Fair warning: game-speak ahead.

After the recent Guild Wars 2 update (2014-04-15) I logged into my account to grab the free “transmutation charges” they were giving away and to see how badly they had broken the trait system (hint: badly was the correct expectation). I quickly noticed that the arguably worthless town clothes costumes I had purchased had disappeared, and to get them back I needed to exchange them to be compatible with the new system. I did so, and my mix-and-match costume pieces were changed to full-body everlasting tonics. I also noticed that one of the toys I had purchased (boxing gloves) could no longer be dyed.

Because I did not like the full-body costumes and prefer to mix components, not to mention my now dye-less accessory, I decided to ask for a refund. Undoubtedly I’d end up with about $10 worth of gems, Guild Wars 2‘s proprietary cash-shop currency, which wouldn’t normally be worth my time in filing a support ticket but this was more a matter of principle: I bought one thing and it became another.

After a full week of dealing with support, I was partially refunded for my purchases in gems and only after asking explicitly was told to, “Please be aware that the Boxing Gloves are not eligible for refund.”

This made me wonder why any cash shop items would be ineligible for a refund. Since “refunds” are only processed in gems, why are any items exempt? ArenaNet isn’t giving me actual money, they’re merely exchanging one item for its value in gems. The refund does not actually cost them anything because the $10 I spent on the gems never leaves their hands. So why disappoint a paying customer in a free-to-play game? In fact, if I were a satisfied customer I am likely to spend more in their cash shop on account of being comfortable with their support.

Though I disagree with most of the decisions ArenaNet has made regarding Guild Wars 2‘s direction and development, I can still see their reasoning. In this case, however, I am at a loss. It’s not about the 300 gems or so they’re stubbornly holding onto, but the fact that the company is drawing a line in the sand where both sides mean the same thing except one side has a happy customer and the other doesn’t. Why draw the line at all?

I could understand them not refunding cash, but gems? The Monopoly money that can only be used at their own bank? The worst part of it all was that at no point was I surprised.

What they should be doing, of course, is focus on pleasing the few customers willing to buy their junk and offer full gem refunds on any non-consumable items. It’s never too late to start earning back the good-will you’ve squandered.