Upgrading from trial account to full. Bad joke?

[Thrakkar]

A friend of mine played on a trial account. Yesterday is trial was over and now he would like to buy the full game. So he went to www.uogamecodes.com and tried to buy a gamecode. When trying to add the item to the cart, he got the message:

ERROR: You cannot make a store purchase because the account you logged in with is too new. Accounts must be older than 30 days in order to purchase anything other than an account creation code or Game Time.

He was trying to buy a "Ultima Online™: Mondain’s Legacy New Account Code".

So, what the problem here?

 

[FrejaSP]

Unless they changed it, you don't need a new account code, you just need to pay your monthly fee with your credit card. The trial account is an account.
I know we are getting changes to trial account but I thought they only was trial until you pay your first month.

 

[Tazar]

Since he is using a trial account - I do not think that he needs to buy anything! He already has the trial account. All he needs to do is log onto the account registration page for the trial account - and make sure that he has it properly set up for monthly billing (or game-time-codes). Once the "trial" period ends and he pays for the first month, the account should automatically loose the "trial" restrictions.


Errr... What Freja said! Seems she types faster than I!

 

[Morgana LeFay (PoV)]

The ML new account code is for starting a whole new account. He needs to either buy Game Time, or just sign up for monthly payment through UO.com.

He doesn't need to do anything other than that.

 

[JC the Builder]

The UO team should probably do a better job of explaining how a trial account user can continue playing. Some other MMOs require you to purchase the full game after your trial ends. UO does not and lets you just start paying for your next month.

 

[DarkScripture]

From my understanding it should work like every other online trial. You try it then you have to buy it. Just because you have a trial does not mean the game itself is free. I myself tried World Of War Craft and when my trial ran out I had to buy the full game that would apply to the trail I had been using or start a new trail and start over. There was and still maybe a fee to BUY the full game then you should get 1 month free game time. Thus no need to buy time the 1st month at all.

 

[Thrakkar]

Thanks for the fast feedback, everyone

The UO team should probably do a better job of explaining how a trial account user can continue playing. Some other MMOs require you to purchase the full game after your trial ends. UO does not and lets you just start paying for your next month.

Exactly! Every other MMO I know is like that. After the trial you have to buy the box or the download, so that you can upgrade from trial to full with your new account key. Usually you get your free month too then.

Well, he won't get a free month, but at least he's saving 17€, because he hasn't have to buy the full game

 

[sablestorm]

A suggestion to EA is to send an automated email out a few days before the trial expires explaining these things to new players.

 

[Maplestone]

"You must be an active Ultima Online player for more than 30 before purchasing UO Code Store products, except for New Account Codes and Buddy Codes"

Should this include gametime as well? Or is the point that they want to force a charge to go through on a valid credit card first before you can have a full account? (to cut down on fraud)

Definitely they could use a helpful hint that "oh, by the way, if you have already filled out your subscription info, just turn on automatic billing at the account page - no need to buy anything here"

 

[Thrakkar]

Actually his account worked for a gametime code. His credit card got billed, he got a confirmation mail, that the code has beed applied to his account, but the account is still suspended.
He wrote a mail to EA support. In the confirmation mail stood, that he will receive answer within 24 hours. Well, now it's 25 hours, that he wrote the mail...

That plain sucks...