Orbx Orb Store (Limited Incentive For MSFS Customers)

[slicker55 24]

I have been an Orbx customer for a few years and have accrued 700 Orbs,

I have been keeping an eye on the Orb store as they say titles are changed on a regular basis

Here's a breakdown of what's currently available:

FSX (50)
Prepar3D (50)
Prepar3D v4 (08)
Prepar3D v4+ (02)
X-Plane 11 (15)
Aerofly FS 2 (07)
MSFS (01)

It is very disappointing to see there are no major airports for MSFS (only one GA airfield) compared to a much wider selection for other simulators.

I don't know whether you guys will agree but I think Orbx should ensure there is a reasonable number of airports available in the Orb store for all simulators before promoting a product which, I assume, is designed to reward customer loyalty and incentivise potential customers.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 2, 2023 by slicker55

[Christopher Low 5,337]

I had assumed that these Orbs could be used towards the purchase of any product, so this is quite a surprise.

[orchestra_nl 925]

7 minutes ago, slicker55 said:

I have been an Orbx customer for a few years and have accrued 700 Orbs,

I sympathise with you. I have even more orbs (>1200) and nothing to spend it on. Others, like Just Flight, let you spend accumulated points as money when you purchase a product which seems to me more rewarding for loyal customers.

[KERNEL32 497]

Well with this business strategy, one can easily tell which simulator add ons are selling the best!

[St Mawgan 1,353]

No idea I had any orbs but good to see Darrington and Orcas were updated. I hardly ever look at Orbx Central. 

[Joe L 62]

I agree with the OP, but I would say check regularly.  About a month ago there were three times as many MSFS titles available (That is, a whopping three total).  I picked up a couple of MSFS titles with ORBs when they first started, not much of interest to me since, and well, only one choice now.  I have 700+ of them myself.

[okupton 308]

I’m still on p3d and my complaint with orbs is everything they have has at least tripled in orbs price since they launched this program. So not much value for p3d flyers either honestly.  Definitely don’t see an incentive to buy from ORBX if that was their goal. 

[Greggy_D 935]

Their “loyalty” program is a joke. 

[slicker55 24]

Thanks guys for your responses so far... this is one of those subjects people may have different attitudes towards but it looks like you're onboard with my OP...

Here's an update...  

I contacted Orbx to reference this post and express my view.

Orbx has since replied saying,

"Thanks for your suggestion. I am told that the “Orbs” policy is under constant review."

So, nothing to suggest we might expect any immediate change - we'll have to wait and see but maybe they will take a closer look if enough people register their comments here?

[KERNEL32 497]

6 hours ago, Greggy_D said:

Their “loyalty” program is a joke. 

Well, they could do nothing...

[JustanotherPilot 219]

Longtime customer of ORBX (since their startup) using FSX P3Dv1,3,4,5 Xplane 10, 11, 12, and now MSFS, spent $k's over the years, but lately have become really disillusioned with their business model, thankfully, they seem to have regular product sales which keeps me coming back, for some scenery/airports I've had on hold, as to their Orbs, some users of past Sim Platforms might benefit from them But the current XP12 and MSFS selections are very limited.

[qqwertz 772]

1 hour ago, KERNEL32 said:

Well, they could do nothing...

As for me, that would have been better for their business. When they introduced Orbs, I thought it was similar to JustFlight points. When I discovered how restrictive the use of Orbs is, I got discouraged to buy anything from ORBX. It is not that I am boycotting them or so, but Orbs are a negative incentive for me.

[F737MAX 5,552]

Orbs is a typical loyalty programme, terribly executed. However, if people keep buying from their store in large numbers, there's no incentive for them to change.

I'm finding their pricing noticably more expensive for some of the third party add-ons compared to other stores and the quality of the in-house development team's products is awful.

Now that Central has been replicated by other stores, they no longer have a U.S.P. There's now no reason for me to buy from Orbx any more, other than perhaps during sales.

A disappointing fall from the top step.

[Glenn Fitzpatrick 3,798]

I ignore the orbs.

I buy from Orbx because Central does a pretty good job of automatic updates.

I ignore the ticket prices. I am happy to wait a few months till something comes on special.  The bonus of that policy is it also short circuits opportunistic impulse buying of things I do not need, sometimes by the time it is on special I realize I did not really need a particular addon after all.

[slait 169]

This has been posted in their forums as well, but last I checked there was no real response from them.

4 hours ago, KERNEL32 said:

Well, they could do nothing...

Frankly, I'd rather they did nothing. That would be a bit more up front than trying to appear they have a loyalty program when basically they do not.