Early Access code - Wrong Region

[Kazielle]

SQEX made the mistake in the recent past of allowing people to unknowingly create accounts in systems designed for a region other than where the account holder lives. They're paying dearly for that in bad publicity because they've hit a subscription billing mega problem.

They're looking ahead to the monthly billing systems going live, and they've got EU-based players who have inadvertently created NA-based accounts that cannot be billed from Square Enix America systems, and vice versa, without causing a major finance and accounting tangle. So they have to come up with a way to get all the accounts migrated to the right regional systems and operating companies.

The complexity SQEX faces in their systems and why they can't issue out of region codes is because this is a P2P transaction problem that they have one day to sort out or face a wall of noise much bigger than 30 page threads.

Your post gave me shivers.

Sounds absolutely terrifying for everyone involved.

Some people got Euro keys. GMG decided to be "clever" and give you keys based on your IP address. If you were not overseas on vacation or business, or were not masking your IP when you purchased from them, you *should* be ok.

If you were inadvertently assigned a Euro key though, GMG will not refund or exchange, and SqEx will tell you there is "nothing" they can do. After a 5 hour wait in the support queue. Also, no amount of re-entering the 18 digit key for redemption on the SE site will produce an NA 20 digit key since you technically actually bought a Euro key. GG.

I'm a GMG 'victim' too, though I feel SE is most at fault for allowing any of this to happen in the first place. I don't know where I'm supposed to go from here. :\ I hate how much stress this has generated for me in the last couple of days. It's just a VIDEO GAME. This shouldn't be so hard! Normally I wouldn't let it get to me but.. I've been waiting eagerly for this game for months, and a bunch of my friends are set and ready to go. They're not all going to wait for me, so I'm going to be way behind if this isn't fixed in time :\ So frustrating. I don't remember the last time I felt so disrespected as a customer.

[Eder]

Dude, we're on the exact same situation, from how it happened, what's happening now, and the feeling of regret. @Eder Do you want to make a thread dedicated to securing a region trade even before they start releasing the retail codes?

I'm hoping against hope that they will relent and allow us a one-time change of region for the retail key. We have until end of the month after all. I plan to submit a support ticket as soon as I get the retail key, and see how they handle it. History says I will be disappointed, but I have to try, because trading keys is risky.

[oleum]

SOLUTION
Go to your amazon site .co.uk or .com whichever.
Preorder
Get email confirmation of order and code 2 mins later.
Go register the code
Cancel preorder
Sorted, you wont get billed.

[Exsanguinate]

EDIT: A lot of people are confusing the issue with the temporary problem where they received EU pre-access codes due to a bug in the websites. That was just a temporary problem that has been resolved. The problem is, some of us have been duped into buying a wrong region key with no option of cancelling. SqEx refuse to do anything to rectify this.

Wrong, this has not been fixed. In fact the site is still setting NA users to UK. The only way to currently keep it as NA in all possible locations, is to not close the page after saving it and open second page to enter the code. Now it has been working hit and miss with some, but I have 2 friends currently locked out with EU code that happen after the supposed fix.

The only fix we have found thus far, with the lack of SE, support or mods, is to cancel the preorder, re-preorder for a new code and follow the above info with profiles before entering the code. I know this is not feasible for everyone, especially you that ordered from GMG, but if you really want to make EA at the start, this is all we have as a option...

Unless you like waiting for a company that considers you as a second class group.

[Rodrell]

Somewhat related to this issue, if I decide to give my EU pre-order code and copy of the game to a NA friend, would he be able to pay the subscription comfortably? I've been thinking there'd be no problem if he pays in Crysta but I'm having my doubts.

[Eder]

SQEX made the mistake in the recent past of allowing people to unknowingly create accounts in systems designed for a region other than where the account holder lives. They're paying dearly for that in bad publicity because they've hit a subscription billing mega problem.

They're looking ahead to the monthly billing systems going live, and they've got EU-based players who have inadvertently created NA-based accounts that cannot be billed from Square Enix America systems, and vice versa, without causing a major finance and accounting tangle. So they have to come up with a way to get all the accounts migrated to the right regional systems and operating companies.

The complexity SQEX faces in their systems and why they can't issue out of region codes is because this is a P2P transaction problem that they have one day to sort out or face a wall of noise much bigger than 30 page threads.

The problem stems from the fact that companies need to segregate the playerbase on region because of funding for the support centers and also because of an inequity in fees charged between regions (US prices and subs are usually among the cheapest, and in a true free market everyone would be buying from US).

This debacle has been compounded by their website redirection problems, and lack of tools for support staff to actually do any region changes, even when it's clear there is a problem. Not to mention they must be hiring all of 2 people to man the phones and chat support, as the 5 hour long queues can attest...

This is still a Japanese company though... customers are probably a lot more tolerant over there, and HQ is probably most concerned about pleasing the homeland playerbase first before attending to any other problems.

[Eder]

I'm a GMG 'victim' too, though I feel SE is most at fault for allowing any of this to happen in the first place. I don't know where I'm supposed to go from here. :\ I hate how much stress this has generated for me in the last couple of days. It's just a VIDEO GAME. This shouldn't be so hard! Normally I wouldn't let it get to me but.. I've been waiting eagerly for this game for months, and a bunch of my friends are set and ready to go. They're not all going to wait for me, so I'm going to be way behind if this isn't fixed in time :\ So frustrating. I don't remember the last time I felt so disrespected as a customer.

Kazielle, you should be able to get a preaccess code quite easily to get into the early access, there are so many people with "spare" keys, then sort out the retail key next week (either ideally by SqEx or by trading). The only problem is if you are in NA and have inadvertently signed up for a EU account... that would mean paying subs in Euro dollars which would suck... The only way out of that is to try and convince SqEx to change your account from EU to NA, and, well, I would have more hope about chocobos flying to be honest...

[Eder]

SOLUTION
Go to your amazon site .co.uk or .com whichever.
Preorder
Get email confirmation of order and code 2 mins later.
Go register the code
Cancel preorder
Sorted, you wont get billed.

That works for preaccess, but what happens when Aug 30 rolls around?

[Eder]

You know what, when all's said and done, things could be worse... we could be limited to 3 posts per 24 hours in this foru..<bzzt>you have been logged off

[FutanXIV]

Would be better to cancel the preorder to whoever gave you the bogus code, then preorder some place that will give you a correct one.