LOL you agree with him, but not with me... and I said the same thing.

No. He said they should've posted notice of not receiving keys on the purchase. You said and think that you're entitled to discounts or a key to the original game. These are very different things. We all agree that more clarity was needed. But you think you're entitled to more. There's a distinct difference.

Let's not hide behind words, LiefLayer believe he|she is entitled to a gift key BECAUSE he|she is basing on the previous cases, since there is no new comunication stating things are changed.

If you've always drunk sugar-free coffee since i know you and you don't clearly tell me you want your next cofee with sugar, i'll bring you a sugar-free one and my assumptions will be legit.

That's the point.

GOG could sell any product the way they want, but they NEED to inform the customers that the previous policy changed, otherwise is bad advertising.

And if people ask a refund due to this, it would be fair to give them a full refund, since it's a communication mistake that needs to be acknowledged and fixed with a CLEAR notice on the store page.

Believing you're entitled to a gift key is VERY different than hoping for a gift key. Hoping or assuming that a gift key will be provided is not wrong. Although I believe it to be naive, it's still not wrong. Thinking you're entitled to a key, like they owe you something is wrong.

To borrow your coffee analogy:

You come in to my store, I sell coffee. Because I'm a nice guy I give away complimentary doughnuts to everybody that purchases my cup of coffee. Business is doing well. You, the customer, have been buying my coffee for a while now and enjoying the free complimentary doughnut. It just so happens that my doughnut supplier decided to increase prices. Being a business owner myself I need to adapt, I now go from giving free doughnuts to giving free raisin bran muffins. You come in, buy my coffee, see that now you get a free compilmentary raisin bran muffin instead of the doughnut you were expecting and complain. You make it well known that you HATE raisin bran muffins. I see how this is upsetting, I didn't tell you that now when you buy my coffee, you get a muffin instead. You proceed to demand money back or a free doughnut voucher that may be redeemed at the store of your choosing. You believe I OWE you something. The issue here though is that I sell coffee, the free doughnut was a courtesy and gesture of goodwill to attract more customers. Although you're upset and I see where I could have made things clearer, I don't owe you anything because you are entitled to nothing.

I agree with you there, more communication should have been given.

Weeeeelll..... not so. GoG or the developer has not failed to meet their claims. They promised an Enhanced Edition with the Original Game included and they delivered on that promise. You, the customer, got exactly what you paid for. The ability to switch back and forth through EE and Original and play the game in either fashion. The fact that they didn't deliver on that promise in the manner you were expecting is a different matter. As with my coffee store, you're still getting a free treat. The fact that it wasn't what you expected might make you mad and I might even lose you as a customer. But to demand money back on the coffee you purchased because the treat I offered wasn't what you expected is taking it a bit far.

No I don't want to convince you from anything. I just wanted to point out that questioning is a good thing, which can be done friendly. ;-)

Please, no need to make things more complex than they are.

We're arguing on "the way" the product is delivered.

The "Original bundled with the EE" is not a "gift", a "freebie", but is part of the deal and, since it's not sold anymore i must say it is a deal breaker.

Now, we have not one, but THREE precedents of how this part of the deal is delivered to the customer: with a gift key.

There is NO WAY one could know this has changed, so it's perfectly normal and legit to be upset and ask for a refund, since you practically pay full price for a thing you still owe an half, without knowing.

As i said, with a tiny notice, it would have been fine, one could have complained or be a bit upset, but right now, if one sums up all this little shady (and unexpected) commercial practices, the picture is really upsetting and there are quite a few complaints and refund asked and i must say they are enough to force the support to reply with copy-past text to save time.

That's clearly a commercial mistake from GOG, no way it could be from customers side, and i am sad at this because it will eventually fire back in time, just like all the "heat" that happened on Beamdogs forum with their previous moderation armageddon, and it could be totally avoided with just a few words, without any monetary loss or damage to brand image.

The "Beamdog representative" didn't even answer my question in the end. Maybe he/she was just a fake

Weekeneds and Easter, also timezones are reasons why you don't get a reply immediately. Also, as I said in the OP, feel free to ask questions on the official Beamdog forum.

Anyway, about your question - Beamdog can't influence how products are sold in other stores, how keys are given etc.

thank you

Yakkuz, I'm not complicating anything. As a matter of fact, I think I simplified the thought process and logical conclusion of my line of thinking very well in my last post. Complexity was exactly what I avoided by providing practical analogies and a tying it back together with the current situation.

Now let me first get the "Brand Image" issue out of the way first because we definitely agree here:

I completely agree with you there. The loss they could potentially experience as damage to their image is not worth the hassle. The smart thing to do is to try and satisfy as many customers as you can at the moment. If enough people are asking for refunds or discounts because they are upset, even if you are completely WITHIN your rights as a business, the safest route might be to cut some of your losses right now in order to keep or gain more customers for future products. If the customer believes you are wrong, even if you aren't, sometimes it's better to simply avoid the hassle and cut your losses now, in order to benefit in the longer run.

HOWEVER:

Yes, the three precedents do indeed give the customer reason to believe that the method of operation will continue. Is that what the customer is paying for though? No. Even if they believe they are. The answer is still no.

The way the product is delivered is INDEED what we've been discussing, you are correct. Whether you are paying for the EE edition and the original game is bonus material or whether it is included in the price of the sale is beyond our scope for the simple fact that we are not given that information. If the game was a "freebie" or constituted half of the price of the product is a different topic. So I agree, let's continue to focus on the method of delivery.

You say the original is not sold anymore as part of the deal. I disagree. The original game and its full experience is 100% available to the consumer. I got EXACTLY what I thought I was going to get when making this purchase and the previous Enhanced Editions.

I didn't for one moment expect that the METHOD of delivery (key or included within the EE) was part of what I was paying for. I expected exactly what was announced and advertised. The Enhanced Edition of the game AND the Original Edition all for one price. HOW they deliver on that promise is absolutely beyond discussion and not within our lines of expectation.

You're absolutely right! And more communication was definitely needed.

And here is where we wholeheartedly disagree with each other. It is completely NORMAL to be upset about not getting the keys like you once did before. Hell you're even justified in not wanting to purchase the product or ever purchasing anything from GoG or Beamdog ever again if it affected you that much.

But you are absolutely incorrect that you are OWED anything if you were upset on HOW they delivered that promise. The simple and very uncomplicated fact of the matter is this. You paid (or would pay) for an Enhanced Edition of the game AND the ability to play/experience the Original Game as well. "The Enhanced Edition includes the unaltered original version AND the Enhanced Edition in ONE definitive collection". You are getting exactly that.

Where we disagree is the fact that you think the pricetag includes the original game WITH a specific method of delivery (a key). I believe that the pricetag is exclusively for the Enhanced Edition and the original game inclusion comes as a bonus.

There is no refund for being upset that you didn't get what you wanted in the WAY that you wanted it. Unless of course it was promised that way. Then you are fully within your rights. But this is not the case here.

Also, just so you know LiefLayer, according to Beamdog Support (I confirmed with them). If you buy Planescape Torment EE from their website you can indeed request for the Steam Key version. However, you still will only get the same game as if purchasing it here on GoG. You don't get an additional key for the Original Planescape Torment game. Whether you buy it here or on the Beamdog site, you'll still get the same game and no additional key for the original game. Just for clarification, you get the EE version and no extra key for the original version.

I know. That's why it is better if I buy it on beamdog site. I will get a key for me of the EE, I still have the original game here on gog and I will get a steam key to gift of the EE (even better).
the only reason to buy here was because I usually prefer gog.

My original purchase does not lose meaning, and I will get 2 copies of the game like it was planned (both drm-free)

I see, you could also still buy it here but select the Gift option and give it to your friend. But if they don't have a GoG account I guess you could also do it that way.

No:
1. I will only get one copy that way.
2. I don't want to buy a copy on gog and make my previous purchase a waste of money.

Then I'm confused. How do you only get 1 copy if you buy it from GoG but more than that by buying it from the Beamdog site?