Subscription, game code, and physical copy purchasers

potsherds

I've spent a fair bit of time scrolling back through the pages of this forum trying to figure out what's going on with subscriptions for early access folks who electronically bought physical copies of the game from retailers and are awaiting delivery of said physical copies.


For myself, I bought a physical standard edition from Amazon, and chose the free delivery option, meaning the game will not arrive until April 10 at the earliest. I was only given an early access code from Amazon via e-mail, and I assume I will not have a game code until my physical copy arrives.


Question #1: Is this correct? Was Amazon supposed to give me a game code as well, or must I wait until April 10 (or later) for the game code?


Question #2: Does this mean I will lose access to the game after April 6 until my physical copy arrives?


I would be very happy to enter a subscription right now, this minute, if I had the option on my account page. I didn't, and still don't, care about losing any amount of 'free' time by putting in sub information early. I DO care about losing access to the game for a week when I've bought a legal copy.


Question #3: Who at Zenimax came up with this brilliant idea?

I understand that coercing people into buying digital editions saves money, but penalizing folks who want physical copies seems rather petty. I imagine this wasn't actually an intentional penalization on folks, but it is what it is.

Moreover, it's specifically a penalization on less affluent folks who want a physical copy. The adage 'it's expensive to be poor' comes to mind. I personally was just being cheap when I chose the free delivery option. There are people on this planet who could only have afforded the game if they could get their copy free of a delivery charge. I imagine there are also folks who could theoretically go get their physical copy from the physical store they ordered from at any time, but can't afford the gas money or bus fare right away. There are people who live in remote locations, who paid for the fastest delivery option, and will simply not get their physical copy immediately due to the distance to the nearest distribution point.

How about requiring a subscription on a certain date (April 6 would be fine, I'd like to put mine in right away, though), but giving the less affluent a bit more time to enter a game code from a physical copy?



Question #4: If I've got things completely wrong, is it my responsibility to pester Amazon until they give me a game code?