refusing to spend over suddenly feeling self-entitled due to having spent.

You're kinda leaving a large part of my post out...

Also, it's not about burning CP on tokens. I'm using CP only to buy covers when I don't have any 4*s to champ, and spending 120 CP per cover is poor use of those CP. You can get 6 4/5* covers for that amount.

Your assumption is also flawed because it's not like I had a 4/3/5 character, and then got 5 more green covers. I had a 1/0/5 character which grew to 4/3/5 while drawing 5 more green covers, which I invested in a duplicate character. By that rationale you're saying I should've spent 840 CP to fully cover MK in order to make optimal use of the 6 additional green covers.

I would hope that getting 11 covers in a single color before you have a chance to champ your character is a very rare occurence. So far I hasn't happened to me before, and can't really see it happening again, so this would be a one time request.

Your high and mighty attitude and accusations that I'm feeling self-entitled and squandering resources are uninformed and completely out of line.

Horrorshow

Personally, I think the "exception" is already in place, in that you have the monetary resources to do what 99% of MPQ players can't; dump that kind of disposable income into a game.

Should they swap a 4* cover? I'd say no, solely based on the availability of 4* covers through progression and champion rewards. 5* swapping is a completely different animal because of the miniscule draw rates from the one source of obtaining them.

Just my opinion.

fanghoul

Personally, I'd say you haven't made it as a whale until they're given you Brigby's home phone number.

He can't actually help you with problems like this, but he does sometimes make funny sounds when you wake him up in the middle of the night.

j0nats

wasting a one time exception , or even120 cp on a non top tier 4 -not a good idea

Kjeldbjerg

Bloody marvel wrote:

Or to make an analogy using another type of business... when do you offer a replacement drink to a regular customer in your restaurant if he accidentally ordered the wrong one? Is it reasonable after he's spent $75 twice a week for two months, or do you feel it's poor business sense to offer a $3 drink to such a customer?

Now, is that customer entitled to a drink replacement if he ordered the wrong one? Of course not. But it's not unreasonable to expect that kind of service after his patronage. If he is told that he can't get a Sprite because he did order a Coke, he might feel (maybe wrongly so) that his business is not appreciated, and take it elsewhere.

But in this case, the customer didn't order or was served the wrong drink. He specifically knew, before entering the restaurant, that he would be served 1 of 3 color drinks, across 44 brands of drinks, choosen at random by the restaurant. He just didn't like the color he was served.

The restaurant owes him nothing.

Bloody_Marvel

Kjeldbjerg wrote:

Bloody marvel wrote:

Or to make an analogy using another type of business... when do you offer a replacement drink to a regular customer in your restaurant if he accidentally ordered the wrong one? Is it reasonable after he's spent $75 twice a week for two months, or do you feel it's poor business sense to offer a $3 drink to such a customer?

Now, is that customer entitled to a drink replacement if he ordered the wrong one? Of course not. But it's not unreasonable to expect that kind of service after his patronage. If he is told that he can't get a Sprite because he did order a Coke, he might feel (maybe wrongly so) that his business is not appreciated, and take it elsewhere.

But in this case, the customer didn't order or was served the wrong drink. He specifically knew, before entering the restaurant, that he would be served 1 of 3 color drinks, across 44 brands of drinks, choosen at random by the restaurant. He just didn't like the color he was served.

The restaurant owes him nothing.

If we're gonna be pedantic, it's actually across 43 drinks, because the restaurant only randomly gives out two types of drinks during specific times or events.

Fightmastermpq

Bloody Marvel wrote:

The question therefore becomes: When does a request to change the color of an 11th cover (not 6th, but 11th) become a reasonable request to make, if ever? Or to make an analogy using another type of business... when do you offer a replacement drink to a regular customer in your restaurant if he accidentally ordered the wrong one? Is it reasonable after he's spent $75 twice a week for two months, or do you feel it's poor business sense to offer a $3 drink to such a customer?

Now, is that customer entitled to a drink replacement if he ordered the wrong one? Of course not. But it's not unreasonable to expect that kind of service after his patronage. If he is told that he can't get a Sprite because he did order a Coke, he might feel (maybe wrongly so) that his business is not appreciated, and take it elsewhere.

The problem with this analogy is that there are TONS of people that spend at or close to your level, and you aren't like a regular customer - the restaurant is mostly filled with mega whales that spend $100+ there every day all year, where you've been coming in a couple times a week for the past month or so. The past 10 times you have come in you have ordered the same thing even though you didn't particularly like it. Then the 11th time you ordered it again, didn't like it, and demanded something else instead. If they do the swap for you they have to do it for everyone, and now suddenly everyone that has been there a couple times is demanding free drinks every visit.

Calnexin

Dropping skads of cash does not entitle you to special treatment. It entitles you to what you purchased.

DaveR4470

I think it's the blowhole. Or baleen.

broll

The subject name is kinda misleading, the real subject is:

Yes it sucks it happened. It's gonna happen again. Try to do your best to plan ways to avoid it if possible. Making a big deal that CS isn't fixing your bad luck (regardless of how much you have or haven't spent) is just over entitled whining IMO. Move on.

Dayv

Locking this thread. It's degenerating quickly into argument and insults.

If you are unhappy with the response your received on a customer support request, you can always escalate it to the community manager or ask Customer Support in the ticket to escalate it to their management. My non-moderator advice: be nice. You catch more flies with honey, etc., etc.