Refer a friend and server closed

[MistakeNot]

So I got a friend that just bought the game. We did th refer a friend program and he goes to create a character and server is closed?!?! Is there a exception to this rule being it is through the refer a friend program?

No such exception.
Unless the server involved is declared as a Congested server (currently only Balmung is considered Congested), any locks on character creation is only temporary during periods of high activity.
Try again during off-peak hours.