Charged for the game 15 days early, never purchased 1.0, screwed by CS. (livechat)

[Dotem]

The real problem is that these two clowns are paid to let you be heard and get you off the phone, not keep you as a customer. In their defense, it sounds like they don't have power to add time to accounts, which says to me that they don't really have any power to help you at all. Somebody has that power, you just need to find out who and forward a copy of that conversation to them. Anyone with a vested interest in retaining a customer would consider your request nothing compared to keeping you as a subscriber, regardless of your prior account status.

[Kaedan94]

*sigh*

Yet another situation where the customer complains about something they don't understand and blames the company when they continue to be unable to understand despite clear explanation.

A buddy pass in 1.0 was essentially a full-game account. All you had to do was pay a subscription after 7 days. You chose to use your existing registration (of the Buddy account) to play ARR. You can get an additional 30 days with the game registration code you received, but you'd have to essentially make a new sub-account, which means you couldn't play your current character (you'd have to play a new one).

Chalk it up to a mistake on your part and move on. If 15 days is that important to you that you can't admit your own mistake and get rude and angry over it, then perhaps you should just move on to a different game, since you obviously don't care enough about ARR if you're upset about 15 days due to your own mistake.

[ispano]

*sigh*

Yet another situation where the customer complains about something they don't understand and blames the company when they continue to be unable to understand despite clear explanation.

A buddy pass in 1.0 was essentially a full-game account. All you had to do was pay a subscription after 7 days. You chose to use your existing registration (of the Buddy account) to play ARR. You can get an additional 30 days with the game registration code you received, but you'd have to essentially make a new sub-account, which means you couldn't play your current character (you'd have to play a new one).

Chalk it up to a mistake on your part and move on. If 15 days is that important to you that you can't admit your own mistake and get rude and angry over it, then perhaps you should just move on to a different game, since you obviously don't care enough about ARR if you're upset about 15 days due to your own mistake.

Actually, since the Buddy Passes were full standard codes, you got 30 days out of them before needing to sub. But, yes, they were not special trial accounts. They were full standard codes.

[Mychael]

Yet another situation where the customer complains about something they don't understand and blames the company when they continue to be unable to understand despite clear explanation.
.

I think that little bit is what's missing from the OP's point of view. From an outside perspective, of course we see it as an oversight on the consumer. But in his defense, what other game gives you full access for just a free trial? When 1.0 went free-to-play, and ALL accounts were active, even those that were just trials. If the OP didn't play past his 7 free days, he probably wouldn't have known that he had a "full" 1.0 account.

If anything, the OP should try to return his copy of the game. If GMG won't take a return (which would be understandable if they have no way of verifying whether the code has been used), perhaps SE could reimburse him?

[Riv]

Learn to read. It's not SE's fault that you just clicked through OK on their fine print.

And my god, it's 30 bucks. Get over it.

[Ryihito]

To be fair TC does have a point. But he isn't exactly in the right either.

[Felis]

You: That is incorrect, I never purchased 1.0. My friend did give me a 7 day trial pass, but was unhappy with the game, so I never purchased it.

I think the problem is here.
There was no 7 day trial pass for 1.0, but a 30 free day buddy pass in the 1.0 CE, which was more or less a normal account key.
So, the 30 days free time for PC expired already (it seems every platform get a separate 30 days free), even if you played only 1 week.


The "Final Fantasy XIV trial" refers more to the 30 days free time without the need to buy the game. There is no info that the account is not useable anymore after the trial time.

"Give your friend this code, then he can play 30 days for free before he need to pay without buying the game" is what the card say to me.

Another question is, how was it possible for you to register the ARR PC gamekey to the account if there was already a PC gamekey registered? Or have you only registered the preorder key, which don't have 30 days free?

OP, your ARR gamekey is still unused. Register it to a new account to get the 30 days or sell it. I think this are the only options.

[tort]

I think that little bit is what's missing from the OP's point of view. From an outside perspective, of course we see it as an oversight on the consumer. But in his defense, what other game gives you full access for just a free trial? When 1.0 went free-to-play, and ALL accounts were active, even those that were just trials. If the OP didn't play past his 7 free days, he probably wouldn't have known that he had a "full" 1.0 account.

If anything, the OP should try to return his copy of the game. If GMG won't take a return (which would be understandable if they have no way of verifying whether the code has been used), perhaps SE could reimburse him?

This.. This so much >_<

I played the game in 1.0 for a whopping total of the opening movie, before taking one step, and then uninstalling the game. From that point, I did not follow up on Final Fantasy until ARR was a few weeks from launch. Throughout many many years of online gaming, I have never known a game company to box full copies of their games, with the purchase of their game as they generally come in trials, then you have to pay to buy the game afterwards. I was just given a code, I didn't see the screen shot, or anything of the sort.

Another question is, how was it possible for you to register the ARR PC gamekey to the account if there was already a PC gamekey registered? Or have you only registered the preorder key, which don't have 30 days free?

OP, your ARR gamekey is still unused. Register it to a new account to get the 30 days or sell it. I think this are the only options.

I am not entirely sure. All that I know, is the same account that I used to play beta with, is the account that I am currently using. When the game launched, I tried to connect using the same credentials and it told me there were no valid services on my account, and that I needed to enter my activation code. After checking my e-mail, and following the steps that told me to enter the activation code in the mogstation link. After I entered the activation code from mogstation, the game let me connect, so I didn't question anything until I was charged <_<

[Benzareli]

I'm in the same boat. My account was the buddy pass. I played a week before everyone I knew quit. Sadly I knew I was getting shorted the 30 days but I bought the game for the Early Access 3 days. I obviously gambled on the wrong days.

[Alhanelem]

The real problem is that these two clowns are paid to let you be heard and get you off the phone, not keep you as a customer. In their defense, it sounds like they don't have power to add time to accounts, which says to me that they don't really have any power to help you at all. Somebody has that power, you just need to find out who and forward a copy of that conversation to them. Anyone with a vested interest in retaining a customer would consider your request nothing compared to keeping you as a subscriber, regardless of your prior account status.

Except those two "clowns" you were referring to were giving the customer correct information, it was the customer who didn't understand and they disconnected him because they did allthey could and he was still being upset. If you were that CSR, would you want to keep talking to someone that is raging when you've given them the most correct, truthful information avialable and you've done all you can do (or are allowed to under the rules?)? No. you politely say you've done all you can do to and move on.

Everyone seems quick to pounce on the CSRs and defend the person who really didn't understand how things worked. These reps in the chat above did not do anything wrong.