Activision Refuses to Honor MW3 Elite Contest Prize to a Gamer

Well, this is a disappointing move on Activision's part as they are withholding a prize that a gamer had won in a Call of Duty Elite tournament.

[turokgames]

Go figure <,<

[snipes101]

Ohhhh the shit storm that is going to follow this...

[Gaming101]

lol wow, baiting people for a prize, and not even spending the money to make sure they had that prize in stock? lol unbelievable, that's worse than walmart practices, they really are the cheapest money grubbing company on the planet. It's amazing how many billions they make of Call of Duty every year, and they overcharge for this stupid Elite service only to bank all the money in executive bonuses and cheap out on the players who helped them get to where they are. Pure American crony capitalism at its finest.

[snipes101]

Its funny that I have so many disagrees and yet this story is at 1040 degrees, with many comments along the line of "screw activision."

Seems like a shit storm to me.

[Nimblest-Assassin]

Not sure whats sadder..

1) People figuring out that elite was a waste of money now
2) People thinking Activision would give something for free just because you played their game

Free and Activision would not be seen in a sentence unless it was

You pay activision for content, and they call it free even though you just payed for it

Or

ACTIVISION WILL NEVER MAKE ANYTHING FREE!

[davekaos]

Bubbles plus more if i could

perfect summary

[M-M]

"Free and Activision would not be seen in a sentence unless it was..."

Well, if you see "free" and "Activision" in the same sentence it's a typo. Now "fee" and "Activision"...

[zeeshan]

Lol yeah! FEE and ACTIVATION makes perfect sense! :)

[lilbrat23]

The funny thing is they mention an ipad and he did not win an ipad but a BACKPACK value at $200.LOL He needs to get over it and move on.

[Fylus]

I'd rather have an iPad than a backpack. I can buy any crappy backpack for $15 that will do EXACTLY the same thing as a $200 dollar backpack.

[DFogz]

If you read the e-mails, they offered him a hoodie and another backpack as an alternative (which if you read the fine print of any contest, they reserve the right to substitute a prize of similar value at anytime)...he said no, and asked for an iPad instead.

[Soldierone]

@above, if you ask me the "alternate" prize was not the same value. It was just a COD Elite Back Pack and hoody, which is probably over priced to meet the price required.

Honestly if you took an Oakley backpack to Ebay, people will cough up 200 bucks for it. Especially if it's discontinued. You take a COD Elite messenger back and hoody, you can get what 50 bucks to some COD fan?

If I'm not mistaken most contests etc...offer the ability to take the cash value instead, which I would have done if it was gone.

Personally the guy is just looking for attention though. He turns around and asks for an Ipad, shows he is probably being a pain in the arse too. Could have easily replied I want a prize of equal value that isn't the COD crap.

[xursz]

@soldier

I agreed with you all the way through until that last paragraph. :/ The way Activision is trying to swindle the poor guy is ridiculous.

[NeloAnjelo]

Is this a surprise? People need to refuse to buy another COD... Stop giving them money for nothing every bloody year.

They get away with this way too often with the same broken game, and false promises. There is not free for all with Activison... rather is FEE for all.

[RedDead]

Oh wow, what a shit replacement he got. Look at this thing:
http://cn1.kaboodle.com/hi/...
http://www.productwiki.com/...
and he just gets a hoody and goodie bag pff

Too bad Activision can't afford to buy a new bag /s

[Blackdeath_663]

in my honest opinon id rather have the hoodie. that bag looks absolutely horrible. i usualy always wear a hoodie when i play video games thats like a habit of mine.
it must suck that he didnt get what he signed up for and all that wasted time could have been used to actually make money and get the shitty bag your self rather than asking the stingiest company in the world to give you something for free.
(thanks for links to pictures btw)

[Soldierone]

I don't like the backpack either, but its a friggin nice backpack that you can EASILY flip on Ebay for the cash value.....

Can't do that with a COD hoody and messenger bag....especially since its summer time now...

[NYC_Gamer]

real shady move by Activision.

[Nitrowolf2]

Well that kind of sucks. I would have prefer the kitchen sink backpack then the prizes they are giving him instead.
BTW out of stock? Activision is loaded with cash just buy some more

[Covert_Gunman]

Well that's definitely pretty lame.

[john2]

that's just sad :/

[MoFo1111]

Bobby "Tight Pockets" Kotick

[Gamer-Z]

lol

[TekoIie]

That's brilliant XD

[davekaos]

I think the correct phrase is "tighter than a ducks ass in a pond of water"

[Leviathan]

I'm going to steal that phrase. Love it. THNX. :)

[Solid_Snake37]

I myself prefer Bobby " The Bastard" Kotick

[JellyJelly]

Bobby "Dicktits" Kotick.

[Emilio_Estevez]

That's messed up.

[StayStatic]

I don't understand how a multi billion dollar company could be so dam cheeky , its like pocket money to them and makes it worse that they don't feel the need to reward their customers after wasting tons of money on yearly rehashes that lose quality with every iteration.

I would expect a hooker and a bottle of tiger blood as compensation for this insult.

[Fylus]

Well unless the winner is Charlie Sheen, I don't think they'd get much use out of that;)

[b_one]

its Activision for a God sake, what did you expect...

[ziggurcat]

activision being d**ks?

i'm *shocked*

/sarcasm

[wenaldy]

Mr. krab!!!!!!!!

[PygmelionHunter]

Bobby Krabtick: "MOAR! $$$! FREE DLCCCCCC?!?!"

[Fylus]

More like "Bobby Krabdick".

[Lior]

Shows how much they care about customers

[OC_MurphysLaw]

That does suck ... Activision should step it up and do the right thing. That said, not sure this gamer will have a leg to stand on if somewhere in the rules of the tourney there is a stipulation about substitute prizes. bottom line...it sucks and Activision should have had said prizes counted and reserved for the tourney's as promised.

[xtremexx]

guys it not activision's fault, they dont have much money, they can barely keep their head above the water, its not like they earned billions or anything

[Hawkhunter12]

Hilarious!

[Koloss]

What a shitty move.

[SuperbVillain]

im not surprised

[arnyftw]

Well they arent exactly refusing him his prize but they should atleast just wait for the backpack to come back in stock and then send it.

[jwk94]

They reserve the right to change the prize, they were out of stock. Either accept what they're giving you or stop cyring about it, that's why you should read the fine print.

[denero1]

Or you can go to media site's and force their hand like he did and get a response on twitter right away

[Knightofelemia]

I think Craptavision just lost another customer for the next COD game.

[IAmLee]

If people still play that pile of shit, its there problem, not ours..

[Majin-vegeta]

Omg Crapovision being douchebags to a customer that's unheard of /s.

[AtomicGerbil]

However much I try, I find it impossible to be surprised by this.

[Clarence]

What do you expect from crap a$$ company that rips people off by making the same game over and over every 6 months.

I feel bad for the guy. People really need to stop buying their games, that is the only way things will change.

[christheredhead]

I feel no remorse for the guy. Reading his story makes me embarrassed for him. He is essentially crying on a message board because his item was out of stock. Then he rallied the mob of followers because Activision would not give him an Ipad of greater value.

Activision went out and personally got his prize, but he had to endure the "hardships" of emails and talking to people.

Such a sad, heart breaking story. Lets all feel bad for him.

I mean come on. This is a daily occurrence for 90% of people. Things go out of stock, items dont work, contests dont live up to expectations, companies dont have what you want, etc. Why is this news?

Btw, this comment was directly related to you, but more towards every one posting about how bad they feel for the guy and how Activision is "crap" because an item was not in stock at the exact moment the guy claimed his prize. Big deal I guess.

Anyone wanna hear my story about how Gamestop didn't have a game in stock when they clearly told me they did? I even have the screenshot that said the item was in stock.

[ChipChipperson]

You were dead on christheredhead. The dude was just another dummy who thinks he has this self-entitlement, like most people are becoming now. It's like a court case where people actually try to sue for pain and suffering when they didn't. Of course, most of the users on here didn't read the article and email. It's always the same assumption that has anything to do with Activision:GAMERS-GOOD,RIGHT ALLLL THE TIME, ACTIVISION/CALL OF DUTY-BAD,ALWAYS,I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT, THEY ARE BAD.

[christheredhead]

Exactly. People are never happy with what they get, ESPECIALLY GAMERS. The self entitlement within the gaming community is ridiculous. The whole idea makes me hang my head in shame. The people that actually take this guys side need a reality check.

The poster has to be a kid though, there is no way a grown adult would throw an online temper tantrum like such. Or, at least I hope not.

[Soldierone]

That story isn't the same....it would have to be Gamestop having you Pay for the game, jump through loops to get it, then when you arrive say "sorry the game is out of stock, here take this Gamestop t-shirt for your effort instead!"

It's not self entitlement. Was what he asking for a bit much? Yeah. But Activision has absolutely no right to withhold the item from him. If it did go out of stock, then its their job to offer an alternative to him and let him decide. He paid for the service for the ability to win that prize, he won, he is entitled to that prize....period.

If you disagree then go run a contest right now. Tell people they can win a brand new car if they pay for an entry. When someone wins, don't give it to them and see what happens.

Based on what I read, he didn't get the backpack until AFTER he "threw a fit" online. I don't agree with him wanting the Ipad or continuing the fit after he got the prize, but up to the point of him actually getting it, he has every right to attack them. Honestly I'd be ticked if I paid to win something and came out with a generic jacket with a logo on it instead of a 200 dollar backpack.

[christheredhead]

Yah, I would be annoyed to for sure. But a grown man throwing an online fit because his prize was out of stock. Really? This is ok? Like I said, he has to be a little kid who lacks maturity and reason. All I'm saying is I am completely embarrassed for the guy. He made him self look like a total loser and pretentious whiner.

If it were me I would have been happy with what I got. They dont have the backpack? Ok cool, the hoodie combo would be fine. I would have said thank you for the free items and went on with my life. This is not news worthy or some self righteous situation where we need to rally the online troops.

I just find it funny that in America this is a heart breaking story. "What? He didnt get his prize because it was unavailable? Thats awful!" Things don't always work out perfectly with material items. So what?

It was complete self entitlement and a perfect example. Yes, he won which was awesome. Yet, he threw an online fit because he couldnt get his way. The guy needs to grow up and learn how the world works. Things happen, get over it.

[tigertron]

Time to put on my 'surprised' face! nope, its just not working.

[Angainor7]

Well done mr. Kotick, you should be proud of your shitty company...

[Static-X]

Well this is annoying. I submitted this first and this site even stole my headline LOL

[Sarobi]

That is low.. I mean how could they possibly be out of stock?, they have one of the best selling games in the world and even managed to get people to pay for a service that barely gives them anything (other than a DLC season pass), is it really that hard to get another one for him?.

[Fylus]

You know what's funny about the "free DLC" bonus that comes with Elite? I have a friend (not so much a friend; more of an associate) who claims he only subscribed to Elite so he could get the DLC for free. He's 21 years old... F**king moron.

[MaltYz_]

Wow, certainly didn't expect this when I started that post last night! Activision reps have been in touch via my twitter @MaltYz_ ill keep you updated!

Thanks for the support!

[josephayal]

Dam what a shame ACTIVITION

[GraveLord]

"You didn't give me the prize I won! Now that you took so long I now wan an iPad for the emotional damages!"

This sums up this douche pretty well.

yeah, Activision should have given him the prize he won, but I'm sure there's something about this in their Terms of Service.

[Nodoze]

F0ck Activision!

[Yomaster]

A multi-million dollar corporation that can't shell out a $200 top prize for a dedicated fan who won their contest fair-and-square, not to mention the fact that he paid for the subscription and game to take part in it.

That's a damn shame, and is downright disgusting.

[Drainage]

they didnt refuse anything, cmon this is misleading. They were out of stock and wanted to give him something else instead. From my skimming around, he wanted an Ipad instead (when the original price was only 1/5 of that in price) .

[mistajeff]

Well they replaced it with something to try to compensate.. if they hadn't done that, they'd probably have gotten in legal trouble.

[DeadSpaced]

...And they wonder why they may win the worst company in America award..
http://www.gameblurb.net/ne...

[Tose]

EA=/=Activision.

[DeadSpaced]

Yep.. I probably should think before I post. Thanks for pointing it out before someone else made a big deal about.

[Tose]

I'm amazed that activision isn't in that top five though, goin on the pic

[turnerdc]

Hmmmmmm, are you guys actually reading the emails? Basically this guy went through a long process to claim his prize which is not unusual if you win a contest; it takes a while to get everything worked out. They were out of stock of the backpack but they offered him replacement prizes. He refused the replacement prizes and instead wanted an iPad. That's not how contests work, you can't just "pick" your own prize. Besides the backpack was valued at $200 and he wanted something that was at least $500. Anyway it looks like they were able to find a bag for this guy so I don't see where Activision is "refusing" to give this guy anything. Refusing to give him an iPad when he didn't win one? If anything the customer service is a bit shoddy but then again a lot of companies now days have crappy customer service. Title is very misleading.

[ChipChipperson]

Not surprised. The article title is once again, twisted to make one party look like the bad guy.Other than that, I completely agree with you. In this case, this was crappy customer support, like you said, and just complete idiocy of the customer/winner. Not calling him an idiot for the whole mix up, but he's an idiot for thinking he's gonna get an ipad when they didn't have his original prize in stock anymore.

[skyblue14213]

Well I agree that initially activision should have had the correct item(s) of the correct quantity on hand before they announced the contest instead of making some half-butt attempt to compensate the contest winner with an inferior offer, or better yet they should have just offered the contest winner the cash value equivalent of the item in question. An ipod is ridiculous enough to be out of the question though(what was that gamer smoking at that time?).

If anyone reads the whole article though eventually the the contest winner received the correct prize as activision just went out and bought the item, then in turn they sent it to the contest winner.

[NeloAnjelo]

Yep thats Jobby Nodick for yah!

[RickHiggity]

His prize was a backpack. and He's getting a messenger bag and a hoodie instead. boo hoo.

[turnerdc]

Actually they went out and found him one so he's getting his back pack.

[christheredhead]

The person who won sounds like a whiny kid because he couldn't get his way. He won a prize that was out of stock, wanted to pick a prize that was of greater value, then cried because he was denied.

At least they went and got him his prize. Maybe now he can dry up those tears with it. Of course, this would be Activisions fault because they are "evil." The prize was out of stock, get over it. Things aren't perfect in the world. How this is even news is beyond me. Things like this happen all the time.

Lastly, its not like he really went through a lot. Im sure he had to fill out some forms and go through a bunch of emails. Yah, rough life.

[SgtLoveSack123]

I'm a member of the zeta gaming clan www.zetagaming.co.uk and the dude who's currently got activision by the balls is the founder it's a great clan and greater players Moab machines would be putting it lightly we have a great editor and some sick montages http://m.youtube.com/user/P... check us out

[Razgriz383]

How many legs are going to fall off this centipede before it falls over?

[Blastoise]

I dont mind CoD, but i really hate activision

[Swiggins]

It's a shame no one read the damn article....

The gamer wanted the Oakley bag, but it was discontinued...by Oakley.

They offer him two prizes, very nice prizes mind you, instead, and what does the gamer do?

"Give me an iPad"

Obviously they can't do that, so they go to eBay and find a bag for him and send him that instead.

Seriously? WTF is up with the title...They weren't withholding shit, they were trying to find the damn bag but couldn't because the company who makes it decided not to make it anymore....

[Enigma_2099]

Okay, here's the short and sweet of my response.

If you have a contest and offer a specific prize to the winner, aren't you supposed to make sure you have the prize ready for said winner? And if a "prize" can go out of stock, why the hell offer it in the contest in the first place?

But apparently the fault lies with Oakley, not Activision.

[Leviathan]

Reminds me of that Simpsons episode with the Indian accent guy: "Stop putting the sheep over my eyes!"

[Awesome_Gamer]

WORST PUBLISHER EVER!!!!!

[Son_Lee]

Yeah my MW3 is being sold back tomorrow. Glad I bought it used.

[SpinalRemains138]

So instead of the bag he was promised, he's getting a different bag and a sweatshirt and he doesn't want them?

He wants an ipad instead now?

What a jerk. Give some ppl an inch and they want a yard. The world is far from perfect and mistakes happen. Take the prizes and grow up. You won a contest by shooting ppl in a digital world. Did you think that you won an essay contest or a science fair? You won a contest by sitting on your butt and playing video games. You get a bag and a shirt. Walk it off!

[PENGUINKK]

There are two types of people commenting on this article:

-One that sees "Activision" in the title and immediately post hateful comments.

-And everyone else who actually read the article.

That being said, I honestly feel bad for the Activision employees in charge of the event. They were probably going to order the backpack from Oakley once the winner was declared, not anticipating it would be discontinued, which may not have be the smartest move. But then they catch all this flak and have to personally go out and buy a backpack just because some guy feels it's his duty to make a big deal out of what would normally be a non-issue for most of us. Yeah, it's disappointing, but most people aren't that self-centered to take it to the next level.

[GAMExxOVER]

They could have offered an equal value prize, rather than one less than half value. the backpack is $200, the messenger bag and hoodie together retail for a total of $80.

[denero1]

So it's okay for him to spend money over and over on their products but lord forbid he make them keep their word on a offer oh terrible consumer

[mobhit]

I am honestly not surprised by this.

[GAMExxOVER]

oops, dbl post

[GAMExxOVER]

The old Bait and switch. Won a $200 prize but being offered $80 worth of prize instead. Glad he got what was due.

[MaltYz_]

Epic facepalm, iPad thing was a joke essentially lol

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

Watch that^

[turnerdc]

You say it was a joke but that's not what your video and actual email reflect. In your video you stated you sent it "half jokingly" but that you wouldn't have turned it down if they did offer it to you. You might of sent it "half jokingly" but you were wanting and hoping they would give you what you wanted. Also your email does not sound like a joke at all and you actualy call it a "reasonable" request. Here are your exact words:

"I would like something else instead which I feel is a reasonable request, a set of astro a40's or an ipad. I'm absolutely disgusted how long i've had to wait to get this"

My main problem with this article is that the title is very misleading and I fail to see where Activision is refusing to give you your prize. Contests can take a while to process (I've had to wait up to 4 months to finally receive something I won and even longer for rebates) and it's not like they haven't been trying to help you. In your video you stated that even before your reddit post you ran across a few people that truly were helpful. Also in your video you say you're still not sure about getting the bag but that's not what the tweet from Activision nor the article reflect. As I stated above, if anything this an example of shoddy customer service and not a complete refusal to give you your prize. Also it doesn't sound like you've had to do much. What was it? Nine emails and seven phone calls over a two month period? I've sometimes had to do more than that in a two day period to get the attention of a company.

[Pentumsmart]

Blah, is this still on top page

[-IronMan-]

hahah u deserve it for supporting activision and its crappy mediocre CoD series.

keep on buying their games lmao.

[GTRrocker]

I wish people would stop supporting activision like I have. My reason was poor quality of their games.

[Tzuno]

Sheep's in the daily growing flock.

[tacosRcool]

A fool and his money are soon parted

[honkyjesus]

Did anyone actually read the dumb article? It is about a gay backpack he didn't get, then ended up getting the gay backpack.

[SpiffyWhatWhat]

They didn't pay their own employees just a year ago. How does this surprise anyone?!?

[J86blum]

Well.. thats what the fanboy gets, support a crap company get treated as such, your not special. You played a video game that recycles the same thing year after year, slaps a bigger price tag on it each year and your stunned, surprised that you treated like crap.

...Seriously, its just a backpack, though its understandable you buy for the NAME of the product and not its worth...
"I fail to grasp his logic."