AfterPokemon GOFest’s technical issuesspoiled everybody’s summer weekend, developer Niantic vowed to make amends. As part of that, the company also promised to offer refunds toPokemon GOfans who purchased a ticket to the Chicago, IL. event. But unfortunately, actually getting that refund isn’t such a simple affair.
According to emails sent out to those at the event and shared withGame Rant, Niantic is just now gathering the details required to make the refunds happen. to confirm that people really were in attendance, those requesting a refund must send the company the following information:
Additionally, Niantic requests a picture of thePokemon GOFest wristband (with the 7-digit and 12-digit codes being “legible,"), the Chicago iron-on badge, and the QR code. And Niantic says that this must be included in one, single photo.
Although Niantic has apologized and has explainedwhyPokemon GOFest was such a disaster, the effort required to get a refund will only destroy that goodwill. In fact, there’s a strong chance that many will have already lost some of that information for good. Given how heartbreaking the event was, it would be no surprise if many attendees have already thrown away their wristbands.
It’s clear that Niantic is asking for so much information in order to avoid fraudulent refund claims. However, it also poses a significant headache for those who purchased their tickets from scalpers and may not know the order number or purchase email address.
The developer has reportedly asked that scalpers do the ‘right thing,’ and give the refunded money to those they resold the tickets to. But, of course, it’s unlikely that ticket scalpers will do that and so those who did buy a scalped ticket could be out of pocket if Niantic doesn’t deem that they’ve provided enough information for a refund.
Can Niantic overcome this hurdle and find a way to restore fans' faith in itself and its game? The developer will need more thanfree legendariesandnew shiny Pokemonto get there.
Pokemon GOis out now on Android and iOS.
