Report: ECA Membership Brings Amazon.com Discount

Report: ECA Membership Brings Amazon.com Discount

March 28, 2009

Ben Kuchera of Ars Technica reports that he caught up with Entertainment Consumers Association President Hal Halpin (left) at the Game Developers Conference this week.

While Ben has a full, issue-oriented interview with Hal coming up, he has in the meantime posted some good news for ECA members: You'll now get a 10% off software purchases at Amazon.com.

Of the deal, Hal told Kuchera:

If you buy three games or so a year through Amazon, your [$20] ECA membership is basically free.

 

FULL DISCLOSURE DEPT: The ECA is the parent company of GamePolitics.

Comments

Re: Report: ECA Membership Brings Amazon.com Discount

Wow that's pretty sweet. I may actually have to sign up now.

Re: Report: ECA Membership Brings Amazon.com Discount

I thought there was always an Amazon discount?

 

http://www.magicinkgaming.com/

Re: Report: ECA Membership Brings Amazon.com Discount

I'm an ECA member and for months I looked for this fabled Amazon discount (which is not new - they were advertising it months ago), but I never could find it.  I just went there today and it does now - finally - exist (although I've yet to test to see if it really works).  For weeks I had emailed the ECA about it, I'd asked on their forums.  No one ever responded.  As far as I was concerned, until it appeared, it seemed to me it was a scam to get people to join.

Since receiving no response to my queries I sent an email asking for my membership (which automatically renews and charges my credit card every year - another thing that seems kinda scammy) to be stopped.  I've received no response on that either.  Seems to me that the ECA is very unresponsive.  I'm still not convinced that ECA is not simply milking members and giving little if anything back (unless you happen to be famous - in which case I'll bet they look after you really well).  However, this Amazon discount - if it indeed works - will mean that the ECA is definitely worth joining - at least for those of us who buy games at Amazon.

Since the discount has finally appeared, it seems this is NOT a scam and that my queries had simply fallen through the cracks.  I must admit I'm still very wary of the organization.  Hopefully the ECA will continue to work to be more responsive to its membership.  Perhaps answering the odd email inquiry would be a step in the right direction.

Re: Report: ECA Membership Brings Amazon.com Discount

I also looked all over for the discount and could never find it.  I also wanted to cancel my subscription that automatically renews, but there was no way to do so online, or anywhere describing how to do so.  Thankfully the credit card I used expired so they couldn't auto-renew anymore.  Of course then I got an email telling my renewal failed and they asked for a new card.  Yeah right, I'm not falling for that again.  

http://www.eliteownage.com/nice

Re: Report: ECA Membership Brings Amazon.com Discount

Yeah.  In nine months when they try to renew my membership they will find that mine is also expired.  I'm going to bide my time though - if they do get their act together it certainly will be worth staying/joining, but right now I'm tending towards not renewing my membership.  Even if I do renew, I think I'll be sure to use a card that will soon expire - just in case.

Re: Report: ECA Membership Brings Amazon.com Discount

Bennett, sorry for the lack of response, it did indeed slip through the cracks.  Let me know what email account you sent to, so we can track down the email and figure out why it did indeed slip through the cracks.

The official roll out was supposed to be Wednesday but the cat got let out of the bag a little early.  The benefit is up but right now there's a slight technical glitch that's making it a one time use code, which will hopefully be resolved this week.

Brett Schenker

Online Advocacy Manager

the ECA

www.theeca.com

Re: Report: ECA Membership Brings Amazon.com Discount

Your assertions and assurances don't exactly fill me with confidence.

The official roll-out was "A little early"?  You've been advertising it for at least 4 months.  By that reasoning, the US was 'a little late' joining WW2.

As for where I sent the email, I sent it to the email address that was then listed on the ECA website (membership@theeca.com).  The email was sent on 1/14/2009 at 1:11pm Eastern Time - I still have a copy of it in my 'sent items' folder.  This is what it said:

"Having found that the ECA member benefits are not what were advertised before I joined (specifically that the Amazon.com discount does not seem to be available), I hereby notify ECA that I do not wish to renew membership in the ECA Service pursuant to Section 4 of the ECA Terms of Membership.  Please do not renew my membership at the end of my 12 month membership term."

If you can't respond to emails your organization has big problems.

On the other hand I just went on the site, and now there is a clear way to cancel membership (there was not before).  Keep making progress in this direction and the ECA will win back my trust.

Re: Report: ECA Membership Brings Amazon.com Discount

Might actually join now..or I might already have. I tend not to pay attention to these things. XD;

I'm likely going to join the EFF though, even if they are a bit more extreme. They're adamant about stopping invasive DRM and allowing modchips, which is what I'm looking for really..ECA is advocating for used game sales though, which is a reason to support them. I'm a PC guy though.

 

I will not buy securom games. http://www.wolvenmoon.com/sharedfiles/message1.jpg and http://www.wolvenmoon.com/sharedfiles/message2.jpg

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JDKJ: You should get Phil McCraken to help you spackle those banisters.
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ZippyDSMlee: Oh in the pirate hunter article I need my song ieda heckled DS,JD,Beemon sic im !!!
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ZippyDSMlee: JD:no I am tried from prepping the banisters for painting , worked on them from 12 to 4 and 6 to 8...after I got back from the store...got up early got ready...blah...been up all day..I need a nap...
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mentor07825: Britain certainly does deserve it! And the French! God damn it, it was a hand ball!!!
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ZippyDSMlee: mentor07825:Well Brittan dose deserve it....
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ZippyDSMlee: Alyric:I don;t hasliburton having to pay back billoins... don;t you love it when the rich roll over the goverment without a care?
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Austin_Lewis: I say we try Al Gore too. I always said he was in on the racket.
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Alyric: The leaked information proves these organizations knowingly defrauded governments (i.e., taxpayers) out of billions of dollars. Yet there will probably never be a trial.
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Flamespeak: working on other things makes me angry. I might have had a jet pack by now. :p
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Flamespeak: Just thinking of all the time and manpower wasted to try and make things emit less CO2 emmision that could have been spent
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