Korea Raids Blizzard Offices Over D3 (conclusion)

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On June 01 2012 07:19 Integra wrote:
Here is the full article from the original source at http://www.koreatimes.co.kr:

"The government has launched an investigation into Blizzard Entertainment over allegations that the American computer gamemaker has refused to refund Koreans who purchased its latest real-time role-playing game Diablo 3.

The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) said the firm is suspected of having violated the country’s law on electronic commerce and commercial contracts. The FTC said Tuesday that it raided the firm’s Seoul office Monday and secured related documents and other evidence with which it will determine whether Blizzard broke the law.

The investigation comes only two weeks after the release of the game, which has sold more than 6.3 million copies worldwide.
Larger-than-expected traffic to the online game’s severs made it extremely difficult for its users to access the game, particularly on weekday nights and weekends, according to Blizzard Korea.

Some buyers of the game vented frustration over server shutdowns and asked for refunds, but the company refused to do so, citing sales contract terms, which the FTC says is disadvantageous to consumers.

Blizzard said it doubled the capacity of servers Friday and pledged to improve services further in order to prevent a recurrence of the problem.

Despite the move, major portals have already been receiving messages denouncing Blizzard’s poor service. Hundreds of users have filed formal complaints with the FTC, calling for an investigation by the regulator.

“We have received many complaints from Diablo 3 users,” said Kim Hyung-bae, a spokesman for the FTC. He admitted that an investigation into Blizzard is underway, but refused to elaborate.

Other FTC officials said the probe is aimed at confirming whether the firm has sold the game based on what they describe as an “unfair” contract so that people cannot receive refunds even if they discover problems with the game. They said they are studying whether the company should be held liable for “ill-preparation” for unexpected traffic.

It’s too early to see any results of the probe but some investigators expect the regulator to issue an order mandating Blizzard to provide a full refund to all unhappy customers.

Diablo 3, out nearly 12 years after its incredibly successful predecessor Diablo 2, was one of the most anticipated releases in some time both here and abroad.
According to game ranking firm Gametrics, Diablo 3 accounted for 16.16 percent of user time at PC rooms within a day of its release. The rate has increased to nearly 40 percent, it said.

Users choose one of five classes ㅡ Barbarian, Wizard, Monk, Demon Hunter or Witch Doctor ㅡ to fight the titular demon Diablo in single player quests and can level-up online in a Battle.net multiplayer platform provided by Blizzard.

The Diablo series is dubbed a “game of evil,” for its storyline and the fact that it is expected to account for many sleepless nights by avid gamers here.

Blizzard is well known for its constant patches and bug-fixes (12-year-old Diablo 2 is still very well maintained and played often), but thwarting constant hackers and illegal programs being slipped into the game is another task for the firm."

If you ask me....

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South Korean Diablo III Refunds
South Korean players who were unhappy with the stability problems during the Diablo III launch will be able to apply for a refund! This was prompted in part by the Korea Fair Trade Commission investigation into denied refunds, which resulted in a raid on their office. South Korean Law allows a customer to receive a refund within seven days of purchasing something if the problems with the product are not caused by the consumer.

The number of Korean players connected peaked at 430,000, which prompted the installation of more server capacity. The peak for all of Asia was 640,000.

A player must have not played past level 40 in order to obtain a refund, which will be given out from June 25th to July 3rd. If you purchase the game from now on and want a refund, you will be able to get it as long as you have not played past level 20 and are within 14 days of the purchase date.

Players who do not apply for a refund will get a free month of Starcraft 2 access, which can be gifted to a friend if the player already has a copy.

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On June 26 2012 02:19 LiLSighKoh wrote:
Well at least they chose to give refunds !

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On June 26 2012 02:21 Kuja wrote:

I don't think it was much of a choice lol

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On June 26 2012 02:19 LiLSighKoh wrote:
Well at least they chose to give refunds !

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On June 26 2012 02:28 Leth0 wrote:


It only took an entire country getting their federal trade commission involved due to so many disputes about the product.....should of just gave them refunds in the first place when they asked for them. Their reasoning was legitimate, blizzard just didn't want to give in....so they didn't until they had no other choice.

Really starting to lose a lot of respect for blizzard.

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On June 26 2012 02:32 ayaz2810 wrote:
Too bad us NA users will never see any compensation for the piece of crap that is Diablo 3. It's been a nightmare (no pun intended) in terms of network problems, and absolutely awful gameplay. They should really apply this refund policy to every applicable country. I would welcome the chance to return an incomplete, poorly designed product.

Good job SK!

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On June 26 2012 02:34 Deadlyhazard wrote:
ayaz, you can ask for a refund if you send in a support ticket....assuming it hasn't been 30 days after purchase for you yet. Then you're screwed.

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On June 26 2012 02:35 Doso wrote:
First noticable impacts of 'merger' with Activision.

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On June 26 2012 02:36 Integra wrote:

I know allot of of friends who tried that in the past and gotten denied. ALL SALES FINAL! NOW GO AWAY, lol.

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On June 26 2012 02:35 Art.FeeL wrote:


Is the game really that bad? I have been thinking buying it,.....

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On June 26 2012 02:38 Neeh wrote:
Oh noes an online based game had a messy launch? What else is new? Oh right I drink milk for breakfast!

People these days are so easily butthurt. First of all I know of alot of people whom actually gotten a refund, they're just more civil about it, no need to riot. Second of all..if you can't handle a few days of problems,and the odd hicup, maybe you should stay away from online releases the first few weeks? I've gotten around 200 hours out of D3, and it's getting kinda dull, but 200 hours is pretty damn good if you ask me..Yeah the first weeks was iffy, but I just did other shit and lets that shit fix itself. Problem solved..saved me a ton of fustration too.

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