Box,
There are posts of yours that I am in complete agreement with, but we could not be farther apart on this one.
You may not owe the card creator, or packager, or seller any gratitude, but if you really feel no gratitude to OP for the terrific job they do organizing and running the program, if you believe that thanks aren't due when a caring job is done well, if you weren't taught simple politeness - that a thank you, like a please, cost nothing, but are the mark of a well raised, civil, person worth listening too - well, that is a sadness.
I have nothing but the highest regard and gratitude for the judges and organizers who make Pokémon Organized Play a reality. They receive very little for their work and could probably earn far more than a few boxes of Pokémon cards over the long amount of time they sacrifice for the game.
This does not extend to Pokémon Organized Play as a whole. When a decision like this is made, it is the decision of Pokémon Organized Play as a business. I don’t begrudge OP’s employees their need to make a living, but certainly holding back criticism of OP on account of gratitude is off the table. Once the people making these decisions include more than judges and volunteers, it becomes a matter of business, and not one of someone doing you a favor for which you should be appreciative. In this consumer-provider situation (which is markedly distinct from a player-judge situation), it is perfectly reasonable for the consumer to make unreserved complaints and demands, and to make a show of it at that. I agree that players should respect judges and take that respect into account when speaking of them. I do not think that we owe it to OP to refrain from openly criticizing them, however; while I am generally pleased with the fine job OP does listening to our complaints, that is in a professional capacity; OP owes it to us to hear our complaints and attempt to resolve them. Doing so shouldn’t be perceived as a kindhearted gift to the players, but rather simply fulfilling their end of the bargain for purchasing otherwise worthless trading cards. What gives the cards their value? OP.
PokeDad said:
I would suggest that publicly complaining about situations often outside of our OP's ability to correct - they are sometimes forced to play the cards they are dealt from overseas as well - might lead to an environment where OP shrinks instead of grows, or grows at a slower pace than it would if it weren't for veteran players sowing dissatisfaction, causing our newer players to turn away from the game.
You paint causing discontent, chaos, discord, as a public service. As a businessperson, I would describe it quite differently. Rather than expressing yourself responsibly, you choose to do so in a manner that may cause economic harm to the program you purportedly claim to want to help. You advocate this, what I see as unhelpful method of voicing unhappiness, as the way others should communicate to OP.
I am not saying you should hold your discontent in, I'm not even saying taking to the forums is bad in and of itself; but there seems, to me, a general note of selfish expectation and self entitlement, that you are due OP from a card manufacturer, that public outcry is helpful if the OP isn't run how you want, that economic blackmail is ever appropriate, and that thanks is never due.
Sure, booster packs aren’t printed with some guarantee of access to Pokémon Organized Play. However, without OP I know many people who would be unwilling to invest a cent in the game. Because the direction OP takes will affect consumer interest, it is hardly bad for consumers to warn fellow consumers, or to show dissatisfaction in public, which could prompt further dissatisfaction and cause damage to the Pokémon brand. I am convinced that participation in Organized Play is a right that we should expect, not a privilege that we should appreciate; though it is a right that may be revocable under some circumstances, the smoothness with which OP is run is undoubtedly the chief motivation for many players to stay involved. To be thankful it’s there when it’s our due is unnecessary, especially when said thankfulness leads to diluted criticism of company decisions and a resulting lack of progress.
What you very wittily referred to as “economic blackmail” is prevalent in every commercial industry of which I can think. I suppose your term for it is not inaccurate, but stirring up the consumer base in an attempt to instigate change within a company is neither uncommon nor unjustified. If a company makes a decision unfavorable to many customers, then they risk losing business; the way to avoid such a situation is simply to submit to the incessant demands and expectations of the consumers. Capitalism is all about submitting to consumer demand, and capitalism justifies public whining which puts the company in a bad light. Simply put, if any complaint a consumer makes is unfounded and absurd, the company should have nothing to worry about. If a complaint has merit (and by that I mean that people will agree with it enough that it will potentially hurt sales), then the making of that complaint publicly is completely justified. Such a complaint is likely to improve the game for the players; the important thing being of course that the consumer win.
I suppose you are right; I do feel that consumers are ought (“entitled” if you will) a large influence over OP’s policies. I do feel that consumers deserve to collectively call a lot of the shots, and there is more to OP’s attention to consumer concerns than simple kindness. If someone buys tons of your product, they should expect you to do your utmost to address their concerns; it shouldn’t simply be your option. Finally, if OP isn’t run according to the ever-shifting whims of the player base, it should be changed according to consumer wishes. Is this expectation and sense of entitlement wrong? Does a customer not deserve to have their provider cater to their wishes?
PokeDad said:
A well reasoned, respectful, post offering solutions for perceived problems, or a more circumspect communication where reason, respect, or solutions are lacking, might be better received and do less potential harm to the game you aim to help.
Expressing gratitude for a service rendered is common decency, the way parents hope their children act when they become adults.
I may disagree with your what, but I definitely disagree with your how...on this one anyway.
Any complaints that hurt the Pokémon brand can only do so temporarily, unless Pokémon decides not to address them. These complaints may not help Pokémon financially, but they will improve the OP experience for the players. It is also clear that OP’s generally proactive responses to complaints have been instrumental in building the Pokémon OP’s reputation as sympathetic and reactive to customer concern. If that is the case, why should we not take advantage of this opportunity to make clear our discontent?
Expressing gratitude is certainly not bad, but it’s when people stifle their criticism of corporate policies because they are grateful to the companies that ultimately the worst thing happens: the consumer suffers. Should people have been so grateful to Toyota for making such safe cars that they decide not to complain about the brakes’ sticking? Would it be better to complain about the brakes in private than in public, so as not to harm Toyota’s image?
The best way to achieve results from a business is to tarnish its corporate image. While it may be more economically feasible for an unprovoked company to sweep deficiencies under the rug, ultimately the consumer benefits if the business is pressured by consumer complaints into fixing the deficiencies to preserve its image. It’s only natural for the business to strive to please the customer, and we shouldn’t be grateful for it – the fact that we buy cards is the most important expression of satisfaction.