Buy Safe
Play it Safe
Everyone likes a bargain, right? When faced with a choice between two apparently identical products, the only thing that really affects our decision is the price; but cheaper does not always mean better. Whilst the Internet makes it easy to compare product prices across many, many retailers, it also opens the door to individuals looking to exploit people - people like you, who are looking for the best deals.
Sometimes our better judgement can become clouded by a low price. As the saying goes, if something sounds too good to be true… chances are, it is.
Buyer Beware
Online auction sites, whilst home to many reputable sellers, are fast becoming a target for fraudsters selling bogus copies of NCsoft’s games. This isn’t good for you as a consumer, or them as a reseller, because not only does reselling contravene the User Agreement, it also puts you as a buyer at risk of obtaining an incomplete or unusable product.
All NCsoft games contain a unique Game Activation Code. This code is used to create an account and activate your game, so you won’t get far without it. All codes contained in game retail boxes are shipped ‘hidden’ on a Game Activation Card, and must be revealed by scratching off a covering strip. This ensures the code is unused and genuine.
Unfortunately, when you buy ‘blind’ from an auction site, you have no way of knowing whether the code contained in the box is in pristine condition. It could be counterfeit, it might have already been used, it may even just be a trial or beta code and, of course, who says it’s actually going to be in the box at all? There are no guarantees.
If you are unfortunate enough to be sold an invalid code, you won’t be able to create a game account - and without a game account, you cannot play the game. To add insult to injury, without a valid receipt, the reseller is not required by law to issue a refund. That ‘great bargain’ has just cost you.
Buy Safe. Buy Secure.
What can you do to avoid this? Simple: buy from reputable, established retailers, as they offer guarantees that ensure your product will arrive in the same condition it was shipped in - new and sealed. More importantly, you’ll have an official Game Activation Code, fresh from retail and ready to apply to your game. In addition to this, your statutory rights remain intact in the unlikely event that something turns out to be faulty. You can find retailers for all NCsoft games here.
If you’re eager to start playing right away, you can also purchase a game activation code (without the box) direct from NCsoft, via the PlayNC Store. To do so, register or login to your PlayNC Master Account and on the PlayNC Account Management page click ‘Purchase Code’. Follow the steps and as soon as your billing information is verified, you’ll be issued your code and will be able to download the game client.
However you decide to purchase NCsoft games, remember to buy safe.
NCsoft Europe does not accept any responsibility for the quality of products resold through unofficial channels. For further information regarding the User Agreements and Rules of Conduct associated with NCsoft Europe games, please visit PlayNC . If you have further questions regarding the policies of NCsoft Europe, please visit the Knowledge Base for more information.
