Does Alphasim actually WANT to sell aircraft?

[Warrant]

Tonight i wanted to purchase the FSX T-34C at Alphasim: My old account was not valid anymore. I tried to create a new account, guess what: not allowed to enter a "free" e-mail adress :isadizzy: (GMAIL)

Like they are to decide for me i have to obtain an e-mail adress with a provider?? Due to professional reasons i try to avoid that :karate:

Then they direct me to a forum that no longer seems to exist....

What the $%^&*

And they think such a display of (dis)trust is gonna make me send my creditcard info and well earned money to them????
I'm not trying to apply for a job here, i'm trying (at least i was) to buy a product for crying out loud!

Well, they can kiss my T-34C purchase beye-beye

I was used to better service at AS in the past..... Shame on them! :amen:

 

[Panther_99FS]

Let's wait and see what happens when someone from AlphaSim sees this thread....

 

[Mithrin]

I think their email is still working and they can manually do a paypal trick thingie to help you out.

 

[Warrant]

I think their email is still working and they can manually do a paypal trick thingie to help you out.

Thanks for the suggestion mate, but i dont want a Paypal transaction. I just want to go to the site and purchase a bird with the good old CC, like you can on plenty of other professional payware selling site's (and like i was able to with AS as well untill now!). Just an uncomplicated transaction, using an e-mail adress I desire, that's all. :hand:

If they can't meet these simple and normal requirements, then...No Sale!

 

[Panther_99FS]

Warrant,
When AlphaSim set up their new store, others had similar problems like yours...

Hang tight..it should be resolved...

 

[MCDesigns]

Thanks for the suggestion mate, but i dont want a Paypal transaction. I just want to go to the site and purchase a bird with the good old CC, like you can on plenty of other professional payware selling site's (and like i was able to with AS as well untill now!). Just an uncomplicated transaction, using an e-mail adress I desire, that's all. :hand:

If they can't meet these simple and normal requirements, then...No Sale!

Actually lots of commercial addon sites (outside of FS also) are now requiring emails accounts to be from a provider rather than one of the free ones.
Ease of purchase is a big selling point for me also. I have had sites where I went to purchase something not load thru my security settings, wanted me to use a different browser (ain't gonna happen) or require me to input way to much info that I felt was needed for an online purchase so I just went without or got something else, somewhere else..

Hope you get it sorted out Warrant :ernae:

 

[Kiwikat]

Remember, credit card info is not passed onto the vendor...

I don't necessarily agree with the no free emails deal going on there either. There's just nothing I can do about it, like many other things at AlphaSim...

 

[fsafranek]

The no free emails bit has to do with experience Alphasim has had with known software pirates. They tend to use free email accounts so this is one easy way that you can fight back. Unfortunetly, there are innocent folks caught in the crossfire. Surely your ISP provides a real enough looking email address for you to use?

Just my opinion but the new T-34C is worth the hassle.
:ernae:

 

[Warrant]

The no free emails bit has to do with experience Alphasim has had with known software pirates. They tend to use free email accounts so this is one easy way that you can fight back. Unfortunetly, there are innocent folks caught in the crossfire. Surely your ISP provides a real enough looking email address for you to use?

Just my opinion but the new T-34C is worth the hassle.
:ernae:

Yup, they do. But i have to request one, which i will be using for one transaction (after waiting untill they provide me the mailadress). I don't want an extra e-mail adress that spammers bombard with their :bs:.
I have Gmail, and that one has been spam-free for years.

Besides, i'm the consumer/costumer here. I decide what my point or means of contact will be, and what information i provide! Not the vendor?!? That would be the world upside down :isadizzy:.
Like going to the super-market, and @ the cashier they tell you..."sorry, you can only shop here with a purple bag and pay with cash from 1th national bank ATM's only, and you have to leave a phone number registred with AT&T only, and no cell-phone numbers. Otherwise you cannot buy these vegetables".....
That would be catastrophic for the supermarket's business, right?

Kiwikat replied that no CC info goes to the vendor. Meaning the payment is done via other, secure means. What on Earth do they need another then my free mailadress fore??? Like an ISP provided mail adress is only even 1% more secure from hacking, spam, piracy acts and other forms of criminal behaviour....well, think again

:faint:

The vendor; in this case AlphaSim, should ask themselves the one magical question....Do i want to sell products or not?
If the answer is yes; they should reach out to the costumer, and not the costumer to the vendor!
(one of the first rules of commercial trade).
As i earlier mentioned: i'm not applying for a job or a bank loan here...i simply want(ed) to spend money and purchase a product!



I 'm gonna do just as Panther suggested:

Hang tight, and wait if AS comes with a solution to MY (the costumer) satisfaction :amen:

 

[CodyValkyrie]

For what it is worth Warrant, I agree with you. There is always a line that developers have to be aware of, when the consumer is screwing you, but at the end of the day THEY alone pay YOUR bills. You would think of all things, making a product EASY to pay for would be a must. I can deal with no forum, lack of customer support, or tons of other issues (not talking about Alphasim mind you, just in general), but having troubles paying? The government it seems has an easier time taking your cash.

 

[Kiwikat]

For what it is worth Warrant, I agree with you. There is always a line that developers have to be aware of, when the consumer is screwing you, but at the end of the day THEY alone pay YOUR bills. You would think of all things, making a product EASY to pay for would be a must. I can deal with no forum, lack of customer support, or tons of other issues (not talking about Alphasim mind you, just in general), but having troubles paying? The government it seems has an easier time taking your cash.

I agree, but as I said, I can't do a thing about it. I've talked about the free email thing with AlphaSim staff several times... I doubt it is going to change anytime soon :\

 

[Pepere]

I now look for PayPal. It's a good way you don't have to worry about you CC being compromised. The no free email thing I never heard of before. I have a freee yahoo and free msn email. why on earth pay for an email address. No purchases form them from me :woot:

David :wave:

 

[Warrant]

The government it seems has an easier time taking your cash.

My government in particular....... :Banane40: (but, no smoking!)

A small anecdote from my father regarding VAT charged over water taxes:

My father talking to a Dutch government tax admin: "..it seems you have charged me with water taxes double time; first off all the taxes themselves, then you charge VAT over the taxes!?!.....". The tax admin replies "..don't worry about that, if we don't charge VAT over your taxes, we will charge you on something else, to compensate for the income loss..."

This actually happened :faint:

 

[LonelyplanetXO]

Lol. Alphasim...I gave up on them a long time ago. Good luck.

LPXO

 

[wombat666]

IIRC Alphasim made no secret of their intention to cease selling 'direct' and move their product line to re-sellers.
Considering the way Alphasim seem to be the most pirated FS brand out there one can understand the rationale behind such thinking.
That said, they need this sort of bad PR like a dose of 'Hong Kong Dong', to use a crude but popular term from my long ago past!

Shame, as their move to GA had caught my interest.

 

[ndicki]

I spend half an afternoon trying to buy their CFS3 Meteor, a couple of years ago. I gave up in disgust. For some reason I can't remember, it wouldn't accept my Visa card; I even tried getting my bank to help, but it still didn't work. What a waste of time!

 

[deathfromafar]

After reading this thread, I checked my Alphasim acct which uses my original free email address I have used since first buying with them years ago. Everything with my acct is fine thus far. I haven't bought anything from them in a little while for one, economic reasons, two, in my cutting back, I only buy the models I simply have to have(like vintage jet USAF/USN models when they make them) and live without the others. I tend to spread my little available FS cash around a bit to multiple developers nowadays. I kinda hate to hear this latest bit about Alphasim. The wheels seem to keep coming off the wagon over there. I suspect if most people(like me) who use free email addresses get cut off from online purchases from Alphasim or any other developer for that matter, then they've seen the last of quite a few people's hard earned cash!

 

[Francois]

IIRC Alphasim made no secret of their intention to cease selling 'direct' and move their product line to re-sellers.
Considering the way Alphasim seem to be the most pirated FS brand out there one can understand the rationale behind such thinking.

Even if that's true, this hardly will change anything on it...... I bet you that ANY product they (or we) put out for sale will be available on the pirate sites within three days after publication...... and usually even BEFORE publication.

Alienating customers, or costumers.... *gg*, will NOT help to prevent that in any way and will only make you lose additional purchases.

We have been trying to close down, harass and annoy pirates sites, and will continue to do so, but customers come first. The real ones will buy anyway and the low-life downloading pirated copies usually are NOT serious simmers that we would care about anyway.

Just my .02 cents. :wave:

 

[jimcooper1]

I don't pretend to understand internet security but if you go to the page on Alphasim where you Register your details it does not appear to have a Security Certificate (https)

http://www.alphasim3.com/store/create_account.php

Personally I wouldn't even register with them if they aren't going to encrypt my personal detail.

I may be wrong and the data may be safe but my undertanding is that if you put personal details in a Web-Form then it ought to be a https page???

Jim

 

[Nick C]

I may be wrong and the data may be safe but my undertanding is hat if you put personal details in a Web-Form then it ought to be a https page???

I'm actually building a shop, very slowly (non FS related) and that's my understanding too. A quick look at Aerosoft and A2A shows the https setup too.

I always pay via Paypal at Alphasim, so this hasn't affected me. Not being able to use free emails to set up accounts is an issue that has been around for a long, long time, but setting up a new email from your ISP can't be that much of a chore can it, if you want the add-on in question badly?