Contacting Ganz en masse -HHH issue-> new contact information

[meowsrus]

Post also updated with several contact methods: Please read through whole post

This update comes on October 31, 2009 and as of this day the issue is still going on in many accounts. My one daughter's account (the one who is autistic) and my niece's account are still having their stats drop with all of their pets. The only difference between their accounts and others I know that do not have the issue, is the amount of pets. Neither of them have even close to 10 pets. I have a few posts concerning how it effects her still. Please take a read through because it is still a prevalent issue! This does not seem to be a "treat them like they are real" issue- it is a 'buy more pets so that you have enough pets so that you don't have this problem' issue.

My older daughter is autistic and because she has this 'small amount' of pets her pets' stats drop daily (all of them a point or two) and severely when I am doing these items. When she does go on it is so disturbing to her that she doesn't like to go on very much anymore (still loves Webkinz, but the issue is VERY upsetting to her so goes on only every few weeks). Why should she suffer STILL with this? The solution shouldn't be having to give up on groceries just to get her account to be a 'large one' just so the stats don't drop so steeply. I hope that others will help those like my niece and my daughter.

->we have called Ganz- they have told us this is how it is supposed to work now for smaller accounts and this is what the Creative Director intended
-> her pets are all kept at 100% when the accounts is logged off
-> the pet that is 'active' during the dailies goes down 1 hunger for every 2 minutes spent on line (I've timed it!). What *real* pet gets hungry that quickly?
-> the happiness goes down 1 point every 2 minutes spent on line- what pet gets *unhappy* when you *are* playing with it? (while playing arcade games hunger alone will go down about between 8-15 points depending on the game)

Here are several different contact methods. I strongly urge you to read on through my original post before going further.

PLEASE- like I state in my post- do NOT be mean, insultive, or nasty. That is no way to get heard with any seriousness. Please if you are going to leave a comment make it well thought-out and courteous as this is a serious subject and those who are reading them do not need to be yelled at or have people leaving nasty comments when it will just do the opposite of what we need- to be heard. Thank you.

Here are the corporate address for Ganz (below is an online site where you can also leave comments if you are unable to mail in a letter):

If you chose to, you could direct your letter to one of the following people:

Susan McVeigh- Ganz, Webkinz Spokesperson

Karl Borst- Creative Director

Both can be contacted through the Canada address.

UNITED STATES
Ganz
#043
60 Industrial Parkway
Cheektowaga NY 14227-9903

CANADA
One Pearce Rd.
Woodbridge, Ont.
L4L 3T2

To leave an on-line comment:

Corporate | Ganz | From loveable animals to decorative accessories, Ganz offers the best gifts


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Below here is my original post on this thread:

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I was wondering whether or not it was doing any good, I mean just a fraction of us who have accounts effected contacting Ganz by phone. Some people in WI have some email addresses, but from the information I got during my phone call,it is the creative director who is going to be making the call on whether this new way of our pets being run into the ground will stay around or not.

Now some people have gotten indifference, some have been treated rudely, I actually got a real human being with feelings! BUT how do we know that these comments are actually being passed along to the person they say is in charge of this catastrophe?

So if it is that person, shouldn't we all be trying to get a hold of THEM? Let THEM know directly how you feel about your, your children's, your neice's and nephew's, your grandchildren's pets being starved simply because the account wasn't able to be accessed for the day (days, week, ...). How you feel, how many of the item you will purchase in the future, whether you will RECOMMEND Webkinz now that this has been changed and is only bringing anxiety and anguish to children and adults alike- especially the children.

So here's my question: Does anyone have the phone # or email for the creative director?

The physical address for Ganz is easily obtained. BUT we could start a letter writing campaign to get this changed BACK! Lets let them know.

This needs your help- you are the consumer of this product!!!

So write your letter- nothing profane, nothing overtly mean, cruel, nasty. Simply the facts and how you feel and how you will feel about this product if it is not changed. The better worded your letter is the better it will be received.

Something like:

To Creative Director, Ganz
re: Webkinz website

In light of the recent change to the website I will no longer be buying your product. This was meant to be a fun and enjoyable pastime for (me, my children, my grandchildren) and it no longer is. Most children, let alone adults, are not able to log in everyday of their lives to check on the pets. That was the point of having them virtual. Children do not understand why their pets are appearing to starve, get ill, and have the appearance of dying. They think you are killing their pets.

I, nor my children, have the time or the patience to sit at the computer for hours trying to correct a problem that was never a problem until now. Children are sitting by their computers in tears, many beyond consolation, and now it is time to show us you care.

Care about the families and the children who have been on this site for years, months, days, hours. Show us that you care how you are coming across to the WORLD by not continueing with this part of the program. Care about those with and without disabilities who this was the highpoint to a long week of hard times at school. Care about the children who only get to go on once a week and now have to spend that whole precious computer playtime in tears trying to make their pets healthy again. Pets that got sick and starved through no fault of their own, except they could not get on the computer. Care about the teenagers and adults that might have actually gotten a vacation and can not get on line. Children and adults should NOT have to be chained to their computers simply to enjoy this product.

You recently won an award for creating a site that was fun and safe for children. How would this organization feel to see the amount of dissatisfied consumers, customers, and their families right now? The internet group I belong to now has thousands of messages talking about this issue alone and how little people wish to continue the use of it as it was recently changed to.

Remember the Tamagochi? That product died because while it was 'novel' for a short time to have a pet that got sick, starved, appeared to die, the line itself died because that is all it was- novel. No one wanted to have to be responsible for a virtual pet that was MORE trouble than a LIVE one. This is what you have changed Webkinz World into, it is more pressure, more anxiety, more of a pain, than a real live pet would be.

Thank you for your attention and I hope that you will change the system back to why we joined- fun.


Isn't a few minutes of your day and a stamp (or a click of the mouse) worth having a voice?

Post here if you agree, don't agree, if you have more information!!

[fluffy]

I am going to do that. You letter is very good. Thanks for all the effort

[BASMAT]

thank you sooooooooooooooo much for your letter , i was going to snail mail them and now i have a wonderful letter to use as my base. i think this is the ONLY WAY to do this. the cs people ae only the drones here, and we cant email anymore and get a human answer and the in game forms are not working or secure............. and when we call most of us are not getting return calls. snail mail letters have a huge impact. good thread and thank you so much for you hard work with that letter.

[Areyel]

When I worked for a major corp. I remember the lasting impact of a letter. We did have comment cards, which were taken seriously, but when a person took the time to write an actual letter, it got a lot of attention. Managers got special awards if the letters were positive and special "attention" if they were negative.
I think sending letters will make an impact. Hopefully they will be smart and get them to the right people to make the right changes!

[blueyes1113]

Wonderful idea, my 184 pets thank you for the dea, i will be sure to do just that

[Electrabuzz1]

I think that is an amazing idea and what a lot of trouble you have gone to to compose a letter as a guideline. Although we have not been effected I will be sure to send a letter to make sure this is not a permanent issue.

[ilexicon]

Great work, meowsrus! What a good idea and you put a lot of effort into making it very easy for others of us to do something to. Thank you for the great letter!

[bettyv]

Looks good to me. I've already sent an email but will folow up with a letter.

B

[Doda34]

I certainly will send that letter. I am so disgusted with their customer service and their tech service. They are making millions with people buying their products and they should spend money on good tech support to make sure their site is running smoothly. Now they are going to open another website for smaller Webkinz. I wish everyone would boycott them until they get this mess cleared up. No one can really buy any new Webkinz to adopt as we are afraid we will be blocked out when we try to register them. Thanks for the great letter I copied it and it will go in the mail shortly.

[meowsrus]

Thank you, all of you, for not only responding, but acting!!!! The more people we can get to sent in a letter the better chance we have of getting it changed! You are all awesome!