If it can happen to me...

Papamac

If this can happen to me, then it can happen to any of the thousands of people who have ever been subscribed to a FunCom game. The following is an email I've just sent to FunCom Support. The subject of the email is "Billing?":

 

I have just checked my credit card billing online, and I found the following entry:

Nov 26, 2008 FUNCOM GMBH GLOBALCOLL

The amount charged against my credit card was:

$19.13

I cancelled my subscription to Age of Conan over a month ago, and I haven't been subscribed to any other FunCom game in years.

So I logged onto my FunCom account and checked my subscription information. The subscription page listed me as being subscribed to Anarchy Online: Notum Wars. It also listed my payment method as unknown.

I haven't been subscribed to Anarchy Online in years, and I certainly haven't re-subscribed. It would appear that my payment information for Age of Conan has, somehow, been "stolen" by the billing server for Anarchy Online.

This is an imposition I could do without.

I kindly ask that you refund the full amount charged against my credit card, and that you take whatever steps are necessary to prevent this from happening again. In the meantime, I have "un-subscribed" from Anarchy Online.

I trust the above to be more than sufficient to allow you to proceed with whatever you need to do. If it would help to move things forward more quickly, then please feel free to contact me at the email address above. I will provide whatever additional information you require.

Thank you for your time.

 

I fully expect this story to have a happy ending, and I'll keep this thread updated as things progress. I just thought that this was something that the FunCom community should be aware of . You may want to double-check your credit card statements. 

Papamac

Update:

I just checked my email. I'm rather pleased that I received a response so quickly, especially considering it's the weekend. The explanation offered doesn't make any sense to me, but as long as they're refunding the rogue charge, who cares?

 

Hello,

I have done as requested and canceled your account, I also have

refunded the current months payment. You will not be charged from this

point forward. I do apologize for any inconveniences that this has

posed you.

The reason you were continually charged is because your account had not

been canceled.

Take care.

 

I haven't been continually charged. This is the only incident that I'm aware of. Insofar as my not cancelling my AO account, I'm fairly certain that I did. There's a possiblity (and remember, we're talking about something that happened over 5 years ago) that I allowed my subscription to "run out" and didn't formally cancel, but I just can't recall.

Regardless, they've responded within 72 hours of my initial email, and they've indicated that they're taking the appropriate action. So far, I'm impressed with FC's responsiveness.

I'll update this thread again once I have confirmed that the payment has been refunded.

Papamac

Final update:

I checked my credit card statement. The rogue charge has been refunded.

Dec 02, 2008 FUNCOM GMBH GLOBALCOLL 18.03

(the difference in the amount refunded vs the amount charged is due to the conversion of US funds to Canadian funds)

Overall, I'm extremely impressed with FunCom's handling of this matter. It was quick, painless, and very professional.

This will be my last post on this thread.

 

IKShadow

Originally posted by Capn23


(reserved)
 
WTS [This Space] for x10 troll tears

 

/same

Loke666

Hmm, don't you think someone could have used your old account? I there anything played on it when you logg on or any items missing? Account hijacking is common, and if they got your credit number too they can use it for gold farming/selling.

Either that or We see the same thing that have happened with some guys from Mythic too, the screwed up your billing badly. I don't think any MMO company would actually steal your money like that willingly.

The troll reserving posts is Spam by the way, better than trolling but not much...

Capn23

Originally posted by Loke666


Hmm, don't you think someone could have used your old account? I there anything played on it when you logg on or any items missing? Account hijacking is common, and if they got your credit number too they can use it for gold farming/selling.
Either that or We see the same thing that have happened with some guys from Mythic too, the screwed up your billing badly. I don't think any MMO company would actually steal your money like that willingly.
The troll reserving posts is Spam by the way, better than trolling but not much...

 

but it's just soooooo much fun!

Papamac

Originally posted by Loke666


Hmm, don't you think someone could have used your old account? I there anything played on it when you logg on or any items missing? Account hijacking is common, and if they got your credit number too they can use it for gold farming/selling.
Either that or We see the same thing that have happened with some guys from Mythic too, the screwed up your billing badly. I don't think any MMO company would actually steal your money like that willingly.
The troll reserving posts is Spam by the way, better than trolling but not much...

 

Anything is possible. Somebody may have been able to hack my AO account. But then, I've changed credit cards a couple of times since I last played Anarchy Online, which was more than 5 years ago. The charge was against my current credit card.

That, and the fact that I've recently been subscribed to AoC, tells me that it's far more likely that there's been a database error somewhere. I used the word "steal" to make a point, not an accusation. I would never accuse FC of doing anything criminal.

The reserved posts are for updates. I suppose I could just edit my original post, but there's a risk of it becoming a wall of text, and I'd rather avoid that. There's nothing trollish in my intent.

courtsdad

Originally posted by Loke666


Hmm, don't you think someone could have used your old account? I there anything played on it when you logg on or any items missing? Account hijacking is common, and if they got your credit number too they can use it for gold farming/selling.
Either that or We see the same thing that have happened with some guys from Mythic too, the screwed up your billing badly. I don't think any MMO company would actually steal your money like that willingly.
The troll reserving posts is Spam by the way, better than trolling but not much...

 

AOC/FChad some billing problems during the first few months but nothing involvng other games but rather accounts staying active when thye had been cancelled. It happens to most MMO's at some point its just with some it is more widespread than others.

This case however sounds very strange. Hopefully it is all fixed.

xpiher

Its also not just FC doing it, but the banks FC has to use. Many American banks won't allow people to use their cards to pay monthly due to the problems that banks over in Norway (thats right isn't it?) have. Sucks, but this is what happens with international banking.

 

FYI, you may have a life time membership to the first AO expansion like I do.

WargPest

Originally posted by xpiher


Its also not just FC doing it, but the banks FC has to use. Many American banks won't allow people to use their cards to pay monthly due to the problems that banks over in Norway (thats right isn't it?) have. Sucks, but this is what happens with international banking.
 
FYI, you may have a life time membership to the first AO expansion like I do.

 

LOL.. due to the problems banks in Norway has.. Come on US banks are the most rotten shit in the finacial world these days. Norwegian banks is pretty much the only solid thing left together with Swiss banks. I do know however that oversee transfers are hard with am ex.. you need Visa. otherwise European banks might not accept the american credit.

silmaril

Originally posted by xpiher


Its also not just FC doing it, but the banks FC has to use. Many American banks won't allow people to use their cards to pay monthly due to the problems that banks over in Norway (thats right isn't it?) have. Sucks, but this is what happens with international banking.
 
FYI, you may have a life time membership to the first AO expansion like I do.

You're thinking about Icelandic banks. While all banks are hit by the financial crisis the world is in, Norwegian banks aren't hit worse than others.

 

Loke666

Originally posted by WargPest
LOL.. due to the problems banks in Norway has.. Come on US banks are the most rotten shit in the finacial world these days. Norwegian banks is pretty much the only solid thing left together with Swiss banks. I do know however that oversee transfers are hard with am ex.. you need Visa. otherwise European banks might not accept the american credit.

 

Yeah, life is hard in Norway, they just have Europes biggest oil reserve and they make so much money on it that no Norweigan have to pay tax in December....

I live in Sweden, we used to do well but now are many people I know moving to Norway because they earn a lot more there, if any economy in EU goes well it is Norway.

You are thinking of Icelandic banks but that affect Eve not AoC.

silkworm

Originally posted by Papamac

...
ars.
So I logged onto my FunCom account and checked my subscription information. The subscription page listed me as being subscribed to Anarchy Online: Notum Wars. It also listed my payment method as unknown.
...

 

Notum Wars is the only expansion that comes with the free program, so you shouldn't be billed for that.

silmaril

Originally posted by Loke666

Originally posted by WargPest
LOL.. due to the problems banks in Norway has.. Come on US banks are the most rotten shit in the finacial world these days. Norwegian banks is pretty much the only solid thing left together with Swiss banks. I do know however that oversee transfers are hard with am ex.. you need Visa. otherwise European banks might not accept the american credit.

 

Yeah, life is hard in Norway, they just have Europes biggest oil reserve and they make so much money on it that no Norweigan have to pay tax in December....

I live in Sweden, we used to do well but now are many people I know moving to Norway because they earn a lot more there, if any economy in EU goes well it is Norway.

You are thinking of Icelandic banks but that affect Eve not AoC.

 

Since we're already getting way off topic, I thought I'd clear a few things up.

1. Norwegians pay half tax in December and no tax during summer vacation, but make up for that by paying more the rest of the year. It's not like they're getting something from the government. Think about it as a government imposed savings account. You gotta put money in there 10 months out of the year, and get to take a little out in July and December. It got nothing to do with oil really.

2. Norway isn't in the EU.

 

Papamac

(nudge to the top)

Halandir

Originally posted by xpiher

Originally posted by Papamac


(nudge to the top)

 

you can stop trolling now.

 

If you read his 2 posts in the beginning of this thread, it should be fairly obvious that he is in fact not trolling.

 

Scaredgirl

Originally posted by Papamac


Update:
I just checked my email. I'm rather pleased that I received a response so quickly, especially considering it's the weekend. The explanation offered doesn't make any sense to me, but as long as they're refunding the rogue charge, who cares?

 

One good thing about declining subscription numbers is that customer service seems to be much faster. But it's only logical. FC can respond much faster when there is only 80k subs and not 800k.

Papamac

(final bump to get the update to the front)