You're making an assumption. It may or may not mean that.
Incompetence is a big word. It may very well have happened that when they allowed everyone in the game for the dalamud event that also inadvertantly unlocked alpha application. Mistakes happen, and even competent people make them.
It's not really an assumption. The fact that for the largest part of the application process inactive accounts could not physically apply at all is indeed a fact. Any number of people tried and can easily confirm it.
That's really pretty simple. When you make a mistake the best way to address it is simply a "we made a mistake, sorry about that. It won't happen again".
Owning to a mistake and making amends is normally the simplest and easiest solution.
Really? I'm not here insulting people or ripping my hair off. I'm offering some criticism in a rather mild way, mind you. Unless you see any kind of criticism as an overreaction.
If it was intentional, that should have been announced as soon as the rule was changed. Giving people notice upfront is definitely the less damaging way as opposed to letting them find out by themselves.
Now who's exxaggerating? No one talked about grevious insults. What SE did is a PR blunder. No one here is feeling insulted. Criticism doesn't imply that.![]()