12-26-2018, 03:41 AM
G2A’s payment service is charging users for inactivity
<div style="margin: 5px 5% 10px 5%;"><img src="http://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/g2as-payment-service-is-charging-users-for-inactivity.jpg" width="200" height="200" title="" alt="" /></div><div><p>G2A Pay is charging a recurring service fee for members who are inactive for over 180 days, justifying the charge because “as a supervised financial institution, we must meet many requirements related to the monitoring and servicing of each account.” </p>
<p>It’s worth noting that this is separate from G2A, which is known for being a digital marketplace (similar to eBay) to sell video game keys. G2A Pay is its payment service. </p>
<p>First noticed by a user on <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/assholedesign/comments/a81c7m/why_the_hell_am_i_being_charged_for_not_logging_in/">Reddit,</a> they share an email detailing a service charge of €1 (~$1.14) for nearly 180 days of inactivity on their account.</p>
<p>According to the post, a recurring fee of €1 will be charged every month after the 180 days pass during which the user does not log in. </p>
<p>Indie dev Dan Marshall posted a screenshot of the email to <a href="https://twitter.com/danthat/status/1076035294464540672" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a> as well, leading to others speculating as to if the inactivity fee was real or not. Turns out that it is, and appears in <a href="https://pay.g2a.com/terms-and-conditions">G2A Pay’s terms and conditions</a> under section two, item 20. </p>
<p>“It costs money to upkeep accounts and if someone does not use the account, it doesn’t make sense to upkeep it,” explains G2A Pay <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/assholedesign/comments/a81c7m/why_the_hell_am_i_being_charged_for_not_logging_in/ec92r4y">in an official statement</a> (which is pinned to the original Reddit post referenced above).</p>
<p>“We don’t require these users to buy anything, just log in at least once every 6 months, just so that we know they are still with us. As a financial institution we are also monitored, supervised, and audited and have to back up and explain all our accounts and the funds stored on these accounts,” the post continues.</p>
<p>“Once an account may be considered ‘abandoned’ we take certain steps to make sure we are in line with all regulations, jurisdictions and laws.” </p>
<p>This has lead many users are question the legality of the charge, citing gift card laws, considering how gift cards are repositories for a cash balance and can be comparable to a user’s wallet in G2A Pay.</p>
<p>“Account balances are not the same as gift cards. You can use a gift card to recharge the balance on your G2A account, but you can also recharge it a myriad of other ways, therefore the two are not the same,” the company responded. </p>
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<div style="margin: 5px 5% 10px 5%;"><img src="http://www.sickgaming.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/g2as-payment-service-is-charging-users-for-inactivity.jpg" width="200" height="200" title="" alt="" /></div><div><p>G2A Pay is charging a recurring service fee for members who are inactive for over 180 days, justifying the charge because “as a supervised financial institution, we must meet many requirements related to the monitoring and servicing of each account.” </p>
<p>It’s worth noting that this is separate from G2A, which is known for being a digital marketplace (similar to eBay) to sell video game keys. G2A Pay is its payment service. </p>
<p>First noticed by a user on <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/assholedesign/comments/a81c7m/why_the_hell_am_i_being_charged_for_not_logging_in/">Reddit,</a> they share an email detailing a service charge of €1 (~$1.14) for nearly 180 days of inactivity on their account.</p>
<p>According to the post, a recurring fee of €1 will be charged every month after the 180 days pass during which the user does not log in. </p>
<p>Indie dev Dan Marshall posted a screenshot of the email to <a href="https://twitter.com/danthat/status/1076035294464540672" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a> as well, leading to others speculating as to if the inactivity fee was real or not. Turns out that it is, and appears in <a href="https://pay.g2a.com/terms-and-conditions">G2A Pay’s terms and conditions</a> under section two, item 20. </p>
<p>“It costs money to upkeep accounts and if someone does not use the account, it doesn’t make sense to upkeep it,” explains G2A Pay <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/assholedesign/comments/a81c7m/why_the_hell_am_i_being_charged_for_not_logging_in/ec92r4y">in an official statement</a> (which is pinned to the original Reddit post referenced above).</p>
<p>“We don’t require these users to buy anything, just log in at least once every 6 months, just so that we know they are still with us. As a financial institution we are also monitored, supervised, and audited and have to back up and explain all our accounts and the funds stored on these accounts,” the post continues.</p>
<p>“Once an account may be considered ‘abandoned’ we take certain steps to make sure we are in line with all regulations, jurisdictions and laws.” </p>
<p>This has lead many users are question the legality of the charge, citing gift card laws, considering how gift cards are repositories for a cash balance and can be comparable to a user’s wallet in G2A Pay.</p>
<p>“Account balances are not the same as gift cards. You can use a gift card to recharge the balance on your G2A account, but you can also recharge it a myriad of other ways, therefore the two are not the same,” the company responded. </p>
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