EPTOn June 16 2012 05:06 LaNague wrote:
Blizzard was just warned (formal legal request from one person to another) in germany by our "verbraucherzentrale".
The warning is because you need an onlinbe activation at all times and you need a personal account with which you have to log in every single time to their servers, which was not written on the box.
The warning also is because the service was not available over a prolonged period of time, which was found not be be only a starting problem, but prolonged until this date.
With this warning comes a cease and desist letter that blizzard has time to sign until the 13th of july, or legal actions by the accociation with all its infuence will be taken for the consumers against blizzard.
this is the source, its german only, above text is a paraphrase, not a translation.
http://www.vzbv.de/9728.htm
verbraucherzentrale describes itself in english
+ Show Spoiler +
Blizzard was just warned (formal legal request from one person to another) in germany by our "verbraucherzentrale".
The warning is because you need an onlinbe activation at all times and you need a personal account with which you have to log in every single time to their servers, which was not written on the box.
The warning also is because the service was not available over a prolonged period of time, which was found not be be only a starting problem, but prolonged until this date.
With this warning comes a cease and desist letter that blizzard has time to sign until the 13th of july, or legal actions by the accociation with all its infuence will be taken for the consumers against blizzard.
this is the source, its german only, above text is a paraphrase, not a translation.
http://www.vzbv.de/9728.htm
verbraucherzentrale describes itself in english
+ Show Spoiler +
he Federation of German Consumer Organisations - vzbv - is a non-governmental organisation acting as an umbrella for 41 German consumer associations. We represent the interests of consumers in public and vis-à-vis legislators, the private sector and civil society.
Our goal is to protect and empower consumers. We do this by lobbying and campaigning at national and European levels, by taking collective legal action on behalf of consumers and by ensuring that our message receives broad media coverage. We also provide professional training for the staff of consumer organisations.
Consumer advice is provided at a regional level by the 16 consumer centres of the German federal states (Verbraucherzentralen), while product testing is undertaken by our supporting member Stiftung Warentest.
"Consumption is the sole end and purpose of all production; and the interest of the producer ought to be attended to, only so far as it may be necessary for promoting that of the consumer."
Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations, 1776.
Our goal is to protect and empower consumers. We do this by lobbying and campaigning at national and European levels, by taking collective legal action on behalf of consumers and by ensuring that our message receives broad media coverage. We also provide professional training for the staff of consumer organisations.
Consumer advice is provided at a regional level by the 16 consumer centres of the German federal states (Verbraucherzentralen), while product testing is undertaken by our supporting member Stiftung Warentest.
"Consumption is the sole end and purpose of all production; and the interest of the producer ought to be attended to, only so far as it may be necessary for promoting that of the consumer."
Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations, 1776.
IMO pc games should have a checklist on the back, similar to Xbox games. That way you can look at the back and see exactly what you are getting into. Eg. Internet connection required, offline play supported, runs on steam, etc.
Can't be that hard to have on the box exactly what the game requires.
