Misleading Purchase Process – Hidden Subscription
I recently purchased the Final Fantasy XIV Complete Edition under the assumption that I was buying a full game. At no point during the checkout process was it made explicitly clear that the game requires a separate, ongoing monthly subscription just to access the content I paid for. The only mention of this was buried in fine print or hidden in the user agreement — nowhere near the purchase button, nowhere prominent.
After realizing this only after payment, I reached out to Square Enix for a refund. I hadn’t touched any paid content, hadn’t finished installing, and made the request in good faith. Their response? A blanket “no refunds” policy, pointing to the EULA I "accepted" mid-purchase. No consideration, no flexibility, no customer support — just policy and links.
This kind of practice feels intentionally misleading and absolutely exploitative to anyone unfamiliar with MMORPG pricing models. Square Enix has shown they care more about short-term revenue than long-term trust. I’ve initiated a chargeback through my payment provider and won’t be purchasing anything from them again.
If you’re thinking of buying the game, know this: you are paying upfront for a product you won’t even be allowed to keep playing unless you subscribe monthly. That should be the first thing you see on the page — not buried in fine print.