General Discussions

[colesdav]

Hello everyone. 

I am opening a case with Advertising Standards regarding "Free Game Codes" with PC Components I purchased from a company in the UK. 

Initial specific  focus will be Samsung SSD with Free Ubisoft "Assassin's Creed Valhalla" game code. 

However if you have any problem with Ubisoft "Assassin's Creed Valhalla" game code please let me know, since I am opening the case. 

I purchased the SSD within the required time and I followed instructions to redeemed the code well within the redemption period. 

The game is not activated in my game library.

Ubisoft "Support" have done noithing for ~ 4 weeks, other than fob me off with excuses and try to grind down my will to live. 

I am tired of "Free Game Code" SCAMs by etailers which are rife, including codes advertised with AMD CPU and GPU. 

Thank you.  

[leyvin]

The issue of invalid / problematic to redeem Codes has been a very long-term problem.

While I don't necessarily disagree with the concept of "Added Value" to products we purchase., given how many times there has been an advertisement stating "Get [such-and-such] with a Purchase of X" and it turns out that it's limited to specific Retailers, or that the Codes don't work, or there's some ridiculous limited time period for it...

I've been burnt so many times with said "Promotions" that at this point I just don't even bother trying to redeem them anymore., as I just know chances are I'll spend weeks trying to get it unlocked with the end result of having nothing anyway.

That's just been my experience over the years, and this is especially true in regards to CPU or Graphics Card Promotions., they for me seem to have by far the worst track record for simply never actually providing the codes in the first place; and then being told "Oh you're ineligible without a Code that the Retailer should've sent you..." and more often than not the retailer saying "Oh we did send you the code" or "Well we don't have any left now"

As you say, it all feels like a Scam to get people to buy a product with little to no intention of honouring them. 

[colesdav]

In my case I have checked all terms and conditions. 

I meet them. 

The code is still valid until ~ March 202`1 for redemption. 

Ubisoft support have been outrageously bad. 

Thanks. 

[colesdav]

Update. 
I opened a case with Advertising Standards in UK as the company I purchased the Samsung SSD with free game code is based there. 

I gave details of the missing game code situation and told them the game code is worth 35.50 to purchase new versus total order cost of the SSD = 110.

I received a case number which means they decided to investigate on Monday 1 February at 09:30. 
Ubisoft sent me a new game code to try out on ....                                     Monday 1 February at 15:49.

Ubisoft Support have been messing me about, not responding, doing nothing since I opened the Support Case regarding the Game Code not working and the game not showing up in my Game Library on 4 January.  

In their response today they tried to make out that they has sent me another game code to try out on the 3rd of January, before I even opened the support case with them. They did not. Gaslighting attempt. 

I have not tried the new code out yet. 

I will do that now.

Never give in.

[colesdav]

I just tried the new game code that Ubisoft sent to me. 

It failed.

I  updated the Ubisoft Support Case. 

I will keep you all posted. 

They might have sent me a US code and @black_zion  mentioned that those US Game codes stopped working end Dec 2020 in this post: 

https://community.amd.com/t5/general-discussions/game-code-scam-alert-samsung-ssds-with-free-copy-of...

I will continue to push on with this. 

The amount of time this has cost me to get this "Free Game Code" though - I could have probably purchased a number of AAA games with all additional expansion packs instead of trying to chase this basic edition of Assassin's Creed Valhalla game code. 

[bearcat22]

Good on you for trying. Too bad more people won't do the same. These companies know exactly what their doing. And the more they can get away with the more they'll try to rip us off for their profit.

I'm on a personal mission to get people to send back their CPU's and GPU's if they don't work out of the box. It seems we're expected to put up fighting with parts to get them to work. And I don't buy into this "there's so many different configurations" garbage".

[colesdav]

I think you are correct to get people to send products back if they do not work out of the box. 
If people had just done that with their RX5700XT, for example, AMD might have tried to fix the drivers for those GPU much quicker than the 8 months it took to get ~ kind of stable after launch.

AMD GPU AIB partners have been up to all sorts of tricks. 

Gigabyte need to be taken to task about REV1.0 high spec at launch versus cost cut REV 2.0 shortly later of AMD GPU.
The Etailers advertise REV 1.0 specifications but deliver REV 2.0. 
Large additional cost for the user to fit backplate, additional DVI-D adapter because of dropped video output port - still one less video out. No RGB not really fixable on the GPU as far as I can tell. Could buy an additional independent RGB LED strip I guess. Yet more cost.

For example: 

https://community.amd.com/t5/graphics/have-you-been-a-victim-of-a-gigabyte-rx-590-quot-quot-bait-and...

https://community.amd.com/t5/general-discussions/gigabyte-rx580-rev-2-0-advertised-as-rev-1-0/m-p/44...

[colesdav]

I finally got a game code from Ubisoft and it has activated the game in my library using redeem code from within Ubisoft Connect. 

The game is installing now. 

I will test if the game runs properly  next.
I am not closing the complaint with Advertising Standards though.