I've Been Thunderstruck

This is the latest response from Disney regarding my son’s Toontown issue. Since this is about the third time they’ve stated the same information, their either not reading my emails anymore, or they just don’t have a good answer for me…”good” being one that actually addresses the issue. So, for completeness, here is their latest response:

Dear Mark ,

Thank you for your reply.

Unfortunately, we do not have information available to use as a reference.

Much like any other game, Toontown requires constant care and maintenance to ensure our residents are provided with a smooth, safe and fun experience.

In order to maintain a great game like Toontown, we employ a highly-skilled team of full-time programmers and staff who are constantly working to support thousands of players and make sure the game is fun. While we offer a limited free account, we have to charge for the extended access to the game in order to maintain the level of service and quality our users expect.

We thank you again for your interest in the game, and hope that you can find a way to enjoy Toontown in the near future!

Nobody signed it this time…odd. Here is my response:

Hi,

OK…this is about the third time Disney has responded like this, so I can see we’re getting nowhere. It distresses me a bit that nobody can point me to documentation online that says what parts of the game are free, and what parts aren’t…even in a general way. If you are truly invested in providing your residents a “smooth, safe and fun experience,” I would suggest that a warning be added prior to the start of a mission, letting gamers (let’s be specific…kids), know that they won’t be able to finish their quest until they pay for a subscription.

Again, I have no problems with you charging for content, but I do take issues with the game letting a user go down a free path only to find it terminates in the need for a paid subscription.

You should know that I’ve been blogging this issue at my blog, http://www.thunderstruck.com/, and have been discussing it on Twitter as well (GoNorthWest).

Thank you for your time. I’m probably not done with this yet, but I need to do some research.

Thanks,

Mark

I think my next step will be to scour the Toontown web site for documentation, and see if it fulfills my need for disclosure. If it does, then I’ll let this matter rest. If not, I shall continue.

Here’s Disney’s response to my response yesterday…as well as my response to them! I’ll give them props for trying to resolve this, but so far they haven’t told me anything that I didn’t figure out the hard way. I want them to show me where they have documented what they are telling me.

Dear Mark,

Thank you for your reply.

Free accounts are limited to working Toontasks in Toontown Central up to the final frame of your first chosen Gag Track Training. Once you have completed all of these tasks (including gag training, teleport access, etc.), it is required to purchase a subscription in order to complete your Gag Track Training and continue on to tasks offered for Donald’s Dock.

We are very sorry that this information was not made clearer to your previously and hope to see you return to Disney’s Toontown Online in the future!

Thank You,

Nicole
Disney’s Toontown Online Member Services

And this is what I sent them back:

Hi Nicole,

Unfortunately, we had to figure that out the hard way. Is this documented clearly anywhere? If so, could you point me to that reference?

Thanks,

Mark

I suspect Disney feels I’m being overly difficult about this, but all I’m looking for is total disclosure about the nature of their game. If they’ve documented the restrictions that I’m now finding out about, then it’s on me for not having read the documentation before letting my son get involved. However, I would bet money that >90% of the people who sign up for the free trial don’t read any documentation at all, and many of their kids have experienced the same disappointment. I’ve been very impressed with Disney customer service, and the quality of the Disney experience at their theme park, I’d just like to see this carry over online.

Last week I wrote this post about my son’s experience in Disney Games’ Toontown online game. I got this reponse from Disney today:

Dear Mark,

Thank you for your interest in Disney’s Toontown Online.

We apologize for any confusion and hurt feelings your son experienced.
Much like any other game, Toontown requires constant care and
maintenance to ensure our residents are provided with a smooth, safe and
fun experience.

In order to maintain a great game like Toontown, we employ a
highly-skilled team of full-time programmers and staff who are
constantly working to support thousands of players and make sure the
game is fun. While we offer a limited free account, we have to charge
for the extended access to the game in order to maintain the level of
service and quality our users expect.

Toontown now offers two types of accounts, free accounts and paid
memberships. Free accounts replace Trial accounts, and can play whenever
with no time limit; however the available content is limited. Paid
Membership accounts remain the same, with unlimited access to Toontown
Online. Free accounts may upgrade to a paid Membership at any time.

A Free account to Toontown Online includes the following benefits:

- Create and personalize one Toon character
- Enjoy Toontown Central and Toontastic tasks
- Battle robot Cogs with an assortment of cartoon gags
- Explore six themed neighborhoods and see Cog HQs
- Hang out at your Toon’s house
- Race karts, adopt pet Doodles, and enjoy fishing
- Play whenever you want for as long as you want — all for free!

While we offer a limited access free version of the game, we do have to
charge for Unlimited Access in order to maintain the level of service
and quality our users expect. If you would like to progress further in
the game and access more advanced content and features, we highly
encourage purchasing an Unlimited Access subscription. For a full list
of benefits with a paid Membership, please use the link below:

http://play.toontown.com/benefits

If you are interested in purchasing a subscription, you can log on to
http://play.toontown.com/faq/overview_cost.php for current pricing
options and answers to other frequently asked questions. You must be 18
years or older with a valid credit card to purchase.

We hope this helps clarify your questions regarding the Free accounts,
and look forward to seeing you in Disney’s Toontown Online soon!

Thank You,

Roberta
Disney’s Toontown Online Member Services

I sent this this reply:

Hi Roberta,

Thank you for taking the time to reply…I honestly didn’t think anybody would!

I have absolutely no problems with portions of Toontown being restricted to paid subscriptions. That’s an established business model and, as you point out, a way to “maintain the level of
service and quality our users expect.” I’m all for that, and expect it anywhere there is a free trial offered.

What I do very much object to is allowing somebody to start a task, from within the free, trial account, and not informing them the task could not be completed without obtaining a paid subscription, until they get near the end. That is clearly a “bait-and-switch” tactic, and is a terrible business practice (and probably illegal). My son embarked on that task in good faith, assuming it was part of the free, trial membership, and spent a considerable amount of time working through it. I’m sure you can imagine his, and our, utter disappointment to be one “frame” away from completion, and being told he has to cough up $4.95!

My son did end up taking five of his hard earned dollars and getting a subscription. He completed the task, and moved forward into more paid areas of the site. He came across some sort of “cog headquarters,” which has utterly freaked him out, and he now wants us to erase his account, and he plans on taking a year off from the game. This is the same boy who can handle the weirdness of games like “Lego Batman” on the Xbox 360, which is certainly more hard core than Toontown. In any event, it appears you’ve lost a customer!

Thanks,

Mark

I’m interested to see what happens next!