SE Account Transfer Question - Attn Devs

Hello SE,

It appears along with the account transfer, multiple changes to billing are going to take place. Up until now each POL ID has had its own billing information, i.e. I could have two POL IDs under my SE account, each one being billed to a separate card. Will this functionality change, or will we be forced to pay for all services on our SE account using one 'master' payment method?

A group of friends and I have played the game off and on for years. We've assigned POL IDs here and there (because of Mog Satchel, who could play without it?), and needless to say we've got characters everywhere. It's not a problem currently because billing is separate, but if it gets combined we're in for a world of pain.

If the payments were to be combined, the obvious solution would be to reassign the POL IDs to the desired SE accounts; however, per your statements, this is 'not possible'. Can it be made possible? Your customers would appreciate it very much.

Thanks! :D

Couldn't you buy the Crysta with each of those seperate card accounts and then pay using the Crysta? I am not sure how well that would work, but it might help for a time anyway. Good Luck!

I don't think SE will unlink a POL account from a SE account. Moral of the story is don't link a bunch of friends accounts to your SE account.

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Originally Posted by Brigandier

will we be forced to pay for all services on our SE account using one 'master' payment method?

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Yes, all payments for linked POL accounts/characters are done through the single SE account payment method you select.

Elidani's suggestion could work. When you buy Crysta you select which third-party you want to use, then you perform a stand-alone transaction to make the payment. If each of you set up your own C&B/PS account then each could buy some Crysta which would go into the central pool.

I've confirmed that no, you cannot pay for different accounts with different cards anymore. My fiance and I have paid for our own accounts for a long time, but bought 1 security token a long time ago and linked both accounts under the same SE account for convenience and to save money. We still want to pay for the accounts separately, as each of us pays for a different set of bills, and this Click and Buy bullshit won't let us.

Crysta is far worse and in no way a solution to the problem. There are a lot of us that wouldn't be able to pay ahead of time for our accounts, and having to manually buy Crysta monthly with different cards would be highly inconvenient.

The best solution for customers with this problem would be to make it possible to unlink POL accounts into separate SE accounts.

Edit: Oh, and even though SE made sure to mention that multiple cards can be registered with Click and Buy, the account still has to be registered under one person and it draws money from whatever card is the preferred one. There doesn't seem to be any way to pick a separate card for each account.

They either need to get rid of Click and Buy (which most credit card companies in the US flag as a stolen card and reject all sales) or make it so I can buy just the amount of Crysta I need for a month. This BS funny money that I can't actually spend what I need needs to go away. Oh and since my bank has rejected Click and Buy transactions from my account, I now have to fax my account information to somewhere in Europe. No thanks. I may just let my 0 crysta balance expire my account now.

Just wanted to point out that since account sharing is prohibited by the PlayOnline Member Agreement, I don't think you will be getting much support with it...
Just pointing it out since not many seem to know about it. Not being rude and you do what you want. ^^

But yeah, I think the question here was answered pretty accurately there, as far as I can remember from digging the FAQs and the Knowledge Base.


They really need to get rid of ClickandBye, and Crysta, and instead give us payment options for say, 1, 3, 6, 12 months, or even more.
And if they really can not handle the payments, use PayPal as the method. I think that most banks will work with that (it's the most familiar service to me, used it for one payment about 3 years ago).

Even now, while it is an option, we need to use it via PaySpan which I have never even heard of...


Sigh, just sigh.

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Originally Posted by Elidani

Couldn't you buy the Crysta with each of those seperate card accounts and then pay using the Crysta? I am not sure how well that would work, but it might help for a time anyway. Good Luck!

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According to SE any and all Crysta purchased under your SE account will be pooled into 1. Received this information from SE through a live chat when I asked about it.

Why is this so complicated >.> Yes when I set up click and buy (for lol14) my credit card company's security when crazy so that's an impossible choice for me (not to mention the 3.9% they charge you extra, gross company). Crysta is DUMB. For the first time in all these years of I'm wondering, if I should find a new hobby with the money saved from the 5 accounts I pay for.

Oh right, I forgot to even mention the possible extra fees the aforementioned companies may or may not charge...


Having the same thoughts as mistmonster here.

I just want to know one thing(from any of the 6-7 threads about this): can't we keep paying normally as we always did? D: What happens if we don't cope with this cra..b by the end of august?

if crysta could just be bought in any increment all my complaints would be gone, then make crysta auto repurchased when there isnt enough....I know i'm dreaming, since this would return me back to my carefree payments of yestermonth

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Originally Posted by Seha

I just want to know one thing(from any of the 6-7 threads about this): can't we keep paying normally as we always did? D: What happens if we don't cope with this cra..b by the end of august?

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if you dont complete the transfer the account will not be charged and get locked until you do transfer it and start paying with the crap new methods

Bumping this thread to mention something I saw on Alla. Apparently if you call SE's support line directly it may be possible to have them unlink your accounts.

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Originally Posted by ToS 3.1

Sharing Account Information. You may not share your account or login information (such as your PlayOnline ID, Square Enix ID and password) with anyone except your legal guardian, your minor child, or SQUARE ENIX. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account and login information, even from your friends and family. If you violate this provision, you may unexpectedly lose access to your account to a third party without recourse against SQUARE ENIX. SQUARE ENIX will not be obliged to credit your SQUARE ENIX Account with Crysta or other points or awards, which may have been used by a third party as a result of the violation of this clause.

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Don't think Square is gonna get behind you.

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Originally Posted by Seha

I just want to know one thing(from any of the 6-7 threads about this): can't we keep paying normally as we always did? D: What happens if we don't cope with this cra..b by the end of august?

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You get locked out and aren't allowed back.

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Originally Posted by Inafking

Don't think Square is gonna get behind you.

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You know, I can really see what you're getting at (and I agree, I am sure it'll get used as an excuse to blow off loads of customers, including me), but consider these few things:

1. Most customers don't read the TOS. Sure, had I sat down and read the whole thing line by line I probably would have been more educated and this might not have happened. Everyone knows the TOS is just piece of paper companies can beat you over the head with while protecting themselves legally (and it's a smart company choice); however, a great deal of companies are at least willing to help their customers out if something questionable like this crops up. Why can't SE do this?

2. Why are POL IDs locked to SE IDs? I am sure there's some reason like "to prevent account sales" or "to prevent RMT theft of accounts", but ultimately an unlink option could be added with proper verification methods. If you have an SE username/password, plus an POL ID/POL Password, how is this not enough of an "okay, it's really me" to allow the unlink/transfer? I'm sure some people's account info might get leaked and compromised, but don't ruin it for everybody just because of the few unfortunate people who can't forge a decent password or keep it out of the hands of RMT.

3. Why can't SE understand that their customers can hose them just as badly as they are going to hose several of us with this transfer? In my case, 3 POL IDs (adding to roughly $40mo) are going down the tube. Some suggested I pay my friends or whatever, but it's just not worth my time. Is no customer service worth losing that much a month to them? I guess so.

SE if you are reading this, please for your own sake and the sake of your customers, iron these kinks out or don't do the transfer at all. This is just shaping up to be another FFXIVesque failure of a company decision and your customer base is trying very hard to let you know it ahead of time.

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Originally Posted by Inafking

Don't think Square is gonna get behind you.

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That "except your legal guardian, your minor child, or SQUARE ENIX" part seems new to me, actually. Or I have read it and just forgot about it later on.
SQUARE ENIX should never (need to) be asking for them, either...

I wonder if it was one of the changes they made now hmmm.

I see it is from the FINAL FANTASY XI User Agreement, but it seems to contradict with the PlayOnline Member Agreement to me, or, the aforementioned are not considered as a third party...
Well I guess that makes sense!

The PlayOnline Member Agreement still says:

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Originally Posted by Article 4: Ownership, Rights, and Restrictions

4.2 Restrictions.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, you may not:

(b) rent,lease, loan, sell, sublicense, distribute, transmit or otherwise transfer the Software, your User or other account-related information (including, but not limited to, your User ID or password information) to any third party;

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Originally Posted by Komori

You get locked out and aren't allowed back.

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I would assume you are still given the chance to transfer after the next month, which might be what you meant?

Just that you would be unable to use the service until that is done.
That's how I have understood it at least.

according to SE they will allow people to reactivate after august 31st, but they will be required to convert or be locked out of FFXI, SE would just be stupid to do a permanent lock out

Brigandier, read my post just a few above yours. Call SE's support line tomorrow during their hours of operation. Apparently they CAN unlink POL IDs from SE Accounts but you'll need to supply them with info.

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Originally Posted by Puck

Brigandier, read my post just a few above yours. Call SE's support line tomorrow during their hours of operation. Apparently they CAN unlink POL IDs from SE Accounts but you'll need to supply them with info.

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Thanks for the tip, i'll give it a shot. Can a community rep confirm this?

"Just wanted to point out that since account sharing is prohibited by the PlayOnline Member Agreement, I don't think you will be getting much support with it...
Just pointing it out since not many seem to know about it. Not being rude and you do what you want. ^^"

/sigh you just always have to throw that in there don't you. You are NOT a Community rep, NOR are you an employee of SE. If SE has a problem with people sharing accounts for whatever reason, let THEM be the ones to find a way to deal with it. You quoting rules isn't going to stop people from sharing. Believe it or not, it's really none of your business.

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Originally Posted by Octaviane

"Just wanted to point out that since account sharing is prohibited by the PlayOnline Member Agreement, I don't think you will be getting much support with it...
Just pointing it out since not many seem to know about it. Not being rude and you do what you want. ^^"

/sigh you just always have to throw that in there don't you. You are NOT a Community rep, NOR are you an employee of SE. If SE has a problem with people sharing accounts for whatever reason, let THEM be the ones to find a way to deal with it. You quoting rules isn't going to stop people from sharing. Believe it or not, it's really none of your business.

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I have been a voluntary 'helper' in quite a many on-line communities, so I know what you think of me doing that very well!

I know I am no official, trust me, and I am not trying to be, nor do I really want to as I know way too well what it is like.

I only point these things to people because I know they are not aware of this rule, and it might bite them in the behind at some point, in a way or another.

Account sharing is against the rules, just as using 'cheats' is, and while it's not punished as hard (or at all, ever, even if it should) in FFXI as it is in other titles, it does not change the fact.

I am sorry if you feel annoyed by it, but it is in my nature to help people, and inform them about things like this.
I don't think there is any harm in it, do you?

You can always just skip over my posts if they tickle you off. ^^


As for the topic, it seems there might be some hope there for you yet, Brigandier.
I wish you all, and the best of luck I can!

Obligatory:

You don't need to put 'attn devs" in your topic title for it to get read by them.

Also, just because someone isn't an SE rep, it doesn't mean they can't give an informed opinion.

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Originally Posted by Alhanelem

Also, just because someone isn't an SE rep, it doesn't mean they can't give an informed opinion.

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Thanks, I'll call SE support and tell them "Puck" sent me. I'm sure they'll stand by anything he said he read on alla.

No offense to Puck, but a confirmation from a community rep would be nice.

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Thanks, I'll call SE support and tell them "Puck" sent me. I'm sure they'll stand by anything he said he read on alla.

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They're just trying to help, you shouldn't be reacting as if they're trying to impersonate a representative or something. Give me a break.

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Originally Posted by Brigandier

Thanks, I'll call SE support and tell them "Puck" sent me. I'm sure they'll stand by anything he said he read on alla.

No offense to Puck, but a confirmation from a community rep would be nice.

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If you haven't noticed, community reps are trying to avoid all of this like the plague. What makes you think they're going to answer your thread just because you asked them to, when everyone on the forum are demanding answers for dozens of other questions regarding this whole billing fiasco? In case you didn't notice, there's kind of a sh*tstorm raging through the forums.

Also, FYI, I called SE customer support myself and confirmed it. It's not something they can do immediately, and it requires escalation to higher tiers in the support team, but they CAN unlink POL accounts if you provide them with all the info for the account. Which means for every friend you let piggy-back on your account you'll need their first and last names, the addresses on their accounts, contact info they may have registered with their accounts such as phone number and e-mail address, and whatever other info they can give you about their POL accounts.

I don't see why you're waiting for a community rep to back anything up when you can already take action. Call SE's support line, it's the only way to get anything done regarding your circumstances. I'm still waiting for them to actually complete my request, I have no idea how long it will take. So it'd be a good idea to get the process started as soon as possible.

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Originally Posted by Puck

The best solution for customers with this problem would be to make it possible to unlink POL accounts into separate SE accounts.

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I would be thrilled for this. I've been playing since January 2003- my account is Japanese because my friends and I were unsure the game would ever be released to western audiences. I've continually paid far more each month than the average American player, and often my monthly payments exceed $18 US.

The FAQs says that under the new format SEIDs work under, a Japanese POL ID could potentially be linked to a North American SEID. The issue is that last year, when I got a Security Token with my American version of FFXIV, I immediately linked my Japanese POL ID with a Japanese SEID because at that time, SEIDs were still region locked. I'm not going to lie- I only linked the two things because I really wanted a mog satchel. As soon as I confirmed my mog satchel in-game, I unlinked the token from my account.

Now, just because I linked my JP POL ID to a JP SEID last year, I can't link my JP POL ID to an NA SEID this year. How was I to know they would eventually remove the region locking behind the SEID system? So since I'm locked into this hell, I'll be forced to pay $18 every month. God forbid I ever start up playing FFXIV again- I'll have to pay even more, and won't even get the discount for owning both games since my FFXIV is registered to my NA account.

This could ALL be solved if they would just allow relinking of POL accounts, but no matter how many service reps I talk to, my problem won't be solved. Please Square, just start listening to us about this and try to make things easier.

Hell, I can't even log into POL right now because I bought 2 Abyssea expansions last month. Until the payment cycle restarts or this upcoming end-of-the-month maintenance fixes things, I can't even play the game I pay so much for. Come on, is all of this really necessary? There's nothing you can do to alleviate the pain your playerbase is constantly feeling?

edit: It looks like I missed a page of conversation. Sorry for any discrepancies that have been solved in the last page.

Knives, check my post just above yours, gather all your info for your POL accounts and call SE support:
1-310-846-0345, 9A - 6P Pacific time, M-F
Be prepared to wait a long time to talk to someone, and a long time for an actual resolution.

Thanks, I'll do just that.

Sorry if I missed a few things. I'm a bit upset over all this- I spent three hours last night doing busy work, trying to work out some of the Crysta and account issues I've been having over all of this. If there's anything they can do, I'll be thrilled.

Last time I called SE I was on hold for 5 hours.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Puck

Knives, check my post just above yours, gather all your info for your POL accounts and call SE support:
1-310-846-0345, 9A - 6P Pacific time, M-F
Be prepared to wait a long time to talk to someone, and a long time for an actual resolution.

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Sigh. Okay, I just went through all of this, and they informed me that if I wanted to unlink my JP SEID with my JP POL ID, I'd have to contact the Japanese support line. Unfortunately, I'm not fluent in Japanese, so that's a bust. Thanks anyway. :(

Looks like no matter what, I'll be forced to keep paying exhorbitant amounts of money each month.

Okay, okay, so I've been thinking of alternatives. I may not be able to easily unlink my PlayOnline ID from my Square-Enix ID, that's a fact. The thing is, what would happen if I just flat-out deleted my Japanese SEID? Would my PlayOnline ID be automatically unlinked from the now-defunct Japanese Square-Enix ID, or would my PlayOnline ID be deleted along with the Japanese SEID? I wouldn't imagine doing this before I knew what happened for fear of losing my Final Fantasy XI character, but the possibility is there, right?

All this, because I wanted a mog satchel... m(_ _)m

edit: Looking around, I'm not even sure it's possible to delete Square-Enix Accounts. Geez... that idea seems to have been exploded before it even got off the ground.

edit2: Sigh, okay, after even more looking around, I've found that this wouldn't work. I'd still have to unlink them somehow, and if the SEID was deleted, I'd have to call the Japanese office to re-activate the SEID account anyway. This is all just going in circles!

I've been doing a lot of searching and finally found Square-Enix's Japanese Support Center E-Mail after an hour of searching. I just sent them a request to unlink my ID, but if they refuse, I'll be forced to continue paying high fees each month. That's not even the worst case scenario- I feel kind of at risk by contacting them. Hopefully there are no more issues that spring up. All I want to do is pay a normal price each month instead of $18 for a single character. Depending on what they say, I'll likely give one more update.

I don't mean to fill the thread up with a bunch of unrelated posts or anything, I just want to make sure that any others going through my situation could use this information for their own assistance.