SE Support corrupted my account 6 months ago and still won't fix it.

[Madoxone]

I have posted about this issue before and have provided the relevant links. However, I am also going to give a summary so to that you don’t have to jump around to get the whole story. Keep in mind that all contact with SE about this issue has been initiated by me. I have yet to be contacted about it or even given an any kind of update. So I hope that this time, someone at SE sees this post will actually have the power to get it resolved.

My account was compromised sometime after May 1, 2015. (This hack was done by someone I know. They were able to delete my toon because they had access to my cell phone and computer while I was out of the country (I don’t take my phone with me on international travel because of theft). (When I got back, my computer, phone, Facebook, twitter, Steam, Xbox Live, etc... were all deleted. Luckily they couldn't get access to my desktops backup, so I wasn't complete screwed) After I found out, SE did a system data restore on June 19, 2015, which unfortunately partially restored my character to a point from over year ago even though I have been continually playing FF14. This has caused a host of game breaking issues. One example is when you complete the Bards first job quest you receive a soul gem, when you equip it, you go from being a Archer (a class) to Bard (a job) which any content after level 30 requires. After the restore, my Archer/Bard is still lvl 50, my quest log shows that I have completed all Bard quests and the Bard NPC that gives the soul gem quest doesn’t show it as available. However I no longer have the soul gem because they restored my character to a point before I had received the crystal and since the quest can’t be repeated I have no way of getting another one. (There is also no way to discard one either) This means that I can no longer become a bard or participate in end game content. This is also true for several other jobs like monk, ninja, etc. Because of the hack I also lost my large house, +5 million Gill, All classes/jobs at lvl50, PLD & DRG with ilvl130 gear and zeta weapons. All the other jobs had ilvl gear >120 and their Zodiac weapons were >Animus, all the Disciples of the Land and Hand were fully equipped with the maximum over-melds, max gear and Lucius tools.

SE support advised me not I play as my toon and to keep my account active so that they could properly restore it. (I was also told that any progress I made would be lost post restore/fix). So despite everything I have gone through below, I have also paid for an expansion and kept my monthly subscription (about $150 total and counting) for a game I can’t play.

Time Line
May 1st 2015: Last login before I went on vacation

May 1st~14th: Sometime while on vacation my account was hacked

May 16th: Discovered my toon was deleted

May 16th: I filled out compromised account form

June 1st: I received no response to first compromised account submission so I filled out the form a second time.

June 10th: Called support to find out the status on my recovery. Support informed me that they have no way to see the status of the ticket nor can they contact the restore team in Japan. They then directed me to fill out the form a 3rd time.

June 19th: Received an e-mail that my character was restored and that I am no longer eligible for another restore. I am unable to login because of the servers are down while being upgraded for the expansion.

June 20st: Login to the game to find out that my toon was restored to a point from over a year ago. Based on the gear and items in my possession, I they restored it to May 1, 2014 instead of 2015.

June 20st: Created ticket explaining that the restore was botched and that part of the game is now locked without any way to unlock it.

June 22nd: Received email stating: "Unfortunately the SQUARE ENIX Support Center cannot assist with this issue via email. In order to further assist you, we will need you to contact us via phone or chat.."

June 22nd: Called phone support, they said they have no access to change anything in game, but that the GM's can fix it and that I should contact them to request a "character restore".

June 23nd. Contacted the GM's; explained my situation and stated that the email/phone support tech directed to contact them and request a "character restore"
June 23nd: I received a template response: "We have reviewed the details you have provided and determined that your concern can best be handled by the support Center team. In order to open a ticket....." Creating a ticked from the link they sent is how I got to this point to begin with.

June 24th: Created a new ticket explaining my situation again.

June 23rd: Created a post in the Technical Support Forums. Has been moved to resolved issues even though it has NOT been resolved!
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...78#post3063778

June 27th: Received an e-mail stating “Regarding your request for account support. Please find your answer below. If you discover a bug in the game, please create a thread containing the details of the bug in the 'In-Game Bugs' section in the 'Support' forums of the FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn Forums." " I did create this bug report even though this isn't a bug and they don't reply or address individual or address.

June 27th: Called Support: Explained everything that led me to this point (previous tickets, GM's...). I was told that "If your account was restored after it was compromised , then it was restored to the point at which it was last accessed appropriately". (This is definitely not true; I know my account had not been accessed by anyone except me during this time period.) The tech said that they don't have the ability to do anything in-game and that I should try contacting the GM's again and create a bug report.

June 27th: Contacted the GM's a second time. I relayed to them the name of the SE support Tech and his exact instructions for getting my account restored.

June 27th: GM’s template reply: “Users cannot restore deleted characters themselves. If you would like to request a character restoration, please fill out the below form, and we will analyze your situation to determine if support is possible.” The link is to the “Compromised Account: Support Form”

June 27th: Filled out the Compromised Account Form and submitted it. I have since filled it out 2 more times, once in the middle of July and again last week. I still haven’t received a response to any of them.

June 28: Filled out another bug request form. http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...64#post3082764

August 28: Posted my chat log of SE online support. GM Enkrateia responded in the thread that my issue would be escalated and the thread locked.
http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/t...89#post3243289

Sept 29th: After a month with no contact or update from SE support at all. I contacted them again and was given this response.

“We understand that your time is valuable and appreciate your efforts to report and explain your concerns. We would like to apologize for the delay and for any inconvenience caused by the Game Data Recovery. Unfortunately, LGM Enktateia, is unavailable at this time but rest assure, the matter is still under review. If you should encounter any other issues, please place another call and we will respond to your report as soon as we are able. We are constantly striving to improve the game and our services to players, and are open to any feedback you might have. To submit feedback, please visit the forums at http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv and make a post with any suggestions you may have for our teams. Although individual responses are not sent, please rest assured that all comments are submitted to the appropriate parties so that they can be read and considered for future updates. Thank you for your patience and best wishes to you. FINAL FANTASY XIV Game Master Team”

November 2nd: Over two months from when Enkrateia escalated my ticked and still haven’t been contacted with an update. When I contacted GM’s saying:

ME: “It's been two months since Entrateia has escalated my ticket (5 months since my account has was incorrectly restored). I have yet to be contacted in any way. Could you please give me an update on fixing my account? I was given this bizarre response.”

I was given this bizarre response.

[Madoxone]

“Hello and thank you for your GM call. Although we understand your concern regarding actions that may or may not have been taken on an account during a previous report, our privacy policy forbids us from sharing this information about any of our customers. Our customers' trust is very important to us, so we will not violate this policy due to any reason. We are sorry for any inconvenience that this may cause. Should you ever encounter any other concerns with this or any other player in the future, please do not hesitate to place another GM ticket with the details of the situation, and we will be happy to assist you. We are constantly striving to improve the game and our services to our customers, and are open to any feedback you might have. To submit feedback, please visit the forums at http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv and make a post with any suggestions you may have for our teams. Although individual responses are not sent, please rest assured that all comments are submitted to the appropriate parties so that they can be read and considered for future updates. We appreciate you contacting us about this matter. Should you have any further concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will be glad to assist. Thank you for your patience, and best wishes to you. FINAL FANTASY XIV Game Master Team”

This cycle was repeated again in my attempt to get my account restore to the way it was before being compromised. I then repeated it two more times, the third time was when I tried to get SE to restore the missing soul crystals and the fourth was to reset the job quests for the soul crystals so that I could reacquire them.
The email/phone techs have repeatedly responded in each cycle with the following answers:
1. We don’t have the ability fix your account.
2. We don’t have the ability to restore items.
3. We can’t escalate your ticket to someone who can fix it.
4. We can’t transfer you to a manager or supervisor.
5. We can’t suggest anyone besides the GM’s who will be able to fix your account.
6. Since we have no way to contact the GM’s, we are unable to find out why they aren’t following our instruction to you nor can we make a request that they do so.
7. We have no contact with the restore team in Japan, we can’t direct you to someone who does have contact and we can’t give you a way to contact them directly.
8. Create a bug report on the form. (I think this is the default answer that the techs give so that they can close the ticket. So that they won’t be penalized for open or unresolved tickets)
9. I guess you’re just stuck so you should create a new character (this was by far the most infuriating response)

Repeated responses from the GM’s:
1. (I receive this whenever I asked if they could suggest someone(besides email/phone support) who could help me) We understand that you may have encountered an error in-game, and we apologize for any interruption to your game play this might have caused. To ensure that this matter is addressed in an accurate, timely manner, please submit a Bug Report by creating a post on our official forums, located at http://forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv.
2. We understand you may be having some difficulties and we are glad you reached out to us for assistance. We have reviewed the details you have provided and we have determined that your concern can be best handled by our Support Center team. In order to open a ticket with our Support Center, please visit http://support.na.square-enix.com, and choose FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn. You can search for possible resolutions in the Knowledge Base, or click on Contact Us to begin a help request. Representatives are available Monday through Friday, 9AM to 6PM Pacific Time, and will work to provide you with the best possible resolution.
3. Hello and thank you for contacting us regarding your item restoration request. We understand how upsetting it can be no longer have an item you had previously, and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused for you. Unfortunately, we are unable to process an item restoration for your requested item due to one of the following reasons: Item restoration falls outside our restoration policy. Items lost due to compromised account activity are only restorable to the point which character was restored to.
4. We understand that you are reaching out to the GM team for assistance, but unfortunately we are unable to address your request as it falls outside the scope of our services. It would appear that the Soul of The Paladin that you have requested is located on your character. We recommend checking all of your available storage as it may have been placed in one of these. (In the previous message, it was clearly stated that I was talking about Soul of the Ninja, Monk and Bard this is also the only response I received that wasn’t completely a template response)
5. We understand that you are reaching out to the GM team for assistance, but unfortunately we are unable to address your request as it falls outside the scope of our services. For a list of issues that GMs are able to assist with, please visit our support site at http://support.na.square-enix.com, choose FINAL FANTASY XIV and review the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). You then can click on In Game and then select Game Master Services to review commonly asked questions. You may also use the Search feature to find possible resolutions to your request.

[WinterLuna]

Sorry to hear that and I know you're probably venting but coming onto the forums isn't going help or change anything if you've already contacted Square Enix.

It really sucks, I do hope things get fixed soon though!

[Xanikk999]

I totally understand your frustration. I would hate to be given the run around like that. The worst is if you can't even contact a company by phone and they give automated email replies. I don't know what I could do in your situation I would be extremely pissed however. I think anyone would.

I hope your problem gets fixed eventually.

[Gamer3427]

It seems like players with legitimate issues like this tend to get screwed over by the support team quite commonly. The main issue seems to be a very distinct lack of communication between the different branches, with each one telling players to consult the other, only for said other to tell them to consult the first one. I get that the XIV team in general is small, and I can get that in some cases they have to be strict to prevent players from abusing their support. That's still no excuse for the fact that we get a thread like this popping up at least once a month, talking about how the support team is essentially flat out refusing to help with an issue, or is creating more problems than originally existed. While there's a very slim chance that your post here will help move things along in any way or form, I wish you luck.....

[Xanikk999]

I am amazed that they have not at the very least restored his soul crystals.

Basically he has a few jobs unlocked that he cannot use because the soul crystal is not in his inventory. The game has no way of letting you get another one and without it he is unable to use the advanced jobs associated with those crystals. I think it's completely uncalled for for the staff to let this go on for 6 months while expecting him to pay for the game at the same time.

His character is completely glitched it's just wrong that they are ignoring this. Even if they can't restore anything else they should never leave a persons character in such a glitched state and not for 6 months.

[Elvin]

Aye, there's a very slim chance that this post will help you to get the attention that you need.

It's unlikely , buut you don't lost that much for trying. I mean, maybe they decide to ban you or something, but at this point you are already out of the game, so...

It's really curious how this things can happen in a P2P MMO. I don't quite get it. I mean, things might be slow, but come on, 6 months? This just means that if there's a real problem, a big one, there's no support at all...

[Dorander]

Hate to be "That Guy" but, after the first month of run around.. had you just created a new character, you would have gotten about 95% of all you have lost back. Sure, it would have been treading old ground, but it would have been much more productive than all that wasted time and B.S.

[Madoxone]

Maybe after 6 month I could have maxed everything you're right, but why should I have do go through all of that when none of this was my fault.

[Slappah]

Am I the only one who found it funny that OP didn't take his phone with him because of theft and in doing so, they did exactly what he was trying to prevent.
Heh....sorry OP