I would like to make an official complaint.

I would like to know please how i go about making an official complaint please. I have just purchased Football manager 2009 and i have to say the setup of this game is absolutely ridiculous. Its a game but feels like trying to access a bloody bank account how many steps do you have to go through!? There are so many problems as well, like the product key on the back of the book the font choosen is absurd! you cant read it at all as all the similar characters look the same! Also when you have finally worked that out, you have set up an account with STEAM! (WHY!!!!!) i just wanted a game not another piece of crap on my desktop! I have now been trying to activate this game for nearly 2 hours, after downloading steam and its done its update (again took ages) its asking me to activate it online with this stupid product key which funnily enough does'nt work either, just keeps saying im not connected to the internet when i clearly am seeing that im writing this bloody letter. I am seriously thinking about returning this game i have just paid £30 for a piece of software that is inaccessible, this is not the first time i hae bought your products without problems (i.e FM2008 patch palava) and frankly im getting quite sick of it!!

What would making an official complaint do? Nothing.........take the game back dont just think about it do it, and then dont even support the football manager franchise.

But the thing is with people like you, all you want is a reaction, because you wont take the game back and you will buy next years FM and you will continue to buy it for many years.

Get over it

how about using paragraphs so that is easy to read.

What would making an official complaint do? Nothing.........take the game back dont just think about it do it, and then dont even support the football manager franchise.

But the thing is with people like you, all you want is a reaction, because you wont take the game back and you will buy next years FM and you will continue to buy it for many years.

Get over it

Personal attacks, such as yours, are likely to achieve far less than an official complaint.

Complaints can do a lot if there are enough of them actually.

No point in blowing your top on a forum though mate, they're are dealing with it, you can either accept that and wait a couple of hours, or make an official compaint to someone higher up, would it be trading standards?

The empathy with some people is unreal. I've read many posts with people saying "SI/SEGA are sorting it out, won't be long now. Just be patient." But...why should they? They've forked out £30 for a game that is inaccessible and when it is accessible, it'll be filled with bugs. As per ususal. An official complaint would be an acceptable and justified way to go about things.

My brother in law is a solicitor and he's informed me legal action COULD be taken on SI/SEGA for numerous things regarding the release, mainly the incorrect minimum specs which falsely advertises the game. He did say however, it probably wouldn't be worth it.

I dont see a reason to use a different method, it's worked, there is STILL no cracked copy out there, the versions on TPB are fake, no top-sites that I know of have it yet, so why would they change?

All they have to do is ensure they can cope with the amount of people trying to activate it at the same time.

I've been trying to activate for 3 hours now, so you can't use the "you're playing so you don't need to complain" line at me either.

While I can forgive a game being released with bugs, it's really not acceptable to put in place security measures on a game and then to completely fail to anticipate the resources you'll need to be able to meet demand so the activation process actually works as it should. There's just no excuse for that. All you end up doing is alienating customers and penalizing people who have legitimately bought the product. It's very disappointing. If it's not resolved by tomorrow then my copy is going back, there's no point paying for something I can't use when I want to.

I think everyone has a right to make their opinions known and complain if they feel they have been sold a shoddy product for whatever reason.

To be perfectly honest the numerous problems people are having isn't a shock when you look at what they are trying to do with the volume of demand for the game.

Maybe they should remember the 5 p's Preparation Prevents Pi** Poor Performance.

I really like the ethos of SI in gneral and FM is great but their ideas seem a bit amateurish and totally unproportional to the demand this product has at times.

I would try trading standards

I would like to know please how i go about making an official complaint please. I have just purchased Football manager 2009 and i have to say the setup of this game is absolutely ridiculous. Its a game but feels like trying to access a bloody bank account how many steps do you have to go through!? There are so many problems as well, like the product key on the back of the book the font choosen is absurd! you cant read it at all as all the similar characters look the same! Also when you have finally worked that out, you have set up an account with STEAM! (WHY!!!!!) i just wanted a game not another piece of crap on my desktop! I have now been trying to activate this game for nearly 2 hours, after downloading steam and its done its update (again took ages) its asking me to activate it online with this stupid product key which funnily enough does'nt work either, just keeps saying im not connected to the internet when i clearly am seeing that im writing this bloody letter. I am seriously thinking about returning this game i have just paid £30 for a piece of software that is inaccessible, this is not the first time i hae bought your products without problems (i.e FM2008 patch palava) and frankly im getting quite sick of it!!

i am 100% in agreement with this!! i just bought the game for 34.99 from p.c world, took the day off work to play the game and have the same problems as you are my friend. in all the game has cost me over £200 pounds and i cant even play it. i am a fm and si fan and love the game cause it completely batters any competition on the market.

But i have to say that my opinion has now drastically changed. i am so p££%**d off with si for this shambells!!! i just wish that there was another management game available to play that compares so that i never had to pay my money for this crap again!!!

before i get all the little geeks trying to defend si on this subject really think about what you write back to me. aren't you annoyed that you have paid money for a game you cannot play?????

There should be an official apology and in my opinion a complete refund for the game...

congratulations si on this fantastic mess up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I dont see a reason to use a different method, it's worked, there is STILL no cracked copy out there, the versions on TPB are fake, no top-sites that I know of have it yet, so why would they change?

Do you honestly think that their priority should be stopping pirates, and not, for example, ensuring that the people who've paid hard cash for their software are actually able to use it?

It's all well and good to trumpet the success of the DRM, but if it's preventing legit users from playing the game, what's the point exactly? It's also stopping some potential buyers - such as myself - from paying for the game.

DRM is a thoroughly discredited approach to tackling piracy, not least because it doesn't actually prevent piracy anyway.

Everyone Football manager died in 2006! Since then the games have been littered with bugs or the match engine became silly and different! FM06 was the last one that was playable for me and I still play it to this day! Was and is the best version!!!

FM 06 was and is the best version! FM died after this!!

This has been the most disastrous launch in gaming history.

To be perfectly honest the numerous problems people are having isn't a shock when you look at what they are trying to do with the volume of demand for the game.

Sorry, when I and 1, O and 0 printed indentically on the keycode, it's little to do with demand.

Even if all you had to do to activate the game was enter the keycode, this release still would've been a glorious balls-up.

I agree what aload of cobblers do they think we are all crooks

i don't normally bother complaining about fm games (i've had every incarnation since the first champ man on the amiga) as most of the problems are usually small. however, 6 hours after buying i haven't managed to play a game. stupid printing errors, impossible to find data editor and to date 6 crashes, 3 when i've tried to look at the information screen and 3 when i've tried to play my first friendly. what a disgraceful way to treat loyal consumers. lets hope championship manager steps up and produces a bug free game so we can ditch this rubbish

I think people who have bought the game should direct themselves to Trading Standards and the Sale of Goods Act...

Do you honestly think that their priority should be stopping pirates, and not, for example, ensuring that the people who've paid hard cash for their software are actually able to use it?

It's all well and good to trumpet the success of the DRM, but if it's preventing legit users from playing the game, what's the point exactly? It's also stopping some potential buyers - such as myself - from paying for the game.

DRM is a thoroughly discredited approach to tackling piracy, not least because it doesn't actually prevent piracy anyway.

No I don't think that should be their priority, I didnt say it should be, what I said was they put this in to stop piracy, and it HAS worked, yet again, it is STILL not available to illegally download so your last line is completely false.

The excuses given for charging such high prices is constantly to combat the piracy issue, so in theory no piracy = cheaper products.

I've been waiting months for this game, waiting one more day is really not a big deal to me, I have 2 children, a girlfriend and other games to keep me entertained. I was out at 9am this morning to buy the game, travelled for 45mins (both ways) on a bus into the nearest town, came back home, played with one of my son's whilst the other was at school, went to look at a potential new house, picked my eldest son up from school, then installed the game, I've been trying on and off since then to authenticate, with no luck.

I'll be playing Lord of the Rings Online tonight, who incidentally have an expansion out, which doesnt get activated until Tuesday, which I already have a hard copy of, so I'll try authenticating later tonight, when it should hopefully mean its quieter.

Anyway, my point is, that I dont feel the need to be sat at my PC constantly clicking Next, then Back, then Next trying to authenticate, play something else, do something else. By all means complain, but personally I won't be, unless I'm still waiting to authenticate by tomorrow night.

It's their first time using it, there's going to be problems, it's how you deal with these problems that matter.

I haven't seen so much over-reaction since Diana died.

Yes, I'm sure it's very frustrating for you poor lambs who can't play the game yet... but do you really think SI and Sega won't resolve this to everyone's satisfaction?

It's in no-one's interest - least of all SI's - to let this situation rumble on any longer than it needs to. But I have 100% confidence that, with a little patience, everything will be just fine.

While you're waiting to be able to play the game, why not find something else to do instead?

I think people who have bought the game should direct themselves to Trading Standards and the Sale of Goods Act...

Which bit exactly

This has been the most disastrous launch in gaming history.

I did wonder if SI would be sweating about future sales when news of today's shambles begins to circulate.

for god sake this is just a farking game

buy , install & play

simple as that

farking ****ed

i haven't seen so much over-reaction since diana died.

psml!

Lolololol

If FM10 is done using the activation procces rubbish, I'm not purchasing it

I agree with many of the points raised in this forum. I have stuck with the S.I. brand buying every PC game since CM2. This is an inexplicable balls up and I, as have many others, have been trying to activate the game all day. Maybe S.I. should try and appease their loyal customers by offering the first 3 months of FM LIVE to all those who have forked out near on £30 for, as yet, nothing other than an unwanted Stream desktop icon???

Maybe S.I. should try and appease their loyal customers by offering the first 3 months of FM LIVE to all those who have forked out near on £30 for, as yet, nothing other than an unwanted Stream desktop icon???

Wow I might complain if that was promised

I agree completely.

That font is ridiculous, an 'I' looks indentical to a '1'

And the set up? me and my friend i have spoke to have both repeatedly, when trying to activate it, have had a thing come up saying it cannot activate as it cannot connect to internet when evidently we're on the internet.

This is a joke. A real joke. How difficult can it be to just get these things installed?

How much testing do they actually do on the game with this and the injury thing?

How much are Steam paying them to force this nonsence on us?

I think an official complaint is the correct line of action, as obviously complaining on here just makes you look like a nerd who they won't listen to. Aparently theres a petition somewhere to boycott the game.

No I don't think that should be their priority, I didnt say it should be, what I said was they put this in to stop piracy, and it HAS worked, yet again, it is STILL not available to illegally download so your last line is completely false.

Well you do seem to think that it's justifiable to antagonise and inconvenience people who have actually paid for the game..? Had I bought the game - I haven't yet decided if I will, of if I'll just stick with 2008 - and was unable to play it, I really wouldn't care if the intention was to stop pirates, if the DRM was stopping me playing the game I'd paid my hard-earned for. It really isn't in any way acceptable or justifiable.

And the game was released only today - there may be no pirated copies as yet, but we all know there will be.

Anyway, my point is, that I dont feel the need to be sat at my PC constantly clicking Next, then Back, then Next trying to authenticate, play something else, do something else. By all means complain, but personally I won't be, unless I'm still waiting to authenticate by tomorrow night.

Fair enough. But while some of the complaints and frustration might seem over the top to you, the people complaining have paid money to play the game and have every right to expect it to work.

It's their first time using it, there's going to be problems, it's how you deal with these problems that matter.

That's no excuse. Using any form of DRM is treating your paying customers with contempt.

Thanks, by the way, for the reasoned response.

for god sake this is just a farking game

buy , install & play

simple as that

farking ****ed

its not as simple as that

cos theres no way of actually playing the game?

so they can take your money but you get nothing for it but stress

have you bought the game? i dont imagine you'd be making those comments if you had

Got to say i'm pretty peeved that i'm sitting here trying to activate a game that i bought a good 5 hours ago.

Like everyone, i think this is a farce, and though i don't want to return the game, i feel thoroughly cheated by SI.

What a let down. Spent £30 on this thing, and i'm being told no, we're not ready for you and we can't deal with this properly, but hold on to your horses and we'll learn from our mistake. F*C* that SH**! This is quite simply not on.

Does this mean i have to go through STEAM every time i want to play the game?

I can understand why people may be complaining, again I didnt say they shouldnt complain.

What is unacceptable to some is somewhat acceptable to others.

I also paid money for the game, like I said I was out early to get it, its not as if I'm sat here saying these things when I havent, in which case I might feel I would have no cause either way to comment.

At this point in time, I'm not going to complain about directly SI, but rather the company who is handling the authentication, who clearly didnt expect the amount of traffic that would be happening, some of the blame yes, but certainly not all of it.

My problem with the DRM is that it wasn't mentioned anywhere on the packaging. The only warning on the packaging says that you must accept the license agreement nothing about the ridiculous registration program I have warned all of my friends taht they will have to download Steam before they can play and run it every time you play the game and it has put the majority off. SI have really ****ed me off on this one.

People on here often over react and hurl abuse around for no reason

However when it comes to spending money on something which doesn't work, then it is very understandable

Edit: Doubled posted. Bloody forum is going at a snails pace. Perhaps SEGA should invest some of their fortune in better servers

Cant we sue SI?

This is annoying... BUT, the people that took the day off work just to buy and play FM are SAD

My problem with the DRM is that it wasn't mentioned anywhere on the packaging. The only warning on the packaging says that you must accept the license agreement nothing about the ridiculous registration program I have warned all of my friends taht they will have to download Steam before they can play and run it every time you play the game and it has put the majority off. SI have really ****ed me off on this one.

Then you need to tell them that information isnt 100% accurate, you don't HAVE to authenticate via Steam, and even if you did, it's a one-off thing, you don't have to have it running everytime you play it.

Smurfdude - there is a sticky where a Sega guy said they were taking the forums down for maintenence in the last half hour or so, it doesnt seem to have done much difference tho.

best bit is - once activated and you play the game and enjoy it, close it down. Fancy carrying on your game ........... nope not happening straight back to square one. Just as i had thought it would be simple once playing turns out its not.

Cant we sue SI?

What for?

There is already enough of a sueing culture in the US, I'd rather that wasnt brought to the UK to be honest.

I'd rather and wait and see what compensation, if any they will give.

I agree with the original poster. This Steam thing is ridiculous, I have a 2Mb net connection and this is downloading at 30kbs. It sucks. Oh, and this is AFTER I had to wait for Steam's servers to let up.

I just want to play this game, I couldn't wait to get home from work for this, and it looks like I'll be waiting for that till about 10 PM to do that. I dont mind the small DRM bothers that come with a lot of games; having to install a badly printed Activation Key, not being able to play the game without the disk in the pc, etc. But this is just stupid.

I understand the idea of wanting to protect your product, and your profit. However, to do this at the expence of your customers is illogical and wrong.

lol just do what i am doing and stick with Fm 08. I do feel sorry for people though i was speaking to a couple of lads at work today, They said they buy Football Manager every year they never really read reviews about it they just read box for new features after they bought it.

One guy did not know about the 3d untill he bought and he had no idea you needed certain specs and his computer will not play it and the other guy does not even have the internet was moaning about having to phone a number to activate a game he has already payed for he was not happy to say the least.

Im just glad i tried the demo this year or else i would have ended up buying it then to find out it would not work, plus i am really not for all this activating your game stuff. Like sometimes i take my old Cm03/04 game down to my mates and install it on his computer and have a lads night in , but with this after i use 5 activations or say in a few years if i decide to take the game down to a friends house for a classic night in on the game it will not install, absoult rubbish is that. If you paid for this game it should be yours and you can take it to your friends to play on it, show them and things.

tripled posted while the forums were running slow!

Yes, I'm sure it's very frustrating for you poor lambs who can't play the game yet... but do you really think SI and Sega won't resolve this to everyone's satisfaction?

I don't recall them ever resolving FM08 to everyone's satisfaction. So, no, I think there's a good chance that won't happened.

I can't see myself buying '09 for some time, which is sad as I've been buying CM/FM since 1992.

tripled posted while the forums were running slow!

tripled posted while the forums were running slow!

They don't give a crap if takes you three hours to activate the game, not enough people return the game so it's not big hit to their wallet if you get ****ed off.

Yea im sure they will resolve it but thats not the point there professionalism is appulling. Its all about money at the end of the day Si dont need to care as much as they used too.

But still if i were SEGA i'd be ****ed!!

I would like to know please how i go about making an official complaint please. I have just purchased Football manager 2009 and i have to say the setup of this game is absolutely ridiculous. Its a game but feels like trying to access a bloody bank account how many steps do you have to go through!? There are so many problems as well, like the product key on the back of the book the font choosen is absurd! you cant read it at all as all the similar characters look the same! Also when you have finally worked that out, you have set up an account with STEAM! (WHY!!!!!) i just wanted a game not another piece of crap on my desktop! I have now been trying to activate this game for nearly 2 hours, after downloading steam and its done its update (again took ages) its asking me to activate it online with this stupid product key which funnily enough does'nt work either, just keeps saying im not connected to the internet when i clearly am seeing that im writing this bloody letter. I am seriously thinking about returning this game i have just paid £30 for a piece of software that is inaccessible, this is not the first time i hae bought your products without problems (i.e FM2008 patch palava) and frankly im getting quite sick of it!!

Hi,

Firstly, apologies. The issues with the printing have caused many of the issues through the day, firstly by increasing the load on servers as people try again and again to authenticate, and then through slowing Unilocs servers by updating the codes for authentication. That should now be done and the site should be picking up with more and more authentications successful.

You don't have to authenticate through steam, it can be done through Uniloc.

Today has been a frustrating day for a lot of FM fans and for that I (we) apologise. I can only hope that by trying your code again this evening now that Uniloc and STEAM should be working better and avoiding the issues we've had today, and by reading the sticky "Activation problems? Read this" you'll find a solution and be able to play the game. The phone "asks" the Uniloc database it's queries so that is why the lines have been down today too.

Thanks

Ben