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[Shadowlink]

Even when you click your order number to see more info?

Oh found it. Thanks! Now only if I can remove it.

 

[Nelo Ice]

k wtf i dont want to cancel my card so is there anyway i can stop the charge next year

 

[Y2Kev]

This is weird. They cancelled my account no questions asked via email. I can't even log in anymore.

 

[Spruchy]

Even when you click your order number to see more info?

Thank you so much, was worried if it was on my god like CC, instead its on my Paypal card :lol

 

[Neuromancer]

This is weird. They cancelled my account no questions asked via email. I can't even log in anymore.

Sounds like a good problem to have.

 

[RedNumberFive]

Has anyone sent in a tip to kotaku/destructoid/joystiq etc yet? Maybe the gameblogs can pick this shit up too.

Come on... you know as well as I that they will never pick it up. That would take some actual investigative journalism, as opposed to the regurgitated press releases on those sites. Looking on my RSS feed right now, most of the stories read like they come straight from the publishers themselves:

Top story on Kotaku:

FIFA 10 Sells "More Than" 4.5 Million Worldwide [Sales]

Top story on Joystiq:

Greenberg: 360 sales more than double over Black Friday

Our best bet continues to be the BBB, Consumer Reports, Consumerist, and other consumer watchdog groups. I'd love for the gaming blogs to step up, but I doubt that will happen.

 

[MrPliskin]

ECA just shot themselves in the foot.

I don't know how much the rest of you know about consumers (I'm an expert), but honor and shame are huge parts of it. It's not like it is being HAL HALPIN where you can become successful by being an asshole. If you screw a consumer over, you bring shame to yourself, and the only way to get rid of that shame is repentance.

What this means is the interwebs, after hearing about this, is not going to want to purchase an ECA membership, nor will they join for any of ECA's ****ty promotions. This is HUGE. You can laugh all you want, but ECA has alienated an entire market with this move.

ECA, publicly apologize and cancel our accounts or you can kiss your business goodbye.

WE HAVE ALL PAID WITH OUR SOULS.

When your first born children are placed on this earth, the shall be removed, rightly so, and placed into the godly possession of the ECA (from this point forward to be referred to as "The Empire"). This, of course, is the only price that can be paid for these great benefits. Benefits that, mind you, should not be taken lightly. Benefits that will be passed on, from you, to your children, and to your children's children (because you can't escape from the void to which you have fallen into...auto-renew is gone).

Ladies and gentlemen, today, we have seen the fall of humanity, the rise of an enemy so fierce, only parcel can penetrate it's dragon-like armor. Friends, foes, I ask that you all join together in one last effort to overcome these evils, to strike down The Empire with one swift blow.

Join me, fight until your fingers bleed, your bodies ache, and your checking accounts are empty (auto-renew is no longer available as an option).

FINISH THE FIGHT.

:lol

 

[yankeeforever2]

Signed up with an old VISA rebate card and used my spam email address, fake name and address:lol :lol The discounts where gone by the time I signed up so no loss no gain.

 

[Himajin]

Wait, so this thread started as a "let's all join ECA for the game discounts" thread, morphed into a "let's all exploit the discount system to screw over Amazon, ECA, and their genuine members" thread, and is now a "let's all report ECA for illegal practices because they won't let us cancel online" thread?

It's clear the ECA is incompetently run, but they obviously had a huge influx of new members who were only interested in abusing the discounts, and their mickey mouse system can't cope with the massive numbers of people wanting to cancel now. I can't help but feel a little sorry for them and their genuine members.

Anyway, it's probably easiest to just dispute any CC bill from them for those who want out.

 

[DeVeAn]

Wow, Hell hath no fury like a GAF'ers scorn. For all the better too.

 

[angelfly]

I hope their forum reaches the level of hilarity that was EAs forums after the rumor that they were responsible for no ingame chat. :lol

 

[Shadowlink]

So who do we send the letter to, so I can cancel my account and remove the CC info?

 

[border]

Strangely enough, I feel kinda sorry for them having to endure all this abuse from customers who aren't actually customers (haven't paid for membership, only signed on for discount). That's probably where the exasperated tone in all their messages seems to come from. It must be frustrating to have the credibility of your organization tanked over something like this, too.

Ultimately I guess it's their own fault. They shouldn't have been so desperate for memberships that they gave away the house, shouldn't have been so desperate to retain memberships that they weaseled out of letting people easily cancel (though that still could be a legitimate problem with their website I suppose).

 

[elrechazado]

Come on... you know as well as I that they will never pick it up. That would take some actual investigative journalism, as opposed to the regurgitated press releases on those sites. Looking on my RSS feed right now, most of the stories read like they come straight from the publishers themselves:

Top story on Kotaku:

FIFA 10 Sells "More Than" 4.5 Million Worldwide [Sales]

Top story on Joystiq:

Greenberg: 360 sales more than double over Black Friday

Our best bet continues to be the BBB, Consumer Reports, Consumerist, and other consumer watchdog groups. I'd love for the gaming blogs to step up, but I doubt that will happen.

Well, it's worth the try. Carpetbombing gets a hit sometimes

 

[Neuromancer]

Wait, so this thread started as a "let's all join ECA for the game discounts" thread, morphed into a "let's all exploit the discount system to screw over Amazon, ECA, and their genuine members" thread, and is now a "let's all report ECA for illegal practices because they won't let us cancel online" thread?

I missed out on the "let's all exploit the discount system to screw over Amazon, ECA, and their genuine members" part of the thread.

=(

 

[WickedLaharl]

there is no reason whatsoever to feel sorry for the incompetent morons running the ECA.

 

[Costanza]

Has anyone sent in a tip to kotaku/destructoid/joystiq etc yet? Maybe the gameblogs can pick this shit up too.

Talked to my friend who writes for dtoid and he said to send a detailed explanation of everything that's going on to their tips email and they'll probably put something up about it. Somebody want to volunteer to do that?

 

[Nutter]

So what happens if you canceled the [renew] membership back when they allowed it through their website [sept 09], am i safe? or no?

 

[border]

This is primarily a CheapAssgamer issue, and last I recall Kotaku had some beef with CAG -- I wouldn't expect them to run this story, but it'd be nice if they did.

 

[angelfly]

So what happens if you canceled the [renew] membership back when they allowed it through their website, am i safe? or no?

No, they claim it was put in by the people that designed the site but wasn't actually working. So your account is still set to auto renew.

 

[dionysus]

Anyway to tell if you are set to auto-renew or not?

 

[Foofaraw]

Wait, so this thread started as a "let's all join ECA for the game discounts" thread, morphed into a "let's all exploit the discount system to screw over Amazon, ECA, and their genuine members" thread, and is now a "let's all report ECA for illegal practices because they won't let us cancel online" thread?

It's clear the ECA is incompetently run, but they obviously had a huge influx of new members who were only interested in abusing the discounts, and their mickey mouse system can't cope with the massive numbers of people wanting to cancel now. I can't help but feel a little sorry for them and their genuine members.

Anyway, it's probably easiest to just dispute any CC bill from them for those who want out.

If GAF had a rep system, you would have just gotten more from me. This seems to be a rather clearheaded thought process. Apparently emailing them works. That's super easy compared to the horror that is getting Xbox Live canceled.

 

[AtomskEater]

So what happens if you canceled the [renew] membership back when they allowed it through their website, am i safe? or no?

One of their reps/mods/whatever said the button was never functional. You won't be able to tell for sure until a year passes and they don't charge you.

 

[WickedLaharl]

oh cool the retard brigade has decided to join in the fray on their forums (some moron posted the rather unfunny FFXIII meme).

If GAF had a rep system, you would have just gotten more from me. This seems to be a rather clearheaded thought process. Apparently emailing them works. That's super easy compared to the horror that is getting Xbox Live canceled.

next time you should read up a bit before throwing out your ill informed posts.

 

[NomarTyme]

This is primarily a CheapAssgamer issue, and last I recall Kotaku had some beef with CAG -- I wouldn't expect them to run this story, but it'd be nice if they did.

No its not. Slickdeal and Fatwallet people join in the craze.

 

[elrechazado]

If GAF had a rep system, you would have just gotten more from me. This seems to be a rather clearheaded thought process. Apparently emailing them works. That's super easy compared to the horror that is getting Xbox Live canceled.

Emailing them does not in fact work, and that is by their own policy:

Why can’t we terminate via email?

Because the org has grown too large to handle the volume and requiring a mailed piece separates those who are serious from those who are lazy or finicky – joining and leaving repeatedly – and it gives us written documentation, a paper trail to reconcile against

 

[elrechazado]

Talked to my friend who writes for dtoid and he said to send a detailed explanation of everything that's going on to their tips email and they'll probably put something up about it. Somebody want to volunteer to do that?

check yer pm

 

[LocoMrPollock]

Wait, so this thread started as a "let's all join ECA for the game discounts" thread, morphed into a "let's all exploit the discount system to screw over Amazon, ECA, and their genuine members" thread, and is now a "let's all report ECA for illegal practices because they won't let us cancel online" thread?

It's clear the ECA is incompetently run, but they obviously had a huge influx of new members who were only interested in abusing the discounts, and their mickey mouse system can't cope with the massive numbers of people wanting to cancel now. I can't help but feel a little sorry for them and their genuine members.

Anyway, it's probably easiest to just dispute any CC bill from them for those who want out.

Seriously. A bunch of damn drama queens in this thread claiming scam, when none of them have actually even paid for anything or been charged anything.

 

[TurtleSnatcher]

Right to Cancel; Refund of ECA Service Fee. Members have the right to terminate this Agreement and membership in the ECA Service at any time. A Member may cancel this Agreement and membership in the ECA Service by calling 1-203-761-6180. If a Member cancels before the end of a Membership Term for which Member has paid the Service Fee, the Member cannot receive a refund of such Service Fee, prorated for the remaining unused portion of the Membership Term. Due to the nature of the services provided by ECA (many of which are accessible immediately upon acceptance) it is understood that refunds cannot be issued. Member will remain liable for any other fees or charges to be paid pursuant to this Agreement or the ECA Service.
http://forums.theeca.com/showthread.php?t=6672

You can call the number there maybe.

 

[TheCrow]

Ok, I talked to a lawyer friend of mine briefly (I am bored + angry).

The best course of action is to take this to arbitration and ask that they provide proof of what they are doing and how the money is being spent. They are a not-for-profit which means they can't carry over any profits from year to year and have to spend a certain % on the objectives on their website. If they are a scam and are just pocketing the "dues" then they could be completely fucked and have an attorney general on their ass and people in jail. Essentially claim that they are a fraudulent organization and make them prove that they are not.

If they are a legit charity and I have no case, the worst it will cost me is 250 dollars for the filing fee and a 6 pack of beer for my buddy for his time on the case.

I also suggest everyone write letters to the vendors that they have relationships with. Buy.com, amazon.com, etc and let them know what his happening. Part of what is giving these guys legitimacy is the membership benefits that they have. We may be able to get amazon to go after them for continuing to list amazon's name on the website.

I will gladly donate the $20 that would have gone to the ECA to your cause.

Same here, Stooge. Even if I dispute the payments, ECA will still be running this "scam" and taking advantage of others. At the very least it should be an option to cancel your account over the phone or online.

Edit: I did sign up(for free) purely for the Amazon discounts but unfortunately never had the chance to use them, let alone abuse them.

 

[Nutter]

One of their reps/mods/whatever said the button was never functional. You won't be able to tell for sure until a year passes and they don't charge you.

The reason I ask is because currently when i view my account, there is nothing being stated that it will auto renew or anything and it also says

"ECA Full Membership This role will expire on 09/12/2010 - 11:11"

 

[graywolf323]

I was kinda happy to check my account and realize while they have my credit card on file it's my old billing address :lol

edit: if they pull some shenanigans though my bank will fix the charge for me

I <3 Navy Federal

 

[WickedLaharl]

Seriously. A bunch of damn drama queens in this thread claiming scam, when none of them have actually even paid for anything or been charged anything.

hal halpin's gaf account revealed.

 

[tenritsu]

The reason I ask is because currently when i view my account, there is nothing being stated that it will auto renew or anything and it also says

"ECA Full Membership This role will expire on 09/12/2010 - 11:11"

Well, the understanding right now is that your current membership will expire on that date, but they'll just reup it afterwards.

 

[angelfly]

You can call the number there maybe.

They changed it:

A Member may cancel this Agreement and membership in the ECA Service sending such request to Attn: Accounting, ECA, 64 Danbury Road, Suite 700, Wilton, CT 06897-4406. If Member cancels before the end of a Membership Term for which Member has paid the Service Fee, the Member cannot receive a refund of such Service Fee nor any portion thereof. Due to the nature of the services provided by ECA (many of which are accessible immediately upon acceptance) it is understood that refunds cannot be issued. Member will remain liable for any other fees or charges to be paid pursuant to this Agreement or the ECA Service.

 

[elrechazado]

The reason I ask is because currently when i view my account, there is nothing being stated that it will auto renew or anything and it also says

"ECA Full Membership This role will expire on 09/12/2010 - 11:11"

This is what mine says, and I never canceled. It has been confirmed that the membership is auto-renewing. Based on the fact that they have said the cancellation button should have never existed, it is safe to assume based on all of this that it did not in fact work and that you are in the same boat as those of us who did not cancel using the button when it was available.

 

[Wag]

Their terms of use actually says they will keep trying different expiration dates on an expired card until one goes through.

Number 5.

http://www.theeca.com/terms

They can keep trying but that doesn't mean it will work. My bank says my old card will no longer work come the end of the year, and I will take them at their word.

 

[MrPliskin]

http://forums.theeca.com/showthread.php?t=6948

:lol

Tried calling the number again and didn't get through after 15 minutes.

 

[Nutter]

This is what mine says, and I never canceled. It has been confirmed that the membership is auto-renewing. Based on the fact that they have said the cancellation button should have never existed, it is safe to assume based on all of this that it did not in fact work and that you are in the same boat as those of us who did not cancel using the button when it was available.

Fuck. :lol

 

[Jazzy Network]

Biggest bunch of hypocrites ever. I bet they don't give a shit about going green unless it's green in the pocket.

 

[RedNumberFive]

Seriously. A bunch of damn drama queens in this thread claiming scam, when none of them have actually even paid for anything or been charged anything.

PM me your CC info. I'll be happy to hold onto it for the year.

 

[StopMakingSense]

They can keep trying but that doesn't mean it will work. My bank says my old card will no longer work come the end of the year, and I will take them at their word.

Well your card might not work when you swipe it, but unless the actual number on the new card is different, the manner in which they charge it would allow them to keep on charging you.

 

[border]

TheECA.com's main page has an image that brags about all these high profile members that they have -- Wil Wheaton, Tommy Tallarico, Adam Sessler, Billy Berghammer, etc. All of these people have Twitter/email accounts, and their name and image is being used to promote this organization. If you think this is really a huge scam operation you should shoot them a tweet or something to let them know what's going on.

Just from reading what little I have though, I think this organization is just incompetent rather than a scam.

And don't get too self-righteous because from the outside this whole thing can look somewhat whiny and petty (people that scammed $5-$500 in discounts complaining that they have to spend $3 to mail a letter).

 

[Nutter]

TheECA.com's main page has an image that brags about all these high profile members that they have -- Wil Wheaton, Tommy Tallarico, Adam Sessler, Billy Berghammer, etc. All of these people have Twitter/email accounts, and their name and image is being used to promote this organization. If you think this is really a huge scam operation you should shoot them a tweet or something to let them know what's going on.

Just from reading what little I have though, I think this organization is just incompetent rather than a scam.

And don't get too self-righteous because from the outside this whole thing can look somewhat whiny and petty (people that scammed $5-$500 in discounts complaining that they have to spend $3 to mail a letter).

Well what about the people who signed up and never got to use any discounts, but now just want out?

 

[Wag]

Well your card might not work when you swipe it, but unless the actual number on the new card is different, the manner in which they charge it would allow them to keep on charging you.

It's a totally new number. A lot of banks are changing CCs this year because of the new rules going into effect.

 

[RS4-]

Well what about the people who signed up and never got to use any discounts, but now just want out?

Same boat I'm in, signed up and didn't order a single thing.

 

[elrechazado]

TheECA.com's main page has an image that brags about all these high profile members that they have -- Wil Wheaton, Tommy Tallarico, Adam Sessler, Billy Berghammer, etc. All of these people have Twitter/email accounts, and their name and image is being used to promote this organization. If you think this is really a huge scam operation you should shoot them a tweet or something to let them know what's going on.

Just from reading what little I have though, I think this organization is just incompetent rather than a scam.

And don't get too self-righteous because from the outside this whole thing can look somewhat whiny and petty (people that scammed $5-$500 in discounts complaining that they have to spend $3 to mail a letter).

I got a 4 dollar benefit, and if you look back to the beginning of this thread, was defending the idea of the ECA. The organization seemed like exactly the type of group that deserved some of my money as a gamer and I was absolutely willing to let my membership renew (which is why I never canceled when the button was still there).

The way they have treated their members in response to this, and the lies about how and why the auto renewal was removed have made me realize that this is not an organization that deserves my money.

 

[X26]

wow what a clusterfuck, good luck to you guys

 

[LocoMrPollock]

PM me your CC info. I'll be happy to hold onto it for the year.

Dude, why don't you worry about it when and if, they actually try to charge you for something.

Or, if you all are really concerned. Then just call your Bank/CC company and tell them your card has been compromised online and you need a new one. Takes like 15 minutes.

Instead you all are acting ridiculous and wasting your time.

 

[elrechazado]

Dude, why don't you worry about it when and if, they actually try to charge you for something.

Or, if you all are really concerned. Then just call your Bank/CC company and tell them your card has been compromised online and you need a new one. Takes like 15 minutes.

Instead you all are acting ridiculous and wasting your time.

You however, are a master user of time and effort, as your posts attest.