Beware of Buying Rockstar Games

I pre-ordered GTA V a while back, the special edition one complete with being able to fly the blimp. The game had a few issues but was a great game altogether. Then after a while of progressing in the game, the game would lock up on me. Then I noticed it would lock up on me at the exact same spot no matter what I did. So I went to the Rockstar forums to look for help. They said: "Wash the disc", "Check for scratches"...blah blah blah....and wait for a patch to fix it. So I waited for patches, updated and still have the same results. Actually the first few patches made it even worse. So after a while of being unsuccessful in trying to fix the game on my own I submitted a support ticket to Rockstar directly, this is the entire chain, start at the bottom. Also keep in mind I payed $60 USD for this game:

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Your request (#2146179) has been updated.

Feel free to respond directly to this email and your comments will be added to the ticket.

To review the status of the request and add additional comments, follow the link below to log on to Social Club and you will then proceed to your support ticket.

http://support.rockstargames.com/hc/requests/2146179

Note that Social Club is a free Rockstar community service which offers access to special in-game bonuses and exclusive website features. If you do not already have a Social Club account, you will need to create an account after clicking the above ticket link to access your ticket. If you do not have a Social Club account, you can still update your ticket as necessary by replying directly to any emails you receive from Support.

Michael S., Apr 18 06:24 PM:

Godlikemouse,

I apologize. I talked to my manager, we cannot waive the fee. If you would have written in earlier than March, we may have been able to waive the fee but, since you waited until March we cannot waive it.

Best Regards,

Michael S.

Godlikemouse, Apr 18 06:18 PM:

I don't mind returning the disc for a replacement however, paying $20

dollars for an item I pre-ordered far in advance to help support your

company is absurd. When I first ran into the problem and checked online

they said to wait for the patches to come out. So I did, they fixed

some issues and broke others until I reached a point in the game where

it was completely unplayable. By that time of course it was outside the

warranty, I gave your company the benefit of the doubt. I have played

every one of your titles to date (including some of flops) and have been

an avid supporter of your company. The disc, case and all contents are

in pristine condition. Is there any way you can wave this "admin" fee?

If not, then this for certain will be the last Rockstar game I buy and

you will loose me as a supporter and as an advocate for your games.

Jason Graves (GodLikeMouse)

www.godlikemouse.com

godlikemouse@godlikemouse.com

Lastest Music: http://www.godlikemouse.com/music

Michael S., Apr 18 05:58 PM:

Hello Godlikemouse,

We are sorry to hear you are encountering a problem with one of our titles. If you're in the US or Canada, please return your game to the address below:

Rockstar Games Disc Replacement Program

Attention: Customer Services Manager #2146179

Rockstar Games

10626 York Road – Suite E

Cockeysville, MD 21030

As your disc is damaged or out of warranty, there is an admin charge to cover replacements. A check or money order (No Cash) will need to be included with the game to the sum of $20 for a console version or $15 for a PC version, please make this payable to Take 2 Interactive. Please be sure to include the entire game including the packaging and manual, and we also ask that you include a cover note detailing your issue. Please remember to include your return address with the cover letter.

Once we receive the package in the office, it can take a maximum of 4 to 6 weeks for you to receive your package. If you would like a tracking number for the order once it has been processed, please let us know.

Kind regards,

Michael S.

Godlikemouse, Apr 18 05:52 PM:

The problem appears to be the disc. It happens at the same place

regardless of console. The console itself seems to work perfectly

playing through other games. Is there any chance you could provide me

with a free download of the same game or can I send you the game back

and get another one in its place?

Jason Graves (GodLikeMouse)

www.godlikemouse.com

godlikemouse@godlikemouse.com

Lastest Music: http://www.godlikemouse.com/music

Zendesk, Apr 17 02:36 PM:

Hi Godlikemouse,

You are receiving this automated email because we have reviewed your ticket in the Rockstar Games Technical Support system and it has not been updated for 30 days. The ticket you submitted is currently classified as an issue related to crashing/freezing or installation.

Many crashes, freezes, or problems with installation are due to a problem with either the disc or the console. To test this, please try your disc in another console or computer to determine if the disc could be the issue. For a comprehensive list of bad disc/hardware symptoms per game, please refer to: http://support.rockstargames.com/hc/en-us/articles/200148846-How-to-tell-whether-failed-installations-or-random-crashes-freezes-glitches-are-caused-by-a-bad-disc-or-console-hardware-issue

If you are experiencing a crash, freeze, or installation issue on PC, please make sure you have installed the latest patch: http://www.rockstargames.com/downloads#/?collection=9. Ensure your drivers are up to date and try reinstalling required pre-requisites such as .NET and DirectX. Please refer to your game manual and installation directions for details. You can also find the latest drivers on your hardware manufacturer’s website.

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If you need further assistance for any reason, please respond to this email or update your ticket so that we can assist you individually.

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Godlikemouse, Mar 09 04:40 PM:

Dear sirs:

I pre-ordered GTA V for PS3 quite a while back and began playing through the game until I reached a spot in the game where the game continually failed. I've waited for updates to fix the issue however so far no updates have fixed it. I've tried everything I can think of including uninstalling the game, reformatting the hard drive, removing patches, cleaning the disc, etc. So far nothing has resolved the issue. The game continually hangs at the exact same spot: Flying the chopper with Trevor to tail the vans. The textures don't seem to load correctly immediately before it shows Trevor urinating on the wall, then later when flying the chopper the LOD textures don't load leaving blurry textures until a few seconds later when it completely locks up the game. I love this game and I would like to continue playing it. Is there anything you can do to help remedy this situation? I've verified that it is not the console, all the other games play just fine and I've played through others with no issues what so ever. Thanks.

Best regards,

Jason Graves

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So be weary of these guys when buying their games. There has been a bad run of discs and they are not willing to fix them without charging you more money on top of what you've already paid. Just saddens me that a once cool company now successful has adopted unhealthy big business attitudes.

I don't know... where exactly are you getting stuck? I remember a certain mission freezing multiple times at the same part, but I finally got past it by skipping all cut-scenes and just trying to rush past that part. Skimming through this, it doesn't look like you even uninstalled and re-installed the game, but it looks like you've gone through a lot of trouble, so i'll just assume you did.

But from their standpoint, I don't think they're doing anything wrong. You've had the game for too long for them to just replace it for free. I think you're just being too demanding, expecting a free copy after having owned the game for so long and just now claiming to have game-breaking issues with it.

So I don't think any less of Rockstar for this. It's unfortunate, and while I know there's potential for game crashes, even repeated ones, I'm having doubts that you're completely stuck unless you did damage the disc somehow or if there is an issue with your console.

This is Why I don't like Steam, Origin, Uplay, PSN, XboxLive and practically anything that asks for my details. I just wana game hard.

you cant argue that because you pre order something you can get it replaced for free if the warranty is out. thats just law. you can just ask them to do it for you as a favor but you cant argue an end user agreement and the disc.

you are better off doing some shady business with gamestop lol

Hmm, bad luck with the disc.

But i am on Rockstars side, so long after its only fair that you pay for a new disc, since they have no obligations and its not really bad CS to ask for a small fee.

I'm on Rockstar's side here, too. The correct step would have been to contact them initially while it was still inside the warranty period. Even if they had told you directly that you needed to wait for a patch, that would have created a record of you having the issue while still within the warranty period. If you wait until after the warranty period has expired before you first contact them and get a ticket created, then they just have your word on it that you've been experiencing issues since before the warranty ran out. Obviously anyone who contacts them outside the warranty period may be inclined to lie about when the problem started.

Also, some of the more confrontational language in your emails like "however, paying $20 dollars for an item I pre-ordered far in advance to help support your company is absurd" and "I have played every one of your titles to date (including some of flops)" does not help your case because it won't make the guy on the other end more included to do you a favor. The spelling and punctuation errors also don't because they may give the support tech the impression that he is not speaking with an adult.

No offense.

-Byshop

Your warranty ran out.

You're the one in the wrong.

a GTA game isn't worth the hassle you went through. Its too bad you got a crappy disc, they should have refunded your money for GTA 5 instead of jerking you around so much.

I remember how buggy GTA 4 was on my 360 and also Red Dead Redeption, they didn't lock up much, but they played at a horrible frame rate. LA Noire was pretty buggy also, but by the time I had played that game I was expecting it.

Buggy console games are kinda the norm now since they figure they can patch them later on through updates, i miss the days when you got a game that worked perfect the day you got it. The Walking Dead (not rockstar made but just using as example)... this game kept freezing up after I tried to start episode 2, it wouldn't work until i downloaded an update to fix the problem... so theres another game that was broken until patched.

I havent been tempted to even get GTA 5 cause i know it'll stink, I may get it on PC if it ever gets released there and if its cheap. Just can't deal with the horrible 20 fps gameplay these games give.

Rockstar CS is a joke. Back around the time the online launched, I had some major issues and required assistance, they were very slow to respond and all they'd say was something to the tune of "try downloading the latest patch, that'll make everything okey dokey".

Well, it only took seven months, but I finally got GTA Online to work for me, like after the twelfth patch or so. All that time and the online sucks fat ones. I get regular game freeze ups and occasional network drops. It sucks to drive half way across the map, freeze up or network drop, switch to Franklin, go to the online again and I'm way back at my apartment. Two or three times of doing that per day and I'm done with this shitty mess after only gaining ten levels.

I'm not missing much of anything worthwhile though, because the shooting mechanics are piss poor, the community is street trash, and the overall experience is flat out boring. I thought the SP campaign was boring even though it had its moments, but it's a lot better than the online portion.

Overall GTA V really was disappointing. Seems to me like they dropped the ball somewhere and can no longer live up to the hype surrounding their games, or justify the praise given to them anymore. Other companies like Ubisoft make better and higher quality open world games these days.

If you waited and the warrinty expired, that's on you tbh

One great thing about a digital future is that you can just redownload your content for free when something breaks on your end. HDD crashes, just buy another and redownload for free. If your discs gets messed up, you're screwed and getting told to buy another one in order to remedy the issue.

They are just money grabbing whores . Look at microtransactions in GTA online after earning billions . Look at their fake advertisement , real game looks like shit compared to what was teased in pics . It also runs like crap , still they won't announce current gen version until they have gotten every last penny from PS3 and Xbox 360 owners .