"Dear Trainers: consider this before spending money"

#PokemonGO: I know many people are super excited about the release of new Pokemon. And you should be, it's been a long time and the idea of new dark/ghost types to celebrate Halloween is a pretty fun one. However before you click "buy" on the new boxes they put up, I ask that you just take a moment and consider how Niantic treats large sections of their users and customers.For over a week now, a substantial minority of people have been getting fewer items than everyone else. It was unclear if this was a bug or not until Niantic finally started form-replying that it was intentional, but it's still unclear if it's a test or if it's a consequence for something the users did. No communication for how long the test would go on for, or what the users did to deserve their punishment -- and inquiries are ignored. Think about the people who play with friends and are the only one getting limited items, and what a bummer that is for them.Since the first beta in June, iOS11 has issues with the Go+ peripheral which severely interferes with gameplay. Many Android devices have similar problems with Go+ gameplay, and these have existed for even longer. People paid for this device with a reasonable expectation that it would continue to work.Since the launch of the game, folks who chose PTC logins have been unable to play for extended periods of time. There is no communication beyond "it's down", and no indication that they ever have plans to let PTC users migrate or link their accounts to Google logins. Think of the people in AZ who got a MewTwo pass and were super excited for their chance, only to have PTC down for the entire duration while everyone else caught it. Going from extreme excitement to missing out entirely is a devastating emotional experience, I really feel for those folks.Anyhow... back to you, dear trainers. Maybe none of these issues affect you -- if so, congratulations! However just consider that the above is Niantic's standard operating procedure. So the correct way to phrase that is: none of these issues affect you yet. At any time, bugs or tests with serious negative consequences could be applied to you and you'll have no idea why or have any recourse.What I ask everyone to consider all this before spending money in this game. Even though we're excited about Gen3, is this company really worth investing your time and money in?For me the answer is no, as I have three friends with unexplained two-item stops, four more (including myself) affected by the oft-broken PTC issue, and many more with mostly-broken Go+ devices. For me I can't ignore these issues and pretend the game is okay, so Niantic doesn't get my money anymore. Not until they treat their community with respect -- have a real community manager with ongoing communication with the community would be a great start -- and support the products they sell at retail.If you do decide to spend money on this game regardless of the above, that's fine too. Pokemon Go is still a fun way to make walks more interesting and engaging, and Gen3 will add to that experience. It's definitely possible to enjoy the status quo if the game is working for you and not sweat about it too much if it breaks for you later. Thanks for your time and consideration! via /r/pokemongo http://ift.tt/2yz5poE