Disappointed by lousy service, you could be next. Beware.

[Molly_Millions]

I deleted my XI and XIV characters...and I now wish I hadn't.

But it isn't taking me too long to get back to the point I was at before.

No kidding. Not only would I be pissed about losing all my hard-earned progress but I'd have to rebuild my rep on Balmung. Ugh!

[Majidah]

YOU COULD BE NEXT! QUIT WHILE YOU CAN!

Seriously OP... Just because you had an issue doesn't mean everyone will.

I stopped reading your post right there, because you obviously did not read the thread. I clearly stated that this happened to two of my ls mates, not me.

[Majidah]

Now I Obviously don't post much on the forums however in this case I thought I would mention that all of your character data is stored in the "My Documents\My Games\FFXIV\" folder and if you are able to log into another char on your account and other ppl are able to log into your stuck char on their computer the most likely problem is the character files stored in that folder. Deleting your char and recreating will "resolve" this but only because you are no longer using these particular files any more. Also Uninstalling/Reinstalling FFXIV does NOT remove these files. It's been said many times in this thread already but what it comes down to is that if other ppl can log into your char and you can log into your mules then SE is not responsible for this problem. Just to be clear : Not placing blame at anyone's feet however due to the character files being placed in the my documents folder this is often overlooked when troubleshooting.

One last tidbit I left out of first post. Using Revo make sure you choose the Advanced option after clicking uninstall. It will scan your HDD and remove all information from the FFXIV install. Just uninstalling and reinstalling does not remove the character data. This is why your UI and macros remain. Until you completely remove EVERYTHING (Meaning your new characters UI and macro will be back to default) that character will be unplayable.

(Sorry in advance for the large post)








I've been reading through this thread and based on the given info, there are only a few things you can do.

If you can log into the game and enter the character selection lobby, then the problem does not lie in the network connection or the modem. Since you've been able to reach the character selection lobby, you can safely say that the connection itself works fine. No need to call the ISP or reset your modem. If you cannot log into the game at all, then it's an entirely different story.

If you are sitting in the character selection lobby and you cannot log into the game with Character A, try Character B. If Character B will log in just fine on your machine, then there is still a chance that the data of Character A has been corrupted on the SE Server. In order to find that out, grab another PC/Laptop and try logging in on that machince. Don't call the SE Customer Support just yet... If you can log in with Character A on the other machine, then the problem does not lie at the SE Server because Character A itself is fine. If not, call the SE Customer Support.

But let's say that you were able to log in with Character A on another machine. Then it's either a matter of a corrupt cache for Character A or a file of the FFXIV Client has been corrupted. Either way, both issues will only occur locally, which SE cannot solve. They can only advise you to check some stuff, which in most cases will be "Reinstall game". But there is one thing you can do before reinstalling the game.

To be on the safe side, i would suggest removing the Character cache first. The reason why is that if you uninstall the game, there is no guarantee that the Character cache will be deleted. Installing and updating the game take a long time, so if you can avoid it then please do. You can find the "User"-files like cache, settings, etc in the following folders:

"%USERPROFILE%\My Documents\My Games\FINAL FANTASY XIV\user"

In that folder you will find sub folders with names consisting of numeric and alpha-numeric character, forming an ID. If you delete that folder (personally i would rename the folder or move it to another location) and log in again, the game will create a new folder with fresh files. If the Character cache contained a corrupt file, then the problem should be solved.

If that's not the case, then the chances are that a critical file from the client has been corrupted. Only then should you reinstall the game.

If that doesn't solve it, it's possible that the HDD has a bad sector in that specific area of the HDD. I know it sounds far fetched, but that's the only thing you can try after the above. You don't have to bother cleaning the Windows Registry for this, because the only think SE seems to store in there is the language you've selected when installing the game.

I know you've already tried calling the SE Customer Support, reinstalling the game (several times) and even deleting your character.

But to be honest... Please, please, please, please... Never delete your character. If you can't log in with your character, but you can on a different machine, then its not your character. It would be such a waste to delete all you progress and re-doing everything you've done so far. Problems like this can be fixed. With either the wall of text i've written above, or (in case you can't log in with you character, even on other machines) having SE do a "rollback" of your character till the point where the crash/outage occurred.

These are my 2 cents, ok... Let's make it a dollar...

I hope this will help you (or others) in the future.

- Cait.

Thanks a lot for the suggestions guys! I will forward this to my friend and see if he has tried this.

---

Other than that, I think people are missing the point of the thread. Its not really about whose fault the character issue is, but SE's inability to walk the user through it in order to fix said issue.

[Lusavari]

Hi Majidah ^^/

One of my posts from my thread in Tech Support was quoted by Amy earlier. I've had this issue for over 90 days. Of course, I have this attitude that customer service should, you know, actually do their jobs. So instead of giving up, I've bitched and complained and bumped 2 threads daily. I've actually gotten a response that soon SE will try a server reset to see if they fix my character.

I've done EVERYTHING possible, and Phone Tech support has admitted as much. I've reinstalled, port forwarded, everything. To prove a point, I've attempted to login from 2 computers in Kentucky, and my laptop while in Michigan (Grad student, so I move between KY and MI) and I had my friend in Canada attempt to log me in (Which the forum mods rudely chewed me out for doing). The issue for me, however, was that on no occasion could my 1 specific main character be logged in. No one could log him in. My other characters work fine.

After a long period of time, and support from some wonderful people (Doomcky, Amy, and Babydoll) I did get my response from SE saying they will take action.

http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...l=1#post753857

Bayo, Camate, Rukkirra, Okipuit, I know you guys read these posts. You gotta tell Wada to look at its customer service policies. Out of the 3 phone support agents I talked to, only Agent Justin was really that proactive in helping me, and giving me additional support. The time it takes for customer service to address these issues in not good. SE as a whole, not just the Dev Team, needs to address some customer service issues. I'm willing to wait things out. Most people aren't. 90 days is a long time to get any response in regard to an issue that is not on my side.

[Babydoll]

SE customer service has always been...I don't even know the word...horrible? When I've encountered bugs in XIV (like the AF bugs, finishing the battle and not getting armor, etc) I never got any response...furthermore there is no way to call a GM in game. Only if you are "stuck"

...What is this, 2000 when MMO first came out? Let's get with the times please, GM's should be doing more then simply moving people. They should be able to assist with a wide range of issues imho. I love how they tell me go contact customer support...instead of simply providing a number for me to call from the Help Desk. Or.."Go post on the forums" which also gets no response. >.>

When I played XI since release until 2011, I had to watch countless friends struggle with the awful customer support. Most of them just gave up and quit..never to come back. I don't blame them.

While returning to Aion I had forgotton my user name and password...it was very easy for me to contact customer support and they responded with my info in 10 minutes! I've had friends who forgot their password in XI and never got it back...ever. I have never EVER in all my years of dealing with SE's MMO heard one positive story of their customer service..I think that speaks for itself.

I've never played wow but I've heard nothing but praise from their customer service and GM's. Maybe SE can learn a thing or two from them? Anyway sorry for writing so much, just makes me sad SE still has not fixed their icky customer service

[Lusavari]

I had a friend on Leviathan in XI who managed to get XI shut down for an hour long emergency maintenance. There was a glitch in the THF version of Maat. Normally a successful Steal should win the battle, but for her, it just resulted in Maat Asuran Fisting her to death. Took her about 30 days of complaining to get something done. I took a lot of inspiration from her.

[Nero]

I have never EVER in all my years of dealing with SE's MMO heard one positive story of their customer service..I think that speaks for itself.

Lost my Account Data in FFXI due a time where i didnt play, so i called the Support and it took 15 Minutes to get all the Data i needed to reactivate my Character. Positive enough? I've never had any bad Stories with the Customer Support, just that you dont hear positive Stories, doesnt mean they dont exist.

I would be surprised to see people running around in the Forums all about "how awesome.. i just experienced something nice with the customer support". Its normal that people usually pull out the bad stories over the good ones.

[Lusavari]

For every positive experience you have, you on average tell ~4 people. For every negative experience you have, you on average tell ~20 people.

However for those other companies, the positive info coming out out weighs the bad. SE on the other hand has an overwhelmingly bad reputation in customer support with almost no good info coming out anywhere. I've had acceptable experiences with their support in XI. But in XIV... Well, I quote Bill Clinton from the Simpson's Episode Saddlesore Galactica, "If things don't go your way, just complain until your dreams come true."

[Babydoll]

Lost my Account Data in FFXI due a time where i didnt play, so i called the Support and it took 15 Minutes to get all the Data i needed to reactivate my Character. Positive enough? I've never had any bad Stories with the Customer Support, just that you dont hear positive Stories, doesnt mean they dont exist.

I would be surprised to see people running around in the Forums all about "how awesome.. i just experienced something nice with the customer support". Its normal that people usually pull out the bad stories over the good ones.

Well...yes..exactly That is why I said "I have never heard..." hehe because well, I haven't!

I have a lot lot lot of friends and acquaintances on XI and yes...yours is the first positive story I have yet to hear! They would try to reactivate and come back often..and yes, I have never heard of it taking less then several weeks. So the odds of me hearing a good one were high. I had lot of buddies trying to get their account back and I would always ask them on MSN or POL, "Did they give you the account back yet!?" and then "Nope..not yet, still waitin Cesil" >.>

That is really great that they did that for you...there is hope yet that they will/can improve upon their customer service. <3

Meh I forgot to mention..in my last post I did say, "I've never played wow but I've heard nothing but praise from their customer service and GM's. " o.O So yeah I have heard positive stories..just not from...SE...>.>...

[Deatheye]

In this "laptop scenario" the individual never changed his IP or his IP range. It was the same network, as he had been playing on, in his previous laptop. New laptop comes in the mail, he installs XIV, logs in, doesn't use token, and gets the "account verification e-mail".
So if it's not reporting his MAC on login, it's reporting his computers IP? From his router? However his router hasnt dropped the IP from his ISP... So SE is having him verify his account from a new computer on the same local network?

But again, the major focus of this thread topic is ignored, to accuse folks of their own mistakes. SE's NA customer service is sub par, and it had been for a long time. I'm not saying its the people answering the phones either. Its the command and control at the top. It's a Japanese game, with Japanese accounts (aka, your account might be NA or EU but a Japanese company owns it). This causes all technical/support/account issues to be sent to Japan, creating a horrible overhead, increased resolution period, and overall unhappy players.
You personally may have never had to deal with them but from the folks who have, they'll agree that it's beneath what a million dollar company should be providing for its consumers.
give up some of the command and controll to a NA service center and an EU service center. It would ease the burden greatly, on not only the account technicians but the playerbase as well.

Interesting. Sure the router didn't change the IP at the same time? Going by your description I assume the router has NAT and the Laptop was using an internal IP.
Using a MAC adress for authentication is normaly only used for software that costs much more. ANd in my opinion something really stupid. I get anyed over this everytime I change a malfunctioning NIC on a system and afterwards I get calls about sofware not working anymore.
Thought that they use MAC is impossible cause I changed my NIC. But I forgott I'm ussing the RSA Token which means I'm not getting that security "feature" anyway.

SE customer support crappy? Sure nothing to argue there.
I remember an other game (another company) where they had a statment on there support site telling people that get a certain bug to report it so they could analyse the problem. I went ahead and collected information with special IT support sofware to get as much information as possible to help them, then the support suggested to reinstall the game etc. I did all the stupid stuff for days, till I nearly screamed at them telling them what the problem is and that it's useless what they suggest. After contacting there internal superior they agreed and closed the case...
I hate support in generell. Most of the time those people just neet to be able to read questions from a screen, click yes or no depending on the answer of the customer and then the system shows them the next question they need to ask the customer. I rarly met any support where people actually had more skills then reading. Sometimes even 3th lvl support gives me the feeling of growing brain cancer.
On the other hand also know it from the perspective of the supporter. You actually never know who that person is thats asking for your support. They could be IT profesionel and know what there are doing or they could be someone that's not even able to press the power button on the PC. And yes such people really exist.

So I never really got the feeling that customer support in any company is usefull for me...