I think what people fail to realize is that these are digital goods and are treated differently than physical goods.

See, with physical, you own it. It's yours. Do with it whatever you want to do. I can go out and buy a music CD and it's mine to do with as I choose. I can make it into a coaster, I can listen to the music on there, I can upload it onto a website for others to download (legality questionable), but the point is that I own the physical good in my home, and it's mine.

With digital goods, they're not yours. The good is still owned by the company, and it's at their discretion what they will do with it. If you buy the same album off of iTunes, you don't own it. You follow the rules of iTunes to use it. If they decide to change the album art, you have no say in the matter, because when you bought it, you agreed that it wasn't yours, but that you simply bought a license to access this service and accept any changes that might come with it.

You buy Aurum items. They're not yours. I challenge you to find any EULA for any F2P game (or any game with a digital item shop, for that matter) that states that items purchased with cash are yours and not owned by the company, hosted on the server, and provided via license.

It may not seem fair, but you agreed to follow these terms. If you don't like it, the EULA provides you an out. I won't link or quote it, since it seems there are many that could stand to read it in its entirety.

just because they can do it, doesn't mean they should.... how many albums would you buy on iTunes if 2 months later they removed 1/2 the songs?

sure they could do this, but if they want your long term business they wont.

if the consumer stands up and says "this is where I draw the line" the company will listen if they want to remain in business... thats the power of the consumer... exercise that power or be walked all over.

EULA be damned!...if they change something we spent money for we should not have to jump through hoops... they should be proactive...period... sorry if I sound irate, but I think hiding behind the EULA is cowardice, and I think a consumer defending a company over there own money is foolish...

is this what CCP stands for?

I understand and support your attempts to balance items in the game.

but AUR items should not be touched!

discontinued... yes, with new versions being rebalanced, fine.

but you cant take our money and then change the properties of those bought items.

its like buying an HD tv and then the manufactures coming to your home and removing the HD.

I have not bought any new items and will not because I cant trust you wont fundamentally alter what ive bought with real money.

how do you justify doing this?

personally I have not ever bought an item you have changed except for the bp raven assault suit which was a minor change in having to skill into caldari suits to use it initially and you did that with the respec so it was not to big a deal.

what guaranty can you give us to trust you with our real money?

I did agree to the terms. I was lucky not to buy an item that was changed much... I wont be buying anything now, nor will many others unless they show us we can trust them...tell me, if they erased your char, all your hard work,all the items you bought, would you still play?

if you bought an item today, and they erased it tomorrow, would you buy anything else?

sure they can do these things, and they would get a bad rep and lose business...I feel what they have done, though not as extreme falls under this kind of practice.

you should get on their payroll since defending them is worth more to you than being treated fairly... at least then you wouldn't be a chump.