Update 5: Microsoft’s way to treat WP7-Users outside the US

Today I want to tell you something how MS treats us users here in Germany.

It started back on the launch of WP7. All European launch countries got the Zune Pass. Except Germany. I asked the Support, when will we get the Zune Pass. They told me by the end of 2010. Didn’t happen.

I asked again in January this year. They told me in spring… Guess what – we still don’t have Zune Pass in Germany.

The next thing happened with the recent changes of the WP7-Apphub. Developers have now to fill a special form for their games only for Germany. As this is also needed for updates, German users had to wait 4 days longer for the last Angry Birds update than the rest of the world. Still a few Updates of other Apps and Games are not  available in Germany, but in the rest of the world.

The last thing is that the announced free Xbox Live games of this week aren’t still available here in Germany. I asked the german WindowsPhone-Team on Twitter as well as the American WP-support, but until now got now response.

I am really a fan of Microsoft, but at the moment it is hard to be.

I wanted to change the country of my billing account, but as it is connected with my Xbox and my family’s accounts, this doesn’t even work.

So if anyone from MS reads this, you have to change these things or you will lose a bunch of  customers here in Germany.

[Update:] I know that other countries also still don´t have a Zune Pass. As I live here in Germany, I told you the actual situation. The game situation is however localized to Germany only (as far as I know).

[Update 2:] After 2 days I got a response from the Zune-Support-Team for my question when we will get Zune Pass here in Germany… It is really annoying! Have a look:

image

I wonder how long we still have to wait.

As posted in comments, we got similar other offers here in Germany, but without the 10 free songs… So MS would have a real good chance here, also with non WP7-Users…

[Update 3:] MS did it again. While it seems that in the rest of the world this weeks Xbox live game IonballEX is available, German users have still to wait. How long this time?

Check the Marketplace here. Let’s hope the game will be available soon…

[Update 4:] This Morning while making my usual marketplace check, I was able to download this weeks Xbox live game IonBallEX.

Before Yesterday I contacted again the Windows Phone Support via Twitter, but the still got no information why this happens… Many of us (especially Devs) know, that for Germany you have to fill a separate form to release games. But why Xbox Live-enabled titles were not prepared before launching? Indie-Devs are preparing their worldwide launches in a much cleaner and better way than Xbox Live-Devs (p. e. Air Dagger, which has launched worldwide at the same time).

I really hope that with the official release of Mango these things will change in a positive way.

[Update 5:]

image

As I mentioned yesterday on Twitter, Microsoft launches Minesweeper to the rest of the world. I honestly thought that we users in Germany again will have to wait much longer than the rest of the non-US-world.

But this time I was able to download it once I clicked to the following this Deep-Link to the Marketplace.

I don’t know whether this is because the game was released last week in the US or if MS has changed its way to publish apps and games to Germany. We will see next week.

Greets
MSicc

Comments 6
  1. I don’t think you can blame MS for not trying to bring us the zune pass. That just won’t happen as long as GEMA is around.
    But I agree with you on the other two points.

  2. At least you guys i Germany have localization. We in Seden dont even have swedish keyboard! not to mention all the other stuff you got that we dont. If Mango doesnt fix this in a good way for us in Seden then WP7 will be lost here.

  3. I think you can blame the German ranking board for the game situation (USK, iirc). And it’s true that other companies provide a Zune pass-like service, but it still must be really hard to get this deal done in Germany. Go to YouTube and you’ll see how many, many, videos are disabled, because YT can’t find an agreement with GEMA (not the same situation, but you get the idea).

    1. I know these facts. As I mentioned, I think MS is big enough to get a solution like Napster or Simfy have done before. And the phone support says coming soon, while the twitter support says no info. The German Twitter Team does not even answer my question. The USK is another thing which follows inf first international guidelines. If I finally manage to change the region of my account, i will do so as it is anoying to have a German one. 🙁

  4. The free game situation is the same everywhere outside the US. Apparently the reason is being that they funded them using Ads and only the US has Ads at the moment.

    It is very annoying…

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