| 23 JUN 2009 at 6:48pm |
loobilooPrivate Detective
Posts : 598
Joined: 3 APR 2008
Location: UK
Status : Offline | Hi Orion, I'm sorry to hear that - I know Paypal has had it's problems in the past but I have found it to be the best bet i.e. sellers don't get your bank details & many reputable download sites accept it.
I don't make a habit of download games & will wait for a disc version but occasionally it's the only way the game is available & ever likely to be.
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| 23 JUN 2009 at 11:17pm |
StilerJourneyman
Posts : 1477
Joined: 27 SEP 2004
Location: US, TN
Status : Offline | I've been using ithe computer and ordering things online since the mid-90's and never had my information comprimised.
You just have to order from reputable sites, always make sure it's a secure site (says on your web browser if it is) and that it's the legit site that you think you're on and never email any type of info like that at all.
As well it's always important to also scan on a regulra basis for viruses as well as spyware.
I'm not sure how your info was comprimised, but with the people I've worked with in the general computer industry it's almost always from the info being stolen via Keyloggers or the people giving the info through email to someone they thought they weren't or through fake sites that are made to appear real (IE fake paypal sites, etc).
On top of al of this, most banks/CC companies have fraud protection these days and if your information is compromised they'll work with yuo.
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| 24 JUN 2009 at 5:18am |
karlaAdministrator
Posts : 2613
Joined: 27 JUL 2003
Location: US, Close to the Edge
Status : Online | So sorry to hear about your misfortune, Orion! :'(
I held off using Paypal for years because it had been hacked a couple of times a long time ago. Then I found something on eBay that I'd been trying to locate for practically forever, and the seller would only accept PayPal. So I signed up.
Since then, I've loved using it. PayPal has both my checking account and credit card numbers, and I feel confident they'll remain secure.
I've been ordering stuff online since 1995. Fortunately, my info has never been compromised (looking sround for wood to knock on).
I agree with Stiler. If you haven't already, you might want to contact your bank/CC company. I've disputed charges on my credit card a couple of times, and my CC co. held the charges in abeyance while they investigated things. Both times, the disputed charges ended up being removed.
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| 25 JUN 2009 at 1:05am |
AlienBZJourneyman
Posts : 877
Joined: 14 JAN 2008
Status : Offline | Originally Posted By karla (24 JUN 2009 5:18am)
I held off using Paypal for years because it had been hacked a couple of times a long time ago. Then I found something on eBay that I'd been trying to locate for practically forever, and the seller would only accept PayPal. So I signed up.
Since then, I've loved using it.
As for me, using PayPal began in early 2002 when I was searching for Microsoft Space Simulator owing to my regret at not buying it when I saw it on the local store shelf back in 1996-7, and I did a computer search for it over the internet, the computer found it on ebay. So I got my family to agree to sign up for PayPal, and I finally won that MS Space Simulator. Boy, was I very happy when I won it that night after my teenaged nephew told my elderly dad, "You won it, Pap! See, it says right here - you won it!"
Regarding game downloads becoming the thing of the future, I hope this doesn't happen, either - at least as long as I'm still living on this earth - but to tell the truth, I downloaded 2 games already; 1 game I downloaded for $5.99 off of GoG, the other game was a free download someone over at MysteryManor.net was offering for a limited time, and as for Yoourmajak's Ring, I am putting off paying $30 for this just so I could d/l it for as long as possible because 1) for a d/l game, I don't believe in paying $30 just to d/l something, and I waiting for the price to go way, way down, 2) I'm hoping the developers/publisher of this games comes out with a physical version (on DVD) of the game then I'll probably buy it.
Really, I don't really believe in d/l games, I don't want to make a habit of this, but I d/l only when there is absolutely no way to get the game, or in cases when the physical version costs a hefty price while the d/l version is dirt cheap.
Doin' Warp 9 to the Great Kingdom of Adventure Games of Outer Space
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| 25 JUN 2009 at 1:22am |
GreyFussPrivate Detective
Posts : 767
Joined: 4 DEC 2006
Location: US
Status : Offline | I really like PayPal also and have had no problems. They even reimbursed me in full for a couple of games I bought off of Ebay that I never received.
I too was concerned about the possibility of PayPals security being breached or hacked so what I did is open a separate savings account with my Credit Union that is not associated with any of my other accounts and keep $50 to $100 in it for purchases or paying for postage when I sell a game. This way if someone does get a hold of your account number they can't clean you out of anything more than that $50 to $100.. And yes, it doesn't have to be a Checking Account as PayPay states. As long as your Bank or Credit Union has routing numbers for a savings account you are good to go. Money then can be moved from your PayPal account to the Savings Account and vice versa.
"Don't Hate Me Because I Am Beautiful...There Are Many Other Reasons"
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| 25 JUN 2009 at 7:37am |
SAMSpace Cadet
Posts : 148
Joined: 13 FEB 2004
Status : Online | I agree with K515, if you download a game, you can't sell it or give it away when your done with it.
There's nothing like a cool box with neat artwork on it to display either.
Plus, maybe someday the disc maybe worth....100 cents!
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| 25 JUN 2009 at 4:59pm |
bysmittySpace Cadet
Posts : 122
Joined: 29 JUN 2004
Status : Online | Eh, I've spoken my mind on the topic before but I'm the opposite of most people here. I'm done with boxed physical games and am all about digital distribution. It's to the point that I'll probably pass on a game if it isn't available from Steam, Impulse, or GoG. I don't need any more boxes taking up room in my house, I don't want to dig through a mountain of discs to find the one I'm looking for, I'm tired of entering absurd 30 digit license keys, and I don't want to drive across town to buy locally or wait days for shipping when buying online. With Steam, I just click on the game I want, pop in my memorized credit card number, and the game downloads and installs itself promptly. Launching my game is always just a double click away and I can redownload and reinstall on any of my computers as many times as I want. I've actually paid up to $10 extra for the Steam version of a game over the disc version and also have re-bought games on Steam that I already owned on disc, all for the convenience of digital distribution. But that's me. I know I have the privilege of a super fast internet connection where others might not be so fortunate and I fully respect the desire to have a physical product when you buy something. For digital distribution to work, there needs to be a large level of trust in the store. I've developed that with Valve for Steam and Stardock for Impulse but I can see how others wouldn't see things the same way.
My advice is to keep an open mind about it though. Box art isn't what it was 10 years ago, games don't come with nifty trinkets, maps, instruction manuals, or even jewel cases anymore, and many disc based games still require online activation thanks to base DRM. It just seemed to me that the benefits of boxed games have dwindled lately while the convenience of digital stores have gone way up.
...bysmitty
Things I need to do today:&&-change out of pajamas&&-[s]come up with witty yet sophisticated signature[/s]&&-sober up&&-[s]watch simpsons at 6pm[/s]
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| 25 JUN 2009 at 7:49pm |
karlaAdministrator
Posts : 2613
Joined: 27 JUL 2003
Location: US, Close to the Edge
Status : Online | Originally Posted By bysmitty (25 JUN 2009 4:58pm)
For digital distribution to work, there needs to be a large level of trust in the store.
...bysmitty
I couldn't agree more.
I don't mean to rehash a recent experience of mine to death, but I downloaded my first full game last week. It was a gift: Still Life 2. It took 13 hours.
It won't install. I get a message that the file may be corrupt and to contact the vendor.
The vendor is Encore. I've been unable to find any way to contact them about SL2 despite extensive searching, nor have I been able to locate further info about the problem.
I did learn that another forum regular downloaded the game from Encore the day after I did and encountered the same problem. But that's it.
So now, the 3.69GB setup file is just sitting on my HDD taking up space. I ended up walking away from the issue because I'd already blown entirely too much time trying to get help/find answers.
I realize that not everyone has such experiences, but I'd much rather wait a few days for a boxed version that's likely to function properly than to have an enormous setup file languishing uselessly on my HDD.
Will I try another digital download at some point? Possibly. Will it be from Encore? I don't think so.
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| 25 JUN 2009 at 8:51pm |
loobilooPrivate Detective
Posts : 598
Joined: 3 APR 2008
Location: UK
Status : Offline | Yes! you do need to have a lot of trust in the download site so I can only suggest that you use either known reliable sources or wait for recommendations.
I'm sorry that you had such a bad experience Karla.
13 hours is a long time and for many players this is the downside of downloading! On the other side I think it's wonderful for gamers who want a particular game now - albeit up to 13 hours away [smiley=laughing.gif] as opposed to a couple of days plus waiting for a boxed game to be delivered. I, myself, prefer to wait for a game on disc.
Hopefully you are all smart enough not to follow links on E-mails from any site whatsoever except for anything else than your download files if you've bought a game!
Also, if you are using Paypal you need to go to your legitimate link that you have for it as opposed to E-mail ones, as I have come across many spoof ones which I have reported & have subsequently been confirmed as fake!
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| 25 JUN 2009 at 10:32pm |
bysmittySpace Cadet
Posts : 122
Joined: 29 JUN 2004
Status : Online | Yeah, definitely sorry to hear about your bad experience Karla. That seems to be pretty much a worst case scenario and illustrates why I trust only a select few download portals (Steam, Impulse, GoG, or nothing). Not that I'm sure you relish in the idea, but you might want to try re-downloading the installer if you are able to. Error messages like that can be caused by an incomplete or corrupted downloads. It might be that the download cut early or your internet connection fritzed at some point during the long download. Not that would excuse Encore's responsibility to ensure their customers get a working product of course.
...bysmitty
Things I need to do today:&&-change out of pajamas&&-[s]come up with witty yet sophisticated signature[/s]&&-sober up&&-[s]watch simpsons at 6pm[/s]
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| 26 JUN 2009 at 1:17am |
karlaAdministrator
Posts : 2613
Joined: 27 JUL 2003
Location: US, Close to the Edge
Status : Online | Thanks, bysmitty. Yeah, I might try downloading it again at some point. Possibly. Maybe. If I get terminally bored or somerthing.
Oh, wait...terminal boredom is reserved for trying to finish Belief & Betrayal, so I guess a re-download will have to wait until after that. Heh heh.
I watched the SL2 download from beginning to end and if something glitched up, it sure didn't show. From all outward appearances I was connected without interruption and the download successfully completed.
What irks me more than downloading a file that won't run is the fact that, in this case at least, tech support is either non-existent or buried under so much junk that it's impossible to find. I spent hours looking for help without finding any. Such a thing can be really frustrating. [smiley=hair_pull.gif]
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| 26 JUN 2009 at 1:20am |
HalcyonSchattenjger
Posts : 1653
Joined: 17 NOV 2006
Status : Offline | I worry every time I give my credit card to a waiter in a restaurant. I carry that "wise fear" with me online. I love PayPal and have come to actually distrust sites who don't use it.
_________________
Exercise your vision.
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| 26 JUN 2009 at 1:41am |
SAMSpace Cadet
Posts : 148
Joined: 13 FEB 2004
Status : Online | Wow, 13gb would take a month with our connection to download.
What if the company goes out of business?
What if you want to play it on your laptop instead of your desktop?
With a physical disc, at least you ccan play long after the company
has gone defunct.
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