One of the great challenges in interacting with the WoW community is that there can be no universal consensus. There is no gestalt opinion on which we all agree. For that matter, not even a single person always agrees with himself universally; opinions change and drift over time. So imagine trying to be Blizzard, faced with the task of communicating with millions of gamers.
In a sense, that's what Wowcrendor is addressing in The Customer is Always Right. Make sure you watch it all the way through before trying to guess at Wowcrendor's opinion here. He's not expressing a personal agenda as much as he's mimicking the kind of discussion we see day in, day out on the official forums. Interested in the wide world of machinima? We have new movies every weekday here on WoW Moviewatch! Have suggestions for machinima we ought to feature? Toss us an email at moviewatch@wowinsider.com.
85% of my guildies are raiders who hate class "balancing" since it makes your choice of class pretty much pointless, so everyone min/maxes out the flavor of the week.
14% are PvPers who think class balance is critical since they can't seem to beat class X and that's somehow not "fair".
1% won't ever be happy with anything and just whine no matter what.
The customer is only always right about one thing: How they feel. It's quite possible for them to be blatantly wrong. This video should prove that point quite effectively.
It's really hard to sit and listen to people hating on the game company without any appreciation for the 11 million other fools that are also playing the game.
Honestly, if I'm not having fun playing a game because some kind of imbalance or bug exists, I either play a different way that IS fun or I find something better to do with my playtime.
I'm going to relate a real life story which has bearing on this subject.
As we all know (or should) Borders (a major retailer for books) is going out of business. Recently I was at one of their locations at about 9:30p. Shortly after I entered the store, I heard an announcement over the in store intercom, "Borders is closed for the evening, our hours are 9a-9p, our registers are closed for the evening, please come back tomorrow and we'll be happy to serve you then." Now, I was a little surprised at the announcement, until I realized that Borders was in the hands of the Liquidators now, and honestly they don't give 2 shits about repeat business as their job is closing down business in the quickest, most profitable way (having worked through the Builder's Square liquidation, I knew this first hand). Deciding that I could just look at the stock to see if what I wanted was there or not so I didn't waste a second trip there the next day, I bummed around for another 10 minutes, give or take. They repeated this announcement every 5 minutes or so, meaning I heard this particular message 3 times before I started to leave.
I headed to the front of the store to leave and noticed there were still about 6 people in line to check out, which I found odd considering the announcements I had been hearing, which had likely been going on since about 8:45p. Some lady walked up to the register with some books to purchase, thinking who knows what. The lady at the register states that they are CLOSED and not taking anymore purchases for the night, not being rude, just stating facts, but also offering to check her out just so she can go home (it's already almost an hour past closing time). The "customer" decides that she is offended and decides to make a scene, stating how this isn't good business etc, etc. The teller says, "Frankly, ma'am, I don't care. The store closed 50 minutes ago, we've been making announcements every 5 minutes since 8:45, if you haven't been listening, that's not my fault. I offered to check out your books, DESPITE THE FACT WE ARE CLOSED." This has to be the best thing I've ever heard said to a customer, ever. The "customer" was being an entitled asshole, like many customers, and thought SHE was right, where clearly she was an insensitive moron. The cashier likely had been there for 8 or 9 hours already that day and KNOWS that in just a few short weeks, she'll be unemployed and searching for work in unfavorable conditions (the job market here right now is tiny, we just had some factories close, many employers made huge staffing cuts, and now a retailer that employs about 4000 workers is shutting it's doors, not to mention the fact that 90% of the jobs you can pick up right now are seasonal and you won't be guaranteed to be employed there come January). The customer was likely a trophy wife that has nothing better to do with her time than go shopping, and likely should be shot, but perhaps that's my 14 years of customer service experience speaking.
That's what amuses me when someone busts out "the customer is always right". Because frequently, they aren't.
And besides, listening to the complainers all the time leads to BAD customer service, not good one. Customer service should reward loyal players, not whiners. If the two overlap, then yes, listen to them, but because they are loyal, not because they are whining. (Although, the auteur in me wants them to disregard the customers entirely and make the game THEY want to make, not the game WE want to make. But I know that's just not good business sense.)
Great video. I hope this will make people think twice before they complain about a feature THAT HAS NOT BEEN RELEASED YET!
And if the feature is released, and you play with it at least for a month, and you still feel it is hurting the game tell Blizzard how, with details.
I would like to take a moment to thank Blizzard for the "Call to Arms" upgrade on the dungeon finder and I am looking forward to Raid Finder. In my opinion Blizzard has done nothing but improve the game over the last year or so that I have been playing regularly.
Because discussing a issue after its goon through testing, production and introduced in a patch, then complaining about it is more effective?
Better to nip a problem in the bud now then try to do it after its released, its feedback and its a good thing.
Also they have made so many "improvements" that close to a million people left, CTA was a gimmick when it first came out and has failed to reduce queue times. As for raid finder, I'll reserve judgement till I get more info on it, if they even release more info before the damn thing launches.
@shadowPriest: Blizzard has a testing system in place where you test on the PTR and post your responses on their beta forums, that is a valid way to be a part of the solution. All the complaining in the general discussion forums or here on Wow Insider is neither constructive nor helpful in anyway.
There are too many people who do not take the time to test a feature on the PTR before complaining about it publicly, they do nothing but hurt the credibility of those that do the research and testing and try to help.
Would you consider the state of the world economy has more to do with the loss in subscriptions then Cata did?
As for CTA, as a hunter I saw my que times drop from 45-60 minutes to about 15 minutes on average. It also encouraged me to finish leveling my DK tank and take advantage of the rewards, which in turn removed a DPS from the que and sped up the wait time for others when I am a tank.
If you are willing to spend some time on the PTR I am sure you will get a chance to try the raid finder before it goes live. You will then be able to give an informed opinion of the feature and provide Blizzard with informed constructive criticism.
The fact that WoW still is the leader in MMORPGs is a credit to the improvements made by Blizzard. I look forward to where they are taking us in the future.
I believe this is more an indictment of the forums and Blizzard's reactions than the "customer is always right" attitude. I believe it's also a very subtle condemnation of Blizzard for caving to the mercurial vocal minority instead of making the game how they see fit. Wowcrendor has absolutely nailed this one.
This video makes it seem like people flip flop, but usually the two sides are distinct. Furthermore, many of those who complain that the game is too easy are wannabe forum heroes who haven't beaten most of the content they claim is too easy.
I'd agree with this. There are a LOT of people that play WoW. Blizzard will never be able to make the game perfect for everyone, but people still want the game to be perfect for them, hence, people will always be complaining about something. You can simultaneously have someone thinking the is too hard AND another person thinking the game is too easy. It doesn't have to happen "Months Later" and rarely is it the same person who thinks it's too hard and then too easy later (unless it's a "forum hero" who just mimics whatever he reads in an attempt to seem smart on a forum).
I get what WoWC is saying here, but it's not one of his better videos imo.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
RetPallyJil Aug 29th 2011 12:08PM
It's like being trapped in my guild vent o_O
Angrycelt Aug 30th 2011 12:21PM
Ain't that the truth...
85% of my guildies are raiders who hate class "balancing" since it makes your choice of class pretty much pointless, so everyone min/maxes out the flavor of the week.
14% are PvPers who think class balance is critical since they can't seem to beat class X and that's somehow not "fair".
1% won't ever be happy with anything and just whine no matter what.
berry Aug 29th 2011 12:14PM
Oh I know why I love wowcrendor so much. And yes I know all these types of people... ;)
Aceman67 Aug 29th 2011 12:18PM
The customer is only always right about one thing: How they feel. It's quite possible for them to be blatantly wrong. This video should prove that point quite effectively.
Mr. Crow Aug 29th 2011 12:29PM
This video strengthens the soul of WOWCRENDOR.
It's really hard to sit and listen to people hating on the game company without any appreciation for the 11 million other fools that are also playing the game.
Honestly, if I'm not having fun playing a game because some kind of imbalance or bug exists, I either play a different way that IS fun or I find something better to do with my playtime.
MattKrotzer Aug 29th 2011 12:31PM
T.S. Quint: Haven't you ever heard the phrase "The customer is always right?"
Shannon Hamilton: Let me tell you something. Let me give you a little secret, okay.
[yells it right in T.S.' ear]
Shannon Hamilton: The customer is always an asshole!
nosoup4u76 Aug 29th 2011 1:16PM
Mallrats quotes FTW!
wutsconflag Aug 29th 2011 4:36PM
This.
A MILLION BILLION TRILLION times this.
Squared. To Infinity.
Plus One.
Natsumi Aug 30th 2011 9:02AM
I'm going to relate a real life story which has bearing on this subject.
As we all know (or should) Borders (a major retailer for books) is going out of business. Recently I was at one of their locations at about 9:30p. Shortly after I entered the store, I heard an announcement over the in store intercom, "Borders is closed for the evening, our hours are 9a-9p, our registers are closed for the evening, please come back tomorrow and we'll be happy to serve you then." Now, I was a little surprised at the announcement, until I realized that Borders was in the hands of the Liquidators now, and honestly they don't give 2 shits about repeat business as their job is closing down business in the quickest, most profitable way (having worked through the Builder's Square liquidation, I knew this first hand). Deciding that I could just look at the stock to see if what I wanted was there or not so I didn't waste a second trip there the next day, I bummed around for another 10 minutes, give or take. They repeated this announcement every 5 minutes or so, meaning I heard this particular message 3 times before I started to leave.
I headed to the front of the store to leave and noticed there were still about 6 people in line to check out, which I found odd considering the announcements I had been hearing, which had likely been going on since about 8:45p. Some lady walked up to the register with some books to purchase, thinking who knows what. The lady at the register states that they are CLOSED and not taking anymore purchases for the night, not being rude, just stating facts, but also offering to check her out just so she can go home (it's already almost an hour past closing time). The "customer" decides that she is offended and decides to make a scene, stating how this isn't good business etc, etc. The teller says, "Frankly, ma'am, I don't care. The store closed 50 minutes ago, we've been making announcements every 5 minutes since 8:45, if you haven't been listening, that's not my fault. I offered to check out your books, DESPITE THE FACT WE ARE CLOSED." This has to be the best thing I've ever heard said to a customer, ever. The "customer" was being an entitled asshole, like many customers, and thought SHE was right, where clearly she was an insensitive moron. The cashier likely had been there for 8 or 9 hours already that day and KNOWS that in just a few short weeks, she'll be unemployed and searching for work in unfavorable conditions (the job market here right now is tiny, we just had some factories close, many employers made huge staffing cuts, and now a retailer that employs about 4000 workers is shutting it's doors, not to mention the fact that 90% of the jobs you can pick up right now are seasonal and you won't be guaranteed to be employed there come January). The customer was likely a trophy wife that has nothing better to do with her time than go shopping, and likely should be shot, but perhaps that's my 14 years of customer service experience speaking.
Sunaseni Aug 29th 2011 12:32PM
That's what amuses me when someone busts out "the customer is always right". Because frequently, they aren't.
And besides, listening to the complainers all the time leads to BAD customer service, not good one. Customer service should reward loyal players, not whiners. If the two overlap, then yes, listen to them, but because they are loyal, not because they are whining. (Although, the auteur in me wants them to disregard the customers entirely and make the game THEY want to make, not the game WE want to make. But I know that's just not good business sense.)
coville Aug 29th 2011 12:36PM
Great video. I hope this will make people think twice before they complain about a feature THAT HAS NOT BEEN RELEASED YET!
And if the feature is released, and you play with it at least for a month, and you still feel it is hurting the game tell Blizzard how, with details.
I would like to take a moment to thank Blizzard for the "Call to Arms" upgrade on the dungeon finder and I am looking forward to Raid Finder. In my opinion Blizzard has done nothing but improve the game over the last year or so that I have been playing regularly.
Thank you Blizzard, keep up the good work.
ShadowPriest Aug 30th 2011 9:49AM
Because discussing a issue after its goon through testing, production and introduced in a patch, then complaining about it is more effective?
Better to nip a problem in the bud now then try to do it after its released, its feedback and its a good thing.
Also they have made so many "improvements" that close to a million people left, CTA was a gimmick when it first came out and has failed to reduce queue times. As for raid finder, I'll reserve judgement till I get more info on it, if they even release more info before the damn thing launches.
coville Aug 30th 2011 10:03AM
@shadowPriest: Blizzard has a testing system in place where you test on the PTR and post your responses on their beta forums, that is a valid way to be a part of the solution. All the complaining in the general discussion forums or here on Wow Insider is neither constructive nor helpful in anyway.
There are too many people who do not take the time to test a feature on the PTR before complaining about it publicly, they do nothing but hurt the credibility of those that do the research and testing and try to help.
Would you consider the state of the world economy has more to do with the loss in subscriptions then Cata did?
As for CTA, as a hunter I saw my que times drop from 45-60 minutes to about 15 minutes on average. It also encouraged me to finish leveling my DK tank and take advantage of the rewards, which in turn removed a DPS from the que and sped up the wait time for others when I am a tank.
If you are willing to spend some time on the PTR I am sure you will get a chance to try the raid finder before it goes live. You will then be able to give an informed opinion of the feature and provide Blizzard with informed constructive criticism.
The fact that WoW still is the leader in MMORPGs is a credit to the improvements made by Blizzard. I look forward to where they are taking us in the future.
Kunikenwad! Aug 29th 2011 1:17PM
I believe this is more an indictment of the forums and Blizzard's reactions than the "customer is always right" attitude. I believe it's also a very subtle condemnation of Blizzard for caving to the mercurial vocal minority instead of making the game how they see fit. Wowcrendor has absolutely nailed this one.
Suss Aug 29th 2011 2:46PM
This video makes it seem like people flip flop, but usually the two sides are distinct. Furthermore, many of those who complain that the game is too easy are wannabe forum heroes who haven't beaten most of the content they claim is too easy.
Hih Aug 29th 2011 4:10PM
I'd agree with this. There are a LOT of people that play WoW. Blizzard will never be able to make the game perfect for everyone, but people still want the game to be perfect for them, hence, people will always be complaining about something. You can simultaneously have someone thinking the is too hard AND another person thinking the game is too easy. It doesn't have to happen "Months Later" and rarely is it the same person who thinks it's too hard and then too easy later (unless it's a "forum hero" who just mimics whatever he reads in an attempt to seem smart on a forum).
I get what WoWC is saying here, but it's not one of his better videos imo.
Matthew Aug 29th 2011 4:24PM
Ya know, I have been QQ'ing lately that mana burn is OP and should be removed.
But then I realized - at least it's unique. Granted, it takes no skill - but it's at least unique.
I'm going to stop QQing at that and view it as proof that not all classes are the same.
However, I want all healer classes to have a mana burn mechanic too! (just kidding there!)