1) forums worked for me
2) Pre payment =/= investment, I don't know why everyone seems to think that. The only purpose in even pre ordering is for YOUR benefit- so you won't be tempted to go blow the cash while you wait. If Relic was relying on some preorder quota to properly fund the game, there wouldn't be a CoH2. When I pay for the game closer to the release date, it isn't any less supportive than the money you paid.
Just because the forums worked for you doesn't mean they worked for the majority of other people who were in the alpha, including myself. The balance feedback wasn't even the main goal of the alpha; it was to test their servers so they could be better prepared for the beta when the flood gates open.
I also fail to see how making a down payment on a game is not an investment. Sure you can still cancel the order before the game launches, but where do you think that money you put down is going? It isn't floating around in space that is for sure. The whole point of pre-orders is so early copies can be secured and to entice people with promotions such as the beta launching on April 2nd. Like it or not, Relic needs to give people a reason to pre-order the game which is why they are doing this.