Is the g2a Shield worth turning off for a pre-order game?

eacochran · Jun 26, 2016

I'm looking at a preorder game for really cheap, but the Shield kinda bumps the price up a bit and it's making me have second thoughts. Should I buy it without Shield? Anyone have a bad experience with Shield off?

Darkbreeze · Jun 26, 2016

I wouldn't buy ANY software from g2a. Ever.

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2942456/seller-scam-g2a.html

http://www.polygon.com/2015/2/9/8006693/the-truth-behind-those-mysteriously-cheap-gray-market-game-codes

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-01-26-it-looks-like-ubisoft-is-going-after-third-party-key-sellers

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2986399/gamesdeal-selling-games.html

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2211493/g2a-windows-professional-64bit-legitimate.html

If you give your money to a vendor through G2A, and get burned, which is likely about 60% or more of the time, then you have nobody but yourself to blame because you were warned.

eacochran · Jun 26, 2016

Well, I've bought from them several times before with no problem. So you must be one of those "Too good to be true" types, hehe. But I've never had an issue with them before, maybe it was because I used the Shield every time I've bought from them?

Darkbreeze · Jun 26, 2016

Possibly. For every person I encounter that says they've had no issues though, I see two others that have. And usually, at some point, one of those "it worked out fine for me" types comes back and starts hollering because they "got scammed". I'm not familiar with the "Shield" concept though, first time I've heard it even mentioned, so that may or may not present any protections for you. What I CAN tell you is that Microsoft, Steam and others have ALL indicated that they do not and will not support any software or keys purchased through G2A or Kinguin if something turns out to be "off" or unofficial. You roll the dice, and take your chances I guess. I personally prefer to give my money to the companies that develop the software to keep them in the business of developing the software, rather than lining the pockets of thugs who pilfer crates of games and other software off the backs of hijacked trucks and shipping containers.

eacochran · Jun 26, 2016

That's a fun way to put it. Well, I took my chance. I guess we'll see if I'll be returning with the "I was scammed" response. And the Shield is a program that G2A owns where if you have it activated, the price goes up by about a dollar+ a few cents, and when you deactivate it, it has a warning popup that says
"Buying from sellers other than G2A involves a certain degree of risk.
Without G2A Shield active we are unable to verify the quality of the product.
Remember that turning the G2A Shield off results in the customer taking full responsibility for any potential issues with the key."
So from the sounds of it, they're guaranteeing a working Key if you have Shield enabled.

Bakua · Jun 26, 2016

I would turn G2A shield on for ANY purchase over $10, especially pre-orders. I've been scammed once, the key didn't work, but it was for a minor game so I never really thought too much about it. You can almost instantly get a refund and/or get an exchange of key(s).

eacochran · Jun 26, 2016

You got a refund by contacting G2A support? I've never been scammed so I'd like to be prepared for when/if it ever happens.

Bakua · Jun 26, 2016

I didn't have shield on, so I just filed a dispute and it went "bleh", meaning it really didn't go anywhere. If you don't have the shield, they really just don't care (in all honesty). Read the terms of the G2A Shield, it allows for a faster refund, and without, you may not even get a refund. It's worth the extra $2 (or so?) when taking $10+ into account.

eacochran · Jun 26, 2016

Okay, makes sense. But would you say that the G2A Shield guarantees a valid key, say, for Steam? Because the way they word everything, that's what it sounds like.

Bakua · Jun 26, 2016

By that, they mean that you'll get a working key sooner or later. They prioritize shield members, and with Live chat, you can get a refund (may not be able to get a key, the seller may not have any). Best to pre-order off of Steam/Origin, it's the safest way.

eacochran · Jun 26, 2016

Alright. I went ahead and pre-ordered it anyway a few minutes ago. The total was $20.49, including Shield. The key is said to arrive on release date so we'll see what happens.

Darkbreeze · Jun 26, 2016

Bakua :

Meaning, we'll keep issuing illegal keys to you until one of them works. That's what you're paying for with the shield. What that DOESN'T take into account, is when a key or series of keys gets blacklisted later down the road. I'm sure the G2A "shield" has a limitation on how long they'll protect you from a fake or blacklisted key, and once that time has passed, it's once again "bleh" time.

I've seen literally hundreds of threads, just here on Tom's, not counting elsewhere on Reddit and other forums, where people bought G2A, Kinguin, and other "gray" site keys that worked fine at first but within a week or a few months, were blacklisted and no longer valid, When that happens, you're out of luck. There will be NO recourse for you.

Bakua · Jun 26, 2016

Darkbreeze :

I'm not condoning buying from retail sites (Humble Bundle is alright), there have been lots of cases where people have been scammed, Ubisoft stopped keys from retail sites like G2A, meaning they wasted their money and couldn't issue for a refund, since it was a legit working key but they refused to accept it. I'd much rather pay $50 on Steam than pay $25 on G2A and not be able to play a game. The seller could close down his Paypal account and all would be said and done.

eacochran · Jun 26, 2016

oops, I didn't meant to make that best answer. my bad. I don't normally use this site. hehe. Well, you activate the G2A Shield for each individual purchase. It's not a membership, in case you misunderstood Bakua. And once you have the game added to your library, it's locked in. It won't just out of no where say that it's no longer valid. It just doesn't make much sense.

Bakua · Jun 26, 2016

G2A Shield does have a membership, have you SEEN their exit process? Absolutely unacceptable. Yes, it's locked in, completely right, but if you don't have the shield, it could take a while to claim a refund/new key.

eacochran · Jun 26, 2016

By membership, it's not the type where you have a reoccurring pay. It's just to activate during an individual purchase. I mean, I guess, in a sense, it could be considered a membership. It's not your typical membership. It's hard to explain because this whole thing is so sketchy.

Darkbreeze · Jun 26, 2016

eacochran :

My point exactly. I'd much rather buy from a seller I know is legitimate, and only have to buy it once, knowing I have end of life support on that product, that buy it and buy it again later, or just buy it and then not have anything to show for it when the key gets blacklisted.

BTW, I unselected the answer for you.

Bakua · Jun 26, 2016

No, I know what you mean, but I'm telling you that they have an option where if you don't look close enough/read you could be in a membership, meaning you don't have to pay for shield. The exit process for that is absolutely garbage.

eacochran · Jun 26, 2016

Thanls, darkbreeze, lol. And I understand that. I am extremely hesitant EVERY time I buy from g2a. there hasn't been a time where I haven't done research before buying from them.

Bakua, Have you had to go through it? I've never heard of any of that.

Bakua · Jun 26, 2016

Thankfully no, I have not. I do know that they ask you loads of questions, try to change your mind (multiple times), it's just really obnoxious.

eacochran · Jun 26, 2016

Okay, again, thanks for the heads-up. And I just looked, i guess there is a "Free 30-Day" trial for free G2A Shield. I misunderstood you: the membership is where you pay to get Shield for free.

Kane86 · Jun 26, 2016

Let me tell you my experience with g2a, then make up your own mind about their shield "service".

Last year I bought BF4 premium through g2a, unaware that the keys they sold were grey market, turned out the key I bought was already redeemed, there was nothing EA could do for me, so I filed a dispute with g2a, I showed them the purchase record along with shield activated, I obtained the record of the conversation with an EA rep to prove the key was used before being sold to me, then I was told to wait for an response from the seller, it went back and forth for well over a month, with no response from the seller whatsoever, the case was somehow ruled in their favour, with all the evidence I supplied to support my case, I ended up getting a refund without hassle via paypal, and swore never to use g2a ever again.

chimera201 · Jun 26, 2016

You need to look at this from another perspective:
https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?p_faqid=549#sellgifts

PC games cannot be sold by an unauthorized person. If anyone is selling a game it is clearly violating the User Agreement.
Sellers on G2A are unauthorized and so are other third party sellers. It's the same rule with Origin,Uplay,Battle.net,GOG games.

Bakua · Jun 26, 2016

chimera201 :

The statement in the picture states that Steam gifts may not be sold, but keys are an entirely difference matter. Once again, I'm not saying it's right, I'm just stating that that is an issue.

Darkbreeze · Jun 26, 2016

The "key" is the "game". Same thing. No different.

Is the g2a Shield worth turning off for a pre-order game?

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