Square Enix Special Task Force Investigations (A Story)

[Marootsoobutsu]

If my wife had spent 1000 dollars on entertainment OVER FIVE YEARS, I'd be ecstatic.

OMG 200 dollars a YEAR? That's like almost twenty dollars a month, yo!

If you assume two fully maxed-out accounts, for a full five years... that's $3240. Add in another ~160 for the software/token, and you're at about $3400. Sounds like a lot.

Except, it works out to about two bucks a day-- $1.87, specifically. That's a *LOT* less than the difference between home-made meals and buying dinner/breakfast/lunch at a restaurant. It's a lot less than a latte' or cappuccino or whatever it is these days the cool kids are drinking.

If she's actually riding about $1K over 5 years, it's $.55/day. That's about the cost of two cans of soda. So, yeah. That's really not a cause for griping about her.

[Spider-Dan]

Yeah, it's pretty much a stone-cold fact that MMORPGs are cheaper $/hr entertainment than anything that isn't completely free.

[nitsuj]

I don't think either of you get it. The account was unbanned (along with hundreds of others that were unbanned at that time) long before anyone reviewed the case. The OP originally thought his actions got the OP unbanned, but really that was just a coincidence.

This is not the case. But I don't care if you believe me or not. =)

[Jazz Kazuko]

Yeah, it's pretty much a stone-cold fact that MMORPGs are cheaper $/hr entertainment than anything that isn't completely free.

lol you forgot the high speed internet and computer.

[Hanyoko]

Every time I hear something related to Mr. Bisby I always end up picturing Mr. Brisby (venture brothers). I see him sitting next to the fire, reading these letters sipping his panda milk; that creepy smile on his face.

[tonystigma]

lol you forgot the high speed internet and computer.

lol you're nitpicking.

[Aksannyi]

lol you forgot the high speed internet and computer.

Because most people totally don't already have those anyway.

[Izzy]

lol you forgot the high speed internet and computer.

FFXI runs on 56k

ZINGGGGG

[Linktri]

Good post. Not terribly shocked at Squeenix's poor support. It's about par for the course.

[Wrish]

But the fact is from this case as described here, we don't know whether SE did an investigation, and we don't know whether the stay-at-home mom broke the ToS.

It could be, as some are saying, that an innocent homebound gamer-mom was in the wrong place at the wrong time, got auto-banned, and this "Bisby" character lazily sent out a canned response without investigating.

Or it could be, this mom had too much time, got mired in activities breaking the ToS, got banned, got unbanned tentatively along with a group of others (or alone, as a result of that insider connection), and finally upon investigation got banned for good.

SE claims to ban for ToS violations, not because you have slanted eyes and can't type English. There may be a correlation between the two, but surely there are exceptions. That someone can write a letter of appeal doesn't make them innocent... That someone is disabled and caring for kids and evokes all the pity in the world doesn't make them virtuous and incapable of rule-breaking.

Nitsuj's friend knows exactly what happened, but the only way for the rest of us to know for sure is openness with the details of each banning, something SE may be reluctant to grant lest ToS violators hone their way around the detection mechanisms.

[Sephiroth_Owa 13]

I'm thinking ever since the Salvage bans (not trying to open a can of worms here) SE has been all but to willing to use the ban stick on anything.

And yes I was one of the ones that thought that anyone that got hit with that stick deserved it, but since my gardening ban....I'm rethinking on that.

Seems SE just puts on a blindfold and swings it's ban stick and perma ban whoever gets hit with it.

Does SE care about XI? No. Will they care about XIV? ??? Who knows but prob not.

[nitsuj]

But the fact is from this case as described here, we don't know whether SE did an investigation, and we don't know whether the stay-at-home mom broke the ToS.

It could be, as some are saying, that an innocent homebound gamer-mom was in the wrong place at the wrong time, got auto-banned, and this "Bisby" character lazily sent out a canned response without investigating.

Or it could be, this mom had too much time, got mired in activities breaking the ToS, got banned, got unbanned tentatively along with a group of others (or alone, as a result of that insider connection), and finally upon investigation got banned for good.

SE claims to ban for ToS violations, not because you have slanted eyes and can't type English. There may be a correlation between the two, but surely there are exceptions. That someone can write a letter of appeal doesn't make them innocent... That someone is disabled and caring for kids and evokes all the pity in the world doesn't make them virtuous and incapable of rule-breaking.

Nitsuj's friend knows exactly what happened, but the only way for the rest of us to know for sure is openness with the details of each banning, something SE may be reluctant to grant lest ToS violators hone their way around the detection mechanisms.

Some valid points here, but

1) She wasn't banned again. The latter that says she was "perma banned" on 7-30 was sent 20 days after she was unbanned. He didn't even bother to make sure she was still banned before sending it.

2) She *could* have broke ToS. Only she knows for sure. However, I would not have gone to bat for her like I did if I had *any* indication that she had violated ToS or done anything worthy of a ban. But I truly believe this is not the case.

[The One Who Waits]

She's not rebanned, I came here to peruse this topic because she was explaining it in our social linkshell, after the topic was posted and the letter received (not in that order.)

Although this topic was the first I heard about Nits doing any internal contact to unban her, I assumed they investigated and found she was in the clear. I'm also in the camp of firmly believing she did nothing wrong, having known her for most of the past 5+ years she's been playing.

Also, Nits and the unnamed gamer this topic revolves around, if you're reading, this is Fia. :D

[Groovebox]

It's no surprise that SE's customer service is terrible and doesn't make a lot of sense sometimes... but really, that letter looks phony.

[thetruepandagod]

The letter isn't phony i have my own signed by the same guy from 3.5 years ago when i got banned.

[mallister]

Yeah, it's pretty much a stone-cold fact that MMORPGs are cheaper $/hr entertainment than anything that isn't completely free.

this game's kept me out of strip clubs and whore houses for years now ~

[McGoonagle]

Like every other successful company, SE cares more about the bottom line than their customers, so they try and minimize costs by hiring an insufficient number of underskilled/undertrained people. I don't know what GMs are paid, but it is probably a little above the average bilingual customer service rep (minimum job requirements?) and significantly below the average bilingual computer technician with people skills (what often seems to be requested).

I'm in an online business, and it's a very successful one. Customer service is crucial to us, and it is one of the reasons customers come back to us, even when some of the competition is cheaper. We are not a cheap service. (That $1000 wouldn't last more than a few days.) We were expanding in a competitive market until the downturn hit every one. Part of it was our applications and depth, but part of it is that customers can call customer service and know they'll get the help they need.

[mallister]

i guess your business wasn't catering to addicts like SE's is? your average pimp or crack dealer's not famous for their customer service for the same reason SE's not: they know we'll keep coming back for more, and we've shown time and again we will.

i can't talk myself, i really should have quit long ago but it keeps me occupied and the boredom at bay. etc.

[Yugl]

Epic woosh is epic. Dan, you need to get better at picking up on this stuff (And the other guy too).

Edit: To toy with your argument, I'll add in the point that maybe FFXI isn't the only entertainment she spends money on.

[liquinas]

http://i211.photobucket.com/albums/b...rr_1987/fr.jpg

This faggot GM called me a lazy player after this because he didn't wanna fill the dumb fuck form out himself, I asked to speak to a SGM but "there are none available".

Wait what?