Well, I'm glad to say I got a support response. I'm blown away by the reason (if this is it) for the ban. Talk about a misleading ban error message. See below:
------------------------------------------
Response Via Email (Lindsay) 02/06/2013 12:13 PM
Hello X,
Thank you for providing that information.
In reviewing your account I see that your contact location does not match your billing information. Can you provide a reason for this difference?
Thank you, Lindsay NCsoft Payment Review
------------------------------------------
There's a reason why you have an option for shipping and billing addresses when you buy stuff using credit cards.
If they have problems with fraud purchases then they should do some kind of confirmation before completing the purchase. And they should definitely send an email stating there was a problem with the payment resulting in the ban. No communication with me was ever initiated - I've had to seek them out and get an explanation. Communication on their end would have eliminated all of my confusion from the start.
Responded with my frustrations and asked the status of my account and chars (deleted or not). Waiting to hear back.
Well, I'm glad to say I got a support response. I'm blown away by the reason (if this is it) for the ban. Talk about a misleading ban error message. See below:
------------------------------------------
Response Via Email (Lindsay) 02/06/2013 12:13 PM
Hello X,
Thank you for providing that information.
In reviewing your account I see that your contact location does not match your billing information. Can you provide a reason for this difference?
Thank you, Lindsay NCsoft Payment Review
------------------------------------------
There's a reason why you have an option for shipping and billing addresses when you buy stuff using credit cards.
If they have problems with fraud purchases then they should do some kind of confirmation before completing the purchase. And they should definitely send an email stating there was a problem with the payment resulting in the ban. No communication with me was ever initiated - I've had to seek them out and get an explanation. Communication on their end would have eliminated all of my confusion from the start.
Responded with my frustrations and asked the status of my account and chars (deleted or not). Waiting to hear back.
Oooohhhh... I see. OK, so they're being overzealous at fighting potential fraud. Ugh... it's unfortunate that you're having to go through that, but at least they're erring on the side of caution rather than let people get screwed by ignoring a potential warning flag.
It sounds like you're on track to get things rolling again, good luck!
Well, I'm glad to say I got a support response. I'm blown away by the reason (if this is it) for the ban. Talk about a misleading ban error message. See below:
[quote=Response Via Email (Lindsay)]02/06/2013 12:13 PM
Hello X,
Thank you for providing that information.
In reviewing your account I see that your contact location does not match your billing information. Can you provide a reason for this difference?
Thank you, Lindsay NCsoft Payment Review[/quote]
There's a reason why you have an option for shipping and billing addresses when you buy stuff using credit cards.
If they have problems with fraud purchases then they should do some kind of confirmation before completing the purchase. And they should definitely send an email stating there was a problem with the payment resulting in the ban. No communication with me was ever initiated - I've had to seek them out and get an explanation. Communication on their end would have eliminated all of my confusion from the start.
Responded with my frustrations and asked the status of my account and chars (deleted or not). Waiting to hear back.
anyone whos dealt with support for anet knows they are complete and utter idiots and the only ones taking their sides is these people on this site who just enjoy nothing but trolling. I would get a refund man just for the simple fact they need to stop banning everyone for stupid crap. People on this site accusing you of everything under the sun and accusing you of hacking and naming violations shows you how this games community is . Trust me its not over here to , you will get a bunch of posts still accusing you of being wrong. Im glad you got it all straight but I wouldnt explain a word to this company , if they want to ban you for having a different billing address when you could of moved and not chaged your cards etc , they do not deserve an answer from you I would speak with my wallet. This is just another example of idiotic crap from arenanet yet again.
Sounds like they still have trouble with fraud. They can be a bit overzealous when it comes to hunting hackers and preventing password theft, but then again, I guess it's better than being too soft. I wouldn't worry about your characters.
Well, I'm glad to say I got a support response. I'm blown away by the reason (if this is it) for the ban. Talk about a misleading ban error message. See below:
------------------------------------------
Response Via Email (Lindsay) 02/06/2013 12:13 PM
Hello X,
Thank you for providing that information.
In reviewing your account I see that your contact location does not match your billing information. Can you provide a reason for this difference?
Thank you, Lindsay NCsoft Payment Review
------------------------------------------
There's a reason why you have an option for shipping and billing addresses when you buy stuff using credit cards.
If they have problems with fraud purchases then they should do some kind of confirmation before completing the purchase. And they should definitely send an email stating there was a problem with the payment resulting in the ban. No communication with me was ever initiated - I've had to seek them out and get an explanation. Communication on their end would have eliminated all of my confusion from the start.
Responded with my frustrations and asked the status of my account and chars (deleted or not). Waiting to hear back.
I hope you get an apology from some of the posters in this thread.
Well, I'm glad to say I got a support response. I'm blown away by the reason (if this is it) for the ban. Talk about a misleading ban error message. See below:
------------------------------------------
Response Via Email (Lindsay) 02/06/2013 12:13 PM
Hello X,
Thank you for providing that information.
In reviewing your account I see that your contact location does not match your billing information. Can you provide a reason for this difference?
Thank you, Lindsay NCsoft Payment Review
------------------------------------------
There's a reason why you have an option for shipping and billing addresses when you buy stuff using credit cards.
If they have problems with fraud purchases then they should do some kind of confirmation before completing the purchase. And they should definitely send an email stating there was a problem with the payment resulting in the ban. No communication with me was ever initiated - I've had to seek them out and get an explanation. Communication on their end would have eliminated all of my confusion from the start.
Responded with my frustrations and asked the status of my account and chars (deleted or not). Waiting to hear back.
Oooohhhh... I see. OK, so they're being overzealous at fighting potential fraud. Ugh... it's unfortunate that you're having to go through that, but at least they're erring on the side of caution rather than let people get screwed by ignoring a potential warning flag.
It sounds like you're on track to get things rolling again, good luck!
That's interesting. My billing and home address are different, but they are in the same town. Then again my account with Guild Wars and NCSoft Master account is pretty old. Maybe they already sorted that out.
Those are different. GW2 is an A.Net account not NCSoft. If you get a GW2 account, they link the 2 and A.Net is in charge of your GW1 and GW2 account.
I was just trying to help, pointing out the name. That is all - people whothough I was stupid for suggesting so, at least I was trying to help him figure it out. What were you doing besides belittling someone?
Originally posted by Scalpless Sounds like they still have trouble with fraud. They can be a bit overzealous when it comes to hunting hackers and preventing password theft, but then again, I guess it's better than being too soft. I wouldn't worry about your characters.
I don't mind the extra protection. I applaud them for it.
They are doing it backwards though. I should have never gotten access to the game until they verified my identity. Plus no communication was initiated to tell me about any kind of fraud protection or transaction trouble. The way they put it out there made it sound like I was an outlaw of the game rules and EULA.
Originally posted by Scalpless Sounds like they still have trouble with fraud. They can be a bit overzealous when it comes to hunting hackers and preventing password theft, but then again, I guess it's better than being too soft. I wouldn't worry about your characters.
I don't mind the extra protection. I applaud them for it.
They are doing it backwards though. I should have never gotten access to the game until they verified my identity. Plus no communication was initiated to tell me about any kind of fraud protection or transaction trouble. The way they put it out there made it sound like I was an outlaw of the game rules and EULA.
I agree with you there. It may be useful to mention that to them during your communications, they may actually listen.
Originally posted by botrytis I am happy this worked out for you - GL!
Well, nothing is really fixed yet, but a response is a start.
We'll see how it goes. I'll report updates here.
my buddy had a issue with being accused of abusingthe chat or something , he just threatened for a refund and he got back into game pretty fast. If all else fails give it a try it might help.
Originally posted by botrytis I am happy this worked out for you - GL!
Well, nothing is really fixed yet, but a response is a start.
We'll see how it goes. I'll report updates here.
my buddy had a issue with being accused of abusingthe chat or something , he just threatened for a refund and he got back into game pretty fast. If all else fails give it a try it might help.
I'd save a more "hostile" approach for last however, but that's me personally.
To get banned without a word, i can only imagine that the payment did not get through, or was made using a fake/stolen credit card. Most, if not all companies permaban for things like this (chargebacks included). Might have been a payment error.
That's a really good point. We'll definitely need to see the alleged list of reasons.
It could be a simple case of the payment not going through. Two days after the purchase is about the right timing for that. ArenaNet's strategy seems to be to give you immediate credit when you buy something, and then ban you if the credit card company rejects the payment. When I bought the game, my credit card company immediately flagged the purchase as potentially fraudulent, and I had to talk to them on the phone and tell them that I really did authorize it before they would let it go through.
If that's the case, then ArenaNet will unban you when they get paid.
Well, I'm glad to say I got a support response. I'm blown away by the reason (if this is it) for the ban. Talk about a misleading ban error message. See below:
------------------------------------------
Response Via Email (Lindsay) 02/06/2013 12:13 PM
Hello X,
Thank you for providing that information.
In reviewing your account I see that your contact location does not match your billing information. Can you provide a reason for this difference?
Thank you, Lindsay NCsoft Payment Review
------------------------------------------
There's a reason why you have an option for shipping and billing addresses when you buy stuff using credit cards.
If they have problems with fraud purchases then they should do some kind of confirmation before completing the purchase. And they should definitely send an email stating there was a problem with the payment resulting in the ban. No communication with me was ever initiated - I've had to seek them out and get an explanation. Communication on their end would have eliminated all of my confusion from the start.
Responded with my frustrations and asked the status of my account and chars (deleted or not). Waiting to hear back.
I hope you get an apology from some of the posters in this thread.
No kidding...some people in this thread have been way off base attacking OP. You would think OP went around kicking people's dogs, based on some the responses he got lol.
Well, I'm glad to say I got a support response. I'm blown away by the reason (if this is it) for the ban. Talk about a misleading ban error message. See below:
------------------------------------------
Response Via Email (Lindsay) 02/06/2013 12:13 PM
Hello X,
Thank you for providing that information.
In reviewing your account I see that your contact location does not match your billing information. Can you provide a reason for this difference?
Thank you, Lindsay NCsoft Payment Review
------------------------------------------
There's a reason why you have an option for shipping and billing addresses when you buy stuff using credit cards.
If they have problems with fraud purchases then they should do some kind of confirmation before completing the purchase. And they should definitely send an email stating there was a problem with the payment resulting in the ban. No communication with me was ever initiated - I've had to seek them out and get an explanation. Communication on their end would have eliminated all of my confusion from the start.
Responded with my frustrations and asked the status of my account and chars (deleted or not). Waiting to hear back.
As a person who works in credit card processing, this reason makes plenty of sense.
"Credit Card Fraud"
When billing address isn't the same as contact address, the rates of fraud skyrocket, and there's a VERY good chance that the real owner of the CC will shut down the account (if it is fraud), so A.net will be out the money. So rather than let you play for free, they shut you down.
NOW, the interesting part is that it let you create the account in the first place. (They typically ask that question during the check out process for a reason).
Originally posted by Scalpless Sounds like they still have trouble with fraud. They can be a bit overzealous when it comes to hunting hackers and preventing password theft, but then again, I guess it's better than being too soft. I wouldn't worry about your characters.
I don't mind the extra protection. I applaud them for it.
They are doing it backwards though. I should have never gotten access to the game until they verified my identity. Plus no communication was initiated to tell me about any kind of fraud protection or transaction trouble. The way they put it out there made it sound like I was an outlaw of the game rules and EULA.
I agree with you there. It may be useful to mention that to them during your communications, they may actually listen.
I agree, too. Besides, I highly doubt having a contact location that's different from your billing location is a breach of Rules of Conduct or User Agreement.
Well, I'm glad to say I got a support response. I'm blown away by the reason (if this is it) for the ban. Talk about a misleading ban error message. See below:
------------------------------------------
Response Via Email (Lindsay) 02/06/2013 12:13 PM
Hello X,
Thank you for providing that information.
In reviewing your account I see that your contact location does not match your billing information. Can you provide a reason for this difference?
Thank you, Lindsay NCsoft Payment Review
------------------------------------------
There's a reason why you have an option for shipping and billing addresses when you buy stuff using credit cards.
If they have problems with fraud purchases then they should do some kind of confirmation before completing the purchase. And they should definitely send an email stating there was a problem with the payment resulting in the ban. No communication with me was ever initiated - I've had to seek them out and get an explanation. Communication on their end would have eliminated all of my confusion from the start.
Responded with my frustrations and asked the status of my account and chars (deleted or not). Waiting to hear back.
Definitely a fair criticism; there needs to be at least SOME middle ground between the splash pages, "Welcome to the game!" and "You're banned forever, scumbag!". Especially for something like this.
Glad that it looks like things will get resolved, OP. Enjoy the game!
Character's name on Sorrow was/is "Rhytz", which doesn't seem offensive or obscene in any way. I can't imagine that being the issue.
GW2 support accounts can be separate from main game accounts, so you can create a support account without having a GW2 game account (stranglely enough). I had to do this to submit my first ticket. My second support ticket was without being logged into any account (don't need an account to submit a ticket).
In regards to purchase issues, I see the transaction listed in my bank statement:
CHARGE.NCSOFT.COM ###### 79.99
I would think they would have notified me by email or something if there was a billing problem. There shouldn't be though.
Last resort is to get a refund, which sucks cause I like the game. Hopefully I don't have to resort to calling their dev office. I'm not beyond it though.
... and to the person that said I need to quit playing games and get laid, I get mine.
It is your name - read the naming rules. From A.Net
We do not permit names that:
Have offensive racial, ethnic, or national connotations.
Include hate speech or bigoted slurs
Reference sexual acts or real life violence.
Are pornographic.
Make inappropriate references to human anatomy or bodily functions.
Reference illegal drugs or activities.
Reference religious or historical figures.
Reference real-life people.
Reference names of copyrighted or trademarked characters, materials, or products.
Use misspellings or alternative spellings of names that violate any of the above rules.
Your name is a misspelling of Ritz - as in cracker and that is a trademarked name. If you didn't know that then plead ignorance and ask to rename your character. DONE
I really, really doubt that that's the reason for the ban. The last line is not there to catch people who have a spelling kind of similar to names that are inoffensive but need to be blocked anyway so that ArenaNet doesn't get sued for trademark infringement.
According to the US Census Bureau, 6255 people in the US had Ritz as their last name in the 2000 census. You can trademark the use of Ritz for certain purposes; no one else but Nabisco is allowed to make crackers and call them Ritz, for example. But you can't say no one can use the name Ritz for anything; see, for example, the Ritz-Carlton hotels.
And that's not even a reference to a particular real-life person. Not only would it be a misspelling, but even if it were "Ritz", it wouldn't be the slightest bit obvious which real-life person you're referring to.
Well, I'm glad to say I got a support response. I'm blown away by the reason (if this is it) for the ban. Talk about a misleading ban error message. See below:
------------------------------------------
Response Via Email (Lindsay) 02/06/2013 12:13 PM
Hello X,
Thank you for providing that information.
In reviewing your account I see that your contact location does not match your billing information. Can you provide a reason for this difference?
Thank you, Lindsay NCsoft Payment Review
------------------------------------------
There's a reason why you have an option for shipping and billing addresses when you buy stuff using credit cards.
If they have problems with fraud purchases then they should do some kind of confirmation before completing the purchase. And they should definitely send an email stating there was a problem with the payment resulting in the ban. No communication with me was ever initiated - I've had to seek them out and get an explanation. Communication on their end would have eliminated all of my confusion from the start.
Responded with my frustrations and asked the status of my account and chars (deleted or not). Waiting to hear back.
The problem is that online game companies have to deal with a ton of credit card fraud. You know how there are gold spammers in a lot of games that you have to pay to get access to? You know how they get access? Credit card fraud.
But yes, they should definitely communicate the reasons for the ban to you better. "Your payment didn't go through so we're blocking you until it does" would sure beat "we're perma-banning you and not telling you why". The latter is particularly dumb as it could lead to unnecessary chargebacks as people who think they're not going to be able to play the game anyway tell the credit card company to block the charge.
well if you was in the beta testing and such then you could not say nothing about the game when it was in close beta / stresstest its called the non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). dont matter if it your friends online or anybody they would had reported you to the support this is why your account is banned or what not if you havw not open your mouth to any one your account would had not been banned simple as that remimber this when you beta test a game agian
Originally posted by Rytz
Greetings:
I know this is not an official support forum but I have no other place to go. See below.
I have plenty of MMO experience and this has to be the most retarded and frustrating experience I've ever encountered in an MMO so far, save for maybe SWG launch back in the day. Even my indie MMO experiences were never this bad.
I bought the GuildWars2 Digital Deluxe edition 2 days ago from the official site and played the last couple days pretty straight. Level 19 Sylvari Ranger on Sorrow. Talked to maybe 5-10 people tops (mostly trying to find some areas on the map). Did a lot of exploring mostly during that time (mainly in the grove). My character's name is not obscene or anything sketch. Single-word name.
After a break (and working to pay the bills), I came back home tonight to jump on and get an error window saying that my account has been terminated for a bunch of obscure reasons (see image attached) that gives me no insight to the actual reason why.
Now, I wasn't super upset or anything yet, just shocked. Stuff happens right? Maybe hacked or wrongly accused. Off to the support site I went to submit a support ticket.
Can't log in with my account to the support site - says my account is disabled. WTH?
So the $80 game account that I paid for 2 days ago is banned / terminated for no specific reason and I can't even log in to the support site to submit a ticket? The only thing I can do is log in to the account section, which does absolutely nothing for my situation. Can't access the official forums either. Now what?
I'm able to create a new support account so I can at least submit a ticket to ArenaNet. I fill out the ticket and submit it. Get the confirmation email. Come back a few hours later...
Can't log in to my new support account to check the status - disabled.
Are you f'ing kidding me? Is this a conspiracy or something?
I was able to submit a 2nd support ticket without registering but it seems like they are just deleting my tickets or something. Somehow ArenaNet hates me and I've only played their game for 2 days! If this keeps up and I can't get in touch with anyone I feel like I'm going to have to get a refund and all that time I've already spent is wasted.
I can honestly say that there is nothing that I can think of that I did during these past 2 days of playing that would be considered bad in any way, shape, or form.
--------------------
I'm looking for any help that anyone can give me. I have both incident support numbers which I will provide below. I'm posting this on another popular GW2 forum site because I can't use any of the official avenues to get support. If I could get on the official forums I could ask a mod / red name.
If anyone can pass this info along to a mod on the official forum or some kind of official support staff, I would greatly appreciate it. Please PM me with any info.
Thanks in advance. It's almost 4am and gotta be up in 3.5 hours. I'll check back later tomorrow.
[I guess the image didn't originally attach - sorry about that]
Well, I'm glad to say I got a support response. I'm blown away by the reason (if this is it) for the ban. Talk about a misleading ban error message. See below:
------------------------------------------
Response Via Email (Lindsay) 02/06/2013 12:13 PM
Hello X,
Thank you for providing that information.
In reviewing your account I see that your contact location does not match your billing information. Can you provide a reason for this difference?
Thank you, Lindsay NCsoft Payment Review
------------------------------------------
There's a reason why you have an option for shipping and billing addresses when you buy stuff using credit cards.
If they have problems with fraud purchases then they should do some kind of confirmation before completing the purchase. And they should definitely send an email stating there was a problem with the payment resulting in the ban. No communication with me was ever initiated - I've had to seek them out and get an explanation. Communication on their end would have eliminated all of my confusion from the start.
Responded with my frustrations and asked the status of my account and chars (deleted or not). Waiting to hear back.
The problem is that online game companies have to deal with a ton of credit card fraud. You know how there are gold spammers in a lot of games that you have to pay to get access to? You know how they get access? Credit card fraud.
But yes, they should definitely communicate the reasons for the ban to you better. "Your payment didn't go through so we're blocking you until it does" would sure beat "we're perma-banning you and not telling you why". The latter is particularly dumb as it could lead to unnecessary chargebacks as people who think they're not going to be able to play the game anyway tell the credit card company to block the charge.
Not only that, Anet has had some history with credit card fraud which is probably why they're being so overzealous about it. Back during the pre-purchase some chinese and russian sites were selling GW2 pre-purchases for very cheap, lots of people got them that way (at least 3 friends did), and aparently legit, keys worked and people got into the first beta weekend smoothly.
By the time the second beta weekend came out, lots of people were unable to log, the game would give an error 9, IIRC. Turns out that several keys were bought using stolen credit card info and then sold trough some less reputable websites, and Anet didn't notice until the real owners of the credit cards started noticing the fraudulent charges and reporting them. At least my friends were lucky, the website they bought from acknowledged the error, claimed that a 3rd party provided them with the keys and that they didn't know they weren't legit and gave them a refund, which they used to buy from more legitimate sites, but I do know that quite a few people were left out in the cold.
Character's name on Sorrow was/is "Rhytz", which doesn't seem offensive or obscene in any way. I can't imagine that being the issue.
GW2 support accounts can be separate from main game accounts, so you can create a support account without having a GW2 game account (stranglely enough). I had to do this to submit my first ticket. My second support ticket was without being logged into any account (don't need an account to submit a ticket).
In regards to purchase issues, I see the transaction listed in my bank statement:
CHARGE.NCSOFT.COM ###### 79.99
I would think they would have notified me by email or something if there was a billing problem. There shouldn't be though.
Last resort is to get a refund, which sucks cause I like the game. Hopefully I don't have to resort to calling their dev office. I'm not beyond it though.
... and to the person that said I need to quit playing games and get laid, I get mine.
It is your name - read the naming rules. From A.Net
We do not permit names that:
Have offensive racial, ethnic, or national connotations.
Include hate speech or bigoted slurs
Reference sexual acts or real life violence.
Are pornographic.
Make inappropriate references to human anatomy or bodily functions.
Reference illegal drugs or activities.
Reference religious or historical figures.
Reference real-life people.
Reference names of copyrighted or trademarked characters, materials, or products.
Use misspellings or alternative spellings of names that violate any of the above rules.
Your name is a misspelling of Ritz - as in cracker and that is a trademarked name. If you didn't know that then plead ignorance and ask to rename your character. DONE
if A-net ban people who seems suspicious to them instate and before verify - it's even worse company then I though.
support doing awful job there and seems to me they don't have enough guys to do it.
to OP: I hope my post not offended you as all I tried is find the truth and help. Hope your issue would be resolved fast and if I were you I would ask to refund. Trust me this game not worth stress to get into issue you've got there.
try before buy, even if it's a game to avoid bad surprises. Worst surprises for me: Aion, GW2
Comments
Well, I'm glad to say I got a support response. I'm blown away by the reason (if this is it) for the ban. Talk about a misleading ban error message. See below:
------------------------------------------
Response Via Email (Lindsay) 02/06/2013 12:13 PM
Hello X,
Thank you for providing that information.
In reviewing your account I see that your contact location does not match your billing information. Can you provide a reason for this difference?
Thank you,
Lindsay
NCsoft Payment Review
------------------------------------------
There's a reason why you have an option for shipping and billing addresses when you buy stuff using credit cards.
Oooohhhh... I see. OK, so they're being overzealous at fighting potential fraud. Ugh... it's unfortunate that you're having to go through that, but at least they're erring on the side of caution rather than let people get screwed by ignoring a potential warning flag.
It sounds like you're on track to get things rolling again, good luck!
Oderint, dum metuant.
anyone whos dealt with support for anet knows they are complete and utter idiots and the only ones taking their sides is these people on this site who just enjoy nothing but trolling. I would get a refund man just for the simple fact they need to stop banning everyone for stupid crap. People on this site accusing you of everything under the sun and accusing you of hacking and naming violations shows you how this games community is . Trust me its not over here to , you will get a bunch of posts still accusing you of being wrong. Im glad you got it all straight but I wouldnt explain a word to this company , if they want to ban you for having a different billing address when you could of moved and not chaged your cards etc , they do not deserve an answer from you I would speak with my wallet. This is just another example of idiotic crap from arenanet yet again.
Wanted to add the subject line and email address they are using for other people so maybe they can force a faster response:
Subject: Account Terminated after 2 Days [Incident: 130206-000289]
From: "Guild Wars 2 Support" <[email protected]>
If initiating a contact this way, you might have to put your incident number in the subject line at the end or it could be filtered out as spam.
I hope you get an apology from some of the posters in this thread.
Those are different. GW2 is an A.Net account not NCSoft. If you get a GW2 account, they link the 2 and A.Net is in charge of your GW1 and GW2 account.
I was just trying to help, pointing out the name. That is all - people whothough I was stupid for suggesting so, at least I was trying to help him figure it out. What were you doing besides belittling someone?
I don't mind the extra protection. I applaud them for it.
They are doing it backwards though. I should have never gotten access to the game until they verified my identity. Plus no communication was initiated to tell me about any kind of fraud protection or transaction trouble. The way they put it out there made it sound like I was an outlaw of the game rules and EULA.
Hah - honestly I ignored most of the BS anyway. I know how these types of forums go.
Thanks to those who provided help and info.
I agree with you there. It may be useful to mention that to them during your communications, they may actually listen.
Oderint, dum metuant.
Well, nothing is really fixed yet, but a response is a start.
We'll see how it goes. I'll report updates here.
my buddy had a issue with being accused of abusingthe chat or something , he just threatened for a refund and he got back into game pretty fast. If all else fails give it a try it might help.
I'd save a more "hostile" approach for last however, but that's me personally.
Oderint, dum metuant.
It could be a simple case of the payment not going through. Two days after the purchase is about the right timing for that. ArenaNet's strategy seems to be to give you immediate credit when you buy something, and then ban you if the credit card company rejects the payment. When I bought the game, my credit card company immediately flagged the purchase as potentially fraudulent, and I had to talk to them on the phone and tell them that I really did authorize it before they would let it go through.
If that's the case, then ArenaNet will unban you when they get paid.
No kidding...some people in this thread have been way off base attacking OP. You would think OP went around kicking people's dogs, based on some the responses he got lol.
As a person who works in credit card processing, this reason makes plenty of sense.
"Credit Card Fraud"
When billing address isn't the same as contact address, the rates of fraud skyrocket, and there's a VERY good chance that the real owner of the CC will shut down the account (if it is fraud), so A.net will be out the money. So rather than let you play for free, they shut you down.
NOW, the interesting part is that it let you create the account in the first place. (They typically ask that question during the check out process for a reason).
I agree, too. Besides, I highly doubt having a contact location that's different from your billing location is a breach of Rules of Conduct or User Agreement.
Definitely a fair criticism; there needs to be at least SOME middle ground between the splash pages, "Welcome to the game!" and "You're banned forever, scumbag!". Especially for something like this.
Glad that it looks like things will get resolved, OP. Enjoy the game!
I really, really doubt that that's the reason for the ban. The last line is not there to catch people who have a spelling kind of similar to names that are inoffensive but need to be blocked anyway so that ArenaNet doesn't get sued for trademark infringement.
According to the US Census Bureau, 6255 people in the US had Ritz as their last name in the 2000 census. You can trademark the use of Ritz for certain purposes; no one else but Nabisco is allowed to make crackers and call them Ritz, for example. But you can't say no one can use the name Ritz for anything; see, for example, the Ritz-Carlton hotels.
And that's not even a reference to a particular real-life person. Not only would it be a misspelling, but even if it were "Ritz", it wouldn't be the slightest bit obvious which real-life person you're referring to.
The problem is that online game companies have to deal with a ton of credit card fraud. You know how there are gold spammers in a lot of games that you have to pay to get access to? You know how they get access? Credit card fraud.
But yes, they should definitely communicate the reasons for the ban to you better. "Your payment didn't go through so we're blocking you until it does" would sure beat "we're perma-banning you and not telling you why". The latter is particularly dumb as it could lead to unnecessary chargebacks as people who think they're not going to be able to play the game anyway tell the credit card company to block the charge.
Be yourself don't act like some one else
Not only that, Anet has had some history with credit card fraud which is probably why they're being so overzealous about it. Back during the pre-purchase some chinese and russian sites were selling GW2 pre-purchases for very cheap, lots of people got them that way (at least 3 friends did), and aparently legit, keys worked and people got into the first beta weekend smoothly.
By the time the second beta weekend came out, lots of people were unable to log, the game would give an error 9, IIRC. Turns out that several keys were bought using stolen credit card info and then sold trough some less reputable websites, and Anet didn't notice until the real owners of the credit cards started noticing the fraudulent charges and reporting them. At least my friends were lucky, the website they bought from acknowledged the error, claimed that a 3rd party provided them with the keys and that they didn't know they weren't legit and gave them a refund, which they used to buy from more legitimate sites, but I do know that quite a few people were left out in the cold.
What can men do against such reckless hate?
LOL - this needs to be stickied!
if A-net ban people who seems suspicious to them instate and before verify - it's even worse company then I though.
support doing awful job there and seems to me they don't have enough guys to do it.
to OP: I hope my post not offended you as all I tried is find the truth and help.
Hope your issue would be resolved fast and if I were you I would ask to refund. Trust me this game not worth stress to get into issue you've got there.
try before buy, even if it's a game to avoid bad surprises.
Worst surprises for me: Aion, GW2