PlayOnline: UCS 60257 error

[Zenoxio]

I'm trying to update my credit card, but I've been getting the UCS 60257 (servers are busy or my information is wrong) error since March 4th.

I've talked to SE on the 5th and they said it's due to billing server congestion. SE also posted about it under Topics:

Mar. 4, 2011 21:00 [PST] From: PlayOnline

Registration Server Technical Difficulties (Mar. 3)

Mar. 4, 2011 23:45 [PST] From: PlayOnline

Registration Server Technical Difficulties: Follow-up

Mar. 5, 2011 01:20 [PST] From: PlayOnline

Registration Server Recovery (Mar. 5)

But as you can see, they said it was fixed on the 5th.

Also see http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxi/th...illing-support

[EDIT] I fixed it! My billing address was typed wrong, I was missing a space. :/

[Lushipur]

I have the same issue (unresolved).

I have a jp pol account but i'm european, so i use an european veryfied by VISA credit card.
Since a few years, jp pol doesnt accept non-jp card and i had to use webmoney to pay my account.

Maybe your situation is similar (different nation? not verified by VISA/Mastercard?).

[Zenoxio]

I have a Visa card in the US that supports Verified by Visa.

[Weeks]

Still getting the issue here too. Whose idea was it to have the same error message spit out at you whether the info was wrong, the card was declined, or there was server congestion? If we had some idea which it was, your support staff might actually be useful instead of just advising us to try again in a week.

[Zenoxio]

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Agent Nehemiah: Hello, x, thank you for contacting SQUARE ENIX Customer Support. Just a few moments while I review your question, please.
Agent Nehemiah: How are you doing today?
me: Good
Agent Nehemiah: Glad to hear it.
Agent Nehemiah: How can I assist you?
me: I'm trying to update my credit card, but I've been getting the UCS 60257 (servers are busy or my information is wrong) error since March 4th.

Agent Nehemiah: I see.
Agent Nehemiah: Many players have been receiving that error code in the past week due to the scheduled billing server maintenance earlier this month and the server maintenance from yesterday for the server merges.
Agent Nehemiah: This is likely the reason why you are getting that error code.
me: When will this be resolved?
Agent Nehemiah: We are working to resolve this as soon as possible.
Agent Nehemiah: I can not give a specific date but based on past experience I would bet you shouldn't have trouble come tomorrow.
me: Is there an estimated time?
Agent Nehemiah: There is no official estimated time but I think you would have better chances tomorrow.
me: Is there any reason a notice about this issue isn't posted on PlayOnline.com
Agent Nehemiah: The billing server maintenance occurs on the first of each month and yesterday's server maintenance was also announce on www.playonline.com.
Agent Nehemiah: The best thing to do if your are receiving that UCS 60257 error code is to wait and try again later.
Agent Nehemiah: Are there any other issues I can assist you with right now, x?
me: Will there be a notice posted when the issue is resolved?
Agent Nehemiah: Likely, that will not be the case.
Agent Nehemiah: Thank you for visiting the SQUARE ENIX Support Center, x! Take care and hope to see you online!
Thank you for contacting the SQUARE ENIX Support Center. You may now close this window.
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I honestly I don't see how last nights maintenance could have caused this, but okay.

[oliveira]

I have the same issue (unresolved).

I have a jp pol account but i'm european, so i use an european veryfied by VISA credit card.
Since a few years, jp pol doesnt accept non-jp card and i had to use webmoney to pay my account.

Maybe your situation is similar (different nation? not verified by VISA/Mastercard?).

Hi pal. You're another victim of the "UCS-60096" error, right ?

At least now we have an place where we can talk and make ourselves heard. Hopefully.

[Knivesnpens]

I get the same error, I just recently bought the FFXI package on steam and I cannot even play it because I get this error when I try and input my payment info...SE What is up!

[Nadeu]

Zenoxio,

We’re sorry for the problems you are experiencing when trying to update the credit card information on an account. What you’ve been told in the past is all correct information. Generally the billing servers are congested from the last few days of the month, to a few days after the billing cycle, as that’s when the majority of players will try to update their information. Congestion can also be caused by the announcement of a new service, offer, or promotion that would lead people to want to reactivate their services, such as the server merge that was recently completed.

But ultimately what’s happening is that the authorization attempt that we’re making against the credit card information you’ve provided is not going through, and so the card does not appear as a valid card. The best bit of advice that we can give is that if you are receiving one of these errors, you contact your financial institution directly to ensure that they are not blocking any transactions from SQUARE ENIX.

When speaking with your financial institution, be sure to determine they are not specifically blocking our transactions from going through. Financial institutions do have the capability to block specific transactions based on their own rules or procedures. This would mean you would be able to use your card at the local convenience store since it’s valid, but it still doesn’t update through the PlayOnline Viewer due to your financial institution blocking our transactions.

As for yesterday’s maintenance adding to this problem, it’s due to the fact that the PlayOnline servers were unavailable yesterday due to said maintenance. This means that everyone who would have updated their credit card information yesterday was forced to wait until today, extending the congestion.

[Zenoxio]

Hi Nadeu,

Thanks for replying.

I've used the same card on various other services like Steam without an issue. My bank has never blocked any transactions and I would expect them to tell me to contact SquareEnix if I contact them.

If they do tell me they aren't blocking anything and to contact SquareEnix, what then?

[Weeks]

In my case, POL insisted I use my permanent address attached to my bank account and not the billing address attached to my check card. But for a week I was told it was server congestion and given a run-around, told to set up port forwarding, re-try on my Xbox 360, and to try again next week. Neither I nor anyone I could reach at my bank or at POL support had any indication of the true issue because all it gives is the generic error code. This doesn't happen with any other company I purchase from online, and it is a ridiculously obsolete system that needs to be overhauled.