A spokesperson for Cloud Imperium said that a total of 1,269 refunds have so far been given out, with 93 refunds since the beginning of July. Roberts declined to say what percentage of refund applications are granted.
"If there are cases where people are really upset, or facing personal hardships, on a case by case basis we take a look and we refund," he said. "We don't want to keep people around. We don't want to fight with them."
Various promised release dates for
Star Citizen modules have slipped. In January 2015, Roberts
laid out a schedule in which the first-person shooter, known as Star Marine, would arrive by the spring, followed by the social and multicrew modules in the summer and the single player campaign (Squadron 42) in the fall.
Ryan Allen, a web developer from California, backed Star Citizen in early 2013 and went on to spend a total of $930 on various in-game spaceships, over a period of about 18 months. He told Polygon that he applied for a full refund on July 13, 2015, and was granted the full amount on July 31.
"When I backed the game, I was excited that Chris was making a new Wing Commander-type game," he told Polygon. "It was like, 'take my money.'" In 2014 Allen played the hangar mode and Arena Commander for "around 30 hours."
But Allen said that by early 2015 he had grown disillusioned with the game. "I totally believed in it, but after so much delay, I just wanted my money back."
In July, Allen contacted Cloud Imperium's customer support service via an email that outlined his grievances. "I felt they had been dishonest and that the game was going downhill," he said.
After a series of emails, he was denied a refund. The customer service rep said his pledges were too old to be refunded. Official refunds are only available to people who buy the game and are dissatisfied within 14-days.
Allen was a vocal critic of the game on Star Citizen's forums and on its sub-Reddit. He says he's clashed with other backers in online arguments. He also contacted the Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau to make a complaint. A few days later he received a direct email from Cloud Imperium, promising to take care of his refund application. It was sorted out in a matter of days.
"It was like night and day," said Allen. "I don't know why they changed their minds and I'm not going to question it. After that email, they gave me the best customer service experience I've ever had in gaming. They really went 110 percent to get me my money back."
According to Roberts, unhappy backers like Allen are the exception. "In general, our refund numbers are very, very low compared to the rest of the industry," he said. "It's significantly lower than what you get with e-transactions on most games. The issue is, yes, there are some big, vocal people, but they're definitely a minority."
Quelle:
Some Star Citizen backers who claim full pledge refunds are getting their money back | Polygon
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