possible reason for the billing change

[theotherjohn]

http://www.usatoday.com/usatonline/20031020/5602462s.htm

[Betheny]

I hear their reason is a cop-out, and that Simutronics is on the verge of bankruptcy, due to the delay and overspending on GS4.

Could be bullshit, could be not. Only they really know.

[Skirmisher]

Originally posted by Maimara
I hear their reason is a cop-out, and that Simutronics is on the verge of bankruptcy, due to the delay and overspending on GS4.

Could be bullshit, could be not. Only they really know.

Where did you hear that? I thought they denied that on the official boards.

Hmmm, I really don't see why they should be in such dire economic condition but who the heck knows.

[Betheny]

Heh.

If I could say, I would.

[Latrinsorm]

If they were really that hard up for cash, I suspect they'd just get rid of Modus and those "other" games. Having played Modus, I can tell you I NEVER saw more than 100 people on and usually around 20. Or maybe 50. Somewhere around there.

The point is... I forget. But it was a funny suggestion, the ring thing.

[AkMan]

Bah. BAH! I would guess this billing change would be around $20,000-$25,000 in extra revenue for the month. Coincidence?

That's probably stretching it. I doubt Simu is in deep financial trouble, especially if the CEO is buying a $24,000 engagement ring.

[LordSagan]

Simu puts virtually no money into the games which are up and running. Gamemasters are all remote staff which get paid peanuts compared to the hours they work.

GS4 production cannot be costing much money at all, because it is all driven by volunteer labor which gets paid something like a dollar an hour when you break down how much they get paid vs. how many hours a month they work.

All of the games other than GemStone run on one machine, so taking them down would be foolish because the money they bring in is more than the maintenance of the game. With GS having both Premium and Platinum subscriptions, that is where the bills get paid from. Simu isn't making money hand over fist, mind you. The operating expenses of maintaining the location, the machines and the internet pipe...plus the insane salaries some people in the company get paid...eat up the money which the GS subs bring in.

Simply because one man is foolish enough to dump 24k on a ring doesn't mean they are doing "well", either ;)

Simu isn't on the verge of going bankrupt, but they are not rolling in money either. Lack of mainstream production titles (Like Hero's Journey was supposed to be) is killing them in the long run. The company needs to produce some new titles if they want to stay competative, and unfortunately I doubt that will happen due to the way the company is structured internally. It would take a bigger company coming in and buying them out, forcing a re-org of development, in order for that to happen. That would be a possibility four-six years ago...but today, isn't likely.

[Betheny]

Did they give up on Hero's Journey?

[Askip]

<< Did they give up on Hero's Journey? >>

Not that I've heard, but I'm not a Simu employee. This year's SimuCon had a HJ seminar where they displayed some of the features, did anyone here attend?

[GS4Gurl]

Well, all I know is I keep hearing about people leaving left and right and if you do a stat you'll see not as many people play anymore.

GemStone is losing its spark and it keeps changing which causes people to leave.

You'd think they'd learn something from that.

[LordSagan]

GemStone has been "losing its spark" for years.

People keep coming and going, it's a constant ebb and tide of players, but there is always a good foundation of subs to keep it and Simu running. It will not be until a huge drop in subs occurs (such as with the release of GS4 may cause) that there will be significant change in the numbers for someone to notice and start putting pressure to fix things.

[JustMe]

I'd like to know how I'm 1 month behind when I started, I got the first month free, right after that they billed me, and ever since that, they bill me right on the date I'm supposed to be billed on. Unless of course that first month wasn't free....

[JustMe]

Ahh, now that I understand. I can afford a few extra $. I was very, very confused earlier and, it's really not *that* hard to confuse me, but I knew I was billed right after that first month was up. Thanks for the heads up. :)

[LordSagan]

Your first month of "Basic" is free. If you sign up for extra characters or Premium during your first month, that is not free.

So when they bill you at the end of the first month, you pay for the next month's basic and the previous month's extra character or premium subscription.

If you signed up when they were not offering the first month free (has this ever happened?), then you would have been billed for both your first mont basic and premium when you signed up...and therefore would not be a month behind. Also, if you signed up for premium after your free month was over, you would not be a month behind.

Some people are going to get screwed out of an extra 20 bucks during this deal, because Simu isn't (and probably isn't capable of) researching who does owe them 20 bucks and who does not...so they are just going to bill everyone.

This is bad business, IMO, and they should just eat it and start billing correctly as of the 1st of the year.

[AkMan]

Ok. I'm still tryin to figure this out, so bear with me.

Say I get a basic account on October 1st. I play that account for a month for free. Well by November 1st I realize this game kicks ass. I want a premium membership. So on November 1st (same day my $12.95 basic is billed), I decide to upgrade to premium.
Are you telling me that I get the benefits of premium for the entire month of November, but don't get billed for it until December?

I seem to remember my credit card being charged the day I upgraded to premium....not 1 month later.

[Tsa`ah]

Most everyone realizes that they were billed when they up-graded to whatever. Perhaps some managed to not get whacked when they up-graded, I for one started premium with the move to the web and about two years later opened a second premium account and was billed premium from the word go.

What they are claiming, from my understanding, is that there was a lapse in billing for an up-grade. Most of us don't see it since it actually did not happen. It's year-end and revenue isn't what they expected, so why not double charge everyone?

I have already contacted Amex and passed along all the pertinent info. They will decline a second charge for the month of November. Should my service be interrupted, I'll make a call and they will charge Simu my subscription fee for November costing me zilch and I'll just E-bay my account at that point.

[AkMan]

If this change doesn't affect EVERYONE with extra slots/premium....then I think they are making an even bigger mistake than I thought before. Just the uncertainty this brings can't be best for the company in the long run.

I'm 30 years old, and this is the first time I ever remember a company tryin to backcharge something that 'supposedly' happened as long as many years ago.

The more I think about it, the more fishy this is sounding.

[Siara]

I just got a reply from billing.

Simu's deal is that they aren't telling you exactly WHEN you're account wasn't being charged in advanced. Could be from 6 years ago.

My aacount was closed - put on hold on March 13 2002. The figures they showed has basic being paid in advance.

However, if your debit/credit card does NOT go through, you do not have access to the game even though you actually HAVE paid for the following month.

It's considered back paid until such a time as you either cancel your account and/or your card doesn't go through. You don't have access that INSTANT the card is refused.

If it was indeed paid in advance, you should have a full months access. Up to the time that your prepayment is up.

It makes no sense whatsoever. You are charged the very minute you open that account, yet if you were to close it 3 days later, you will be denied access even though you paid.

This is incredibly BAD bookkeeping at best. It's basically a form of 'selective' crediting of your account.

I had always thought -- you open your account on Xday, your next billing is the following month same Xday. That's not the case at all.

They want to make their auditors happy? Get some real friggin bookkeepers. Never in my life have I sorted thru such a cluster**** as their billing process.

[AkMan]

Originally posted by Siara
Simu's deal is that they aren't telling you exactly WHEN you're account wasn't being charged in advanced. Could be from 6 years ago.


That is the biggest problem right there. How can they backcharge you for something they can't account for?

[Latrinsorm]

Originally posted by AkMan
That is the biggest problem right there. How can they backcharge you for something they can't account for?

They're crooks. Every last one of 'em. Except the volunteers.

[AkMan]

Has anyone complained to the BBB in St. Louis? I think that would be the best option for everyone being double charged.

[Warriorbird]

:chuckles: I think they're just probably paying the onsite people time for a massive amount of overtime on GS4/ paying for Hero's Journey.

Brauden left....then returns....

I don't blame em for it. I'd rather front this than another longterm increase.