A little upset... loyal customer.

[Unsalty]

Hi all,

I apologize if this is not the right place to post this...

I have been playing Football Manager series since 01/02 

I always bought my games, and been buying Football Manager series on Steam since 2012...

As a loyal customer i'd love to see some kind of " discount " or hey maybe " Here you go! Thank you for being a loyal customer, Football Manager 20 is half off for you! " or " FM 2020 gifted to you for being a loyal customer ! " 

but NOTHING! It's a little upsetting and for the first time in my football manager career, i might just stop playing this game all together.

Can I afford it? Yes, easily but I just want some kind of appreciation by the company, it shouldn't be all about the money...

Thanks.

Edited December 6, 2019 by Unsalty

[Dirty_ACE]

There was a discount earlier on Steam for 10% off when the game was still in beta. Also, just type into google "football manager 2020 discount" and it will give you various places where you can buy an activation code for Steam for a discounted price. That's how I bought (3 days ago) my copy off of Voidu where the game was (and still might be) 25% off.

[Heywood JaBlowme]

There’s usually a discount around the holidays. 

[Tractor_Boy_Rv]

YEAH! I'm sick of it! There's just no such thing as rewarding loyalty anymore! I've been shopping at Sainsbury for 10 years now and they STILL charge me full price for my shopping! I've been drinking at my local pub for 10 years now and they have the audacity to still charge me the full price for my beer! I'm sure i don't even have to tell you my displeasure at BP giving me a 0% discount on my petrol!

What is it with all these business selling products at a price that allows them to make money!? As far as I'm concerned S.I should give everybody with a PC or Mac the game for free, lay off all their staff members, bring in 3 gerbils to create FM21 and give us that for free too! 

... They make a fantastic game and sell it for a fraction of the cost of most games now days! So far I've spent 25p per hour of the game I've played, and it's been out a month... there's no better valued product in the world!

[FrazT]

@Unsalty  There was a pre-order discount available before the main game was launched.  The distribution and pricing of the game is handled by SEGA and their retail partners.  As has been said above, there are usually discount offers being made by the retailers throughout the year, so keep looking out and I am sure that you will get a reasonable price.

[alian62]

What's the point in giving loyalty discount if its the only game in its genre . I mean where else will you get a game like this . So you don't buy it anymore ...So?  Millions still will 

I also am a long term purchaser and I've paid just as much now as I did then . The price has been pretty steady over the years so I don't get your rant 

Is it the way the world of today that people want every for nothing . I nearly didn't buy it this year because of financial woes but I did as it gives me a purpose and helps with my mental health 

Would love to know the percentages of new and existing purchasers this year but I would think 95% are existing customers which would make loyalty discount an expensive option for little gain

 

From the same retailer 

FM 2012 I purchased for 41.07 Pound …. 79.00 AUD

FM 2020 I purchased for 39.51 Pound …. 76.00 AUD

8 years and $ 3.00 cheaper 

I think that is good customer loyalty on behalf of SI

Edited December 6, 2019 by prot651

[Valleyg]

I understand all the replies, this is the real world we are living in and the price of this game for how many hours use we get from it is great value, but you are maybe being a bit mean in the replies! Just for balance, I can think of quite a few examples where regular purchases are rewarded with extra discount. My kids soft play centre rewards every 5th visit being free with a stamp card and my local aquarist gives me a 10 pound voucher for every 100 pound i spend. Argos do something similar. I'm sure i could think of more examples if I tried. Not saying I agree with the original post, but the idea does exist elsewhere.

[Halofon]

Well, it is not true that it is the only game in its genre. You can play fifa in manager mode.

[Valleyg]

I don't think the op has such a terrible idea. Plenty of people tend to skip years when buying fm. Fm is also a very long running series for those of us purchasing every game going back to championship manager days. I don't think it's going to happen, but it would be a nice touch if they said something like - if you have purchased the last 5 editions in succession on steam, you get an extra percentage off of this year's. So if you have fm15 to fm 19, then you get 10 percent off fm20, which is separate to the beta discount. It might even work in their favour and incentivise people to buy every year instead of skipping years.

[PThomason01]

I've been playing since Championship Manager 2. If that person gets a discount, I want one too!

I've also had every Playstation console since the original, I want a discount when the PS5 comes out!

I've paid my mortgage every single month for the past 6 years, I should get a discount on that too!

[CFuller]

5 minutes ago, Valleyg said:

I don't think the op has such a terrible idea. Plenty of people tend to skip years when buying fm. Fm is also a very long running series for those of us purchasing every game going back to championship manager days. I don't think it's going to happen, but it would be a nice touch if they said something like - if you have purchased the last 5 editions in succession on steam, you get an extra percentage off of this year's. So if you have fm15 to fm 19, then you get 10 percent off fm20, which is separate to the beta discount. It might even work in their favour and incentivise people to buy every year instead of skipping years.

I'm sure they've done that before. Was it FM17 where you could get 5% off your pre-order for each of the previous four games you owned (so as much as 20% off)?

Of course, any discounts need to be reasonable - and also for a reasonable amount of time. It's not good business sense, for example, for a company to say, "Right, you bought our last couple of games, so for you, our next one is half-price always - even if you don't buy it until next year."

[Valleyg]

1 minute ago, CFuller said:

I'm sure they've done that before. Was it FM17 where you could get 5% off your pre-order for each of the previous four games you owned (so as much as 20% off)?

Of course, any discounts need to be reasonable - and also for a reasonable amount of time. It's not good business sense, for example, for a company to say, "Right, you bought our last couple of games, so for you, our next one is half-price always - even if you don't buy it until next year."

I agree, I think you might be right as well. There's no need for the sarcastic replies that prevail forums like these, it's just an idea. Just because you don't get a discount on your mortgage for paying it every year, doesn't mean it's not a nice idea. 

 

I don't think football manager is actually the best example of this, because as people have said, we tend to get such value for money with this series, so many hours enjoyment for the price compared to other leisure activities. 

 

But lots of people seem to be unaware that this idea does exist in commerce, and are mocking the idea a little. 

 

A different way of thinking about this....if I were to go and watch my team play every week with a separate ticket, I pay 25 quid a game. (Championship football) my season ticket means I'm only paying about 14 quid a game assuming I attend every home game) this is a a form of loyalty reward for loyal consumers. 

A discounted season ticket for x number of years could be another way of looking at rewarding customers of fm.

 

[Valleyg]

It really could work for both sides as well. If this scheme of 10 percent off for 5 successive years went ahead, and they persuade, let's say, 1000 extra people to buy every year who would have skipped years and just bought 3 out of 5 years. That is 2 years x 40 quid x 1000 people. That's 80 grand extra over 5 years. Those 1000 people get a discount of 4 pound each in year 6, that's 4 grand. That's 76 grand profit per 1000 new customers over 5 years. I know that doesn't factor in the people who would already buy it for 5 years and get the discount. So 76 grand divided by 4 pound is 19000 customers who already buy 5 years in a row without any extra incentive.  So is the ratio of 19 to 1 enough to actually make a profit on the scheme while increasing customer satisfaction. Sometimes a small gesture can go a long way. I know this is greatly simplified and companies do their statistical analysis on marketing very carefully, but again, it's just a thought.

[HUNT3R]

As mentioned earlier SI did that for one version, so they are aware that a 'loyalty' discount exists. For whatever reason, it was not done in the years after.

I would suggest shopping around. There's always a discount somewhere and there is usually one around Christmas on Steam too.

[hungmn]

5 hours ago, Tractor_Boy_Rv said:

I've been drinking at my local pub for 10 years now and they have the audacity to still charge me the full price for my beer!

 

Not a direct comparison but it's very important to me to point out:

If you've been drinking at a local pub for 10 years without occasionally receiving some free beer, maybe it is something wrong with you

[Smurf]

Are there any games out there that offer repeat buyers a discount? Call of Duty/Raibow Six/Fifa???? 

I don't recall seeing anything like this.

STEAM is a reseller of the product, and there are other resellers - just find the cheapest one to buy the game from.

 

 

Thinking of how retailers work - I often get discounts throughout the year in form of coupons - which I can use when making purchases from that retailer. 

I understand the anger, but it shouldn't be directed at football manager, they provide the stock to the online stores, and the online stores retail it for the amount they are told to retail it for at the RRP (recommended retail price).

It's up to the individual retailer then to offer incentives and loyalty programmes to the individuals and customers to retain them as customers. 

 

It's not SI's fault. If anything be angry with Steam, or other online retailers. Or find it in store (if there's such a thing) and buy it with loyalty cards/coupons/discounts with them. 

 

 

[Valleyg]

Also, we can also take solice that at least we are not penalised for loyalty, as happens with other industries. New customers often get better deals than existing customers when buying t.v. packages, insurance, broadband, and banking services. To look on the bright side, we are getting a product that we all love for a reasonable price, and I had forgotten what cfuller said about it....there has been a loyalty discount on fm before.

[H_a_a_k_o_n]

FM is probably the cheapest investment I have when i compare price/hour. By far!

[Lempicka]

11 hours ago, Unsalty said:

As a loyal customer i'd love to see some kind of " discount " or hey maybe " Here you go! Thank you for being a loyal customer, Football Manager 20 is half off for you! " or " FM 2020 gifted to you for being a loyal customer ! " 

but NOTHING! It's a little upsetting and for the first time in my football manager career, i might just stop playing this game all together.

So - you'd consider giving up something you enjoy because you're not getting a customer loyalty discount?!?!?!  Also, do you honestly expect a 50% discount (or the game gifted to you) because you spend £40 on their products annually? 

 

 

 

Edited December 6, 2019 by Lempicka
typo

[kevhamster]

9 hours ago, Unsalty said:

Hi all,

I apologize if this is not the right place to post this...

I have been playing Football Manager series since 01/02 

I always bought my games, and been buying Football Manager series on Steam since 2012...

As a loyal customer i'd love to see some kind of " discount " or hey maybe " Here you go! Thank you for being a loyal customer, Football Manager 20 is half off for you! " or " FM 2020 gifted to you for being a loyal customer ! " 

but NOTHING! It's a little upsetting and for the first time in my football manager career, i might just stop playing this game all together.

Can I afford it? Yes, easily but I just want some kind of appreciation by the company, it shouldn't be all about the money...

Thanks.

Ironic username?

[alian62]

5 hours ago, Halofon said:

Well, it is not true that it is the only game in its genre. You can play fifa in manager mode.

Its not in the same league though is it ?

[anagain]

4 hours ago, Smurf said:

Are there any games out there that offer repeat buyers a discount? Call of Duty/Raibow Six/Fifa???? 

I don't recall seeing anything like this.

STEAM is a reseller of the product, and there are other resellers - just find the cheapest one to buy the game from.

I do know that Transport Fever 2 came with a discount for owners of Transport Fever 1, because I bought it. I buy a lot of games and I'm sure I recall others to have done this.

13 hours ago, Unsalty said:

Hi all,

I apologize if this is not the right place to post this...

I have been playing Football Manager series since 01/02 

I always bought my games, and been buying Football Manager series on Steam since 2012...

As a loyal customer i'd love to see some kind of " discount " or hey maybe " Here you go! Thank you for being a loyal customer, Football Manager 20 is half off for you! " or " FM 2020 gifted to you for being a loyal customer ! " 

but NOTHING! It's a little upsetting and for the first time in my football manager career, i might just stop playing this game all together.

Can I afford it? Yes, easily but I just want some kind of appreciation by the company, it shouldn't be all about the money...

Thanks.

What I have a problem with in the original post here is the assumption that it's not all about the money, and the threats about not playing the game again. He's just said he's played it every year since CM01/02 and all of a sudden he won't buy it? It's a bit much, that.

Of course it is about the money for SI. They're not a charity organisation.

Whilst there is a discussion to be had here, the OP's thoughts are not fair. It would be nice to see a bonus of some sort for continued loyalty to the game, but offering money off every year is not going to be great for the company. The 10% that can be gained by buying the game early is a loyalty reward of sorts, as is gettings 3 weeks extra access to the game in beta. I feel the discount for buying the game for a number of years could be fair, but as has been said it's not really up to SI. It is a publisher decision, hence Sega.

At the end of the day this game is a people's livelihood. To say that it's not about the money is a bit disrespectful. It's like saying your employers pay you each and every month, so how about doing a week for free to reward their loyalty in paying you and keeping your job going each and every year. Give out the game for too little and it impacts on the next version of the game, too.

I personally feel the value for money with FM is above and beyond most games I own. In FM20 I have already put in over 140 hours in 6 weeks. At base price of about £35, after pre-order discount, that's 25p for every hour of play. Not much in life costs that.

I'm not shoving the idea of a discount for loyalty out of the window, but I think people need to understand that SI need to make a living from this. It clearly is about the money, and that money provides employees at SI with a living and it is put in to future editions of the game we love.

Edited December 6, 2019 by anagain
My maths was wrong on cost per hour

[Smurf]

18 minutes ago, anagain said:

I do know that Transport Fever 2 came with a discount for owners of Transport Fever 1, because I bought it. I buy a lot of games and I'm sure I recall others to have done this.

I do remember about a discount before from SI for previous owners of games - not sure why they didn't do it again? Or was it Steam that ran that promotion? I can't remember.

 

[anagain]

25 minutes ago, Smurf said:

I do remember about a discount before from SI for previous owners of games - not sure why they didn't do it again? Or was it Steam that ran that promotion? I can't remember.

I don't personally remember it, but I am old and so is my memory. I do know I got 10% off the game this year for pre-ordering. I got another 10% off at Humble for subbing to monthly, though that is not a Sega discount. I paid about £35 for the game. In this day and age that is a bargain.

[Halofon]

1 hour ago, prot651 said:

Its not in the same league though is it ?

Not really. But I guess that SI rocks so much with FM, that other companies just given up?

[anagain]

7 minutes ago, Halofon said:

Not really. But I guess that SI rocks so much with FM, that other companies just given up?

Well Championship Manager fell by the wayside in 2010, and that was FM's former publishers, Eidos.

There are some other Football Management sims on Steam, but SI are the top dogs. There's not really a management sim that comes close to FM for detail

[Tractor_Boy_Rv]

16 hours ago, hungmn said:

Not a direct comparison but it's very important to me to point out:

If you've been drinking at a local pub for 10 years without occasionally receiving some free beer, maybe it is something wrong with you

It was more a theoretical situation... 90% of my consumed beer is "free"... I run a pub in my spare time away from Football Manager

 

[rinso]

iirc one of the more recent versions had a "countback" loyalty discount, something like 5% off for every version purchased back to a certain date. For whatever reason, SEGA decided to not continue it... they're the one's you should be directing the Q at, iirc. SI may develop the game, but Sega are the marketers... 

[darthlemon]

I personally think every version of FM should come with an all-inclusive spa resort weekend break. When you arrive at the location, the staff of SI and Sega should line up to welcome you, each personally thank you, and then applaud as you head in for your massage from Miles.

[alian62]

43 minutes ago, darthlemon said:

I personally think every version of FM should come with an all-inclusive spa resort weekend break. When you arrive at the location, the staff of SI and Sega should line up to welcome you, each personally thank you, and then applaud as you head in for your massage from Miles.

Maybe a   Frequent Miles Point 

[Rashidi]

Shutting down this thread as its devolving to mindless drivel.