[Taz D]

Originally Posted by SkatterbrainKid

In Response to Post by JAS:

While with exasperated tone you charge that the conversion ratio can be determined if the buyer would just "look", you are missing the main point and that is that the new system TAKES MORE STEPS to figure out just exactly what it is that you are getting when you spend real cash to get FB credits to in turn buy a package of FT cash offered at different tier levels.

The more user-friendly way would be for the Partner Offer to state the exchange rate (i.e. 140 FB Credits = 99 FT Cash + 41 residual FB Credits) in the actual offer versus assuming the buyer will take extra steps to figure it out for themselves. But they don't do that which is my point -- This could be simpler and more upfront if they would give full disclosure versus assuming people will figure these conversion rates in their heads (or just not care and end up spending more than they planned.)

This FB Credits for FT Cash system is new and looks similar to foreign exchange rates, and as anyone who travels knows, different merchants will charge you a different exchange rate in their store. So the question becomes whether the same FB Credits for FT Cash exchange rate is used for ALL the Partner Offers? Or does the exchange rate move around depending on which Partner is offering what?

That's a valid question, but if it is always a set exchange rate, then such rate should also be clearly posted at the top of the Partner Offers menu or somewhere so every Farmer who goes through this process doesn't have to navigate through numerous screens just to find a simple answer that the game designers could post upfront. People like to know the REAL price of what they are buying, calibrated in the currency they know best.

I also think it is bogus to leave Farmers stuck with FB Credits in an exchange transaction that they can't really use until they buy more to level up to the minimum purchase tier which is 49 FB Credits to get 25 FT Dollars. In the transaction I experienced, I spent $30 in a Partner Offer for 140 FB Credits which qualified me to purchase no more than 55 FT Dollars with 99 FB Credits since the next package of 120 FB Dollars required 199 FB Credits, or 59 more FB Credits than I had just bought (i.e. 199 - 140 = 59). So with my left over 41 FB Credits, I can't buy any more FT Dollars until I come up with another 8 FB Credits to reach 49 FB Credits, qualifying me for the minimum FT Dollar purchase of a package of 25 for 49 FB Credits. But just like I don't like carrying around residual foreign currency I can't really use, I don't want a bunch of residual FB Credits burning a hole in my pocket to spend elsewhere but Farm Town since that's the only FB connected game I play.

And that exchange rate at 1.96 FB Credits to the FT Dollar (or $0.20 per FT Dollar) at Tier 1 is more expensive than the exchange rate I originally bought into which was 1.80 FB Credits (or $0.18) to the FT Dollar at Tier 2. Splitting purchases between tiers is expensive and confusing, which is my point.

This is a PROGRESSIVE exchange rate system, i.e. the more FT Dollars you buy, the cheaper they are in terms of real dollars spent. And that is confusing enough when you have to convert real dollars to FT Dollars. But now add another layer of FB Credits in order to get from real dollars to FT Dollars, and you have not just complexity, but room for manipulation of the exchange rate (i.e. real dollars to FB Credits) between Partner Offers.

My point is that it doesn't smell like a square deal to me and has turned trying to figure out what I'm buying into a semi-complicated foreign exchange transaction -- and that's WORK now...not FUN. This game is supposed to be about FUN. I think either the designers have gone too far in making a scheme more complex than it needs to be, or the SlashKey people don't have enough pull with the Face Book people to keep Farm Town SIMPLE for Farm Town players.

But for purposes of full disclosure, here is a table of the conversion rates between real US dollars (cents) and Face Book Credits (FBC) and Farm Town Dollars/Cash (FTD), based on the 4 packages of FT Cash or Tiers offered:

Tier 1: 25 FTD = 49 FBC = $4.99 which is 1.96 FBC or 20 cents per FTD

Tier 2: 55 FTD = 99 FBC = $9.99 which is 1.80 FBC or 18 cents per FTD

Tier 3: 120 FTD = 199 FBC = $19.99 which is 1.66 FBC or 17 cents per FTD

Tier 4: 250 FTD = 1.60 FBC = $39.99 which is 1.60 FBC or 16 cents per FTD

Now everyone memorize this table and be prepared for a quiz at next class session (smiles).

Hope this clarifies my point AND provides insight as to real conversion prices.

The Facebook credits and the Partner Offers are solely operated by Facebook for ALL the games and apps on Facebook. Slashkey doesn't have any control over any of that. If you want to complain about it, then post it in Facebook's Help Center, because they won't see it here.