GROJEAN: If you’re the parent of a gamer, or a gamer yourself, you're likely familiar with the online video game, Fortnite. Despite its enormous popularity, consumers have cited many issues with the game's creator, Epic Games, for failing to provide purchase content and refunds, and giving poor customer service. We spoke with Whitney Quick from the Better Business Bureau about how to use caution when playing online games offering in-game purchases.
QUICK: Better Business Bureau has uncovered 279 complaints about the company in the past three years, with 271 of those complaints filed in the past year alone as Epic Games has grown significantly. Of the 279 total complaints, 247 have gone unanswered.
GROJEAN: And so what is their letter grade on the Better Business scale?
QUICK: Epic Games currently has an F rating, which is the lowest on the BBB scale.
GROJEAN: So, a lot of young people play this game, and a lot of young people don't know how a lot of credit card online transactions work and how easy it is to pay for something without really knowing you are doing so. So, what recommendations do you have for parents whose kids play Fortnite?
QUICK: Many online and mobile games require a credit card number to set up a profile. Consider setting a password to restrict the in-game purchases, and also don't save your credit card number onto your phone. If your child is playing a game, consider parental controls to restrict in-game purchases as well as Internet access restrictions or time limits as appropriate.
GROJEAN: Can you get into some of the specifics for local cases?
QUICK: So there is a man in Union, Missouri, and he told the Better Business Bureau in September, after a following data breach at Epic Games, that affected his player profile and he lost $300 in purchased in-game content. The consumer said that when he went to contact Epic Games, the company denied that he had purchased any of the content, demanded extensive documentation of his purchases, that he owned his profile, and ultimately refused to restore any of its content or provide a refund.
GROJEAN: What are a couple of tips for consumers, or anyone playing online and mobile games, especially the ones offering in-game purchases?
QUICK: Make sure that if you have to put a credit card in there, to set it up to where you can only access that with a password, or sometimes, with your iPhone, you can do it with your thumbprint. So therefore you know what you're buying. Read all the small print to make sure that you are agreeing to what you think you were agreeing to. Many times, we have complaints, and what's happened is either the small print or the fine print has been very difficult to locate, or sometimes it's on another webpage, even. But you really do kind of have to dig for that information on your own.