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Anyone else got [mod edit - billing issues from game]
evilek
Member Posts: 5
I bought standard edition of game with 30 days of gametime included. While registering it on website I had to put my CC information for subscription... I got billed straight for first month and did not get my money back, also my gametime shows only 30 days not 60 as it should. So they ripped me off for 15$ and support is a joke, copy&paste replies how they'll return my money and that's only Authorization Hold as they call it... Problem is my bank already billed it and it's not shown as blockade anymore. So yeah, sorry but I would not play game where they scam you on every corner. Just a note it's already 17 days as they billed me...
Comments
They've had a few problems with this, it clearly isn't intentional by them to take the money up front as most haven't had the issue.
So I wouldn't call it scamming, more like incompetence in the programming of their billing code.
And since they clearly published that problem on their site and said they're working on it, I would learn to lighten up, Francis.
First of all, they actually make notes that PayPal and some institutions may not allow for the deferred payment. It says it right on their subscription page, I don't even think it was in legal tiny text.
Secondly, I know this was a problem that was acknowledged at launch and they've actually issued refunds in many cases, as I understand it. They've also made account adjustments where necessary.
Have you spoken to your bank and asked if it's an authorization hold? Personally, I used a CC and it didn't charge me, still hasn't. Could also be a regional issue, maybe.
Not making excuses, they shouldn't even have this issue. They should have just credited you with time when you purchased. That would be the logical thing to do. I'm pretty sure that's what every single game on the market does. I think that your assumption about devious business practices is a little extreme though, approaching paranoia. For a customer like you, who wants a refund, it actually costs them money because they get charged non-refundable fees to charge your credit card. This might only be a buck or so, but it all adds up. I think it's just an issue in the billing module as well.
Crazkanuk
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Azarelos - 90 Hunter - Emerald
Durnzig - 90 Paladin - Emerald
Demonicron - 90 Death Knight - Emerald Dream - US
Tankinpain - 90 Monk - Azjol-Nerub - US
Brindell - 90 Warrior - Emerald Dream - US
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ZOS did a $0 charge payment authorisation against my credit card... so... I think the value of the charge is down to payment method/bank, not ZOS.
Thanks for the commentary from the cheap seats. While I can agree that charging a full month upfront might actually be unprecedented, eluding that you've never had a billing problem that wasn't solved quickly is retarded. Billing problems NEVER get fixed quickly, even a massive companies. It just doesn't happen that way. Shoot, it doesn't happen anywhere that way, less retailers where you walk in and return something. I've fought with multiple companies on multiple occasions to give me my damn money back. It's the cost of doing business.
As a last resort, if you really want to, you can just do a charge back for the whole damn thing with your credit card company. If it's that big a deal for you. If you plan on playing longer than 30 days then it's sorta, meh.
Crazkanuk
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Azarelos - 90 Hunter - Emerald
Durnzig - 90 Paladin - Emerald
Demonicron - 90 Death Knight - Emerald Dream - US
Tankinpain - 90 Monk - Azjol-Nerub - US
Brindell - 90 Warrior - Emerald Dream - US
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Once again, the value they charged to my credit card was ZERO dollars. It shows on my statement as ZERO dollars, no money was taken from my card and I had no issues at all with the system.
Just because you were charged the full amount, don't assume that everyone was.
It's not that the bank determines the amount as much as whether a bank ALLOWS for a $0 authorization. If you have a credit card through your bank (like not directly through visa/MC) then there are different rules governing the use. Shoot! There are cases where they can even freeze your bank account for non-payment of your credit card, if your in the same institution.
I do agree this is just dumb, though. Why muck around with this sort of authorization, just let people have the 30 freakin' days and worry about billing after that. Nothing like making a poor first impression!!! As far as the 17 days thing goes, that's retarded too, but I'm assuming that this is something that they are just inundated with right now. At this point, do they even even worry about refunds, or do they just offer to give another 30 days game time for being ass hats? I think they've got to try to salvage customers somehow.
Crazkanuk
----------------
Azarelos - 90 Hunter - Emerald
Durnzig - 90 Paladin - Emerald
Demonicron - 90 Death Knight - Emerald Dream - US
Tankinpain - 90 Monk - Azjol-Nerub - US
Brindell - 90 Warrior - Emerald Dream - US
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Man, does everything bad about MMO's happen to you? I've played every MMO out there, including the two you mentioned, and the only billing problem I ever had was trying to sign up for Darkfall, my bank rejected the charge as a foreign transaction.
Sometimes things take time, Matt's email yesterday clearly stated they are devoting 85% of their support resources to combatting RMT, botting and exploiting of game mechanics, and said he realizes they have been remiss in addressing a host of other issues.
At the end of the day, this is a trivial amount of money to be concerned about, when it gets to be over $100 start to worry.
But you look for any reason to hate this game, yet you keep playing, really quite amazing when you think about it?
Once your sub runs out you'll move on to greener pastures I assume?
Or is this a watershed?
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
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Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
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"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
The title of this post inplies active criminal intent and dishonesty. This topic got beaten to death in early launch discussions. It's flatly false as stated in the post title- no, this is not a deliberate fraud (which is what scam means.) There are posts stickied on the official forums describing the credit card holds that they use (which were zero dollars for me). They describe the payment methods where this doesn't apply. Mods - this thread needs to be locked and buried.
I get that the billing early was mistake...but I was kind of annoyed with having the enter my CC information at the START of my free 30 days. I really prefer being asked if I want to continue my subscription after the first 30 days, not just getting billed by default since they already have my CC.
The only reason I can see for this is that they are hoping people will "forget" they are subscribed and wind up paying $15.00 for the next month, even if they realyl aren't playing much. Which is probably a pretty likely thing to happen for a whole lot of people.
Are you team Azeroth, team Tyria, or team Jacob?
this is old news zenimax are a-holes but the game is nice just put in your info and then delete it.
if you cant buy 2 moths game time from a shop and play.after this forget about zenimax and move on.
Just one of those passing thoughts...So this full charge thing isnt a completely isolated event. So lets say half of the subs got dinged for the 15 bucks and it takes oh 20 days (to round up from the OPs post) to 'return the money'...Without looking up actual numbers oh lets say 200,000 subs. So that's 100,000 people who got charged 15 bucks for technically a month. So 100,000 times 15 bucks is oh 1.5 million sitting in their bank accounts 'technically' for a month.....wonder what their interest rate is on it?
On paypal for my account they charged off immediately.
Wife put her's on Amex and it still has not been reversed.
Spent 4 hours on hold with CS only to have the CS rep " accidentally " hang up on me when I asked for a resolution.
How hard is it to take our number right away in case they lose connection so they can call back?
Worst CS in the industry hands down.
PayPal was one of the companies mentioned directly on their billing page on checkout as being one that would charge you instantly. I know, because I read it when I signed up.
Secondly, if I had to sit on hold for 4 hours, I wouldn't continue on with them. Just tell them that if they don't refund your money fully (for game and time) then you'll request a charge back. Prior to that I'd send an email to them, though, with that same request. Then you at least have a paper trail. Then you can wash your hands of it all and move on.
Crazkanuk
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Azarelos - 90 Hunter - Emerald
Durnzig - 90 Paladin - Emerald
Demonicron - 90 Death Knight - Emerald Dream - US
Tankinpain - 90 Monk - Azjol-Nerub - US
Brindell - 90 Warrior - Emerald Dream - US
----------------
Well first of all they tell you PayPal payment is charged instantly.
Currently Playing: ESO and FFXIV
Have played: You name it
If you mention rose tinted glasses, you better be referring to Mitch Hedberg.
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Well, there are 'countless' other posts on other forums all with the same basic flow so the "This only happened to a few people" agruement is sort of wrong. OK so lets use real numbers here....5 million people signed up for beta so now it doesn't seen that 'made up' to say 200,000 subs went out. Makes more sense that MORE people put in subs. Though I didn't buy the game myself, as I canceled my collector pre-order when it took 2 weeks for a game breaking 'fall though the world' bug email to be form letter answered, and a certain problem with guild banks, that was totally ignored.