Alliance War Bundle - Overflow Expiration
Tdog
Member Posts: 25 ★
I purchased 3 of the alliance war bundles that we’re recently offered. Part of this bundle included 5 Level 3 Team Revives and 5 Level 3 Team Health Potions. So buying the maximum of 3 bundles gave 15 of each of these items. Since I did not already own these items, I had no way of knowing what the limit would be set at. In fact, the thought never even crossed my mind that the limit would be set lower than the max purchase amount. But sure enough, after I made the purchase, I saw that the limit for my account was 13 for each of these items. I have the Summoner’s Sigil so I’m guessing the actual limit is 10 for non-sigil accounts.
I checked my overflow, and there are 2 team revives and 2 team health potions sitting there. On top of that, they have only a 14-day expiration. Even the AW health potions we can buy with Glory have a 30-day expiration in the overflow.
This is particularly concerning because these offers were made right around the start of a 3-week offseason period. A time during which many alliances and individuals do not use items. You must know this Kabam. So you effectively sold 2 -5 extra items knowing they would need to be used during the offseason.
There was absolutely no disclosure.
I’ve waited a couple of days thinking that this would be corrected by having the limit for these items increased to at least 15. Frankly I don’t understand how items purchased with actual money (not units) are allowed to have any expiration at all. Perhaps someone with more knowledge of Apple’s in-app purchase rules can comment.
In any case, I respectfully request that the base item limit for any items purchased from these offers be increased to at least the maximum amount that could be purchased. That would be 15 for non-sigil accounts. Sigil accounts should have the extra 25% limit on top of this.
I am posting this in the forum rather than submitting a ticket, because this is an issue that affects others who purchased the offers and should not be handled on a case-by-case basis. This should be rectified for everyone who made the purchase.
I checked my overflow, and there are 2 team revives and 2 team health potions sitting there. On top of that, they have only a 14-day expiration. Even the AW health potions we can buy with Glory have a 30-day expiration in the overflow.
This is particularly concerning because these offers were made right around the start of a 3-week offseason period. A time during which many alliances and individuals do not use items. You must know this Kabam. So you effectively sold 2 -5 extra items knowing they would need to be used during the offseason.
There was absolutely no disclosure.
I’ve waited a couple of days thinking that this would be corrected by having the limit for these items increased to at least 15. Frankly I don’t understand how items purchased with actual money (not units) are allowed to have any expiration at all. Perhaps someone with more knowledge of Apple’s in-app purchase rules can comment.
In any case, I respectfully request that the base item limit for any items purchased from these offers be increased to at least the maximum amount that could be purchased. That would be 15 for non-sigil accounts. Sigil accounts should have the extra 25% limit on top of this.
I am posting this in the forum rather than submitting a ticket, because this is an issue that affects others who purchased the offers and should not be handled on a case-by-case basis. This should be rectified for everyone who made the purchase.
2
Comments
The “limits” are what they are, regardless of how unreasonable some may be.
Sorry to say they won’t increase the capacity on these, so you should plan to use the ones in your stash before they expire.
I’m just asking Kabam to do the right thing and recognize they set the limit for these items too low. With a limit of 10 they should have set the purchase limit at 2 bundles. But they set it at 3 bundles, so they need to increase the limit accordingly. It’s really not even debatable. And I’m guessing Apple would agree.
Apple’s policy is about currency and the like, good luck.
All pots aside incursions are 14 days.
Regardless contact support as they have the powa. Best wishes.
Apple MIGHT issue a refund, but I vaguely remember that Kabam had a counter for refund requests where your in-game unit count would be a negative value until you purchased a resolution package, this was done because of numerous fraudulent claims; not saying you’re being dishonest, again just stating what happened in past cases, I can’t say for certain this is still a thing.
Discussing your situation w Apple would be your best option because the forum mods will either ignore your request or tell you to contact support.
I wouldn’t waste too much of your energy on the demand to increase the item limit, it won’t happen, which is just going to make you more upset.
Search Apple’s policy, you’re taking the word about companies being fined from someone who thinks thoughts are facts and doesn’t question himself or verify his assertions.
Searched it for you. https://developer.apple.com/app-store/review/guidelines/#in-app-purchase
“Any credits or in-game currencies purchased via in-app purchase may not expire, and you should make sure you have a restore mechanism for any restorable in-app purchases.”
You sure about 30 day t4 pots? Has me questioning it to where I almost want to spend the units and glory to find out. But if that is the case then take that information to support and make that your issue, all this other stuff is nonsense but that one point might make for a change and Apple/Google do not have the power to enact that change.
I am confused about something though... you posted the link to the developers’ site that says credits and currencies purchased in-app can’t expire. Yet you say Apple/Google has no power to enact change. How are these revives and health potions not a form of a credit purchased for the purpose of reviving and healing an AW attack team? Or is there some very narrow definition of “credit” that you are considering?
Something feels very off here about allowing purchased items to expire. And it probably is apathy from the overall player community combined with a general bias towards players that spend money that has allowed this to persist. People forget that the game wouldn’t exist at the level it currently does without both players who spend money and players who don’t spend (thus making a large enough player base).
The question of whether there should be an expiration at all for purchased items is now what I’m most curious about.
The point is that currency, credit, items, etc. that are purchased with money should not expire. Now whether that is what Apple’s Developer Agreement actually means, I don’t know. Buy whether that’s the way MCoC and all mobile games SHOULD work is something that no player in their right mind would dispute. Only the company would argue against no expiration for purchased items. I’m guessing they would set the smallest limits and shortest overflow timeframes they could get away with (or have no overflow at all). Kabam could set up two overflow buckets, one for items earned in game that has an expiration, and one for items purchased that has no expiration.
And to CoatHanger’s point about it being this way for 5 years, look at drop rates. Those weren’t disclosed for years until they were. So I don’t buy the argument that if this was an issue it would have already been addressed.
My point is that items, currency, credits, etc. that are PURCHASED WITH REAL MONEY should not expire. There is already a provision in Apple’s developer guidelines that prohibits in-app currency from expiring. But “currency” is just semantics. Units can only be used in the game just like health potions and revives. So is it really currency? By the broadest definition, items are currency as well.
People spend real money that actually supports this game and provides revenue to pay Kabam employees. Why should anything people spend money on in this game expire though? It’s all just 1s and 0s at the end of the day.
Now, I have absolutely no problem whatsoever with items expiring that we receive for free or for just playing the game. That is a Kabam decision that they need to balance with making the overall player base happy.
I’m not all that succinct when I write, but I hope that makes more sense.
I didn't take my entitely self back to the shop to speak to someone about it though. I went to the park and started screaming at other people instead for, purely for attention.
This kind of turned into the perfect storm though. If we were in AW season, I probably wouldn’t have posted anything because I would have used the items within 2 weeks. But we’re on an extended off season, and I don’t want to nor should I have to use these items. And then I notice that these items I purchased with actual money expire in 14 days while similar items I’ve purchased with Glory in the past expired in 30 days. So then I’m starting to get annoyed. I make my original post and a couple of things jump out at me. Allegedly, a different game was fined for allowing purchased items to expire. May or may not be true, but that caught my attention. So I start Googling and I find the link to the App Store Review Guidelines (the same link another poster posted). Those guidelines specifically say currency purchased in-game cannot expire. I know currency is just a term that describes something that is used to make an exchange for something else. So now it’s become a bigger question. Why should anything we buy in this game have a short and arbitrary expiration? Why is it that only units and crystals have no expiration? Any argument someone makes for those items not expiring can be used for any other items purchased in the game. Again, real money purchases, not free to play purchases or items earned from rewards.
Maybe I’m the only one bothered by this. That’s fine. I’ve written a letter to Apple, and we’ll see where it goes.
If no one had ever made a stink about drop rates, we’d still be in the dark on that issue as well.