Hi Charles,
Hi, Brad.
I noticed you posted as far back as July. You've also stated that you are
not yet even a customer of this company, but have been lurking on the egroup
undecided if you were going to get back into it (previous player, yes?).
I'll have to take your word for that, Brad, but that may be right. I
thought that I had posted previously that I had played Middle-earth PBM when it
was run by GSI, but that was a number of years ago, but not since
Middle-earth Games had started running it.
As far as what you term "lurking," I suppose that would be both "yes"
and "no." I have followed some of the posts, but not all of them.
ell, if you've been following since July at least, you've read this policy
a few times. When there's five guys over a card table, maybe you don't wear
name tags...
Well, I'm not sure if I have or not, but it would hold more relevance
to me of late, due to the recent, the last day or so, discussions regarding
customer service issues, which I believe followed a complaint by someone on a
team of Australian players.
As far as guys playing cards and wearing name tags, I suppose that
depends on the five guys. At times, at various events or occasions, people do
wear name tags when playing games.
This is a public forum supported by the company. They listen, they
contribute, they ask questions, they answer queries. Simple coutesy is all
they ask.
Well, actually, I believe the choice of words was policy. Not all
topics that I have seen discussed, of the messages I have read, have appealed to
me, or I have had an opinion on. Some of the recent topics, though not all of
them, I have found more interesting, or more relevant, as such issues are
important to me. That sort of thing, though, varies widely from individual to
individual, so it doesn't surprise me that some find certain things more
interesting than others.
I've got a list of various customer service "gold-stars" MEGames
has earned, if you care.
Sure, by all means, enlighten me. Of course, there's always room for
improvement, isn't there?
One of Clint's customer service sins may involve
caring enough about the game and it's players such that he often leaves the
"corporate P-C" script behind and comes out with personable off the cuff
responses to much of what's written here. An example of eagerness was his
reply to an "anonymous" query, waylaying his own oft-stated policy in order
to participate in a discussion. It may have been a PR faux-pas to come out
and lay down the rules after he had broken them himself...but he's a human
who obviously has a keen interest in the game and it's players, so forgive
him the slap to the forehead quick-send and appreciate the impetus behind
the rule.
Well, don't misunderstand, I don't have anything personal against him.
I don't really know him. I merely responded to what was posted.
And no, I'm neither a neighbour nor friend of Clint or anyone else at the
company, and have had my share of personality clashes with some of them, so
I'm not sucking up for free turns, pizza, or a ride to the station in the
morning.
Well, Brad, I don't have any reason to believe that you are. I've
never played a game run by Middle-earth Games, so I naturally don't have
experience, one way or the other, to draw upon. However, as I mentioned previously, I
did play Middle-earth PBM when it was run by GSI. in case I didn't mention it
before, I will now, and that is that, speaking for me personally and only, I
never experienced any bad service from GSI, when it ran the game. Of the
interactions I did have with the GSI staff, they were always helpful and coureous.
Others, of course, may had other experiences with GSI, but that was my personal
experience in gaming with them.
Appreciate the nature of their involvement with their customers as
something greater than most any other commercial enterprise could envision.
If "customer service" is what's holding you back from even being a customer
at all for these months, than please enlighten us with tales of bigger,
bolder, brighter, and better gaming groups.Regards,
t
Well, actually, no, that isn't what's "holding me back," as you put
it, Brad. Perhaps I hadn't mentioned it in one of my previous posts, but I have
been hoping to get into a game with some other people I know from some other
games. Several have, in fact, expressed an interest, but a couple of those that
did also conveyed unto me that they would like to wait until one of their
current other games (Hyborian War games) ends.
As far as other gaming groups, I suppose everyone has their own idea
of what constitutes bigger, bolder, brighter, or better, where games are
concerned. I don't limit myself solely to PBM games, nor even PBEM games. I always
felt that Middle-earth PBM was one of the better designed games, as far as the
PBM games I have tried over time. But, there have been a number of PBM games
that I have enjoyed playing over time, run by different companies and different
moderators. It is a lot like comparing apples and oranges, though. each game
tends to have its own good points and bad points. I never tried to limit
myself to just one genre of PBM games, so what's bigger, better, bolder, or
brighter really just depends on whether we are discussing apples, oranges, bananas,
or something else.
But, again, as I mentioned previously, I recently quit playing
Hyborian War. I didn't quit playing it because I disliked the game, though. It was
the failings in the areas of customer service that finally caused me to say,
enough is enough. That happened within only the last few weeks, Brad. I was
already considering playing Middle-earth PBM again before that ever came about.
But, since it has happened, customer service related issues are very, very much
fresh in my mind.
I didn't initiate the recent discussion regarding customer service. I
responded, in what you term a public forum, one I had joined, as you say,
about 5 months back, to the criticism that was posted. Others seem willing and
free to post their opinions on matters that interest them. I have merely done the
same.
There are a number of reasons, for example, that I disagree with a
policy to not respond to an e-mail in this forum, unless someone signs their name
to it. In the first instance, I fail to understand the necessity for it. If
it isn't necessary, then why make things more difficult for either the customer
or the potential customer than is necessary? In the second instance, it isn't
reliable, insofar as a person could just make a name up, anyway, a handle, an
alias, as is often the case on the Internet. Why people create aliases, of
course, varies widely from individual to individual. In the third instance, not
everyone who might have an interest in playing, or in something they want to
comment on, is necessarily an adult. Some kids or even young adults are, in
fact, admonished to not give out their name, even and including their first name.
The reasons for this are several. In the fourth instance, not all adults feel
comfortable giving out their names, and again, for a variety of reasons.
However, from my past experience in playing both PBM games in general, and in
playing Middle-earth PBM specifically, I certainly have never found anything about
either the game or the Tolkien books which serves as the underlying theme for
the game, to be detrimental to children. In the fifth instance, when I
interact with numerous other business, and have a question or want to make a
comment, my name isn't required. What distinguishes this business as extraordinarily
unique, in that regard? Nothing, as far as I have yet been able to discern. If
someone just wants to cause trouble, they can usually find a way to do that,
anyway. Looking at it from a customer-business interaction standpoint, I find
it to be both bad form and deficient practice, from a policy standpoint. That
someone doesn't want to gie their name out, just to get answers to questions,
I simply do not find to be unreasonable in the least. Companies routinely,
every single day, respond to questions, comments, and even criticisms from
individuals they don't know the name to. Polls and surveys are yet additional
examples of how anonymous input and comments are provided from customers or
potential customers to companies.
Thus far, I certainly haven't seen anyone explain why Middle-earth PBM NEEDS
a person's name, in order to either answer a question or respond to a comment.
If they don't NEED it, then to mandate it, via policy, again, to me, makes no
real sense.
Others are entitled to their opinions, of course, but that's mine.
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