Epic Games, the studio behind the massively popular Battle Royale shooter Fortnite, was awarded an “F” rating for its customer service by the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
The Better Business Bureau tagged Epic Games with its lowest possible rating because of “unanswered customer complaints.” The bureau said that it has 279 complaints against the studio on file over the past three years, with 271 complaints logged in 2018. Out of the total number, the Better Business Bureau said that 247 are unanswered.
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According to the BBB, most of the complaints against Epic Games deals with its customer service, and issues regarding refunds or exchanges. The bureau cited two particular complaints, one that alleged the company failed to protect customer security resulting in several unsanctioned charges, and another on the lack of a phone number or at least prompt email response time for the removal of an unauthorized charge of $160.
The Better Business Bureau added that it has tried to contact Epic Games, but it has not received a response from the Fortnite maker.
It should be noted, however, that the BBB is not an official government or regulatory body, and is instead a national network of non-profit groups that aims to make businesses better through services such as dispute resolution, calling out fraudulent practices, and providing people with information through company pages and grades.
Epic Games, meanwhile, has already addressed the complaints on its page on the Better Business Bureau but through its own channels, a spokesperson for the studio told Kotaku.
“Epic Games is not affiliated with the Better Business Bureau and has redirected all player submitted complaints from the BBB to our Player Support staff,” the spokesperson said.
The chances of the studio moving up to C+ in the eyes of the Better Business Bureau, however, will be affected by the launch of the Epic Games store. The Steam competitor, which started offering free games with underwater survival game Subnautica last month, recently secured its first major partnership with Ubisoft’s The Division 2.
The Epic Games store may be shaping up as a legitimate challenge to Valve’s Steam, but it opens up the studio to the chance of receiving more customer complaints. The Better Business Bureau will likely stay tuned.
