Direct2Drive reviews

Good , but...

Good, but annoying. Having to scan and send my ID was a bit over the limit.

Ivan Gershwin found this review useful

WoW these ratings are harsh.

LOL they should rate this compared to other gaming providers for example steam. Steam has a lot of good games good pricing. But when it comes to something going wrong your own your own. I complained about drive to drive not being fast on responses lol at least you get a response in 24 hours. With steam it could be months you are ON YOUR OWN. Do not even try to complain about the lack of service because they moderator drones will remove your post. All the low scores you just do not know whats out there. NOW im torn as what to do because the pricing on steam is good but if something goes wrong you have to call Microsoft. Some of the gaming providers do not even have customer support. If direct to drive starts to get pricing like steam im sold. At least until something better comes along.

Pre-Downloaded games do not work

I actually had backup copies of my games downloaded prior to the transition. None of them would activate using the serial numbers supplied in the purchase history. After 3 attempts at getting help from their "customer service", they said I needed to wait until the games where in the gamefly client. What? I thought that they wanted us to download any games that might not make it over? They won't even supply the manual activation codes. Terrible service.

WAS very good, now its gamefly I'd avoid!

Oh D2D we loved you so much... Gamefly is massively inferior, and they expect us all to jump to it just because they bought a website! I would sagest boycotting companies like this one.

Paid and NO GAME

I bought Bad Company 2 for the PC from D2D Feb. 2010, now I need to download it again and Gamefly has acquired D2D and the purchase does not show up in their custom console. It does show on the website, however, I can not download it yet and they have posted it will take several weeks to get the data merged over properly. If this was a bank taking over another bank and you could not get your money out, there would be some serious LEGAL issues regarding this. So I plan on filing a small claims suit against Gamefly next week due to no response from mulitple emails. I only have recieved the automated response reverting me back to their FAQ stating they are working on it. Well, I don't think the courts will back them once they face the judge soon!

Pathetic or worse

I don't think I will EVER deal with this company again. I can not access my games; I can't get any customer service; all I get is automated email responses and I still don't have access. They have my money, I have nothing. I can not imagine worse service than this. DO NOT BUY from D2D now they have moved. And there is no human to talk to, and I am sick of getting the same useless email over and over again. I wish there was a rating of -1 or maybe -10. I repeat, vote with your wallet; DO NOT BUY from D2D until they fix their problem.

Poor Customer Service

I purchased several games from D2D, and now that Gamefly took over (over 6 weeks ago) almost none of my PC games are available for download. GS took over Impulse, and my games were available right away. I have contacted support at Gamefly several times, with no result except a promised a 20% discount, but that won't cut it if they cannot deliver what I already paid for. It seems that Gamefly bit off much more than they can chew, I would steer clear until they unsnarl the mess that they are in.

Extraordinarily useless

I bought Dragon Age: Origins three years ago, and now when I need to download it again it won't appear on the Gamefly client. Attempts to contact customer service have gone totally ignored, and I am certainly not going to rebuy a game that I already own; even if it is only $5 at the moment.

1 and a half if this site allows it.

BF3 and Rage were purchased with no problem whatsoever. Yet, the f***ing Paypal option would not accept my phone number 3 times in a row, even though I gave them the correct number each time. Then, I tried to use a debit card and they said I exhausted that option 3 times in a row (when I actually only tried it once). No wonder they're going under. Hopefully Gamefly will not give me a f***ing headache like they have.

23 January 2012

Reply from www.direct2drive.com

Hi Brian,

I do not see anything from you in our support. We are happy to help if you would please follow the link in the message you received. Each time you attempt to checkout if there is a problem we provide the message: "Your transaction will require review by a Customer Service Agent. Please contact Customer Service for further information. We apologize for this inconvenience."

The link in the message was: http://www.gamefly.com/support/gameflydigital/

We will not be able to discuss your payment in public. That is a matter of privacy for your account.


Thank you!

Phone Authorization Failed and Response from Support

Title says it all. As soon as I entered my number (same as on file with bank and visa), I got a message saying that they could not validate my number. I made sure I typed it correctly and tried again with the same result. I have had an account with D2D for years and bought several games on this card without a problem. Submitted a ticket to support during their business hours as there is no number to call but no response yet. Definitely will never use them again. Buying digital is supposed to be convenient, not a pain in ass.

19 January 2012

Reply from www.direct2drive.com

Hi Matt,

We cannot discuss why your payment did not succeed in public. If you created a request online, our response time is approx. 1 hour. Please make sure you used the Contact Us on http://www.gamefly.com/support/gameflydigital/

Thank you!

No problems so far.

(Note: This review is for games bought in March 2010 and March 2011. I have not had any experience with the site since then)

I have bought two games here, downloaded, paid for and installed without trouble. Direct2Drive was also the cheapest on the market with these games. (I bought RIFT and The Witcher 2)

Luckily, I have not had to deal with their customer service. It sounds like it's the CS that is responsible for all these bad ratings.

To future buyers: Do not just look at the total rating, rather look at the individual reviews. Some 1-stars are simply because people cannot find out how to download or install a game.

In my case, the company provided what I need, which is a game download. Cheaper than the rest of the market, too. I do not see the big problem here.

Money taken but no game delivered! No response from support!

I tried ordering Tropico reloaded from this site. Was my first attempted purchase there. When I checked out the system told me my card couldn't be processed and they did not give me the game I ordered. Went to my cards website to find out why and saw that direct2drive had charged me for the amount of the game! I have been waiting for a response from them for a couple days now. Even went to ignsupport as well and opened a ticket there too. Still haven't heard anything. I really want the game or my money returned!! They seem nearly impossible to get hold of. I'm very disappointed with this company. :(

18 November 2011

Reply from www.direct2drive.com

Hi Victoria,

We responded to your request within 3 hours of submitting it. I personally communicated with you. Your issue was banking which we cannot post here on a public site for your privacy. There were no charges from us on your account as the card was declined as you noted. We cannot provide product without the transaction completing successfully.

Installation fails with download manager.

I have re-downloaded the installation for Fable 3, 4 times using their download manager. I only used their download manager because no browser download for Fable 3 was even available. Once downloaded, and the installation launcher opens, I click install only to receive an error to insert disk 3. FAQ says this error happens because when installing through the web browser, not when the download manager is used. Customer service keeps telling me to check FAQ even though I tell them it isn't helping. The fact that they do not have phone support is rediculous to me. From now on I will check the site throughout, before purchasing. I let me excitement get the better of me.

Bottom line I paid for a product, and what I received was more or less broken. I would like a browser based link provided so I can download and install my game using the directed solution they have provided.

Incident:111031-006693

02 November 2011

Reply from www.direct2drive.com

Hi Joey,

We have reviewed your request that you originally sent, 111031-006276 and we see that you were being helped by a CS Rep within 1 hour of requesting support.

We absolutely offer http downloads, this is shown in our FAQ: How do I download using my web browser?

http://digitalsupport.gamefly.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/236

We want customers to be able to move forward with their needs by providing all information needed online including screenshots with step by step instruction.

Please feel free to browse our site at your convenience or ask Agent Striker to help as well. He's shown on the right had side of Support. He's virtual but pretty handy too!

Thanks!

Bought 2 games from them as cheaper than amazon

Bought 2 games from D2D and it's been a good experience. Once i got the download to start (i used comrade as couldn't get it to work otherwise) it was plain sailing. Downloaded and installed BF3 in around 4 hours, not bad for a game of that size.
I would thoroughly recommend them and find it difficult to understand the huge list of negative comments (which is why i've posted here to try to give some balance). I used them for BF3 as they were cheaper than amazon.co.uk and .fr (i live in France)

I BOUGHT AND TRIED TO INSTALL BORDERLANDS. THE SUPPORT TEAM HAS YET TO HELP ME INSTALL IT OR TO GET TO THE FACT THAT I HAVE REQUESTED NEW KEY, SAID THE ACTIVATION WAS NOT VALID AND IT FAILS TO INSTAL

I'LL NEVER DO BUSINESS WITH D2D AGAIN. SUPPORT GOES OUT OF ITS WAY TO REPLY TO NOTHING I'VE COMPLAINED ABOUT. THERE HAS BEEN NOTHING DONE TO GET MY PURCHASE RUNNING CORRECTLY, NOT ONE SINGLE TIME HAS SUPPORT TRIED TO HELP ME, AND I WANT A REAL TECH THAT KNOWS WHAT HE'S DOING, NOT THESE PRE-SCHOOLERS YOU HAVE TRIED TO PAWN OFF ON ME. OR REFUND MY MONEY IMMEDIATELY.
STEVE PARKER

10 August 2011

Reply from www.direct2drive.com

Hi Steve,

We have replied to both of your tickets. Your second ticket is that you did install the game but have trouble activating. We are waiting for you to provide the unlock request code.

Please reply to your ticket with that code so you can get what you need.

Thanks!

Buy a game and can play....

I buy the game Sims 3 Town Life on the mac version on July 30, 2011. The game doesn't want to work and I do not understand why. It is installed but i can't play. I send a message to the customer service the same day and I have not always had a response. I can belive tha't a pay 20$ and can not play, or even call for help. Website stupid !!!!!!

Ticket #: 2833-8533791

09 August 2011

Reply from www.direct2drive.com

Hi Javiera

Please go to http://support.direct2drive.com and click on My Support.

You will see your ticket. We replied to you. Here is what we replied:

Hi there!

"Thank you for contacting Direct2Drive Store!

The experts for help running your game are EA Game support. Please visit http://support.ea.com and seek advice from their experts for help running your game.

Thank you !"

Customer Service is unresponsive

I opened a ticket with customer service on 6/26 and still no response as of today, 7/5. Hard to give them a good rating based on their lack of response. I certainly will not purchase from them again.
Ticket #: 2833-8525121

15 July 2011

Reply from www.direct2drive.com

Hi Bob,

We did reply. You wrote:

Game downloaded and successfully installed, but when I click to run it for the first time, it asks me sign in. Then it says "We are unable to activate your game using the EA account provided. Please sign in with the EA account you used to purchase the game."

We replied:

Thank you for contacting Direct2Drive Support.

This is an auto response to your choice on our support request.

For any assistance with EA Game keys please visit http://support.ea.com

Direct2Drive is a retailer and does not provide key support to EA Games. They will assist you with any activation needs for your game.

Thank you!



If you did not receive our reply in email please see your ticket online. We cannot assist you with EA Logins. Only EA Support can help.

Poor

Take note of this companies overall low rating, and look at the number of complaints and excuses given on this page. Personally had a bad experience, £15 lost to game I couldn't get to work, I had not activated this game and felt asking for a refund/exchange was not unreasonable. Customer service quick to respond to electronic only customer service, but unable to offer the help required.
Order Reference Number : 10006-6286104

15 July 2011

Reply from www.direct2drive.com

Hi Matt,
Please have a look at your ticket online if you didn't see the email reply. You wrote us on 6/15 and we responded on 6/17. You never replied back to our question.

Please go to http://support.direct2drive.com and see your ticket now closed as you never replied answering the CSR's question. If you still feel you need a refund, please open a ticket for that and reference the ticket you allowed to close and reply to that question if you would please.

Thank you !

No problems at all

Have purchesed several titles through D2D.No billing issues and everything that I should have gotten,I did.Web-support,when it was needed was realitively fast and correct.

(the one issue I had was due to a demo version conflicting with the d2d version)

Pricing is per the norm.A greater variety of seasonal sales than steam,and sometimes gets things quicker than steam.

Be patient with the Customer Services Department!

Attempted to place an order with direct2drive.co.uk, however encountered the same telephone authorisation problem others have encountered here.

I contacted the Customer Services department and as per other users, received a response after about 4 hours. They stated what the authorisation was required for (manual review to confirm account is genuine and valid) and informed me they had activated my account at their end after checking my details.

Unfortunately the price had since gone up for the item I wanted. After a couple more messages explaining the situation, I received a response within a similar timescale. They very kindly credited the difference in price to my account.

As the sale had ended and without authorisation being cleared for my account, there was no trace I had previously tried to place this order, so direct2drive would well have been within their rights to state they could not honour the original price, so the credit was greatly appreciated.

I understand that a chat forum would be quicker to deal with these queries but considering this is an IGN owned service (and the support is probably run from limited sites for all global queries), I’m pretty sure query levels are quite high and I’d rather wait 4 hours for an email/ticket response than spend 20mins online waiting for someone to become available.
The 4 hour response time is more than acceptable for an online query and end-to-end my query was dealt with, more than to my satisfaction, within 12 hours.

Overall, very pleased with the experience I’ve had with direct2drive, will be using again and would recommend to others with the caveat of just being clear if raising a ticket query is required and advising just a little patience.

Worse customer service response than no response

This company deserves 5 negative star, not the 1 star here.

I purchased & downloaded a game, Midhig hClub 2, and it would not run after installation. Nothing, nada. Went through their support page and did all it suggested, still nothing. I wrote to them for help, and they said basically said, very rudely, scram! not their problem. Here is their response:

"A solution has been suggested by our Customer Service team.

Please feel free to view your ticket online here: http://supportcenteronline.com/ics/support/MyLogin.asp

Thank you!
Solution:

Hi there!

We are selling games, not online games. We sell the same as the store that sells cdroms.

Please seek support for in game issues just as you would if you have a cdrom. The support is provided by the game publisher.

BestBuy cashiers will ask you to do the same, your appliances have a support vendor that you call and that is not the BestBuy cashier.

Thank you !

Ticket Information:
Ticket #: 8520516
Date Created: 6/11/2011 2:31:51 PM
Choose a general topic for your question: Problems running the game after activation
Please tell us more details: The game opens up to the create new game/enter game page where I am offered 2 options: press enter (to play the game) or press esc to quit. No response was detected when I did either. Game has to be shut down by shutting down the PC. I am using Windows 7. I have went through your support page regarding game security setting in windows 7. mode. I have Kaspersky anti-virus program and has set to allow all components of the game to change my system. I have gone through your suggested answers "knowledge base", including the game developer's web site and found no answer.

13 June 2011

Reply from www.direct2drive.com

Hi there!
Our response was not intended to be rude, we apologize if that is what you saw it as. You wrote: "As an analogy, if one goes to Best buy and the store sells the customer in US an appliance that is not compatible with US standards, 220 vt 50 hz for example. Should Bestbuy washes it hands and tell the customer you are on your own, Bestbuy is only a reseller?"

We responded directly to your analogy in hopes you would understand we do not support your in-game issues since we had already noted that on our first reply.


You reported: "he game opens up to the create new game/enter game page where I am offered 2 options: press enter (to play the game) or press esc to quit."

This is supported by Rockstar Games. You need to contact Rockstar Games. As we responded to you:

"Please visit the website of the game maker for accurate assistance in running the game.

The support link is usually included in the Start menu for your game or the email receipt we sent when you downloaded your game. You can also find the support link in the Readme for your game. We list some of those here:
http://support.direct2drive.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=3091&task=knowledge&questionID=1969"

Direct2Drive is unable to assist you with problems running the game, we are just a store.

Thank you !

Dont know if i've been charged!!

I went to buy and download the sims 3, put in a landline verification phoneline...said that it couldn't be processed please contact customer services so tried again, still the same thing. Now im worried I am going to be charged 3 times for a game i havent even got!!! ticket number 2833-8520786

13 June 2011

Reply from www.direct2drive.com

Hi Hollie,

Please see our first response on your ticket, we wrote:

"***Please note that under these conditions NO transaction was completed. You will have no charge on your payment and no download until payment is completed after a Representative contacts you."

You should have no doubt about any charges.

Thank you for your patience!

Terrible customer support, incorrect advice.

Firstly Direct2Drive, please don't bs. You can't use a UK mobile phone, mine is on am 18 month contract, and has been for 9 months, yet my phone verification failed twice, so please don't come out with that spiel about 'mobiles being accepted as long as they are not prepaid'. I entered it twice to check, firstly missing off the 0, (as you added +44) and then as normal with the zero. I don't know if this has charged me twice as there is no info, or anyone to speak to.
The customer service is the worst I've ever encountered! It beats even Student Finance -notorious in the UK. There is no other option than email, and it takes forever.
Meaningful information is non existent on the site.
I can't even find out if my card has been charged, there is no one to talk to.
This is hilarious as all through the site users are told 'they are covered' and directed to customer service. Covered? haha. If you call waiting hours for a response covered than you are frankly mad.
The fact that purchases are so confusing, time consuming and errored along with crap steam-age customer service is oxymoronic to concept of 'direct to drive'. It would have been quicker for me to get a bus to town and spend a few hours searching for the classic game I wanted. Don't use Direct 2 Drive. It's useless.

14 May 2011

Reply from www.direct2drive.com

Hi RB,

We will not discuss your account on an open forum for all to see. That is not appropriate nor secure. For your protection, we provide private responses in our support center.

Your post is also anonymous, we cannot respond to anonymous posts.

I can say that only 11 people are waiting right now for an answer which means that your request is either already responded to in less than a few hours since you just posted today, or you are about to receive a response. Our support is open 7 days a week.

http://support.direct2drive.com

Thank you !

Payment, Customer Service System Needs Rethinking

Without trying to go into an irrelevant rant about my own outstanding issue in attempting to purchase a game today, I just want to provide a bit of user experience feedback about the nature of the payment/customer service system. I will note that this is for the UK section of the site. Though back when I lived at home in the states, I did try this service once which, for an entirely different reason, had to go through the same slow and cumbersome customer service system, when I rarely ever have to do so for any other shopping experience!

First of all, for payment, they require phone verification with a LANDLINE. In the 21st century, this is not very practical. I haven't had a landline phone since I left my parents house after college, the same with just about every one I know and this has to be a trend with people younger than I.

Secondly, the error messages really need to be more clear. If the verification of some aspect of the process failed, please explain. Nobody wants to see a cryptic message like "we could not validate your transaction. Please contact customer service to complete your purchase." Is it communicating with my bank? Paypal (I've tried many payment methods forms) My account? Was my phone number not formatted correctly? Is it an internal error? The system has immediately made a decision about why something like a phone number didn't work, please enlighten us to what it was so we may have less aggravation. The ratings for this company aren't stellar even on this site, so if people are frustrated with customer service and errors, it may help to provide more information so the whole process isn't mysterious and unsatisfying.

When you finally get to the customer service system (for which you need to register an entirely new account) it is very buggy. The resulting form fields do not always carry the same information (if any) over, so you may have to add additional comments to make up for the system errors.

At this point, my own issue is still open - (2833-8496888) it was only today but even if they do answer within 12 or 24 hours, my question is only in what other retail environment is it acceptable to take this long to make a purchase? Especially one that is predicated upon instant gratification of direct download of games...

Cal, mike and F found this review useful

28 March 2011

Reply from www.direct2drive.com

Hi Patricia,

We are sorry you found our process cumbersome. To clear up a couple of points:

1. You tried to purchase on a US PayPal account from a London IP address and then on a London PayPal account both under 2 different addresses. As a no-card-present Internet merchant that throws up the red flags.

2. Our phone authorization does not require a land line and does not state this anywhere. The only restriction is non-paid VOIP and pre-paid cell phones, this is stated. Regular paid VOIP and cell phone accounts can all be used.

3. Our support center FAQs address your concern about your support login here: http://support.direct2drive.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=3091&task=knowledge&questionID=539

4. I do see you were responded to in approx. 5 hours and have since closed your ticket.

Thanks for your feedback on this!

Weakest download server in the known universe

After many hundreds of terrabytes of downloads, through routers, firewalls and even windows defender. I have resumed broken downloads from hundreds of low quality servers without issue. My first try with a 7.7 gig DL from D2D onto my laptop for a PC I was building failed usually between 2 and 4 gigs. I would get a 'no mirror available' error. After a few dozen resumes you get a corrupted file. What does customer support have to say? Despite the fact that their server seems to support resuming what they actually tell you to do in the event of a broken download is to erase the partial file and start over. So it's a server that supports resuming running a service that doesn't support resuming. So I go to the new system, it's only got windows 7 home. NOTHING else. Disable windows firewall and Defender. Direct hookup to the cable moden, no router, nothing. Even rebooted everything. According to D2D customer service this is the BEST way to download. NOW my downloads fail at the 20 MEG point of a 7.7 gig download. What else do I have to do? Check which direction the wind is blowing? Make some pagan sacrafice? The more of their advice I take the worse things get. I have ZERO faith in this outfit. Never have I had this much trouble downloaded from ANYWHERE, and the no resume resumable server is just a bad joke! Where did they get this equipment? Did some 3rd world country throw it in the garbage and these idiots (who claim affiliation with FOX news) pluck it out and foist it off on a unsuspecting public? I can see with some really small games how this might work, but with such a delicate server I'd never recommend it to anyone, especially anyone looking for larger games. Another review said it best.. Just go out to the store and buy it.. Look on $bay if you want, you'll get better and more reputable service.. AND FASTER!

Direct2Drive=Dud.

Cal and F found this review useful

01 April 2011

Reply from www.direct2drive.com

Hi Jesse,

I reviewed your support request and did see you tried a laptop on wireless. We were not a part of troubleshooting with you there. And troubleshooting here on a blog is not optimal. I would be glad to work with you in our support.

I see you also have Windows 7 64bit which is what you contacted us on. What I also saw was you used Download Manager. Windows 7 User Access Controls has to be set to allow our Download Manager. Alternately, you can use your browser. You can see our FAQ for downloading using your browser here: http://support.direct2drive.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=3091&task=knowledge&questionID=2886

When you download, the server is not what handles resuming your download tool does. Our suggestion to delete the download is only made when you have an issue like a router truncating the file or an anti virus that corrupts it. Routers truncate files (causing them to corrupt) if you do not configure your router as well. All of this is covered in our support center as well.

You can use FireFox, Chrome, Safari as all have download managers that resume downloading.


Thank you !

Absolutely Terrible Customer Service

I once bought the Sims 3 off of Direct2Drive for my mac. My mac had had all the right specs so it should have worked just fine, except it didn't. The game was incredibly glitchy and slow. So I emailed a complaint to them. There reply was that they couldn't refund me, and if I wanted to fix my game I would have to go through EA. So currently I am trying to unsuccessfully fix my game while Direct2Drive stole my money.

F found this review useful

16 March 2011

Reply from www.direct2drive.com

Hi Alex,

We are a retail store. We do not provide game software support, the game publisher does. When you buy software, the software publisher provides support to that software.

You reported the game runs slow on your computer. We replied:

Thank you for contacting Direct2Drive Store! The experts for help running your game are EA Game support. Please visit http://support.ea.com and seek advice from their experts for help running your game.

Please contact EA Games support for the solution you need.

Terrible system, customer service, and security protocols.

First off, this company's customer service is atrocious. They want to pretend like their internet only CS system is for our benefit, and it's much more thorough than a phone call because it can be referenced later - this is bull crap, its an excuse to save money by not offering a call service which is faster, more efficient, and doesn't leave a potential customer waiting.
I made 1 purchase without much difficulty, and if that is all you are going to do, this site might be for you. But trying to purchase my second game I ran into a whole slew of errors. All 3 methods for payment that they support stopped working for me, I had to make a second account, and even that account was bugged and messed up. Their vaunted Customer Service has taken upwards of 4+ hours to give one response that a phone call, IM, or chat room would have solved in less than 2 minutes.
Ticket 2833-8487009

Cal and F found this review useful

26 February 2011

Reply from www.direct2drive.com

Hi Ryan,

You are correct, phone or chat is faster. This is unfortunately not offered at this time.

The issue with purchasing for your girlfriend was your credit card was declined. We offered the message:

"We're sorry, we are unable to process your payment. Please contact your Credit Card issuing bank for further information"

Perhaps your bank flagged your account, they sometimes do when doing internet transactions. That is why we provide that message to you right on the checkout page, so you can go right to the source.

Your PayPal account, being secured by credit card, would also fail because of this issue.

I apologize that we did not provide the responses to your issue more quickly in Customer Service and will continue to work to improve our service with your feedback in mind.

Thank you !

Poor customer service

Poor customer service from Direct2Drive...

I purchased a discount code for $20 off of a video game; however, please note Direct2Drive used the term discount code which apparently is not the same as the typical gift card/code/credit. A normal gift card/code/credit is like cash, but only for that related store. You can use coupons and other codes in addition to the gift card/code/credit.

I was not able to use use the discount code with a promotional code for 20% off during Presidents Day weekend.
The terms for the discount code did not state anything about not being able to stack with promotions.
There are also no terms regarding stacking of codes on Direct2Drive's website.

I spoke with with a customer service representative which simply stated the codes cannot be combined on a single purchase.
I replied asking for wording on where it states they cannot be combined and presented my argument on how a $20 discount code should be like a gift card.
My comment was escalated to a Lead Technical Specialist, which only stated they cannot be combined. She chose to completely ignore my request to show the terms of using codes on Direct2Drive's website.

After pushing the matter further, Direct2Drive finally issued a refund and closed my account.
They also tried to retain me as a customer with a $20 credit on my next order, but why would I do business with a company like this?
The extent I had to push was threaten that I would start a credit card dispute, file complaints with the state Attorney General, the FTC, and IGN Entertainment Inc.
Again customer service with this place is abysmal and the terms are ambiguous.

Update:
I know I said I did not want to do business with this company anymore, but the complimentary game offer from IGNChristine really shows the effort IGN is doing to address my unique situation.
With this level of customer service I have updated my review and give my thanks to IGNChristine for turning this issue right side up!

26 February 2011

Reply from www.direct2drive.com

Hi there!

I emailed you through ResellerRatings.com on 2/24/2011 and have not heard back. I hope you received my email. In it I commented:

I sincerely apologize for the bad experience and you are 100% correct that we do not state you cannot combine offers and the site you purchased the coupon from does not as well. We are working to correct that.

You were indeed refunded in full. I also wish to offer you the desired game as a gift for free from Direct2Drive (or any other game of your choice) with our sincere apologies.

Thank you !

Very impressive

Was able to easily find the game I was looking for in addition to a coupon code for the holidays.

Check out was smooth and easy. Very impressed with their security measures where they call with a validation code to input into the website; wont find that kind of security in many places.

Couldn't pay for a game with American Express

Couldn't pay for a game with American Express due to an error saying "unable to save credit card" or smth like that. Really unconvenient.

20 February 2011

Reply from www.direct2drive.com

Hi there!

Did you contact Customer Service for help? Credit Card problems are something you want to discuss privately, not on open forums. Please visit http://support.direct2drive.com

Every single thing about this site won't work.

First, just trying to normally add the Rift preorder to my cart gives "Bad Request - Invalid Verb HTTP Error 400. The request verb is invalid", and I have to remove all my cookies to have it stop giving an error. Then, once I finally figure out how to trick the system into actually letting me add the game to my cart and check out, they require my phone number (very odd, but I can live with it), and when I try and submit it I am IMMEDIATELY presented with an error, saying go to support.direct2drive.com to get help, and that page won't load at all. I try and go through the process two more times, and now I can't even pay with Paypal anymore, because I tried 3 times and it failed when it wasn't even my fault! Like an earlier review said, I'm surprised this site is operated by an actual company and not some guy out of his basement, because stuff like this is amateur and unacceptable.

Garbage site, can't even get customer service because their site is so trash. I'll enjoy giving my money to any other site but this one now and in the future. I suggest anyone looking at direct2drive instead consider Steam, which actually functions promptly and has customer service that's actually reachable.

20% off all titles, none of which you can purchase because of their busted system. Happy President's Day.

20 February 2011

Reply from www.direct2drive.com

Hi Seth,
A http 400 error is telling you that you have a firewall or other blocker stopping you from reaching our site.

Not being able to load our web site or support site is a sign of issues with your connection as we are 100% online and functioning normally.

You tried PayPal 3 times (which means you got past the 400 error), the first time it would have been the time to stop and follow the message to contact Customer Service. Just like steam, we have fraud controls in place where a human may need to review your purchase. This is not uncommon when shopping online for Digital Goods.

I hope you rebooted and tried our support center again. http://support.direct2drive.com as the support site is not down and we do respond quickly.

Hope this helps!

Good for games, Support could use alot of improvement

I have used D2D before and didn't have any problems, but this time i used a different account and tried to buy the newest EQ expantion pack, downloaded and installed perfectly but i never recieved the activation key on my email account, so i changed the email address in my profile information and i have recieve emails from them now but it only summerizes what i wrote in my ticket to their support part. And also recieved an email showing me where the key should be, but sadly i have looked everywhere on my account page and can't find it.

I sent my ticket in over 20 hours ago and no sign of my problem being solved soon.

Should of spent the extra $20 and just bought it on EQ's site, but for anything that isn't a MMO games i would suggest them, best download speeds i've seen from online stores.

And also; on a side note i downloaded the Comrade downloader addon thing their site suggested to do, it also said that i would have a list of games i downloaded and purchased from there, with their activation codes. And now when i use it, it list i bought 2 games when i have only bought one on that account and niether game is what i even bought from them.

11 February 2011

Reply from www.direct2drive.com

Hi Josh,

Thanks for your review. I'd like to investigate your support issue, can you please tell me your ticket number? You provided no reference number on your review for us to look up your account. If you can tell me your order number or ticket number, I can investigate the issue.

Thank you !

A real pain in the neck

Entered all my credit card info/personal information, went to validate the purchase by the PIN I received in a phone call and it failed. I was immediately forwarded to some kind of tech. support web page. No word as to if my credit card was charged, if my purchase even went through, nothing. I tried to enter my account info to sign in to submit a claim and it wouldn't recognize my log in info! So I create a new account (with the EXACT same email and password) and submitted my claim. I get an automated response that someone will help me wihin the next 24 hours. It's very nerve racking, it'd be nice just to know my card hasn't been charged. Overall, a poor experience thus far. A phone number would've been nice.

08 February 2011

Reply from www.direct2drive.com

Hi Olivia,

We apologize you had a poor experience. Creating multiple accounts raises a red flag when purchasing online. As a no-card-present merchant, we take precautions against online fraud.

You did request we cancel review of your account after we responded. Please note there are not statements in our support that it will be 24 hours because our support is quicker than most support sites online.

We regret you do not wish to purchase with us and hope we will see you again in the future.

Below average distributor

In last two years I purchsed 3 games from D2D.
1st and 2nd were just serials. So I could not had bad experience with famous D2D downloader.
My 3rd purchase (preorder) went wrong. When I checked day before game should have been released I found thet D2D changed some info. Game release potponed (not D2D fault). Regions where game can be purchased.

We in EU can't purchse that particular game anymore. So I went to D2D-support to ask what's going on. After 15 minutes I got robot generated reply which had nothing to do with my question.

After 22hours I provided info about wrong UK/EU site redirection to US site when I look for my game. Now, after 51hours of waiting and 2 working days I still got NO reply from D2D-support.

So I decided to wait another day to get info if they will deliver playable game or refund me. Otherwise I will have no other choice than paypal dispute.

That is my story with D2D. My rating is based on following:
1. Number of successful purchases which could have gone wrong (0/3 as delivery of serial can't get wrong)
2. Number of unsuccessful purchases which could have and went wrong (1/1)
3. web site - not so bad, but if you redirects people from one continent to zone for other, it's wrong.
4. Ability to distinct between countries from which customer purchases games (I do not think you even had this idea)
5. support = store which have so much problems as D2D gives to customers should have massive SUPPORT.

I measure my experience by 3.5 of 10 points as D2D is able to keed serial keys in your account and resend them. Edit: Support solved my problem soon after this review. I update my ratting to 4.0 of 10 points for acting honorary.

No Problems

First time buying, bought FFXI. No problems at all, had it downloaded and installed quicker than I ever had before (I lost the old game after I uninstalled).

doesn't want customers, obviously...

I just had the most horrendous time trying to purchase via the website, i couldn't even get to the point of being able to pay for an order.

Firstly, i added an item to my cart. Then went to checkout and during the process create my new account. It said the email already existed and therefore i couldn't. So i click "forgot password" even though i know i never had an account before. Doing this the system forgot about me again. And so we went in circles.

I managed to get an account in the end by getting out of the cart area and creating an account separately on the signup page. Great! I was happy now...

Went through the order process... on to phone verification. It wouldn't accept my phone number and told me to contact customer services. I tried paying via a different method and same thing, saying my phone number isn't correct, etc.

I submit a request for support (which due to the very bad design on their site i had to go through yet another tedious process of creating a further account just to get support). I get an automated response asking me to get back in contact with them when my bank has fixed my account (yeh, bearing in mind i never even got that far as paying yet). Also some junk about how i have to be in the same country as my address, etc, which i am in every way possible, physically, by IP, bank, etc.

The phone number i entered into their system was a standard UK landline number and not via an IP phone service, just a standard phoneline. I can only assume that something is wrong with their system.

Anyway, i'm just about done with this company now, i feel almost relieved that the payment didn't go through. A very frustrating experience with all taken into account, yes nothing huge but all put together, --- very annoying! The only reason for me to buy online instead of going down to the shop is the convenience - take the convenience out of ordering by making it so hard and i'm suddenly not interested anymore.

I was even more shocked to read on here that the company is owned by people who should really know better. I thought it was some amateur start-up who didn't understand web development ;-). I make a living in online business and i know my company wouldn't be in existence if i expected my customers to go through the kind of inconvenience direct2drive expects of its customers...

24 January 2011

Reply from www.direct2drive.com

Hi Hannah,

I can't speak to what you wrote about checkout and your login. It could be anything, a mistyped email address, a firewall, or using Safari browser (which has known issues at the moment with their browser and logins).

While you received an automated response, that is just information while you wait. Our support responds in under 24 hours. The response was suggestions and not all would apply to you. Please look carefully, the suggestion was IF you needed to contact your bank. The information about country IP etc... again, suggestions IF that applied to you.

We appreciate your feedback on your experience!

dont buy from them

I just bought a $50. game from these people not only was the download bogus but then their files disappeared on my account with them,yet the money on my credit card was fast to disappear.The only reason I gave them one star is because I had to.

24 January 2011

Reply from www.direct2drive.com

Hi Elishja,

We see your game clearly on your account immediately after purchase. We see no contact from you in support. Did you just come write a review without trying to get any help? Our downloads are full retail games from game publishers. Nothing bogus about them.

It's best to ask for help before writing a review. Perhaps there was just a simple firewall issue or confusion about how to download your first time. We can absolutely help. We also respond to support requests in under 24 hours. We do not check review sites to support our customers as this would delay us helping people in our support site.

Thank you !

Always a pleasure using D2D.

I suppose that it's easier for some people to post a negative review, as it's an easy way to vent your frustrations.

But, I have to say, I've not had any problems with D2D. Downloads have always worked fine, customer service has been exceptional as well!! They answered my questions within a half hour. Compare that to another major competitor in the market that took almost two days to answer the same question!!

When you are reading the reviews here, you have to keep in mind that D2D doesn't write or produce these games. They are simply an online store. Should you need technical support, you should contact the authors of the title you have purchased. You wouldn't go to Best Buy for technical support on a game you purchased would you?? :)

I will continue to use D2D for my online purchases. I prefer downloading my games. Saves me a trip to the store, and I also don't have to keep up with a cd.

One thing I do have to note... D2D, can you please make your patches page a little more visible?? Rather than the small link at the bottom of the page. :) I know it's there. But I have had some friends that couldn't find it right off.

All in all, I feel there deserve better than a 4.9 score here. At least in my experiences anyway.

Download was slow, game dosnt work with vista even when advertised it will

I recently downloaded Knights Of The Old Republic from Direct2Drive with the little bit of left over money i had after holiday shopping.. I usually go with STEAM but the game was 5cents cheaper on Direct2Driver and some friends told me about the site so i figured what the heck?

After paying for the game i tried to download it through their downloader(s) both of which didn't work on my computer.. I got them to download but they wouldn't initialize the download for KOTOR.. The program itself was able to update my other games though so i'am assuming it worked just not with that game.. I spent around 3 hours messing around with their downloaders until i gave up.

So i went the old fashion way and downloaded it through HTML which required me to download winzip and about a 6hour download for the game.. It was around midnight that night when the game finnaly finished and i was ready to start it up.. Only to find out after puting in my key code that the game won't boot up.

If you go on google you quickly find out that this game is not compatiable with Windows Vista (i don't care what lucasarts website says google will tell you different.) One of the more popular Knights Of The Old Republic searches will be something called the "Vista Fix" which requires downloading 3rd party software to get the game up and running on a vista system.

I don't feel like i should download this software after D2D promised it'd run on a windows vistas operateing system.. It took about 24hours to get my first response to my complaint which was a generic copy and paste asking about download speeds and such after i already told them i downloaded the game (after few hours of struggling) and now it just wouldnt work.

After that i got another generic response directing me towards LucasArts support.. Lucasarts dosn't offer support for this game anymore (was released in 2003) and only offers a mailing address (yeah like through a post office) for support.. I spent $9.95 and meet all the requirements for this game, why should i send a letter to lucasarts for support when i already paid D2D?

I'am waiting on my 3rd response.. I've told them i will file complaints if i'am not refunded.. Hopefully that'll work or its over to BBB and consumer reports i go.. Direct 2 Drive, if you're reading this, please refund me! This game dosn't work on vista, check out the reviews on you're site others are stateing the same! That's the last of my holiday money i'd like to use on purchaseing KOTOR1 for the xbox so then i know i can actually play it without these problems..

Just a heads up to all..

03 December 2010

Reply from www.direct2drive.com

Hi there!

Direct2Drive is a retailer like any store. The software you buy is supported by the software maker. The game is supported on Vista according to the game Publisher. If you need support running the game itself you go to http://www.lucasarts.com/support/ or to http://www.lucasarts.com/support/contact.html

Direct2Drive makes sure you can buy, download and activate your purchase only. We help you obtain the proper support for your game as well.

For slow downloads you'll want to check your firewall. But we probably covered that in support. Posting to a review site is not really as effective as communicating directly with our support. We also don't discuss payment options or refunds on public sites. Your account is private.

Please work with our support for a conclusion.

Thanks!

DISAPPOINTED CUSTOMER: Would be 4+ stars except for customer service & glitches (i hope)...

I have had some great experiences with D2D. Downloads are fast, programs always work, etc. Unfortunately, however, I just encountered my first problem. Purchased a second copy of a game from them (Titans Quest & Immortal Throne Expansion) and got the same CD keys that they gave me for the first set.

Of course this makes multi-player impossible and defeats the entire purpose of my purchasing a second copy.

I have received nothing but generic responses to what should be a simple solution, (A) give me a unique set of keys, (B) refund my purchase.

Of course this also begs the question, was this a technical glitch or fraud... Given my past experiences with the company I would say technical, but the longer I have to wait for some sort of response, the less confident I am...

Will update when/if i ever hear from them.

*I updated in my comments below but will also clarify here. I left my rating at 2 stars because my product was never delivered, money was refunded. Apparently, you can't purchase two copies of a game through D2D. Of course they gladly take your money and will provide a brand new link with a new DRM code, but the CD key will be the same as your first copy - if that isn't borderline fraud i don't know what is... Fortunately, they did refund the money in a fairly prompt manner. I am done using their service, however, as much for the irritation factor as anything.

03 December 2010

Reply from www.direct2drive.com

Hi there!

I am seeing that you purchased the same product twice and were taken care of in our support on 11/23/2010.

We'd appreciate it if you would update your side of this review as this seemed to have been completely resolved in under 48 hours.

Thanks!