Serial Number Invalid?

[AEWHistory]

I decided to buy CtGW for the PC a couple weeks ago since I have had ongoing problems with the iPad version (that’s another issue). When I finally got around to installing tonight it said my serial number was invalid. Not sure what to do or who to write to but I figured this was as good a place to start as any. Is someone could help me or send me off in the right direction that would be awesome. Thanks!

[Robotron]

You should have a 16 digit serial number which you must enter including the hypen between every 4 digits.

Did you maybe accidentally enter your old serial from your Ipad version?

[AEWHistory]

Hi Robotron,

That’s a good question, but I am almost certain that this is the new number. It has been ages mind you, but I don’t recall receiving a serial number to input for the iPad. So when I saw the number listed under “my games” I assumed it was the new one. Come to think of it, I don’t think that my iPad and my Slitherine acct use the same info, but I don’t want to rule it out. Thanks for bringing this up.

I also need to go back as I can’t recall if I included the hyphens when I typed it in. OTOH, I think I also tried a copy and paste, but I will revisit this just to be sure. I will write again in a bit to let you know what I have tried and if it made any difference.

Once again, thanks Robotron. You’re a regular one man support squad!
Aaron

[AEWHistory]

Hi Robotron,

That’s a good question, but I am almost certain that this is the new number. It has been ages mind you, but I don’t recall receiving a serial number to input for the iPad. So when I saw the number listed under “my games” I assumed it was the new one. Come to think of it, I don’t think that my iPad and my Slitherine acct use the same info, but I don’t want to rule it out. Thanks for bringing this up.

I also need to go back as I can’t recall if I included the hyphens when I typed it in. OTOH, I think I also tried a copy and paste, but I will revisit this just to be sure. I will write again in a bit to let you know what I have tried and if it made any difference.

Once again, thanks Robotron. You’re a regular one man support squad!
Aaron

Edit: oops, how did that happen? Can a mod delete this? I love to hear myself talk but this is a bit much.

[AEWHistory]

Okeedokee, I just tried this again. I tried both C&P as well as typing it in and made sure to include the dashes. Still invalid. I cant see how this would be my ipad serial number as this is taken from 'my page' on the slitherine forum and my ipad games never appeared there. So this must be the number for my new copy.... but it doesnt work. This sucks. So who do I write to now? I would love to finish installing this game.

[Robotron]

Go to

https://www.slitherine.com/member/helpdesk/ticket/new

And open a "service ticket" by sending an email to them.

[AEWHistory]

As always, you're a tremendous help robotron. I have sent them a msg.

All the very best,
Aaron

[Robotron]

When I received my game via direct download link (I'm not using Steam) I remember a small text file being included in the download which held the serial number.

Just to be sure there's no oversight: did you also receive such a text file?

[AEWHistory]

I just went back and looked--I hadn't checked before, I just went to my page and DLed the files and got the serial number--but I cannot find an email for this game! I can find three other emails for games I bought right before the sale ended but the games I bought right around the new year arent in my mailbox. Weird, but maybe this explains the problem?

[AEWHistory]

Well, just for the record, I contacted Slitherine support about this issue and their response was.... I will skip the expletives and just say “poor”. They suggested my problem was because I bought the game on Steam (I bought the game on the Slitherine website during their sale!) and then they suggested I buy another copy. I sent a strongly worded reply. I have to say that after spending a good $600+ on Slitherine and associated games over the years they won’t see another penny from me unless they come back with a MUCH better response. It takes some serious nerve to sell someone something that isn’t working and then suggest that is they buy it again all will be well. That’s the lowest, slimiest sort of business practice.

[AEWHistory]

Well, just for the record, I contacted Slitherine support about this issue and their response was.... I will skip the expletives and just say “poor”. They suggested my problem was because I bought the game on Steam (I bought the game on the Slitherine website during their sale!) and then they suggested I buy another copy. I sent a strongly worded reply. I have to say that after spending a good $600+ on Slitherine and associated games over the years they won’t see another penny from me unless they come back with a MUCH better response. It takes some serious nerve to sell someone something that isn’t working and then suggest that if they buy it again all will be well. That’s the lowest, slimiest sort of business practice.

[Robotron]

That's an unacceptable insolence by that "support" person. They should be able to track and confirm that you legitimately bought the game on their website. If they can't do so then that's a huge sign of incompetence on their part.

Have you looked into your email-software's spam folder? Maybe the email with the serial was accidentally discarded as spam?
Have you tried the serials from the other games you downloaded, just in case they got mixed up?

[AEWHistory]

So after some digging I have unearthed one of the most ridiculous situations I have encountered in my life. Now let me preface this by saying a few things. First, I will partly retract some of my ire aimed at the support person. They stated in their email that they were “assuming” certain things, like that I purchased the game on Steam, but I am told they did do some of the checking I would have expected. I think it is important to note this—if I am going to be critical it should be over the correct things.

My other preface is that I have now provided Slitherine with SS of ALL of my Steam purchases and CTGW is not on there. My iPad purchases are under my wife’s account and not at all associated with my Slitherine account: different name, different email, different list of games, etc.

So what is ridiculous? Okay, here goes: I purchased two sets of games from Slitherine during this past sale and both sets showed up in My Page. As you know I am having trouble installing CTGW and they insist that my serial number is a third party serial number from either the iPad or Steam (as I have noted, this is impossible). So I went back to check my emails and it turns out that with the first group of games, when I purchased CTGW for PC, I never received an email. But when I completed this purchase the games appeared on My Page! I never bothered to check because... well, I’m lazy about email. So I went to check PayPal and...nothing. It appears I wasn’t charged despite completing the transaction.

So I have a bunch of games that I tried to buy during their sale and that appeared in My Page. They do NOT appear in my Steam account (because they were bought thru the Slitherine website) and they cannot be linked to my iPad. Yet the whole transaction was a snafu and I have wasted a few hours trying to figure this out. Honestly, I don’t trust Slitherine’s system at this point and their customer service was seriously wanting. Either they genuinely believe I was wasting hours trying to steal a game that was selling for $6 and, in my opinion, they’ve simply refused to look at the potential problems with their system. I don’t think I lost any money this time, but who knows if this has happened to others or if it will cost people in the future. You can do better Slitherine....

PS— Hi Robotron. I wrote much of this response before I noticed your reply but those are some great ideas. I hadn’t even bothered installing the other games from the first bunch but I am betting right now that the serial numbers won’t be good either. OTOH, I could try mixing and matching. If I can get them to work I will want to make sure that Slitherine receives payment (I’m not looking for anything free and the sale prices were very generous) but one step at a time I guess. In the meantime, I will go check my spam folder. After finding nothing on PayPal I suspect it won’t be there, but you’re right that I should have checked earlier. I will follow up ASAP and thank you!

Follow Up—
okeedokee, nothing in the spam folder I could find. I did get another reply from Paulo, the customer service rep for Slitherine. He says that my iPad version of CTGW was probably registered automatically because I play MP. However, he is still neglecting to explain how it is that I have To End All Wars, Alea Jacta Est, and a few other games in my account! Instead he just keeps trying to explain why this isn’t a problem with the Slitherine system. Okay, maybe so, but I did not purchase these games on Steam, these two were never made for the iPad, and they are on My Page! His attitude seems to be that since there isn’t a purchase record then there isn’t a problem. I disagree. How did these games end up in my account? My didn’t my purchase go thru? Why weren’t emails sent when these games were added? Why is Slitherine issuing third party serial numbers? Etc.

I started out with a very positive attitude toward Slitherine and this person has managed to single handedly convince me that this positivity was unwarranted. Apparently if there is a problem then Slitherine’s attitude is it is always someone else at fault. It must be lovely to be faultless....

Sorry for the wall of text, I’m just upset and put in too much work for this crap.

[AEWHistory]

I have a theory that Slitherine has a bug when people have multiple copies of the same game. If Paulo is correct and their system did take my iPad serial number then what happens when I try to purchase the same exact game for the PC? Can the system recognize that there are two different versions? I suspect when I went to purchase a second copy something went wrong. This is such a mess....

[Robotron]

You really should post your experience in the "General discussion" forum so other users who had similar experiences might join in. Maybe if enough people openly voice their criticism something will be done about it.

Personally I found this user's observations quite interesting:
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=103472

[AEWHistory]

Very good idea Robotron. I will reformat what I’ve written and create a thread in General in a bit (got a few things to do first). I feel like i am never going to get to play your mod.... and it sounds so good!

There is another thing that has occurred to me that is really troubling me. If their website does have my iPad serial number then Slitherine knows I bought the iPad version, right? But didn’t Slitherine say they couldn’t give PC copies to the people who bought their games on the iPad because they couldn’t verify this? The whole reason I went to buy a second copy was because Slitherine had said they couldn’t track who bought their apple games. Man, this just gets under my skin more and more.

Owell, let me go check that thread out you posted.