So you might have been on the fence about getting a refund for your STO lifetime or annual subscription. Don't worry you had a whole month to decide right?  Wrong. It now seems due to errors within Cryptic's billing department some people really got shafted.
 
Why go digging for this you may ask? Well for starters I know a bunch of people who got a refund so it matters to me in hopes this didn't happen to them. Secondly after finding this, it made me curious so I went to STO's web site, logged into my account, and it says my account is ACTIVE when it should not be. (the billing info is deleted too) This prompted me to double check my statement and the credit to my account is still there from my refund with no extra charges. (yet)
 
Below is the post from a forum mod of IGN's Vault Network sharing his/her own issues that got me thinking I should look into this.
  

Customer contacted to get a refund for his life time. (This was filed on the 23rd. At this time I had been assured that the refund would process. According to everything posted by the community the cut off date was March 1st.)

-Update- 2/26/10 What is the ETA on this? I called on the 23rd, in advance to my 30 day free period ending. (This was a online ticket update from me.)

-Update- 3/1/10 I was told twice by your reps that I would be issued a refund. Once on the 23rd when I filed a ticket and then again from a different rep on the 26th. Both of these were in person over the phone. The first rep assured me the refund would be a snap. The second rep assured me that the refund was processing and would clear shortly. Many other customers have received a refund during the first 30 days and during the same time I was being told that my refund would clear soon. All of which was still under the first 30 days of their subscription. It seems to me that I was given "the run around" for over a week. So that my 30 days would expire. It seems extremely fraudulent for you to change your stance after I was told the refund would be processed in 3-5 days.

In conclusion, I will wait for further communication from you and take the necessary steps with my financial institution. This horrible customer service experience has left a very bad taste in my mouth. Had I been given the correct information on my first call I would have stopped at that. It seems you guys change your minds on a whim and my expectations from Cryptic are now extremely low.

(This was a ticket update I did after I called for the 3rd time. It was at this time that I was told I would not get a refund but, given no true explanation as to why.)

-Update- 3/3/10
Copy and pasting the same reply to my ticket does not dissolve you from your customer service foul up. Your reps misrepresented you on two separate occasions during two separate phone conversations. Once more you have failed to handle this issue to my satisfaction. Both times that I called "YOU" "Cryptic" informed me that my refund would go through. Both times "YOU" "Cryptic" said I had nothing to worry about. 

Once again I believe I will go through my entire experience from top to bottom. Since I only seem to get copy and paste robot replies.

From the top..

On Feb 23rd I called and requested a refund. I talked to a real person and they looked up my account info. They then stated that they would refund my money. A few days passed and nothing was back in my account. I called again and got a different rep this time. They looked up my previous ticket and said that everything looked fine. They then stated that my refund should process in 3-5 business days. A week passed and still nothing was in my account. I called a third time and explained the situation. I told them I already had a ticket open and I had already been informed that my refund would go through. They put me on hold and then returned a few moments later. They said that I would in fact not be refunded any money. They ignored the tickets that had been filled and what the previous reps had told me. At this point they terminated the call.

Does that sound like a good customer experience to you? Does this sound like a good way to retain customers? Does this sound like things were handled properly?

(This was after I got the typical copy and paste reply. This type of reply did not start showing up till around March 1st. This is where they quote the TOS over and over like a robot)

-Update- 3/3/10 (This is me being a smart ass in my own way)

Could you explain to me why these individuals received their refunds in a prompt manner and I did not?

http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s354/Jnaathra/STO%20Tickets/refund002.jpg 

http://i511.photobucket.com/albums/s354/Jnaathra/STO%20Tickets/ticket002.jpg 

-Update- 3/3/10 (Phone Conversation x 4)

Today I called once more. I spoke to Peter, which is the same person I spoke with on my 2nd call. During my second call Peter was the individual that informed me that everything looked fine and that my refund should process soon.

After talking with Peter for over twenty minutes I was told something rather shocking. That I had in fact gotten my ticket in on time. That other people had received refunds that had filed tickets on that day. I was told by Peter that the billing department had not processed my ticket in time. Which means that I the customer had done everything properly and correctly and that the failing was not mine but rather theirs. So even though the fault lies with Cryptic's billing department I was going to be discriminated against. I was not going to be offered the same refund that others were given on the 23rd.. Even though that is the day that I filed my ticket. (Yes they admitted it was their fault and they still are not going to do anything about it.)   

Better go check your statements guys.  (unless you're satisfied with your purchase) I ticketed mine on the 14th of Feb, called Cryptic the next morning on the 15th, and was refunded on the 19th as seen here in my statement. 

I could have sworn I posted this in the STO forum and not General forum. If a mod would kindly move it there I would appreciate it. Now I'm off to get that morning coffee I should have had before writing this. 
 
-edit- Thank you very much for moving it.

The forum bugz are launching another attack again

What are you gonna do buzz? Follow this up? I am sure someone is gonna bring in a lawsuit...who knows..maybe cryptic does not HAVE the money to refund. From what I heard the game is not all that was offered at first. 
 
You'll give us updates on this stuff right? 

I simply canceled my monthly subscription a day before it was set to renew, no problems here...although it still cost me $59.99 to realize there was nothing to do in STO, and it was in fact not even an MMO. It's more like a crappy single player game with a chat room.

" @The_Laughing_Man: I don't need to do squat. I got my money back. My question was dead on specific for those who "Didn't" get a refund. "

 -Update- 3/4/10

Quoting rep below. " Hello, Sorry, the phone reps were not stating correct policy information if this is what you were told. We do not issue refunds on lifetime subscriptions. The 30 day period you're referring to is only for regular subscriptions, not lifetime ones. When you agreed to the stated terms, you waived that right. You are certainly within your rights to file a charge back. If you have more clarification, please contact us again. Regards, Cryptic Studios Billing Support"

I have already contacted billing and support four times now. The first two times I was told I would get a refund and that it was being processed. The next two times I was told I would not be getting a refund. For more details you can see what I have written above. I was also told the reason I would not be getting a refund is because you did not process my request in time.

If the phone reps are not stating policy correctly that is not my concern. You are liable for what they tell me.

Now this time you are trying to tell me that lifetime refunds were not offered. Even after I have provided evidence to the contrary above (See the two screen captures above). One of those captures shows a refund that was approved on the same day that I filed my ticket and it was for a lifetime sub. How do you explain that?

Here is todays reply.

Hello, Thank you for contacting Cryptic Studios Billing Support. Per your request, a refund has been applied to your account in the amount of $239.99. This will be deposited within 5-7 business days, depending on the card issuing bank. If you should have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us again. Regards, Cryptic Studios Billing Support For more information regarding our most frequently asked questions can be located on our website located at http://champions-online.com/support or http://startrekonline.com/support 

The battle of wits seems to have ended. Sadly I sent the bank after them a few days ago. I will contact my bank after the funds are in my account and halt any chargeback/dispute at that time. (If possible)  
 
To be on the cautious side I called my bank and talked to the person that helped me start the chargeback/dispute. I was told leave the chargeback/dispute as it is. That in the event that I was refunded twice that the bank would correct that mistake. They explained to me that we just have no idea what this company is doing right now. If I was to stop the chargeback/dispute and then they changed their mind again, I would have to start the process all over again.    

I was vaguely interested in this game. Glad I steered clear of this clusterfuck.

I still can't understand why someone who played the beta for weeks, and based on that experience decided to to get a lifetime or one-year subscription, would want to get a refund only three weeks after launch. It's the same friggin' game that he was playing three days before launch; why would he hate it all of a sudden in such a short time? I think all the negativity that is plaguing the official forums and the zone chat rooms has something to do with this, and not the game itself.
 
@septim: Here's a good example why negativity is affecting people's interest in the game, and not their experience of the game itself. It's now a clusterfuck because some dude is having a problem getting a refund, and because some people decided to cancel their subscription. Can anyone name any MMO that never loses subscribers? Even WoW, as popular as it is, has people canceling their subscription all the time.

Wait, did that say you spent $70 at a 7eleven? 

" Wait, did that say you spent $70 at a 7eleven?  "

@septim: Here's a good example why negativity is affecting people's interest in the game, and not their experience of the game itself. It's now a clusterfuck because some dude is having a problem getting a refund, and because some people decided to cancel their subscription. Can anyone name any MMO that never loses subscribers? Even WoW, as popular as it is, has people canceling their subscription all the time. "

" QQ "

Oh snap now I know what 7-11 you go to. I'll see you soon, punk. Real soon. 
 
Also this sucks and Cryptic should be ashamed.

" @Legend said:

@septim: Here's a good example why negativity is affecting people's interest in the game, and not their experience of the game itself. It's now a clusterfuck because some dude is having a problem getting a refund, and because some people decided to cancel their subscription. Can anyone name any MMO that never loses subscribers? Even WoW, as popular as it is, has people canceling their subscription all the time. "

Nobody likes having their money "EFFED" with. It's not about if the game is good or not at this point. It's about people who want their money, know how to get it, and human error gets in the way. Why would ANYONE want this kind of experience to happen to them... let alone again if it's all ready burned them before? The wise have "steered clear", the patient have "taken the plunge", the foolish "have their regrets". In the end it was simply a game we could not win from the start. "

1. You make it sound like everyone is having difficulty getting their money back even though you got your refund without any problem, and it's clear that this is a very limited issue.    

2. I was actually surprised that they would refund people in the first place, but the fact that they have this policy which guarantees you a refund within the first month is a testament to the fact that this company is not as bad as some people would make you believe.

3. But still, Cryptic is nice enough to give you a refund and people repay them by complaining more and wasting more of their time. "

" Oh snap now I know what 7-11 you go to. I'll see you soon, punk. Real soon.   "

I never once claimed "everyone" is having difficulty.

America has a policy, not Cryptic. Both consumers and businesses have rights to protect them, and if Cryptic wants to do business in the US they have to follow the law like everyone else. Cryptic wasn't trying to be nice at all. They were obeying the law when intelligent consumers knew their rights and demanded a refund.

The fact people had to force them in some cases goes beyond human error and is a testament to the fact this company is as bad as some people would make you believe. See what I did there again?

It's their choice if they want to post the horror stories..

The complaints are more than justified so it comes down to a case of buyer beware.

 If Cryptic took the time in the first place to issue refunds right away it would make them look better not worse. The fact they were shady and negligent about it is just another fly in the ointment. 

Feel free to read over my original post again and notice I make no personal comments bashing Cryptic.

As far as we know, they are issuing the refunds the right way, and there is nothing that would support the claim they are not doing that or that they are "shady and negligent" as you say.

@Legend said:   
 
Yeah, it seems you were careful not to do that, otherwise some might use these comments against you and accuse you of being a troll like they did in other threads. ;) But I disagree, I think you should say whatever is on your mind, and not care about what those people say. I'm sure there are many users, myself included, who want to hear your honest personal opinion, so don't pay much attention to anyone else. "