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Post by kb on May 20, 2015 22:55:36 GMT
I just wanted to share this email I received from FL about a week ago:
I know that I said I would keep my pledge forever as a reminder of my stupidity, but I honestly could use whatever money I can get back from it (to grow my business and help me get through the lean time of the summer sales dip), so I'm probably going to take their offer.
I will still have to keep the $45 account because of Steam (which I think is not accurate, but Port has apparently made their mind up about that), but yeah... I'm going to ask her to get me in touch with Andernut so I can get what I can and finally have a sense of closure and peace about walking away from this shitfest. I will stick around a bit, and might log in once in a blue moon to check if any progress has been made, but... I think it will just be healthier for me to walk away and not feel like I sunk so much money into what is turning out to be the opposite of what I had hoped for...
So, I'm just posting this for any of the people who were banned and locked out of the forums (thereby unable to contact Andernut to transfer their account). If you email support@portalarium.com and ask them to help you get in touch with Andernut, maybe now they'll be willing to help and the fact that I shared their offer here might put some pressure on them if they try to deny certain people the same help they seem willing to give me.
I know it is a case of me going back on my word, and some of you are hardcore and want every dime back that you spent on this game (in which case, the andernut stuff probably won't work out for you). Still, I wanted to put it out there that Port has dialed it back a bit as far as preventing us from off-loading our accounts, so if you have wanted to do something like this but thought it was impossible, consider emailing support and hopefully they will be as reasonable with you as they were with me.
If they aren't helpful, you might consider posting something here about it. At least we would then all know there is a double standard even with stuff like this... Still, just remember, all they offered was to put me in touch with andernut so he could facilitate the transfer of my pledge. There's NO offer of a direct refund from Port or anything like that....
Hope this is helpful to at least one other person. Otherwise, apologies for the useless thread.
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Post by Membrane_on_Vacation on May 21, 2015 0:48:53 GMT
Thanks KB! I will Sticky this actually.
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Post by kb on Jun 2, 2015 13:57:39 GMT
I just wanted to bump this with an update:
FL helped me get in touch with Andernut. With Andernut's help, I was able to sell my account and the add-ons. So, fwiw, contacting support@portalarium.com from your account email, explaining you are banned, and asking for help getting in touch with Andernut can actually have the desired results. There's more to it, of course, but I just wanted to put it out there that in spite of their issues, Port's willingness to facilitate the sale of accounts of players who have been banned is at least a step in the right direction compared to permanently locking people out of the process.
FWIW, I didn't try to sell for full value (was more interested in getting the money quickly than the full amount), but if I had asked for that, I had the impression he had no problem waiting (it may have not sold though).
Anyway, good luck to any and all who are banned and try this method to unload their accounts. I still have issues with Port (and some of my customer service experiences), but I will concede that they were helpful in this regard.
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Joviex
Strong in the Force
PERMABANNED
Posts: 123 
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Post by Joviex on Jun 2, 2015 18:05:05 GMT
Anyway, good luck to any and all who are banned and try this method to unload their accounts. I still have issues with Port (and some of my customer service experiences), but I will concede that they were helpful in this regard. Yes, of course they were helpful, they were EXTREMELY helpful when I did it too. Because they want you the fuck out of the community ASAP. |
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Post by kb on Jun 2, 2015 18:21:48 GMT
Anyway, good luck to any and all who are banned and try this method to unload their accounts. I still have issues with Port (and some of my customer service experiences), but I will concede that they were helpful in this regard. Yes, of course they were helpful, they were EXTREMELY helpful when I did it too. Because they want you the fuck out of the community ASAP. Yeah, I figured as much. Still, wanted to share with people that it is possible to still sell their accounts if they get banned and decide they just want to move on. I'm glad to sell it and be done with the mess. Good riddance to bad rubbish/etc. |
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Post by Membrane_on_Vacation on Jun 3, 2015 2:14:39 GMT
Happy you can recover some costs you spent hoping this was going to be a decent game kb.
What sucks though is that this isn't even a capitalist system. They can't learn if the consumers can't choose. A valuable lesson for consumers involved in kickstarter stuff. Buyer beware!
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Post by Roland of Yew on Jun 16, 2015 23:24:51 GMT
Wait, I'm a SOTA pledge, I have recently discovered that Portalarium used fans cash to gain access to the Steam digital distribution network, that is why $45 of your pledge, a transaction you made with Portalarium is supposedly owned by Steam, that is ILLEGAL and I am taking advice via the company solicitor (international news agency) who says that they don't have a leg to stand on and may be in breach of at least four laws. So, I suggest you hang on until he looks into this further, I will update you as soon as I can.
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Post by Hold Yew Horses on Jun 17, 2015 6:41:22 GMT
Interested to hear more about how it's illegal, and under what jurisdiction... Seems to me as long as they provide the goods promised, they can do whatever business decision they deem appropriate with the funds raised. At least in the case of funds raised directly from their site; Kickstarter funds has additional stipulations regarding release dates and such. I'm no lawyer though.
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Post by Yew Are An Idiot on Jun 17, 2015 16:18:31 GMT
If you purchase the game through Steam, you must get a refund through Steam, which Steam is now offering under very limited conditions.
If you purchase the game through Steam and then upgrade your pledge to a higher tier, Portalarium can only deal with the additional difference (and perhaps even eat the cost of yet another Steam fee -- more on that below), and that original $45 (or whatever the price was on Steam if discounted) must be handled by Steam.
There's no funny businesses here. It's all about the way contracts work between Steam and any developer or publisher. If you want to dive deeper, once the game is purchased through Steam and you upgrade on the website, Steam gets a cut of all pledge upgrades because you originally purchased through Steam. Kinda like how Apple gets a cut of all in-app purchases. Steam does the same. Perhaps not at their usual 30% fee on game purchases but maybe lower, but you never know.
This sort of nasty contract business also affected Elite Dangerous. They gave all backers a free Steam key, but once you use the code, Steam gets a cut of all Elite digital purchases made on Elite's website for that linked Steam player. If you never link the account, you were never a Steam customer and Steam gets nothing.
Steam can be great for mass market distribution but it comes with some seriously nasty stipulations. I wonder if GOG is as evil with their contracts.
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Post by Mystic Cat on Jun 28, 2015 15:50:37 GMT
Hi, I have recently discovered this attempt at the theft of a subscribers pledge by Portalarium using (without the owners direct permission) a digital distribution network and have instigated proceedings against them with both the BBB and the FL Chamber of Commerce, I will keep you updated accordingly.
Portalarium broke all their own rules by arbitrarily banning me from both the forum and game without any reason whatsoever, apart from (incredibly) a single negative review.
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Post by Mystic Cat on Jun 28, 2015 15:59:59 GMT
Interested to hear more about how it's illegal, and under what jurisdiction... Seems to me as long as they provide the goods promised, they can do whatever business decision they deem appropriate with the funds raised. At least in the case of funds raised directly from their site; Kickstarter funds has additional stipulations regarding release dates and such. I'm no lawyer though. Hello, and thanks for the input, any European that pays for a product or service is covered under EU trading laws, irrespective of jurisdiction, the EU will then act as the plaintiff against said company. However, Portalarium also broke US law in that they signed a contract with a digital distribution network bypassing the customer and did not explicitly explain that a portion of the investors investment would, thereafter, be owned by the network, essentially, customers had to find the terms hidden in a sub forum on the SOTA website. In closing, Portalarium have never provided the 'goods promised' in fact they have done the opposite, having failed to deliver said product went on to sell a portion of their customers property to a third party without their knowledge. |
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Post by Membrane_on_Vacation on Jun 28, 2015 16:00:37 GMT
Hi, I have recently discovered this attempt at the theft of a subscribers pledge by Portalarium using (without the owners direct permission) a digital distribution network and have instigated proceedings against them with both the BBB and the FL Chamber of Commerce, I will keep you updated accordingly. Portalarium broke all their own rules by arbitrarily banning me from both the forum and game without any reason whatsoever, apart from (incredibly) a single negative review. Did you have any postings on their forum with any "negative" content prior to the review? |
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Post by Mordecai on Jul 17, 2015 15:55:20 GMT
I've been wondering where Portalarium actually stands on banned players selling their accounts for a while now, so I decided to hit up Fire Lotus via PM (since I'm not banned  ). As it turns out, forum-banned players have always been able to sell their accounts. It appears that the assumption to the contrary was the result of banned players being unable to devise an alternative means of communication to the forum. If anyone ever needs to sell an account (and is banned), just email Support@Portalarium.com and they'll take care of you. Or, if you'd rather not talk with them, ask me and I'll contact Andernut on your behalf. Edit: It appears that the original issue of banned players being unable to sell their accounts was the result of staff mistakenly telling them to use the player marketplace to do so. Being banned they were unable to do this, however the support line has always been an available alternative, though it was not mentioned immediately. |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2015 12:07:55 GMT
Buying a Royal Founder or maybe a Founder account... Will go through trusted third party such as Andernut to make the transaction.
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Post by Mordecai on Jul 19, 2015 15:17:41 GMT
Buying a Royal Founder or maybe a Founder account... Will go through trusted third party such as Andernut to make the transaction. Congrats on your first official post, and welcome to the community. You'll have no difficulty fitting in here, I'm sure. Why would you advertize that here though instead of on the SotA Player Marketplace, or have you already posted there too? Anyway, you ought to check that place out. Pledges are selling there at a loss, and there are no active buyers currently. |
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Caliya
Strong in the Force
People fight to gain things they can't take with them in the end
Posts: 2,121 
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Post by Caliya on Jul 21, 2015 21:39:04 GMT
Handed over my account to Andernut today. Made a small profit even, if the money comes through.
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Post by Membrane_on_Vacation on Jul 22, 2015 2:51:37 GMT
Handed over my account to Andernut today. Made a small profit even, if the money comes through. Great news Caliya. I'm always happy to see a fellow user be able to relieve themselves of this bad investment and stress. Even if the money stays with Portalarium, which is really too bad, and hopefully you stay around and post from time to time  |
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Caliya
Strong in the Force
People fight to gain things they can't take with them in the end
Posts: 2,121
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Post by Caliya on Jul 22, 2015 3:17:35 GMT
Well I will be stuck with a $45 pledge and account because of Steam. Thanks for giving me a vote of confidence to stay. I really didn't want to tread on guy's turf if that's what it is. But I have to have someone to harass since I can't do that so easily on the Shroud forums
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Post by dewderonomy on Jul 22, 2015 4:37:06 GMT
Well I will be stuck with a $45 pledge and account because of Steam. Thanks for giving me a vote of confidence to stay. I really didn't want to tread on guy's turf if that's what it is. But I have to have someone to harass since I can't do that so easily on the Shroud forums I had almost considered linking mine to Steam just for the opportunity to put down a negative review, but it's all been said already, and Mixed is right around the corner no matter what I do. It was at 73% the other day, no more than 10 days ago, if I remember correctly. I will say this community may have started (and maintain its fire) because of Port and its cultism, but it doesn't dilute the underlying motivation for speaking out here. This is an industry-wide topic right now, and it's all the more unsettling when some of the worst we've seen is at the hands of Lord British himself - a hero to many gamers and developers alike. It's like biting into filet mignon and tasting sea urchin: completely caught off-guard and unawares of how to respond in some cases other than disgust and anger. It's unacceptable - these are veterans of the industry, pioneers of the genre(s) even. Either way, congrats on the sale. It'll make tinfoil hat-wearing Aldo-like geriatric real happy when he's rearranging all those collector's hats and shrubs in his empty POT offline. |
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Post by Membrane_on_Vacation on Jul 22, 2015 17:45:21 GMT
I love it when you guys make me IRL lulz.
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Post by nemolives on Aug 14, 2015 19:04:08 GMT
I'm really stupid at the moment, just far too much stress in real life, but can someone confirm if I can buy a new account, swap that to the one being linked to Steam, and sell off a Royal Founder account? Really simple instructions please?
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Caliya
Strong in the Force
People fight to gain things they can't take with them in the end
Posts: 2,121
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Post by Caliya on Aug 14, 2015 19:26:39 GMT
nemolives Not sure if you have time. Write to Portalarium to ask because they are discontinuing merges/splits after the 17th of this month (I believe). So contact them immediately to see if they can still split your account. If they can, then you would have to buy a minimum pledge of $45 Adventurer, because you can't unlink your Steam account. Once they split, you could then sell your RF acct. If you do that, list it in Marketplace for bidding. People will outbid each other and you'll get the best price. Some levels don't really sell though, so you might want to ask Andernut what your level of account is selling for. Good luck!
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Post by nemolives on Aug 14, 2015 19:54:34 GMT
Thank you Caliya, I'm emailing now, and going to get the R20 hat to add some more worth to the eventual split account, hopefully.
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Caliya
Strong in the Force
People fight to gain things they can't take with them in the end
Posts: 2,121
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Post by Caliya on Aug 14, 2015 20:32:28 GMT
The split account won't contain any hats, your original Steam acct will retain them. They create a whole new account from the non-Steam RF pledge
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Post by nemolives on Aug 14, 2015 21:02:34 GMT
The split account won't contain any hats, your original Steam acct will retain them. They create a whole new account from the non-Steam RF pledge So it seems from what Lord Andernut tells me. Still I should make my money back at least, I desperately need it right now. |
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titsup
Strong in the Force
Posts: 819
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Post by titsup on Aug 14, 2015 21:22:33 GMT
Best of luck nemo.
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Post by nemolives on Aug 14, 2015 21:43:03 GMT
Hey guyz, have you heard about this really great game called Shroud of the Avatar? There's houses in it. And houses you can only buy in the add on store, and nowhere else. And great, genre challenging content like mumble mumble and cough cough. And well, if you don't get an Ancestor account that was set up before the 17th, you'll be dirty second class, less rewarded filthy scum! And I'm selling one (once it's separated)! You don't want to be peons, do you? Buy my account! This community talks about nothing else, I'm sure you want it! |
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titsup
Strong in the Force
Posts: 819
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Post by titsup on Aug 14, 2015 21:49:41 GMT
Just a tip, maybe post on mmorpg and maybe the Steam forum?
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Post by nemolives on Aug 14, 2015 21:53:05 GMT
Just a tip, maybe post on mmorpg and maybe the Steam forum? Hmm, good points. What could be more befitting an Avatar than shameless profiteering? |
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Caliya
Strong in the Force
People fight to gain things they can't take with them in the end
Posts: 2,121
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Post by Caliya on Aug 14, 2015 21:55:10 GMT
I got $350 for my Ancestor, but $45 of that went towards a new Adventurer account. Andernut told me to hold off til after the 17th because it would be more valuable. I didn't want to wait, I just didn't want to have to pay. It's nice I actually made a little extra. I don't regret selling. Glad I got out of the game. I still have the low level 2nd class citizen acct to check on the game periodically and collect hats. But meh
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). As it turns out, forum-banned players have always been able to sell their accounts. It appears that the assumption to the contrary was the result of banned players being unable to devise an alternative means of communication to the forum. If anyone ever needs to sell an account (and is banned), just email Support@Portalarium.com and they'll take care of you. Or, if you'd rather not talk with them, ask me and I'll contact Andernut on your behalf.
