Online Worlds > VFK - Virtual Family Kingdom
How about those 'Real Items' we were supposed to get???
flamanar:
Ok...with you on a few points...not on some others. Such as:
1) did your cousins customers prepay for the items?
2) if so, how many customers did he lose due to the delay?
3) how many of those customers will be repeat customers due to the delay?
4) did he have open lines of communication with them...or did they have to track him down every 2 months for vague answers?
Yes, a new business is tough. Opening early makes nothing easy. However, the biggest thing missing in all this is VFK being PROACTIVE...instead of REACTIVE. Guess that expectation comes from my work with Saturn Corp. What VFK should be aiming for is retaining existing customers and enticing new customers (customers meaning paying members). With the difficulty of trying to reach VFK, the billing problems, the order problems, the (still) severe lack of communication, etc., VFK is neither retaining existing members nor are they encouraging new members. That can make or break VFK.
VFK is not a scam. Anyone who thinks so is sorely mistaken. Do they need some serious technical, legal, logistic and communication help?....um...uh huh. Not to mention being seriously understaffed (can't even imagine the ratio of staff-to-member right now).
VFK needs to be forthcoming with accurate and timely information...not because people are nosey or impatient...it's just good customer relations. Amazes me how people can claim to run businesses...yet defend poor business practices that baffle the mind...
Bell: agree completely with your last sentence. It is sad and I hope they don't lose it all.
Flamanar...Pix: consider yerself smitten... ;)
--- Quote from: ScarlettPixie on July 27, 2009, 05:12 PM ---I'm going to put my opinion on this. Yes, I understand everyone's concerns on the real items. That there is no straight answer when and if we receive them. The current location is "on ship, on the way" It can take 4-6 weeks for them to get to VFK office, then they have to unpack everything, deal with the orders and so forth. That assembly line can take a few weeks as well. Yes, I also want my package as well.
However, nobody has really pointed out what it takes to create a business such as VFK, or even a regular business. Items can be ordered from the manufactures and things do go wrong. My own cousin is dealing the same thing as VFK. It's been an entire year with his items to be made and also the packaging to be done. Why? Because each time the item is produced for him, it has an error. Once it was his name, the other a wrong color or the wrong image on the packaging. Handmade items also take longer than machine manufactored.
Also, I have reminded many of this. VFK was not supposed to open that quickly. They only opened their doors to give us shelter from the virtual streets. I would have assumed that VFK would had wanted the membership items received to their offices first then done the Founder memberships. However, I do agree that they made a mistake. They should had stated in the order- Due to the lateness of the manufactor, please expect your items by _____.
VFK has worked so hard to develop a world that many of us love. To "use" our money as a scam is hardly doubtful. Why would they waste so many hard working hours, months, weeks... to release virtual products, lands and so forth. If some who are assuming its a scam for our money- Well, I do not believe so. If VFK had not excelled on their creativity, added more rooms/items/member gifts for us to enjoy and also staff communication (meaning, you still see staff out there with the players) Then and only then would I believe its a scam. No person would want to waste their time and energy to create such a world and then throw it out. Creating something, wheither or not its a virtual world or a book, it is transformed as a child. I know for certain that VFK developers share my thoughts as VFK being "their child"
Now, I do not know if VFK is planning to sell similar worlds or not. But at the moment, I am enjoying the one they have created.
You can smite me now. :tongue3:
--- End quote ---
ScarlettPixie:
Oh, I was only talking on the production on items, not customers. He has not put it in the market yet for sale until the items are in his hands.
littlebelle:
VFK is not a scam That I know. What I do not like is how they handle our money, the communications is aweful. And because of that I am unsure if I will sign up next year. I will still play with a wait and see. If I see better communication then I will continue the support.
flamanar:
--- Quote from: ScarlettPixie on July 27, 2009, 06:27 PM ---Oh, I was only talking on the production on items, not customers. He has not put it in the market yet for sale until the items are in his hands.
--- End quote ---
Ah. Which is the way it should be done. We can see what happens when businesses rely on 'estimates' from suppliers, then pre-sell items based on those 'estimates'. Still wondering about the 'aborigine' agreement...did anyone in the 'tribe' there know how to write so they could sign a contract? Was there a contract? How could they be penalized for breaking the contract...suing them? Seems to me that they chose a very unreliable source to do business with. Not only do they probably have little to no legal power to use against them if they don't follow through with what they were supposed to supply, it causes dissatisfaction among hundreds (thousands?) of paying members...who may decide not to renew. VFK needs to create paying members who are happy because they got what they paid for. Those members will tell their friends to sign up, and word will spread. Good business practices.
I can't tell you how many posts I made 'elsewhere' about how VFK SERIOUSLY needs to work on their communications...always my biggest complaint...and I started doing that shortly after they opened...yet the problem still continues? Shame. Takes minutes to update a homepage, ppl...yet nobody has the time?
Flamanar
PrincessWendyBird:
Well, I am going to throw my 2 cents into the ring regarding this topic. First, let me say I think people are justified in wanting to receive the "real" goods from their membership(s). However, King and myself were not really worried about the real items when we bought our memberships. After calling and speaking with the folks at the VFK office, we knew this was a venture and these were people we wanted to support. We purchased memberships to support the game development and because we enjoy the game. Those memberships have now provided us with over a year of membership privileges and many fun times in game. For us, if we get the real items, that will be icing on the cake.
As far as calling the BBB or the Attorney General's office...well, we won't be doing that. Our entire family loves playing this game and I want to see it succeed. I can assure you, these people are not trying to scam anyone. Have they been weak in the business/customer service are of this venture - yes. Hopefully, they are learning and with time we will see changes in these areas. We have talked to them many times over the phone dealing with questions, etc. I don't know that you could find more kind and caring people than the VFK Staff. They really do care about the community and the people playing the game. Do they have improving to do? Sure, I know my life is about constantly growing and improving. Sometimes that means learning by making mistakes. For myself, sometimes the same mistakes several times before I finally "get it". I am willing to give them some time to let the business end catch up to the creative side of the game.
I know some may think this is a "Pollyanna" view of things. I guess that is just how I am about life these days. I understand, as a business, VFK needs to take some ownership of things and fix them. However, for me, I am just taking joy from a game I enjoy where I have met some absolutely wonderful friends. :)
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