Hi Guys,
Just wanted to see if anyone else felt this way.
SoE changed their subscription billing recently, forcing our credit cards to be billing in AUD instead of USD. On the surface that is ok with me but it seems thats not all they wanted to do as the price difference is huge!
The USD payment is $14.99 and the AUD payment is $22.95, they say it is due ti exchange fluctuation and gst but when you do the maths you dont get anywhere near $22.95.
1 AUD = 0.8747 USD
So $14.99USD = $17.13AUD
GST = 10% so $18.85AUD
I'm not even sure GST needs to be paid as the price already includes the American tax, I know from exporting good i've sold to the USA that i sold them tax exempt as the Tax was paid their end if required.
After a long drawn out email with SoE CS they still would not break down the charge to show me where the extra fees were coming from so I canceled the sub.
Now I buy game time from a USA based company at a cost very close to the USD charge, strangely enough they don't have the fees SoE have for the same service.
Is SoE trying to push out overseas customers from their inhouse billing system?
It all seems very wrong to me, Sadly EQ2 is the only online RPG i like atm :(

...would not break down the charge to show me where the extra fees were coming from so I canceled the sub.

good choice imo

It was only a matter of time I suppose. They've been doing this with retail game pricing, started doing it with digital distribution and now they're finally charging the "Aussie Tax" for subscriptions too! Yay!!

So whos SoE?
EQ2 provider?
*googles* ahh, Sony Online Entertainment
That's definately pretty dogdy, do they even provide Australian servers?

Look on the bright side. You are now less gay for canceling your subscription.

Twisted l2read.

Now I buy game time from a USA based company at a cost very close to the USD charge, strangely enough they don't have the fees SoE have for the same service.

I could read...or I could just make massive sweeping generalizations and assumptions and continue happily along know that I'm always right.

So how long until Blizzard pulls this s*** as well you think ? I'd also bet my first born that EA/Mythic will slug us with aussie tax "for having a locally hosted server" with Warhammer Online.. Bastards, how dare they try to profit off our misfortune?

nah twisted was right

They do the same with other things.
Final Fantasy XI charge the same $ amount for the UK as they do for the US (So they pay ~13 POUND while America pays 13 USD) Yet they also charge Aussies USD (i.e. more then 13 AUD).

Hell Games on Steam (Direct downloads so it doesn;t matter where you are from) cost an extra 30-40 $ just because we're Australian, and they "dont want to step on the toes of Local retailers" or some bullshiat. (Not sure which game company that did that though)

activision

No.

Boba.


edit ... dawt

last edited by Tollaz0r! at 19:03:00 19/Aug/08

Blame Boba for all your steam price woes, he ruined gaming in Australia

good one boba

Blame Boba for all your steam price woes, he ruined gaming in Australia

What'd he do exactly? or rather, how'd he do it?

He spoke powerful, ancient words thought long lost to this world.

Blame Boba

Boba Phhtt...















Can't believe that hasn't been done already :)

nicely done hermitech

also

sony ripping people off?

no way....

carson, i beleive he emailed activision asking why the steam price was so cheap... so they increased it! (call of duty 4 was the game in question)