Cannot Register New SE Account (installing FFXIV bundle from SE store)

1. Played the free trial on Steam with this account
2. Decided to buy the FFXIV bundle from SE store
3. Must register new SE account to use SE products
4. Attempt to register a new account 4-5 times with the same error: i2501

I have exhausted all my email addresses and still don't have the game I paid for. I cannot use the registration code on this account because you cannot migrate from the steam free trial to the SE product. So now I have an SE account I cannot use with my game and a $30 game I cannot register to an account.

What kind of company makes you run in circles like this? Is the expectation that I will just give up and they can keep my money?

Okay, so I waited for an hour and then tried again. This time I was able to create a new account so that we are starting from the beginning. I logged into Mogstation, entered by product activation key and...

You cannot use this function.
Please contact the SQUARE ENIX Support Center for additional details.
Error Code: i2501

Does customer support not exist? I've sent 3 tickets but no response - not even confirmation of my tickets.

Technically, I have already entered my activation key. Does this mean SE won't honor a refund? If so, I see a class action lawsuit possibility here.

Well, after 2 hours on this, I give up. Is applying for a refund for the game going to be just as troublesome? I don't see how to request a refund on the product page. I have the feeling I'm going to have to jump through myriad hoops again just to get my money back. The company that gave me so much entertainment in my childhood has grown up to be a greedy, restrictive conglomerate.

I guess I should just let it go and let SE keep my money for nothing.

Congrats, SE. You win.

Anyone had success with this? Can I realistically get a refund? Would going through Steam to actually play the game make sense now?

You have no idea how frustrated I am. I played the free trial for a few hours and decided to buy the game and am now really confused: Isn't the point of a free trial to encourage buying? Everything I've seen after the free trial is the opposite - barriers to keep new players out.

I don't want to try to buy from Steam only to find that now I have made two payments that cannot be refunded. I'm left with three choices, so now this is an advice thread:

1. Give up and hate SE, the company that I was once a large supporter of.

2. Attempt to get a refund in the SE store and buy from Steam. I might run into the same problem and again lose several hours of my life and quite a few Jacksons.

3. Go all the way and contact my lawyer, seeking out others (and my preliminary research says there are many) who have bought from SE but cannot access their products, and setting up a class action lawsuit. This would be another adventure in itself that could replace the MMORPG. I have connections with top law firms in Japan, Taiwan, and the US, so at the very least, I would get SE's attention. I also have plenty of cash to waste in setting up claims. Generally, neither side comes out ahead in a lawsuit, so this would be not for money but more for the principle. Hopefully, many players would be helped - both those who have been "scammed" by SE and those future players who just want easy entry to a game.

Any idea/opinions/comments?

I'm not the only one who has been scammed by SE to the point of planning action. I found this post from August:

"This has been going on for 3 years, i wonder who will decide to talk to a lawyer about a class action lawsuit for taking so many peoples money and not giving them their product. I purchased the Digital Download of FFXIV , they took my money out of the bank, emailed me saying ill get an order confirmation email soon. i never got it, no email with the Registration Code in it, no order history in my account, no response from support."

If we can get enough people together to sign a document claiming the same activity, we can certainly file a case against SE. Please contact me at cash.quinn@gmail.com if you are interested in getting your name on a class-action lawsuit. If we are successful, anyone who is registered as a plaintiff will receive monetary compensation after the case. It is often possible to sue and receive more than the price paid for the item promised.

I have taken screenshots of this thread, by the way. If SE removes it, I will have evidence of them doing so.

Edit: Downloaded and timestamped as well.

You spiralled into crazy real fast....

It's taken me 5 minutes of googlin' to see this is an ISP related issue. Also:

"This has been going on for 3 years, i wonder who will decide to talk to a lawyer about a class action lawsuit for taking so many peoples money and not giving them their product. I purchased the Digital Download of FFXIV , they took my money out of the bank, emailed me saying ill get an order confirmation email soon. i never got it, no email with the Registration Code in it, no order history in my account, no response from support."

The past 2 copies of ARR I brought had the reg. code supplied on my account at the SE store (AU). I was never told it'd come via email, or thought it would. This sounds like the person orded it from a third party, got scammed, and cried SE did it.

Edit: Please go to these top law firms in Japan/US and tell them how you was robbed of $30 without exhausting every opportunity. Please. Film it. YouTube it. I need a laugh.

Thanks for saying nothing of help, shill. How much you being paid to defend the company?

I've tried in the office and in two apartments. It's clearly not ISP related if the problem remains regardless of IP.