Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
My Experience with Rift's Customer Service [Mod Edit]
I made an account here just 2 post this, as i don't think it's right 2 not warn gamers about this.
I've never played a game with such bad customer service (i've played numerous games). I've seen other horror stories now, since reading about it, after what happened to me, but what happened to me is unbelievable.
This is all in my trial week. I lost some items, due to bugs, 1 with how scrolls work, and 1 with items dissappearing from the buyback, both times i reported the bugs, and they both time they thanked me for reporting it, and restored the items 'as a courtesy', and mentioning how in future, if i buy the game, they have a restoration poilicy and they won;t neccissarily always be able to restore items, so i should read it, and quoted it, etc, which is basically that they will do 1 restore every 6 months, lol, and all of this even though i didn't really even ask them to restore them, with this happening twice within the first couple of days of me playing, before i even knew how to play. Then, in 1 of the last few days of my trial, i lost some items agains, due to a rediculous bug, with loot boxes and npcs suddenly vanishing, as well as lag, with accidentlly clicking some items while i was trying to loot, and them being used by themselves instead of moving around my inventory, and i reported it, and this time asked more specifically for a restoration, but they refused to give one, and on my asking why they outlined their restoration policy, said that i had already used up my 1 per 6 month restoration, even thought i never asked for it, and would obviously have refused it had they asked me, for items that are worth nothing from the starter zone, and indeed that i had already had an extra 1, and that they all count as restorations, even though they were losses because of bugs. I went on to have an argument about this, outling how i didn't agree 2 a restoration that would use up my 6 month restoration, and how none of them should count as it anyway, and they refused to listen, basically just ingoring what i had said, even when i quoted where the other 1s had made a point of saying how they were not official restorations, and kept making up that i had been told about it, and asked for resotrations, and how they wouldn't change their policy, with utterly dumb replies, even quoting things like what the other1s has said, but claiming they said the opposite, about how the other 1 had refered 2 the policy, so i should know, even though he did this specificaly to tell me about officail resorations if i buy the game, and not about this specific unoffical restoration, and ignoring how the other 1 didn't even mention resorations at all, and basically a string of rediculous, dismissive and rude replies, whihc must have taken them much longer than it would have taken them to restore my items, and these are items of almost marginal value, i am talking about, it was just a rediclous experience. Then, when i said that thier bad customer service had changed my mind about whether 2 buy the game or not, which is true, they just wished me good luck, lol.
Well, sorry about the rant, but i really wanted to warn about this because it has left me annoyed and it's not right 2 go through this without letting other know so they can avoid it.
If u r looking 4 a new game, DO NOT BUY RIFT, it's an ok game, not really 2 good or bad, but certianly playable (i don't know how it got to the top of the ratings here, they must have bribed some1, but i'm going 2 rate it 0 anyway, it might shift it down), but if the customer service is that bad, that i have an experience like this within my trial week, 3 bugged item losses, and refusals 2 restore, being lies to, and played about with basically, then something like this is bound 2 happen 2 u at some point, unless u have the patience 2 wait 6 months between restores, lol.
Regards,
J
(ps - i probabaly won't see any replies, i'm just posting this as a wanring, as i thought i should)
Comments
Off topic but Blizzard's customer service is improving, I have found.
Thank you complete stranger... I will take your advice in consideration should i ever have brainfever adn thus feel the need to play rift...
Apart from that...
Beagle
This have been a good conversation
I just tried a response, which was very pithy and it said the thread was locked. so instead of going through my well thought out explanation I will simplify it to this:
I take these threads with a grain of salt. While I believe the OP when he says he had a bad experience, I don't see enough of these complaints to see that it is endemic. Every customer service out there has customers who are less than satified. If I do start seeing a lot of these types of complaints I will change my toon. But as rare as they seem to be, I believe that most gamers are recieving satisfactory care.
I self identify as a monkey.
Detailing a complaint to support about loss of items is the same as asking for the items to be restored. You played the game for a week so you obviously enjoyed it, suck it up and buy your first month for $20. I know I did and not regretting it, however I've also since bought Skyrim and have not touched Rift since 11/11/11.
Gotta be honest, I don't feel like that is that bad of customer service. Also, I don't play rift now...but I did play it and I never had such bugs...the game was very clean, just not my style of game.
Incognito
www.incognito-gaming.us
"You're either with us or against us"
So, you have multiple items dissapear from your bags in the first free week trial of the game... and I haven't had any such bug / glitch happen to me in several months of play. You are being denied a second item restore during your free trial (probably meaningless items you would outlevel in a day or two) and complaining about it.
Did I get that right?
My experience with Trion customer service has been great and responsive... would always get a response to in game tickets within 6 hours or less. If you want to deal with terrible customer service, try calling Dell.
Played the game since launch and never had any issues with items going missing nor have i had any bad experience with customer support infact the opposite any problems i have had have been dealt wth fast and in a proffesional manner.
I played from Beta4 through Oct 3rd. I never had to interact with CS for anything - outside of reporting people for various things. I never lost an item to a bug. I did multiple use items when experiencing lag on my side, but that is not a bug - that was lag on my side.
I saw nothing in what the OP stated that actually outlined any bugs. I saw multiple counts of user error. I could see CS trying to be kind to such a person. I could see the OP getting upset with them for doing so.
All in all, I basically call hogwash. While I no doubt have my own reasons that I would suggest that players stay away from RIFT (FotM like WoW on meth); it annoys me when posts like this appear. They appear so bogus, I sometimes wonder if they are being made by supporters of the game to discredit anybody with legitimate grievances.
I miss the MMORPG genre. Will a developer ever make one again?
Explorer: 87%, Killer: 67%, Achiever: 27%, Socializer: 20%
nothing bogus
Sounds like downright great customer service. Reminds me of all the great help I got from Blizz Anet and even NCsoft when I needed help with Lineage2.
Of the MMOs I've played, i've rarely had any problems with customer support at all. I mean the service itself of course, not the wait times, those are always terrible. But maybe if we had less people like the OP tying down GMs it wouldn't be such a problem?
Everything creates huge amounts of negativity on the internet, that's what the internet is for: Negativity, porn and lolcats.
nothing bogus
Had a ticket filed a while back when my laptop died. My card was charged for a game I couldn't play. Called them up and they unsubscribed the account and sent a refund that was processed by the card and undone a day or two later. Over-all, they were very receptive and acted quickly in getting my payment cleared for a service I hadn't used.
I had a good experience with their customer service, I'd rate probably a 9/10 just due to the small delay for getitng the refund, but its likely a factor thats relatively out of their hands with how fast its done.
I could have predicted that this site would b infested by morons, and i don't know what planet the 1s that have replied here r form, but i'm not gifting out individual replies, i didn't join this site 2 join it, just 2 dscourage potential rift customers, and i've got no idea y this was name-changed and/or moved fomr the main forum.
anyway
The buyback emotying when it goes 2 a cinemtaic = bug.
Scrolls not stacking with spells, and no warning on tooltip, and scrolls vanishing without the buff being applies cos of this = bug.
Loot box vanishing when another screen is opened, and mob vanishing, leaving noc ahnce of looting (i'm not even sure if the lootbox can be re-opened with the mob still there in this crap game tbh) = bug.
1 restoration per 6 months = crap customer service (by difinition).
Applying a rule like that 2 a trial player = crap customer service.
Applying a rule like that 2 resotrartion due 2 bugs = crap (and indeed illegal) customer service.
Giving a 1 off per 6 month restoration without explaining and confirming it, and getting consent (i remember in wow, being contacted ingame by a gm, and being asked 2 confirm this) = crap customer service.
Doing the above 2 a trial player = crap customer service.
Applying that rule 2 restorations that wern't even asked 4 (i only reported bugs, and got resorations as 'courtesies') = crap customer service.
Not bending over backwards 2 accomadate a player withan obvious legitmate annyance (of thier resoration ebing used up in this cirumstance without consent, like by agreeing 2 do 2 more, but making extra sure they agree that it is the last 1) = crap cusmter service.
The dismissive, arrogant replies i got, from loser with close 2 minimage wage jobs adminstering a computer game (they r similar 2 the rpleies here in fact) = crap customer service.
Refusing 2 escalte 2 a manager = crap customer service.
All of the above = abysmal customer service, crap game, DO NOT PLAY IT!
Edit: Nvm, not feeding the troll.
No offense OP. I know you have a legit concern, but could you please not use the number 2 as a representation of the words to or too. It makes your post very difficult to read and understand.
Thanks and cheers
No, nothing that harsh. I'm presuming a youngish player with relatively little exerience with the restoration policies of other games.
The reason those policies exist, of course, is to stop the most obvious brand of MMO cheating--"I lost my {valuable thing} again, just like last week, and the week before!". High-maintenance customers that use an inordinate amount of the CS staff's time attempting to scam virtual loot.
It's unfortunate, but the companies have to draw the line in the sand somewhere. There really isn't an easy way to tell the scammers from the honest people; all you can do is say "X items a year, period."
Have to ask the OP though; how many tickets did you file in a relatively short time frame, and do you understand the term "High Maintenance Customer"?
Self-pity imprisons us in the walls of our own self-absorption. The whole world shrinks down to the size of our problem, and the more we dwell on it, the smaller we are and the larger the problem seems to grow.
If I understand this correctly you were on a trial account?
If so then actually you were not entitled to ANY customer service because you were not a customer, only a potential customer.
And getting your panties in a wad because they wouldnt restore at most some level 20 greens is crazy anyways.
Just FYI a Customer is someone who has paid for the product, no someone who is taking it out for a spin. And in all honesty I bet the CS team at Trion will thank you for not subbing. One less entitled tard to deal with .
In general, if u r 2 thick 2 post, then don't post.
anyway
Nothing in how this complaint has progressed, it's gone in2 several hundred messages exchanged with thier customer services, and 1 phonecall 2 them, now, has changed my view.
Avegarge game, just about playable, likely shelf-life of about 1 year until it beocmes unprofitable, like most wow ripoffs, but diaboloical customer service, the worst i have ever seen in an online game.
So, again, if u r looking 4 a new game, and thinking about rift, then DO NOT PLAY IT!
I have been playing Rift for 6 months. During that time I have not had any significant problems with bugs and never needed customer service.
The free trial costs nothing except time to download the trial. You can then experience the game and decide whether or not it is your type of game.
I have never had trouble with item disappearing etc. never needed the CSR so this maybe a bit off track sorry.
Recently got skyrim and having so much fun with it decided to drop my rift account. I found unsubscribing to rift the hardest of any MMO I've ever played and i've played lots (eq, eq2, ashrons call, swg etc etc)
First after logging in i was told I needed to give them more information to "activate' my already activated account and was redirected to give them more authetication questions then the one i had picked at start some 9 months ago. (funny they had no trouble taking my money with only one question before) once i finished reactivating my already active account AGAIN I was sent to a few pages where surprisingly there was no evident entry to cancil subscription. Not under manage account which only showed items for me to buy and past history etc. eventually found a little line at the bottum of of another page very small saying cancil subscription.
Up untill the hoops they forced me to jump through to cancil my subscription i was fairly happy with my rift experience overall. Sure rift seems to lack depth and seems to me like you have to be max level or your stuck solo'ing to 50 level these days IMO but but otherwise i was happy. I won't be back though after the BS they do to try and stop/hinder/block players from unsubscribing.
You are a player who has tried a product/service and are unhappy with that product/service.
You've obviously posted about your complaints on their site, or at least spoken to their official representatives to no satisfactory result and perhaps even had your posted comment there killed, deleted or Mod Edited which is that company's right, but it still leaves you on the short end of the stick.
Posting on a third party info site (which is what this is) is your only recourse at this time as an option other than 'taking your lumps' and staying quiet. Since this site doesn't have a monetary interest (or shouldn't) like the Rift forums, it's only right it is put here.
I support your right to do that so no apologies necessary.
"TO MICHAEL!"