Account unbanned after 2 months of LM-17

**Hanayaka** · 2009-10-19 15:22

My friend had his account LM-17d on August 17 by an automated system due to a credit card chargeback. To make a long story short, he had his account on his girlfriend's credit card. He decided to order a Security Token, so he changed his credit card info to his own, and proceeded to order it. However, when he ordered it, they charged the previous credit card (his girlfriend's) which resulted in over a $50 charge, with insufficient funds. She charged back the purchase as it was on the wrong card, and he was LM-17d.

Here are the online conversations with the customer service agents, with important highlights.

Date: Mon, Aug 17, 2009 at 12:49 PM

Spoiler: show

tl;dr Highlights:
The account was terminated for the occurrence of irregular activity.
regardless of the reason, the action is final.
(Me) : What is the number to contact a manager? [IGNORED]

Date: Mon, Aug 17, 2009 at 3:43 PM

Spoiler: show

Unfortunately, it appears that the account has been permanently banned.

Date: Thu, Aug 20, 2009 at 12:46 PM

Spoiler: show

(Me): Is there someone I could speak with that could assist me further with this issue?
SEI POL (Representative 2): The ones who handle the ban complaints cannot be contacted by customers.

Date: Mon, Oct 19, 2009 at 1:27 PM

Spoiler: show

(Me): I've been waiting for over 2 months, can I speak to a supervisor in order to expedite the process?
SEA (Representative 3): Direct contact to a supervisor is not possible.

Date: Mon, Oct 19, 2009 at 2:20 PM

Spoiler: show

SEA Gene: I apologize. I am still looking into your issue. I will be back with you as soon as I can. Thank you for your patience.
(Me): Ok, no problem.
SEA Gene: At this time, you should be able to log into the account. If there are any fees that are owed, you will need to pay them once you log in.

I don't really have words to describe the massive amounts of fail involved in these conversations. To everyone else who was banned unjustly, don't give up hope. Remain polite, request your call to be escalated, and just keep trying.

**Silenka** · 2009-10-19 16:12

Here's the thing I don't understand about SE customer support: we in retail are told to basically bend the rules and make exceptions for customers, in essence treating them like a 'friend', someone who is important to the company, and to be willing to do what we have to to keep them happy. We lose money on ventures like that sometimes, with the long-term goal of getting more of that particular customer's money in the future, and it works because happy people are more willing to spend money at our store.

SE on the other hand, instead of doing what they can for their customers, would rather give them the runaround, make them suffer and say 'no' as many times as possible. SE only stands to GAIN money by reopening mistakenly LM-17'd accounts, but it's like pulling teeth to get far enough with the CS rep to actually get an account opened again. Why can't they just reopen the damn account, have a happy customer who will keep giving them money, and call it a day? It's not like they can't re-ban the account if they make a mistake in reactivating it.

I guess the bottom line really is they're not dealing in customer service, they act more like a dictatorship with a rigid 'no' policy and I wish I didn't love SE's games so much because their 'customer service' for FFXI is the worst I've ever seen.

Well, congrats to your friend for getting his account back. 'Keep trying' is a viable approach to dealing with the CS reps, as most of them will give you the NO policy, a few actually give a shit about their customers.

**Sho** · 2009-10-19 16:19

Originally Posted by Silenka

Here's the thing I don't understand about SE customer support: we in retail are told to basically bend the rules and make exceptions for customers, in essence treating them like a 'friend', someone who is important to the company, and to be willing to do what we have to to keep them happy. We lose money on ventures like that sometimes, with the long-term goal of getting more of that particular customer's money in the future, and it works because happy people are more willing to spend money at our store.

SE on the other hand, instead of doing what they can for their customers, would rather give them the runaround, make them suffer and say 'no' as many times as possible. SE only stands to GAIN money by reopening mistakenly LM-17'd accounts, but it's like pulling teeth to get far enough with the CS rep to actually get an account opened again. Why can't they just reopen the damn account, have a happy customer who will keep giving them money, and call it a day? It's not like they can't re-ban the account if they make a mistake in reactivating it.

I guess the bottom line really is they're not dealing in customer service, they act more like a dictatorship with a rigid 'no' policy and I wish I didn't love SE's games so much because their 'customer service' for FFXI is the worst I've ever seen.

Well, congrats to your friend for getting his account back. 'Keep trying' is a viable approach to dealing with the CS reps, as most of them will give you the NO policy, a few actually give a shit about their customers.

I used to think it was just a Japanese way of running business as compared to American. Not trying to sound biased at all.

**Seraph** · 2009-10-19 16:20

I don't know what upsets me more, SE's customer support, or actually hitting the limit on a credit card with a $50 purchase. Noone should be that close to their limit...

:-/

DAKPluto · 2009-10-19 16:27

tl;dr

get SEA Gene or log off and try again

**Hanayaka** · 2009-10-19 16:29

Originally Posted by Seraph

I don't know what upsets me more, SE's customer support, or actually hitting the limit on a credit card with a $50 purchase. Noone should be that close to their limit...

:-/

Think it was a debit card or something luls.

Vuitton · 2009-10-19 16:42

Blizzard should sell / teach customer service to other companies. To each his own opinion in regards to WoW, but the customer service is impeccable and very friendly.

**TheMysteriousX** · 2009-10-19 17:08

Protip: chargebacks are a last resort. Pretty sure that the card company makes you declare that you've attempted to solve the issue with the company before they'll issue one.

**Sonomaa** · 2009-10-19 17:21

Originally Posted by TheMysteriousX

Protip: chargebacks are a last resort. Pretty sure that the card company makes you declare that you've attempted to solve the issue with the company before they'll issue one.

This:
the company I work for basically will declare a customer more trouble than they are worth if they chargeback without asking

**Esvedium** · 2009-10-19 20:10

Originally Posted by DAKPluto

tl;dr

get SEA Gene or log off and try again

That's what I got out of this.

Grats on getting your shit back.

**Jesifromgaruda** · 2009-10-20 00:29

Originally Posted by Silenka

Here's the thing I don't understand about SE customer support: we in retail are told to basically bend the rules and make exceptions for customers, in essence treating them like a 'friend', someone who is important to the company, and to be willing to do what we have to to keep them happy. We lose money on ventures like that sometimes, with the long-term goal of getting more of that particular customer's money in the future, and it works because happy people are more willing to spend money at our store.

The bigger picture here is that in FFXI if someone gets banned, it might result in SE losing even more money because if that person had friends that played with them all the time, they might quit too. I know that if my friend that I play with got banned I would be gone. So they really should be trying to make people happy to not lose a bunch more customers.

But the other people who replied are probably right. There is something about those chargebacks that SE just freakin hates.

**S N K** · 2009-10-20 02:57

Any company obviously hates chargebacks. It's a mess of extra paperwork I'd rather not deal with.

**drwaffles** · 2009-10-20 07:50

If they weren't incompetent and stopped overcharging their customers they wouldn't have to deal with chargebacks in the first place.

**TelosIllumini** · 2009-10-20 08:03

^ this.

I find it sad that, as a paying costumer, you have to keep begging the company to MAYBE have something done for you... -_-;

Grats on getting that account back btw XD

**Mistress Stowastiq** · 2009-10-20 08:18

Originally Posted by Silenka

Here's the thing I don't understand about SE customer support: we in retail are told to basically bend the rules and make exceptions for customers, in essence treating them like a 'friend', someone who is important to the company, and to be willing to do what we have to to keep them happy. We lose money on ventures like that sometimes, with the long-term goal of getting more of that particular customer's money in the future, and it works because happy people are more willing to spend money at our store.

SE on the other hand, instead of doing what they can for their customers, would rather give them the runaround, make them suffer and say 'no' as many times as possible. SE only stands to GAIN money by reopening mistakenly LM-17'd accounts, but it's like pulling teeth to get far enough with the CS rep to actually get an account opened again. Why can't they just reopen the damn account, have a happy customer who will keep giving them money, and call it a day? It's not like they can't re-ban the account if they make a mistake in reactivating it.

I guess the bottom line really is they're not dealing in customer service, they act more like a dictatorship with a rigid 'no' policy and I wish I didn't love SE's games so much because their 'customer service' for FFXI is the worst I've ever seen.

Well, congrats to your friend for getting his account back. 'Keep trying' is a viable approach to dealing with the CS reps, as most of them will give you the NO policy, a few actually give a shit about their customers.

Bolded things that I can, with experience account for.

Also, SE's customer support system has evolved and implemented changes recently, changes that might allow previous "perma ban" or unresolved disputes to now be untangled and satisfied.

Good luck to the OP and good to hear about reclaiming the account.

**Yabby** · 2009-10-20 08:32

The sad thing is if you do it the right way, having SE issue a credit to your card it takes them forever. By forever i mean a year. Friend of mine got a charge that shouldn't happen and she called SE, and of course they gave her the runaround. She knew if she did a charge back her account would just get banned so she just ate it. I get on vent one day and she is laughing because after a full year she see a credit to her account by SE, that she forgot all about months ago.

**diemos** · 2009-10-20 13:53

thanks for giving me hope on a double relic account I'm trying to get back. If I get it, I love you long time.

**TybudX** · 2009-10-20 16:34

SE has a a fundamental misunderstanding of what 'customer service' is supposed to mean. After seven years they are still just a software provider, and I'm pretty sure seven more years of another game isn't going to suddenly (I use the word loosely) make them realize that they missed the concept. It's like dealing with somebody who is autistic - yeah, they do one thing pretty good, but they still have the social skills of a toddler.

**Tsuki** · 2009-10-20 16:55

Originally Posted by Jesifromgaruda

The bigger picture here is that in FFXI if someone gets banned, it might result in SE losing even more money because if that person had friends that played with them all the time, they might quit too. I know that if my friend that I play with got banned I would be gone. So they really should be trying to make people happy to not lose a bunch more customers.

If you haven't noticed by now, they don't actually care to keep their customers or their customer's friends. This BS has been going on steady for what, going on 7 years now, since NA launch? this is the way the majority of people who need assistance from their service centers are treated. What kind of company doesn't have a toll free number for support anyways? This one apparently. SE has demonstrated time and time again they don't want to be involved with the player community and they will go to great lengths to avoid dealing with their clients. Call it whatever you want, Japanese business ethics, douchebaggery, its the same damn story every time "we're sorry there is nothing we can do". If anyone thinks ANYTHING is going to change about SE's Client relations in ANY aspect in 14, then lol.

**Silenka** · 2009-10-20 17:55

Originally Posted by Tsuki

If anyone thinks ANYTHING is going to change about SE's Client relations in ANY aspect in 14, then lol.

The thing that most depresses me is that 14 is like shiny inexpensive crack and I'm an addict. As much as I'd love to boycott their online games due to the horrible customer service, I know I'm going to be playing that shit day 1, and that's very, very sad to me.

It will be a clean slate though, there is a glimmer of hope on the horizon. Enough people know about and are unhappy with SE's current CS policy that NA 14 may just get the people it needs to turn the tables (or at least make an improvement).

Though the cynic in me is not hopeful, for 99% of the current CS reps (minus GMs) in SE NA do not and have never played FFXI and therefore it's just a job to them, and they can tell you 'no' all day and not feel sympathetic in the least. For people who don't play, it's just a by the book type of job, which doesn't allow for leniency, exceptions or delving deeper into the matter.

However, with extra account security set in place already for the launch of the game, perhaps people won't get hacked as easily and there will be fewer cases of unjust bans. With extra verification on the card used to pay for 14, perhaps there will be fewer incidents of chargebacks. One can dream...

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