UPDATE: Pandora’s Tower has been announced for North America, published by XSEED Games, and scheduled to be released Spring 2013!
The information below is being kept as an archive. For up-to-date resolution status for those looking forward to receiving a collector’s case, please visit this page.
12/3 UPDATE: We were able to get in touch with the printer of the cases this morning. The cases were insured, we have filed a claim with UPS, and we will be ordering a re-print as soon as we are reimbursed. We have arranged with the printer to have the cases shipped to a more secure location. This still puts another delay on the rocky road to getting the cases shipped out, but now everyone can rest in peace knowing that the cases will be arriving soon. We will post more information as it becomes available to us.
The staff of Oprainfall sincerely apologizes for any confusion this may have caused those who donated.
We will be offering refunds to all individuals who request them. You may send a refund request using our contact form. Please be sure to include your name, the email address attached to your PayPal donation, and the name attached to the PayPal account. It would also be helpful if you include a PayPal transaction number. If you request a refund, your name will be taken off of our mailing list for the cases.
If you have a question or concern that you feel has not been addressed, we took the time to answer many of the questions that have been asked over the past few days. We will issue further updates when the cases are reprinted and ready for shipment.
Original Post:
We made a post earlier explaining that the cases were stolen. The admin that made the post was simply concerned about letting everyone that made a donation know what had happened.
We are still awaiting confirmation from the printer and UPS, but more likely than not, we will either be reimbursed by UPS for leaving the box of cases in an insecure location or the printer will reprint our order, especially since it has taken so long for them to finally print (that’s what we get for finding a low-priced printer!)
We will let everyone know with another update on Monday regarding the exact status of the cases. In the event that we are reimbursed or the cases are reprinted, we will send the cases out to those who donated as soon as possible. If we are not able to be reimbursed and the printer refuses to work with us, we will issue a refund to anyone who wants one and for those who do not request a refund, we will pay out of our own pockets to have a small number of cases printed.
We apologize for rushing with incomplete news. This incident was devastating for my family, but thankfully we have family and friends to help us pull through. Again, we will have more exact information on Monday.
Oprainfall would like to thank all of those that believed in us from day one and we promise to continue without any let up, making sure that no niche game gets left behind.
Sincerely,
Steven Boaz – Owner and Editor, Oprainfall
Sorry for any grammar mistakes, I typed this up with my 3DS. I just figured everyone would like a little clarification and know that we aren’t here to screw you all over. Oprainfall is our passion, and we intend to be here for a long time, so thank you to everyone for sticking by us through thick and thin.
i for one don’t mind if i get a case or not. the donation was to try and get pandora’s tower localized and even though it wasn’t, at least the money went to trying and make that possible. if anything the case was just a really cool bonus to helping out this cause
We’re never gonna get the cases. We’ve never even seen some solid evidence that the cases even existed. How about some pictures? And why even tell us that the cases got stolen? We knew it was gonna take a long time for even one person to get their case, so why tell us? Needless to say, I’m fucking pissed! Since like July we’ve been hearing nothing but shit about these cases. You guys shouldn’t mention the cases again unless it’s positive, but I garuntee the next update will be “Printer didn’t want to print cases again, here’s your money back”.
“The Collector’s Case is a free gift that we are giving to each person that donated $10 or more towards Operation Rainfall. The Collector’s Case is not a purchase.
As stated in our original petition, all funds received above what we
requested will go directly into Operation Rainfall, and will be used to
expand our coverage and reach, develop partnerships with publishers, and
improve the quality of our coverage. Our staff is made up of worldwide
unpaid volunteers and remains strictly non-profit.”
they had that disclaimer for all before and after they donated.
BTW Calm Down Bro.
if you donated 10 bucks only as i’m assuming you did why get so worked up? Geez.
Even though it was a DONATION they are offering a refund even though they don’t have to because this happened.
I donated also you don’t see me going OMG IM SO MAD.
i hope others are actually logical about this than this guy.
I’m sorry that I’m one of the people that got an email that said I was gonna get a case in July. And I’m sorry I got all excited last week when I saw the update on the facebook page that the printer was finally done. And I’m sorry that I donated nearly 6 months ago. Everywhere I went in forums it said “Operation Rainfall donation is a scam” and I always defended them. Now I’m beginning to think it really was a scam. Some solid evidence that they existed would have been nice. And no, the photoshop picture they posted months ago isn’t solid evidence.
“If we are not able to be reimbursed and the printer refuses to work with us, we will issue a refund to anyone who wants one”
If you really feel ripped off by all this, just ask for a refund. Simple as.
Not unless we ultimately pay out of our own pocket, printer’s not going to say no to money. Hopefully we won’t have to pay again for it, but we’d much rather please everyone than piss everyone off. One way or another we’ll get them. Also we did do updates about the cases, we even showed what it would finally look like. But we closed the donation page down cause the campaign for the game is over and we wanted to make sure that we can fulfill our promise to the people who donated first before accepting any more donations.
Actually, the theft does not relieve them of their responsibilities. The agreement between the donator and site is still binding. No where in their disclaimer does it say that they will not send a case to the donator due to certain circumstances. It clearly states that if you donate $10 or more, you will receive a case. It’s cut and dry, no room for interpretation. The theft only affects the site itself and has no bearing on the donator. The site is still obligated to fulfill their end of the agreement. The theft would be considered an operating loss. If you don’t know anything about legal agreements, then don’t comment. Your opinion means nothing to the law. Trying to blame UPS is another matter that again means nothing to the donator. All I see is excuses and an attempt to end this fiasco that backfired. Personally, this site has lost what little respect it may have gained.
Sigh it’s amazing how some people cannot just be generous and donate to a cause without expecting something back in return even if it was mentioned. Sad really.
Seems like the majority will have bad comments or responses over this issue.
Operation Rainfall Staff don’t let them get to you. Stay strong!
Where in this article did they ever try to get out of their “responsibilities”? They said that they’ll continue to try to get the cases, whether that be by a re-print courtesy of the printer, a re-print paid for by the reimbursement from UPS, or a re-print paid for by the actual staff personally. They aren’t trying to get out of it. What you said is backwards. This has only increased the respect one should have for this site.
You are an embarrassment to humankind.
you are an embarrassment to my ass
The fact that your handle is also the genre I despise the most can’t just be a coincidence.
Despising a genre is the same as being a racist. It means you have accepted a stereotype as true. Besides, I too am shooter (or designated marksman if you prefer), even though I rarely play anything other than RPGs.
I’ve played shooters, and don’t like them, I also don’t like what the industry has become due to publishers worshiping the genre. And racist? We are really going to go there? I pity you.
I never cease to be amazed by the gluttonous mentality and greed of some people. We must really live in a world now where we can’t be bothered to spare a dime and donate to a cause we believe in unless we get some reward/trinket in return.
What’s even worse is some people on here going full “paralegal mode” and trying to use their “Ph.D in Internet” to try and pin Operation Rainfall down and squeeze a case out of them. A CASE.
Seems to me that if you are a part of this website’s cause, you primary and only focus should be to support the original M.O., which was simply to “localize three role-playing video games for the Wii console: Xenoblade Chronicles, The Last Story, and Pandora’s Tower.”
Since when was more to be expected? Is that not enough? You donated towards this cause, because you felt these games were deserving of having a larger audience and market (including yourself) for more people to enjoy, but “to hell with everything” if you don’t get your little piece of plastic/cardboard?
“Selfless service” is apparently not something we are capable of anymore.
Amen to that. Very well put. Wish I could put a Clapping guy.gif to this post.
>”Since when was more to be expected?”
Since the original drive for raising funds said “But wait, there’s more…!”
Look, there’s no need to go into all-out attack mode on the mentality of greed here. I often donate towards worthy causes that I believe in (St. Jude’s is a thing for me).
Now, I can’t speak for anyone else here, but I *never* would have donated just to try to get a game localized. I said from the beginning that sending the press kits wouldn’t make a difference, as any publisher who would be remotely interested *and* have the means of doing so would have already been aware of the game.
If I was donating $10 for a good cause, it would have been to something like St. Jude’s or Child’s Play.
For me, I donated the $10 for the neat reminder of something related to Nintendo history.
I donated the money in good faith, because I honestly believed this effort was headed-up by a couple of “guys like me” and I honestly felt y’all would come through with it.
This website is about video games. Please don’t get all holier-than-thou because some folks don’t think the folks running it are saints for donating their time. Because the LARGE MAJORITY OF THE POPULATION are going to think that. In the end, it’s still about video games. Electronic doo-dads that are fun distractions and time wasters.
Again, you have missed the point entirely and are falling into their little trap. They are praying on your sympathies and using this incident as a way to cover up the fact that they never intended to fulfill their agreement. Their is nothing greedy about this situation. They created the agreement and people responded. You can’t make a promise, take the money and then just walk away. It’s called fraud. It doesn’t matter why you donated. Some did it to help, others did it to get the case and support. The site created the offer. The fact that you are stupid enough to not understand the simplest of facts in your blatant ignorance is pathetic.
If it was just a donation drive, then so be it. But again, no one is expecting anything more than what was offered by the site itself. As for so called “Ph.D in Internet”, well, talk to my law degree that you might not have at your warehouse job.
The campaign failed completely anyways. It was made clear that it nothing to do with the decision to localize the games. It was nothing more than free advertising for the games.
It’s this kind of stupidity from you that allows people like this to operate. These cases should have been created months ago since they got their money upfront. They have been trying to find a way out for a very long time. You should be disgusted that they are using a tragedy as cover. I even doubt that now.
I donate to several causes but none of them promise something that they have no intention of fulfilling. They are smart enough to just call it a donation without stipulations.
The entire situation falls on the site creators and they know it. They got caught in a lie and fraud if they tried to continue it.
I’m finished trying to make ignorant people understand. The site should be ashamed and not blaming others for MONTHS of bullshit.
Well gee, aren’t we taking this a little personal? You think you’re the only one that’s been trying to play lawyer in this dilemma? Did I specifically reply to you with that statement, or did I quote or mention you?
Glad that “law degree” is being put to such excellent use, here on one little corner of the Internet on a website about video games. “Warehouse job”? Oh, if you only knew…LOL!
But since you’ve resorted to insults and slander, you’ve really proven, as said before by someone else, to be an “embarrassment to humankind”, and you’re not worth a single more moment of my time.
How I spend my time is mine. I have a real issue with fraud. You seem to be ok with it. You choose to belittle me because I hold this site to a high standard of professionalism. Videogaming is a big business and is not immune. You can’t defend it and then reduce it’s importance to avoid responsibility. I take nothing personally. Facts haven’t changed, and opinion has no relevance in this matter. I prefer to deal with facts and reality of the situation. You can ignore it if you want.
I’m sorry that you don’t understand why I am bothered by this and many others. The constant changing of the story and removing them is suspicious along with the long months of excuses. Put it together. It’s not greed, it’s about trust.
I’ve removed the offending comment as I was upset but it was uncalled for and not an excuse.
Do you seriously believe people are bothered by this because they didn’t get their little cardboard paper? I’m not sure if we are even on the right page here.
The cases were left outdoors/stolen *and* this guy’s apartment was broken into? On the same day? Wowza.
I will say, if the UPS driver left the package (how big was this package? How many boxes are we talking? Were they pre-folded or flat?) outside of an apartment, you might be able to get some kind of restitution from them. I know when I lived in an apartment, I could *NOT* get anyone from UPS to agree to leave packages without someone being there to get them under *ANY* circumstances. Period. So if this driver left your package, seems like he might be in some trouble.
Does this update/the deletion of the original article mean that the police report will not be going up tomorrow?
No worries, any more news on Pandora’s tower, even as DLC maybe? Hope all is well with the team.
Cheers.
Operation Rainfall was by far one of the biggest scams this year. You patted yourselves on the back think you brought xenoblade and last story here. When in fact you had nothing to do with either game. If you had really acomplished something pandora’s tower would have came over as well.
All you did was hype people up and have them go reserve it on amazon. You didn’t bust down NOA door and demand it. You sat at your computers like the rest of us and patiently waited.
Regardless of all that, you then offer boxes for 10 dollors, which people will never be able to fill up? And after that OMG SOMEONE STOLE A BOX OF EMPTY BOXES SORRY NO REFUNDS! I’m sorry to anyone who donated $10 to operation rainfall you didn’t deerve to have your money stolen by some crooks who think they’ve done something in the gaming industry.
Operation rainfall is crap, and lasted for far to long. Your small group has acomplished nothing and isn’t even able to get some boxes made with other peoples money. Hopefully december 21st just means the end of operation rainfall.
Good day.
“If we are not able to be reimbursed and the printer refuses to work with us, we will issue a refund to anyone who wants one.” That’s from the article you’re commenting on.
Anyone who believes their money is/was “stolen” can ask for a refund. Regardless of your opinion of Oprainfall as a whole, “crooks” is a word that does not describe the organization or any of its members.
Do us a favor and don’t come back.
When did the UPS deliver the packages? Were the packages insured?
Sorry if this gets posted twice – seems my browser is giving me issues.
I wanted to re-post the original article in the interests of full transparency. I am thankful that y’all have since came forth up updated information, but I get the sense that some folks may feel misled by having the original article deleted:
Back at around Pandora’s Tower Month we had a plan to pitch the game to publishers with a way for fans to donate to assist with the funding. We promised those who donated ten dollars or more that they would receive a case to hold the three games in. After many delays, some caused by us, most of it caused by the printer, we finally got confirmation that the cases have finally shipped and we would finally get the cases out to everyone who donated.
Unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances, that isn’t going to happen. Recently, one of the owners of Operation Rainfall had a break-in at his house; they vandalized the apartment and stole almost every single piece of electronic equipment. One of the things they also happened to steal was the box full of cases. Thankfully Steven Boaz, his wife, and his two dogs are alright. The cases cost a lot of money and being that we are only volunteers, we only make just enough money from ads to keep the website running. This means we will not be able to replace the stolen boxes nor can we refund anyone who donated.
While we cannot blame anyone for being frustrated at us, we apologize we cannot fulfill our promise and hope everyone can understand our dilemma. We’ll do whatever we can to see if we can possibly get a replacement from the printers, but we cannot guarantee anything. In the event we find a suitable replacement for the cases to send our donators, we’ll contact those who qualify. Please send any hopes and prayers towards the Boaz’s, and I’m personally sorry for any inconvenience we may have caused you.
If anyone stumbles upon the cases somewhere on the internet, please do not buy one and be sure to send us any information to [email protected]
Once again I’d like to thank everyone for donating, and am extremely sorry that this couldn’t have turned out better.
Richard Ross
Co-Owner Operation Rainfall
The only amendment that should be made to that post is that anyone who drops us an e-mail via our contact page WILL get a refund if they request it.
So which is it?
The burglars broke into Steve’s home and took the cases that he already had in possession of. Which has nothing to do with the UPS.
Or..
You guys never got in hold of the cases. The packages did not require a signature (unless UPS man acted out of his own act to not get a signature). The UPS man placed the cases in an insecure area and it got stolen because of that. Which has nothing to do with the burglary.
Or..
The burglary and the packages being stolen just happened to be on the same day, possibly by the same burglars. Even then, it still doesn’t make sense why someone would seek an reimbursement from the UPS.
Did the burglary have anything to do with the missing cases?
The UPS left the box of cases sitting on Steven’s doorstep. When he came home, the place had been trashed and all his electronics were gone. What we think happened is that people saw the box on his doorstep, thought it looked expensive and that he might be loaded, and decided to ransack the place.
It’s also possible that he had been being watched by potential burglars beforehand, as he’s often had games coming in the mail for staff to review.
He’ll be contacting the printing company today (Monday) to find out what’s going to happen with our order. He’ll also be putting up his police report for all of you to see.
Can you guys just provide a tracking information for the packages. I mean.. it can’t be that hard to do.. It would actually ease the minds of those who questioned the existence of the packages.
So… the police report?
Don’t get me wrong – I’m thrilled that the company you’re working with is replacing the boxes (by the way, you might consider putting a “v2” or some identifying marker on the second printing so that should the first ones ever show up for sale, we’ll all know to stay away from them) – but the blow up about this was hardly about the paper boxes. It has been about trust all along.
Yesterday, we were told that the police report would be posted today. I’m extending faith that it wasn’t posted because things were busy or because y’all thought it wasn’t needed since the boxes are getting replaced… but I’d still be interested and I know there are several others who would like to see their faith in this community justified.
They already answered that, they want to protect the privacy of the staff member that was robbed. http://operationrainfall.com/faq-operation-rainfall-collectors-cases/
Hm. Either didn’t catch that or it was added as an update later. Either way, since the state of California considers police reports to be public record, this seems silly as virtually anyone could get a copy of it with a phone call or two.
if you need it, ask for a copy. If you don’t need it, wait for them to send out reprints or ask for a refund. its not that hard
Anon: I’m just saying, it’s a weird decision. The information is public record. If there was a privacy concern to begin with, then no one on this website should have ever agreed to post it. There’s nothing to lose and everything to gain by post it.
Because it is so difficult to just censor out the personal information.
i think at this point its pointless to take that measue since they already said they are going to have them reprinted or will issue a refund.
If you don’t wanna wait, ask for a refund. if you wanna wait, wait for another them to post the shipping date.
i think I’d only want to see more facts if they were trying to tell us we’re all screwed, but since they said it’s all being taken care of, I see it as just another delay in something I’ve already waited months for.
they also made it pretty clear in the faq that if you really need that info just request it. it takes like 5 minutes to send a email
i’m just glad everyone is ok from the burglary and everyone, including the dogs, is safe…i hope we can get our cases…i’m disappointed with the whole thing, but i’m shocked at some of the comments i’ve read…chill everyone…we made a mark in history that is ours alone…that is what these cases symbolize…oprain has promised to right it…give em a chance…especially given the tragic circumstances and situation of the staff…don’t let this go out on a bad note…];)…
I don’t get the big deal. someone at OpRf was in a hurry and didn’t have all the info. The next day we get the full story. Cases are insured and are gonna be reprinted. and if people don’t like it, OpRf has said that they will refund you if you just send them an email.
the only people I see complaining are from CheapAssGamer, and even then, the only people that are complaining either didn’t read all the updates or don’t really care cuz they didn’t make a donation.
Am I pissed because I made a donation? A little. I’m a little pissed that they were in a hurry to make the first post, which seemed like they wer trying to say “the cases were stolen you’re all screwed”.
Then we got an update that clarified and another update explaining a bit more. Now we know the full story and people are still bent outta shape?
A police report and tracking number won’t do anything at this point, and even then, CAG would probably still say they forging it.
I’m gonna wait and see if I still get my case and if nothing happens in a few weeks then I might request a refund but I still might not request a refund just because I still like the news on oprainfall because they actually talk about games and not stuff like Japanese food and Babes.
Just sayin
Re: The UPS Tracking Number – this was pointed out on CAG, so I checked it with one of my own.
A Random UPS Tracking Number that I have lying around in my e-mail: 1Z9437400320764798
The closest thing to PII that one would get from this is a destination city/state. Considering we already know this information, the refusal to disclose this information also seems like an odd decision.
“This still puts another delay on the rocky road to getting the
cases shipped out, but now everyone can rest in peace knowing that the
cases will be arriving soon.”
ETA?
I just have one question: why all the secrecy?
There was no disclosure over how much was earned from the fundraiser. The cases were gone before donors even knew they were here: these cases were already delayed before this incident, yet information was still kept at bay with small updates… how were there no prototypes to show off?
Posts were made, then deleted. A police report and tracking information were promised, now they are on a need-to-know basis for “privacy concerns.” I do understand wanting to protect one’s privacy, but this is a very simple matter of blocking all of the sensitive information, not to mention UPS tracking info only shows the city and state, as the fella above me noted.
Some of your fans seem to think the issue is resolved by a new shipment of cases and we can just move on… I don’t quite agree. A resolution has surfaced, but it doesn’t erase the doubts created along the way: people may be glad to finally get their cases, but they won’t necessarily be ready to donate again after the way this campaign went down. Quite frankly, with all of the silence on OR’s part, I don’t blame them. There are so many things that could help clear any of the doubts or concerns from your fans and critics: post the company’s invoice (I would also like this if only to know who to avoid when I’m preparing my own printing projects in the future), a tracking number, etc. These are not ridiculous or privacy-invading requests, you literally have the allibi at your fingertips, yet you still choose not to divulge this information.
Getting robbed sucks, ask the guy who lives in Baltimore, but there is still an obligation to your donors and public image that needs to be tended to… on this front, I feel things are being handled poorly. A little transparency goes a long way.
Thank you, I look forward to your response.
Hey, you bring up several good points. My name is Steven, and I am both an admin here at Oprainfall and the one that this incident happened to.
Yeah, I’ve been without steady internet the past few days, so I haven’t been able to address this as properly as I would have liked to.
First off, contrary to the CheapAssGamer forums (which I have thoroughly caught up on), we aren’t “changing our stories”. Unlike major “games journalism” sites, Oprainfall does not have a central office. We’re scattered around the world and our main communication method is via the internet, and in emergency situations, we will make phone calls.
When I came home to find my house vandalized and pretty much everything of value stolen, my wife and I were traumatized. The next morning, when I had finally regained some composure, I came into the chat group that Oprainfall operates from to let them know what had happened. At that moment in time, I didn’t even give a shit about the cases. I was more concerned that my wife and I would need to find a new place to live.
Richard, a fellow admin here at Oprainfall immediately thought of Oprainfall and the cases, and his first course of action was “full disclosure”. Which would have been GREAT if he had all of the details. The only problem was that in our limited communication, very little of what made it to the initial post (which has since been hidden) is actually what happened. Several facts were distorted in the initial post, leading forum-goers to think that we had stolen their money and ran with it. The fact that it was the weekend and our printer was closed did not help matters. If I had been robbed during the daylight in the middle of the week, it would have been far more convenient because I could have immediately called the printer to request a duplicate receipt for our goods. But, unfortunately, whatever assholes decided to do this did it at night, at the start of the weekend, when my wife and I were away from the house.
I have noticed that the forum users at CheapAssGamer have been trying to do some internet sleuthing, and I guess they (maybe) deserve props for finding my old address from a few years ago registered to my old company that I happened to register our domains under. As nice as it is that “investigative journalists” are trying to dig up “the truth”, unfortunately there’s not much more to it than that. How do we know that the users are coming from CheapAssGamer forums? Because our analytic data showed that nearly 90% of readers on the post we made about the cases came directly from CheapAssGamer or were users refreshing the page after coming from CAG. I’m not putting any blame on the actual website, for the record, it just so happens that they have some pretty shitty trolls.
My first thought when a police record was requested was: “sure, no problem, it only takes a minute to scan this thing.” But then I gave it some more thought and quite simply put, I don’t want that shit posted on the internet.
I don’t have the time to sit and edit out a police record because 1) I’ve been legally advised that although it wouldn’t HURT, it actually won’t HELP either (and if we’re really lying, wouldn’t it be much easier to just make a photoshop?). 2) We’re offering a full refund for anyone that wants their money back. No questions asked, just send us an email. I fully admit that this process took MUCH longer than expected, and this is partially MY fault for putting my personal life ahead of the cases, and partially because of going with a cheap understaffed printer. I wouldn’t expect much less from dissatisfied donators. And 3) the cases were insured. The original receipt was lost in the mess of my home being vandalized, (which led to more confusion for the poor editor that made the original post), but our printer happily provided us with all the information we needed, including the tracking number and the fact that the boxes were insured. We’ve filed a claim with the shipping company, and when reimbursed, we’ll order more cases. If you “don’t buy it”, ask for a refund, it’s really that simple.
I’ve been advised that our financial information is private since we are offering a full refund to anyone that asks. I can say this much: the amount of money we made in donations was barely enough to cover the costs to print the cases and have them shipped. You can do the math yourself to find out how much it costs to have 1000 sheets of cardboard printed and shipped.
Someone earlier asked for an ETA – at the moment, we do not know. Here’s the factors to consider, though: 1) the shipping company must process our claim and issue our refund (if they don’t we will either pay for the cases out of our pockets or just issue everyone a full refund, and you’ll hear about that when WE know the answer). 2) We must pay the cases to be reprinted (the printer asks for full payment in advance. However, since they already have our design on file, this time around should be MUCH quicker than before. 3) Once the cases are printed and shipped to our staff, we still need to package and mail each case individually. We maintain a secure database of each and every transaction. No one is forgotten. This is in addition to the records kept on PayPal itself.
Oprainfall as a whole will continue to operate, as there are approximately 30 volunteers now that research and write articles. Only a handful were responsible for the cases.
Did we miscommunicate to our audience by making the original, uninformed post? Yes.Was it irresponsible for it to take this long for the cases to arrive? Partially (I defend that because I don’t get paid for this – I do Oprainfall in my spare time and my real life comes first). But ultimately, yes.Are we trying to fix the situation? Yes. As best as we can, actually. Everyone that donated will either get a case eventually or will get a refund, it’s REALLY that simple.
Will the cases be shipped to the same address? No. My wife and I live in a house (no, it’s not an apartment, yes we rent, no we don’t have renter’s insurance, and no we don’t live with my parents, although for the past few days we have been staying with my in-laws while our landlord repairs some of the damage). The reprinted cases will be shipped to a secure address in a much safer location (obviously I’m not going to post it here).
When will
Do I have your money? No. Although it would sure be nice to have money right now since my home was broken into, we’re looking for a new place to live, and I’ve had to purchase a new computer for work (as I work from home, and yes, CheapAssGamer readers got it right, I do website design!). If I had your money, I wouldn’t be defending myself and I sure as hell wouldn’t be visiting the CAG forums right now. (I did set up an account, but it takes a few days to comment, apparently)
Please feel free to use this comment wherever needed. But my words reflect ME, not Oprainfall (or I’d write an article about it). And if I see this comment taken out of context (which it probably will be), I’ll be sure to head to CheapAssGamers forums myself to post the full body of this comment. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a sensationalized headline on one of the major gaming sites taking this entire situation out of context as easy click-bait.
So as the fuckheads of the internet try to convince others I’m on a vacation in the Bahamas laughing all the way to the bank, my wife and I are trying to piece together our lives as best as we can.
Was this post TL;DR?1) We made several PR errors while handling this situation (yes, I admit, we fucked up)2) We’re in the process of fixing it.3) Don’t believe it? Ask for a refund.
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@def94b755e9e22e32a2acf5177f858b3:disqus , I apologize that I’m making this post as a reply to your questions, I’m just a little more than pissed off that this is something that I have to deal with during a particularly trying time for my wife and I, and as much as I understand that the slips of cardboard are meaningful to people, I’ve got a lot of real life business to take care of at the moment.
Okay, carry on.
Also, this should also be clarified:
1) We made an editorial mistake by not posting that refunds could be requested when we made our second post. Once we stated that we would offer a refund, that offer still stood, even though the line of text was mistakenly forgotten. We still stand by that. If you want a refund, just ask. MEANING: IF YOU ASK FOR A REFUND, YOU WILL GET IT AS LONG AS YOU GIVE US SOMETHING TO SEARCH FOR IN OUR DATABASE.
2) There’s been no secrecy regarding the cases aside from the exact number of people that donated enough to get a case. I’m not sure if we will ever disclose that number unless required by law, but I can tell you that after we ship all of the cases to those who donated, we will still have more than half of them sitting collecting dust. It would have been nice to have ordered a smaller batch.
3) When we reprint the cases, I’ll post the tracking number for the new batch so you can all follow along. If I posted the current tracking number, all you’ll see is “delivered”.
4) I don’t get why people keep thinking we claim to have “brought over” Xenoblade Chronicles and The Last Story. Sure, we made a lot of noise and did free promotion, but I think it’s pretty clear that those decisions were made by Nintendo and XSEED possibly even before our campaign started. Pandora’s Tower would have only been different if one of the publishers we pitched to actually picked up the title. Well, it isn’t here, so obviously we can’t claim shit on that one.
Steven,
I’m sorry that you’ve been put through such a trying event – but I want to help you understand something.
While there are several “internet trolls” out there, for many of us, it’s not about the money or little cardboard cases (although I cannot speak for everyone, nor do I claim to). At all. We fully understand that you’re offering us refunds. We don’t *want* a refund. Even more so at a time when you were robbed – that would be a ****ty thing for us to do.
We simply want peace of mind that you are acting in good faith and that our faith in you (those of us who sent money, that is) is well deserved.
Please don’t think that throwing money at a situation will make it better. That’s not what most of us want.
We were told the police report would be posted. That was nixed.
You say that the current tracking number will only show “delivered” – but you won’t post it.
You will not provide any information to allow an independent third party to verify the information you’re giving us.
There were some inconsistencies in the original post – and while we understand that poor communication in a time like this can happen, the fact that we get treated like horrible monsters because we have questions about the inconsistencies is worrisome.
You want us to believe what you say based only on faith – but our faith in you and this site is stretched thin. Sure, you can just say “**** You.” and go about your life – I mean, in the grand scheme of things, do you really even care what we all think at this time? If you do – then it’d be great if you’d throw us a bone here.
As per your last point, when this site runs articles (“editorial” or otherwise) with headlines like “Operation Rainfall DID Help Bring Xenoblade To The Americas”… yeah, I’d say you’re taking some of the credit (deserved or otherwise).
@UncleBob. I wrote that article, quite a while ago. It was my opinion and I clearly marked it as so. Every other gaming website out there has editorials and opinion pieces. I am entitled to my opinion, I am sorry if you or others disagree. What that has to do with this issue, I honestly cannot say. Who cares if somebody thinks Operation Rainfall had a part in bringing Xenoblade Chronicles to North America? That’s not even the issue here, I thought we were talking about the cases?
I’m so sorry you had to go through this. And that many people are being S**t heads about it. I’ll pray that everything will get better for you and your family. Thank you for taking the time to reason with people.
Hi Steven, I really appreciate that you took some time to explain some things. I’m sure it is very frustrating that you have to deal with things like this when you want to focus on getting your life back together after what had just happened to your family. I’m sure you have your own complaints towards how people have reacted to this whole situation. What I have to say now isn’t really directed you particularly so you don’t have to cut your time in order to respond or anything.
However, I really hope that fans and staff members that were involved in this really understand why it come to this. I ask of this because of the impressions I got from the very beginning of this incident. When certain individuals got upset with this whole matter, these guys were treated like bunch of heartless people that enjoys beating those who were already down. They were also made to seem like all they cared about is a slip of cardboard or getting their refund.
I can’t say for everyone but at least for many people, case or the money was probably the last thing on their mind (it’s been too long to even remember it existed). And to constantly be pointed as the materialistic freaks, its almost insulting. Most people aren’t that heartless to demand a compensation from an individual who just went through such tragedy. However, not everyone is understanding enough to just outright believe someone on the internet without even a bit of suspicion. All they wanted was some answers.
The whole incident started off with the most irresponsible statement saying that the Oprainfall cannot fulfill their initial promise due to their own personal problem. The reason was that the burglars had broken into one of the admin’s home and they had stolen everything of value including the box full of cases. The original article was later taken down followed by a new update. But this time seeking a reimbursement from the UPS. When people requested some sort of proof, all they heard was that there is going be a police report for everyone to see on Monday. Any request for some kind of receipt or tracking information were ignored. And in the end, none of it were delivered.
I want to say something before we go further into this. Besides the ones who are the most involved in the Oprainfall, everyone is a complete stranger to each other. This is internet where the most bizarre things happen all the time. You cannot expect a similar kind of trust and understanding you would expect from your fellow mate. Especially when the story/updates provided didn’t really connect from the very beginning. I understand that the intention wasn’t to mislead anyone but can you guys really blame those who grew suspicious over time?
Any of this isn’t really directed at anyone. It’s also not a blame game. You have explained on why things had turned this way. I also did the same but on my perspective (and possible others who share the same thought).
In the end, people who wants their cases will get theirs and those who want their money back will get their refund. And those who just wanted some answers got theirs even if its just by words. I only wish the intention with the privacy information were made clear from the beginning. But I do respect one’s decision.
I just wanted to share my thoughts.
hi guy im new here bt i kno a thing or 2 aboutee the “law” trust me my dad is layer here in gaithersburg, md and nothinnn u guy say hold up in cour tof law in this country or any “civilize” country in world… tust me… my dad has lot of lwa books and even if ur immedate family is not law u can watch tv show on tv and they have judge on 4 several hour…. in fact i culd take 1 of u guys in 2 small claim court… stevne is the guy i think…
now guy dont get mad at mei jus want the record set straighte 4 once. the reason we r mad on cag is 4 3 reason:
1. we never get case u promise 4 $10 (i dint look at it as donation and jus becaus it is donatin does not mean u can jus say oh since its donate we dont owe u money that is not holw law inthe real world works… stop playing videgames and realsse that what u do in world of wrcart does not carry over in rea l life.
2. we never get game
3. i dont even rembmer if i got the wall paper
so u guys promese 3 thing game wallapper 4 pc and xenobald e game or last story i dont remmeber which but rely all we want is wat is owed 2 us…
and no i dont want a refund… u guys will prob not even send it…
but i do either want wat is promise an d since it is so late as well i want some extras 4 puniteve damages like $20 refund becus there is INTRESTE in real world and everything that is owe plus an APOLOGEY 2 every1 on cag and on the net….
remembr… inonec tuntil proven guiltyey… and uguys prove nothing yet…
if u have enuf “guts” and this relly isnt a “scam” u will not jus ban me and then dlete this post.i doubt ull leae this up ull prob jus ban me and act lke i never came becus u catually have some1 who know the RELA LAW 4 ONE but if u do then proove it 2 all us.
Hello, I just wanted to say that I did some researching and
1) The cases havent gotten here yet (obviously) but the cases are being worked here. They had and ESTIMATED time of arrival. This means that its a “shot for date” not a definite date. Getting so uptight about missing this is like saying youre going to sue amazon for backordering your item.
2) They never promised that Pandora’s Tower would make it to America, they said they would TRY. And they said the decision ultimately lies on Nintendo’s shoulders.
3) I got my wallpaper. The email was under SPAM for me. Since the way the email is approached like a company, my filter put it in spam. Check in you spam history for the email. Just because you didnt see the email, doesnt mean that they are liable.
From the FAQ: “Q: What happened to Pandora’s Tower?
A: We assembled six kits to pitch Pandora’s Tower to several U.S. publishers. A few of the publishers shot us down with a single email before we even had a chance to send them the kits. …”
Can you guys post some pictures of the left over “kits” (“A few”) which were not send to the publishers? It’d be a nice piece of evidence that Operation rainfall actually did produced something physical that it set out to do.
There actually were pictures of the copies of the Pandora’s Tower collector’s edition that were included in the kits posted on the Facebook page ages ago.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=403503896351827&set=a.212957625406456.50909.212751422093743&type=1
https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/179538_403503896351827_145963041_n.jpg
Not the whole kit, I know, but it’s definitely the most important part!
EDIT: Here’s another, just in case you think I scoured the net for a convenient picture of 5 Pandora’s Tower collector’s editions.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=403499799685570&set=a.212957625406456.50909.212751422093743&type=1
https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/229801_403499799685570_1415055552_n.jpg
guy u hav been expose i ask my dad 4 advice and he say contct poice deprtment 4 more info and gess wat the nuer for te police ther in californa can be found on golgle so its not hard and i call them and say ther is nothing of steve boaz ever contact them in that city so u hav been lieing this hole itme.. also on cag they fond out same info but i think they us email instaed… u guys r in a world of turble and i still dindt get my refund so now the punitive damage is $30 and i expect all 3 game and the case signed…my demand will go upmore each week i dont c anyhint also liing is rong and my dad can and will sue u all.
Anybody who asks for a refund will get one as long as they give us the information we need so we know who to send the money to. Below are the easy instructions which were included at the beginning of this post:
We will be offering refunds to all individuals who request them. You may send a refund request using our contact form. Please be sure to include your name, the email address attached to your PayPal donation, and the name attached to the PayPal account. It would also be helpful if you include a PayPal transaction number. If you request a refund, your name will be taken off of our mailing list for the cases.
We apologize for the delay, and the situation surrounding the delay.
liek ken u spak da engrish ploce
Cheapassgamer.com is currently investigating this matter.
I for one have no worries about trust with Oprainfall, but I admit I be a bit biased having been part of the inner workings for a wee bit. These are good people trying to do good things with little time (I had way too little!)
Steven or Ryan, as many links in Google link to older updates on the cases and not the newer updates if someone was Google searching, it might not hurt to go add related posts to them (if it won’t affect pub dates) so people can easily find the most recent updates, I think that would help people feel better!