Going to start off by saying, I still enjoy FFXI, I may be in the minority there but yes, I do enjoy playing even after ten years and I tend to avoid these forums for a great many reasons.
Either way back to the topic at hand: SE Support or lack there of.
So after ten years of being constantly subscribed (I think I let it slip for like a day once when my bank sent me a new card and I forgot to update it immediately). I'm completely unable to pay for the game, I was unhappy with the removal of Playspan, from what I could tell yes, they stopped offering codes but you could still use them to pay via paypal, probably making it the most valuable payment method SE actually had.
So now, their having card issues and despite SE's claim "we still offer many payment methods" they actually offer one. It doesn't matter if you offer to take 50 types of card its still one payment method - Card (which is all thats being offered to UK residents atm).
So everytime I try to pay, I get 401/601 errors (yep I know, everyone has the same problem). But what really gets to me is why this problem came up in the first place? Why was it ever made so there's only a single method of payment? I mean are SE so utterly unwilling to cooperate with Western companies they'd rather lose subs than actually accept payments from a company like Paypal?
So going passed the stunning lack of foresight (RME fiasco ring a bell?), I go to attempt and get support for my problem, first port of call, I phoned my bank. Absolutely no record of blocking any of the attempts to debit my card, so yes, this is entirely a SE problem. I attempt to call a GM (I know its not really what their there for but oh well I needed help pronto), an hour passes I receive a message they are unable to help with my query, never actually having spoke to a GM at all, great.
So I then go to their contact centre, which yanno is pretty poor to begin with. Live chat support sounds promising... 8-6 weekdays, welp thats out I work so I'm never in at those times.
Phone support? Same story.
So I send them an email but read in the fine print they're answered during the same working hours (lets ignore the fact that there's hundreds of reports of them never being answered so I'm not very optimistic on whether I'll actually receive a reply).
So my account is either about to (or has) expired and I'm unable to give them my money (where's that Futurama jpg when I need it).
PS. At no point in this do I say anything that is untrue or intended to defame Square-Enix, unless honesty is considered against forum rules in which case I fully accept this should be removed (as my post during the RME fiasco was...).
PSS. Turns out I can't edit the title, which does sound a bit aggressive, oh wells too late to fix that~
PSS. So it turns out after nearly a full week offline, I'd like to (at least partly) take back a lot of what I previously said, they did return email correspondance and after confirming my identity (via passport photos etc) allowed the transactions on both my account and my gfs accounts to go through. I still don't think that it should of been the issue it was but in this instance SE support did come through to my aid and I feel I must apologise and thank them for that.
PSSS. I'd alter the topic title but it turns out I can't, apologies.
Why is Square-Enix customer support so terrible?
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11-22-2014, 09:08 PMCaradogSquare-Enix Customer Support
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11-22-2014, 11:16 PMPixela
They have always been terrible because they never saw it as a big deal when they started, they never saw that having good customer support made them anymore money. They are just as bad on FFXIV, since it's the same CS units that cover both games.
Not to say the staff are bad, just the whole system is bad and it drags the staff down with it. I'm sure in another situation or company the staff they have would be great.
Rule of thumb with a SE MMO is, if you have a serious problem you better pray to the spaghetti monster because it has more chance of helping you than SE CS does. When I played seriously I lived in fear of ANY issues at all because I knew it could lead to the end of my accounts. -
11-23-2014, 12:20 AMCaradog
Well I finally managed to pay for my own (using another browser seemed to fix it, not that I should really of had to...) but my gfs account is still having issues, leaving me little better off as I never play alone (I'm pretty sure most people can understand the bore of playing an MMO alone). Either way I now have a stupid amount of crysta and an inactive account till hers is fixed too.
Wonder if SE ever considered allowing people to gift crysta to other players? -
11-23-2014, 05:58 PMDecarboxylate
The problem with payments not going through is completely USER error. Two things.... 1. Get a Visa. 2. Learn to shop online.
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11-23-2014, 07:04 PMCaradog
Worlds poorest troll attempt? Firstly my card is Visa, secondly I shop online, everywhere, literally - its only SE throwing a problem, practically ever. So I'd get your facts straight, also - your post doesn't actually address the topic at all, the lack of availability of customer services to help, or their inability to help, or even the fact they have one payment method. 2/10, poor troll attempt.
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11-23-2014, 08:57 PMSeillanYou're being too generous; that piss poor attempt at trolling doesn't even deserve a 2.Quote:
Originally Posted by Caradog
On topic, I agree with your sentiment completely. I haven't had this problem myself fortunately but it's beyond sad to see people having no other choice but to leave the game because of something that should be a top priority for the company. To try and blame this on "user error" is about one of the most idiotic things I've ever read. -
11-26-2014, 02:19 AMKuroganashi
Payment method of SEI is HORRIBLE
They need to bring back "GAME CARDS" "Paypal" "Other Methods"
Been trying to get Account Paid and so far got my Account LOCKED :(
Hopefully Today I manage to get back ;;
LOST 1 whole day and the amount of DMG is Irreversible !!!!!!!!!!
Lost : Divinator , DM II , 3 BCNM 119 on D+ , AA fight , Meebles , and many others
Not to mention the EVENT :(
ya...............
not cool. -
11-26-2014, 03:20 PMbungiefanNAThat is a bit of hyperbole, as you can do the events when your account is active again, no items were deleted. Just the opportunity to do the fights daily. Still, every player that can't log in is a player missing from a linkshell or event group, and in large enough numbers, as it appears we are having, it will have a noticable impact on the game. If all the good WHMs in your LS get his by this, even if you can play, you are not going to be doing the events you want to do, and thus you arne't going to want to play. Online games have to remember that players aren't independent. An issue one player has can indirectly affect everyone they play with. A issue of not being able to accept payment from a willing customer is ridiculous to have, and a good way to kill a game.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kuroganashi
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11-29-2014, 04:05 PMbungiefanNA
Speaking of bad support though, I had a support ticket turn 1 year old with no action taken on it. San d'Oria mission Lightbringer is glitched for me, and the GMs told me only the dev team can fix damaged character data like I appear to have. The NPCs give lines like I completed the mission, but I can't spawn the NMs in Uggalepih because the ???s won't give me the key items, and the mission giver says I need to finish the mission. I can't get the cutscene with the king either. The GM I got put it in the dev team queue last November and every time I call for help, they check on it and say the dev team hasn't checked it, the only notes on it are GMs checking it for me. I also cannot be notified when my issue is fixed, except in the patch notes. They can't email the address linked to my SquareEnix ID, and they can't send me an in-game message through the help desk. I also have no means to initiate contact with the dev team.