Topic
12/14 — Another Update from the Department of Refunds
Many of you are still waiting for your refunds, so here is a quick summary of where those refunds stand and our expected timeframe for completing them.
Automatic Refunds via PayPal
These are transactions that were originally paid for via PayPal. We once again triggered their fraud detection mechanisms while running these, and we are once again re-enabled. We are running these daily.
Manual Refunds via PayPal
These are transactions that were not originally paid for via PayPal, but are being refunded through PayPal. We started doing these today and ran into another snag with PayPal. We expect to be able to resume these on Wednesday** and should be able to complete them within a day or two.
Refunds to a Credit Card
These have been on hold.* A significant number of the refunds we issued in November vanished into thin air — or so it seemed, anyway. Those refunds were finally located yesterday and were being held in one particular bank's fraud detection penalty box. Once we get confirmation that those refunds did finally make it to the players for whom they were intended, we will send out all of the remaining credit card refunds. We expect to do this on Thursday.***
Checks
We have not yet begun to resurrect the ancient practice of putting pen to checkbook that was passed down to us by our 20th century forefathers, but we are prepared for sore arms and a case of envelope-glue-tongue. We plan to do all of these in January, once we have the final word from the stragglers who have not yet indicated how they want their refunds.
* 12/18 Update
Hooray! We can resume credit card refunds! We will do this on Thursday (12/20).
** 12/19 Update
Boo! We made it through another six PayPal refunds before getting shut down again! Time to get back on the phone.
*** 12/20 Update
We did the credit card refunds! Hooray!
Replies
- All I want to say is thank goodness someone is willing to lick envelopes... ew. ( I use a sponge as not to gag from nasty taste) and Thanks for updates for all of everything.
- I know this is a lot of hard, sad work for you guys, so I'd just like to thank you for updating us on how things are going, and for all you're still doing for us even now. <3
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Thanks for the update :)
Could I just ask for clarification on the credit card refunds please?
Did you stop all refunds regardless of the bank involved, or all refunds going through the particular bank involved in the delay? I understand delaying further refunds with a problem bank, but I'm confused if the delay is for all refunds to all banks. I haven't received any refund yet and so I'm wondering if it's my bank that is the problem, or if the halt on refunds is for all banks because you're trying to avoid the same issue at other banks... sorry, like I said, I'm confused.
Also, if the refunds are delayed past the closure of the forums (which I think I remember seeing in the forums that they will only be open until the end of the year) can you please let us know where we can get updates or ask questions after that? Thanks :)
Sorry for the questions (I hope they make sense) and thank you for any help you can offer. - xombiekitty-TS has our email addy's. Are you not getting updates in your email?
- No, Holly, other than the first email alerting me to the closure, nothing has been sent. Spam and Inbox checked. Nothing got missed. My only updates are on this forum. What emails have I missed out on?
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All credit card refunds are on hold - the bank in question is one upstream of our payments processor, and so a significant percentage of all refunds flow through it. We have no way to know in advance which ones will fail, so we're sorting that out before continuing.
The forum will not be closed before this is all sorted out and the help system will continue to work. We've not been sending email updates about refunds; you can check the refunds page for status on your own refunds. Some people have a mix of automatic PayPal, automatic credit card, manual PayPal and checks, so it's pretty complex! - You are too modern for licking envelopes -- definitely use a sponge!
- sorry you guys are having trouble
- Wish I could help. If it's any consolation, I don't need my refund for awhile. You can take your time on mine.
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Thank you for the response and explanation, Bees! :)
I really appreciate you folks working so hard for us all, and taking time out to answer questions, especially when this is a hard time for all of you too. Thank you - I am wondering if when the refunds process starts again with credit cards that more banks don't suspect fraud and hold them, because of the large amounts of "same amount"charges to the cards? For example, my monthly subscription fee or when I purchased yet another 25.00 pack of credits to feed my clothes horse. (Hungry bastard). This happened with just three of my most recent 25.00 purchases (where the bank held two of them), which would lead me to believe a whole stack of the same is gonna throw the banks into a tizzy.
- The fraud sensor that we tripped is one that looks for transactions that appear to be duplicates of one another — the same dollar amount to the same card. We will schedule a window with our payments processor to do the next round, and they will notify all of the upstream banks that what we're doing is legit. Fingers crossed that this is all it takes to push things through smoothly!
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The forum will not be closed before this is all sorted out
*hopes and prays they never all get sorted* - I am so sorry for all the problems you have run into trying to return our money. I paid by credit card and will not know if you will be able to make the return before end end of December (if lucky) but should know by the end of January 2013.
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Thank You! I was wondering what happened when we got the email things were going through and I noticed it never did. If we are refunding via our bank and they still don't go through, will the option to do Paypal be available.
Thank you for all your hard work! - It sounds like a lot of work- just keep the money and boot the servers back up and we can all pretend this never happened!!
- shhexy corin read my mind!
- need to check on the exp date on my amex you have/ how do I do that . Concerned you don't have the latest exp date. Thanks for all your hard work in these refunds. I would much rather be playing Glitch, It was my home away from this RL nightmare. Thank you for saving my sanity for so very long. So worried my piggies are starving!!!! Oh my!
- I felt incredible guilt over my decision to ask for a refund. You earned every penny of the money I spent on Glitch, and I escaped to your wonderful world for over a year. I won't bore you with the financial woes which have caused me to seek a refund as I'm sure there are others out there who have it much worse than I. I feel even more guilty seeing the hoops you folks are jumping through in order for us to get those refunds. You were, and are, exceptional people. Thank you for everything. I wish you all health, happiness and the bright and shiny futures you deserve.
- There is no judgement on the part of anyone here about anyone else's refund choice. :) Do not feel guilty!
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Personally the game was worth the money :) hence no refund needed.
Thank you all for a wonderful game. I will miss my glitches. - Ms. Bubbles: the expiration date won't matter — we can almost always refund to expired cards if that's where the purchase was originally made, as long as the account is still open (even if the card number has changed due to a replacement). They only stop new charges on expired/replaced cards; almost every issuer will still accept refunds.
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Thanks for that note to Ms Bubbles, Stoot. The card I had been using was stolen so it was replaced. You do have my new card on file...but if refunds will still go through...no worries.
I still cry when I come to the pages of this game....Thanks for all the wonderful memories!!!
Kin :-) -
@Stoot - REALLY? Because I just said to send it to PayPal because I had lost my original card and now have a replacement!
:O
Does this mean that I've tripped you guys up? I sure hope not! Either way is fine for me. PayPal or the original bank card. No worries here, just worried that I've made a bad situation worse. :( -
Good news! The once lost refunds are beginning to appear in players' accounts, so we'll be able to resume credit card refunds. We will do our part on Thursday, so those of you waiting for those funds should see them next week.
@CoffeeSnob: You have not tripped us up. :) It's cool. - Paypal will continue tomorrow, still? (Congrats on getting the banks working again!!)
- We do still think that we'll be able to resume manual PayPal refunds tomorrow. I'll let you know if that changes!
- I'm in the same boat as Mostly Mellow, but at least I can feel a bit better since I can at least put some of it towards the Indiegogo campaigns. <3
- @LP - YAY!! lol I really hate it when I *step* in *it*...so to speak. Problem is that I am the Urkel person: "Did I do thaaaaat?" So glad to hear that I haven't made a mess of things... For once. ;)
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@Little Poundcake
I chose "Check" because 2 of the credit cards I usually used are closed now... But then again it was through Paypal, not directly on the cards. Did I understand that wrong? Since I read "Manual Refunds via PayPal - These are transactions that were not originally paid for via PayPal, but are being refunded through PayPal." I am just even more confused haha sorry!
Also, I had a deal about something which was resolved and approved by TS via a Ticket. But when I go to the /closed/refunds page, it's not showing up properly, so I wrote a specific note in the address section. (You can check out the ticket to understand what I mean, I left it opened). Can you let me know if what I did is ok?
Sorry for all the trouble and thanks so much once again for doing this. Miss Ur so much already - If you chose a check, you fall under the "check" category above. Checks, with an envelope licked by a genuine specker!
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If you chose a check, you fall under the "check" category above. Checks, with an envelope licked by a genuine specker!
I should have asked for a check, then I could move along with my dastardly "Clone A Specker" program. Alas, I fail at being an Evil Genius! - That is a dangerous game of Specker Cloning Roulette, my friend. Sure, you may get a Stoot out of it, but you might also end up with an alternate Specker who won't entertain you with things like "Swwwwwwwarmatron!" Then you just have an extra mouth to feed.
- Litle Poundcake, that may well be a risk many are willing to take. :) But definitely food for thought!
- Definitely worth the risk. Anyone involved in TS/Glitch is bound to be cooler than the average person. ;)
- Okay! PayPal locked us out again (we're doing everything they told us to do, I swear). Stoot will spend some more quality time on the phone with someone and get it sorted yet again.
- Thanks for the update. I was watching paypal today, hoping.....LOL. *hugs Poundcake* LOBES!
- I'm so sorry all of this is such a complicated mess :(
- I really don't want a refund. I paid to play and enjoyed every minute. There is no other game like glitch so I am officially now a non-game player. Really, please, don't refund me, go and have a beer on me instead!
- I'm sorry this is such a complicated mess too but unlike Malupin, I'm a horrible person and really really want my refund. If you could just go to Indie GoGo and buy my book though, that would be so much easier lol!
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I need my refund so I can buy the art book!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(my obsessive use of exclamation marks should show you how serious i am)
GLITCHEN 4 LYFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - We ran all of the credit card refunds last night! You guys should see them soon.
- Thanks, LP. I got my paypal refund a few minutes ago. Thanks for all your hard work.
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Thanks...I guess they are doing each refund seperately...I got one posted to my card but not the other. Since it's the holidays I imagine it might take a few extra days.
Thanks guys for doing this. :) -
I have received a couple of stip ends to my Moly sub, but nothing else. Has anybody any idea when I might receive the rest?
I have bought the Art Book and the Music CD's, please I need the money to pay for them. My payment is by Debit Card. - Miss Melody, go ahead and open a help case using the link way up on the upper right up there to let us know what refunds you've received and what you're still expecting. I'll dig into it for you!
- I have created a "help-case" because after a November-notice I requested a refund (paid via credit card). I have just received my year-end statement and no refund. Much as I hate to do this, I have to ask: do I still have chance of getting it or is it all gone?
- We've seen it take up to 4 weeks for some banks to process the credit card refunds and get them back to you guys. If your refund date was December 20th (your refunds page shows the date -- www.glitch.com/closing/refunds), give it another week to resolve. Open up a help case if it doesn't show up and we'll ask our payments processor to dig into it.