User talk:Gaile Gray/Support Issues

[edit] PlayNC: Your Suggestions?

As you know, support for Guild Wars comes for most players through the PlayNC system. Have you had experience in using that system? Or would you be willing to take a look and share your thoughts? You see, a fellow ArenaNet Team member asked this week about the possibility of making a few changes to PlayNC to help players using the system in a non-native language, for example, a Polish- or Chinese-speaking player using the system in English. And that made me think that it would be really interesting to hear from a variety of players about how the system works for them, not just as far as language support goes but in a more general sense, too.

Now, I know that the PlayNC system supports all NCsoft games, and making changes isn't something that is done lightly or easily. On the other hand, what if we could brainstorm a few great suggestions here that the PlayNC Team could consider in the future when they are assessing potential improvements to the system? I think that's a terrific goal! With that in mind, I'd like to invite you to share your thoughts. Is there phrasing that could be clearer? Is there functionality that could be friendlier? Have you noticed a particular part of submitting a report that could use some smoothing? ArenaNet and NCsoft both value input from players and are always looking for ways to improve. So I look forward to reading your ideas, and I will relay them to the team. -- Gaile 02:46, 24 April 2008 (UTC)

Earlier there were a lot of things that made the support area very unfriendly for users, causing multiple people who I met in game to not report bugs/misbehavior/etc. It eems like the system has been improved, and I'll have to (later) see what it is like today, but ther's atleast one problem left that caused a lot of misunderstandings. Filing a support tcket through the system is called "Ask a question", which is very misleading when someone wants to report a game bug or do something else that isn't actually asking a question. Some rewording would be necessary, or maby you could split the system to have Q&A and reports separately. -- (gem / talk) 06:35, 24 April 2008 (UTC)

User friendliness could definitely use improvement, especially where password support is concerned. I am still really disappointed with the treatment I got when I needed help changing my password through PlayNC, because as an honest player and a paying customer it's immensely offending to be made to feel as if you're a criminal. The response I got and the willingness to actually help me out was virtually zero until I posted here with my complaint, and I don't think I should have to complain here or anywhere before I get the help I need.

For one thing the list of things needed to get the help you want should be revised. I remember being asked for a "unique account ID", which was supposedly emailed to me 3 years ago. Well, I did another dig through my (massive) inbox, and I actually found the activation email. It turns out I did save it after all. It also turns out that it does not contain this account ID. It's possible that this was introduced after I joined GW, but it's pretty uninformed of PlayNC to ask me for things which they might have known I never received. I really did my best to give them everything they wanted- all their nit-picky little things, but what put me off most was the "we're not helping you until you also send us scans of all those keys you've just listed". After 3 years it's a small miracle anyone even still has those slips of paper, and I never saw the point of having to send those as well as simply listing the keys they contain. It made me feel like they thought I was a liar, that I was some kind of criminal who needed to prove her innocence. After having provided Support with everything I could in full detail, that was immensely upsetting.

You interfered in this case yourself, Gaile, so for further details about what happened I can simply refer back to the post I made here at the time. I'm simply highlighting the main concerns now- unfriendliness, no apparent wish to actually assist, and apparently being unaware of account activation processes.

The one time I wrote an exploit report (about the Mallyx exploit) didn't really improve my opinion either. I had never fought Mallyx at the time, but the exploit didn't seem the way to go for a first time either, and so I reported the bug as soon as I heard of it. I knew a few friends had been taken to the secret outpost, so they confirmed to me that the whole thing was real. As far as I'm aware none of them actually fought Mallyx that way, and none of them were banned. Even so, when I wrote my report and asked what might happen, I got a reply telling me that exploits were bad (duh) and that I shouldn't make use of them because I was risking my account. Duh? I took the time to report it out of concern for the game. for my friends, and because I know that exploits are a big bad evil zombie monster. It seemed strange to me that I of all people was being given the lecture on it, and it was another moment where I was being made to feel like a criminal.

I'm also concerned about the way bug reports are dealt with. A friend and I ran into a really strange bug a while ago that occurred after I crashed and reloaded, and I took the time to make screenshots and write a detailed report. I got the standard general email, then another reply saying "we don't know if this is a known bug, your report will be forwarded". The ticket was then closed. I would at least have liked a third reply, if only to tell me whether or not it was a known bug and whether or not it was even possible to fix it. I never got that reply, though, and as a result I keep my fingers crossed at every 007 I encounter, because I don't want to run into that bug again. It really sucks that tickets tend to be closed after 72 hours (excepting the case below) unless you reply. Personally I feel it's a waste of time (mine and Support's) to send an "any news?" message every 3 days, you see, but apparently that's what's needed to actually see results.

There was also a report I made after the territory change button was removed, following open travel between districts. There is no way to set a default for yourself, and as a result I still get thrown into American districts after every log-in, even though I've long since gone back to playing on the European servers. This too I've mentioned before, and I took the time and effort to write my ticket as clear as possible. It was forwarded again, but after that it took two weeks before I got another proper reply to it. It was a known issue, and they were "working on it". Ticket closed. It's been months now, and I haven't seen a fix nor do I even know if it's still being worked on. It's hardly motivating for me to bother with writing a ticket at all these days. Considering my history with Support, I think it should be understandable that I really don't feel it's going to make a difference anymore. Is it any wonder that I'd rather post here and ask you, instead of going to Support? -- Elv 10:29, 24 April 2008 (UTC)

Skimming through PlayNC support content that I would describe as "FAQs" I'm baffled by pages like this one that throws line after line of seemingly random notes at the viewer. I would be looking for an Alphabetical ordering system on a page like that. A few entries might then also benefit from losing prefix content like "Using the..." from "Using the Guild Wars Diagnostic Utility. eg. "Guild Wars Diagnostic Utility Usage Guide," or something like that. I also see "System Requirements for Guild Wars" 'prominently' displayed right at the bottom of the list... ;) Yikes! I can't say that I know where else those notes are published, but I do vaguely recall having a look around for some at some point last year and came to the conclusion that the search could have been easier. --WarBlade 13:14, 24 April 2008 (UTC)

(Reset indent) Just wondering, because it's been a while... has this been looked into, Gaile? Are they working on improvements? -- Elv 08:18, 2 July 2008 (UTC)

Hi, sorry, I missed the question there! Yes, they are looking at a pretty significant overhaul of the report system. I'm very pleased that we'll be seeing changes, even though I believe they will not roll out until the fall. -- Gaile 06:45, 24 July 2008 (UTC)

[edit] reporting people

→ moved from User Talk:Gaile Gray

Gaile, just checking but am I allowed to report a player for getting a CoF run and refusing to pay. -- Salome 03:16, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

Thats scamming. The Scam page says to do the following:

1. Generate proof of the scam. The PlayNC support site recommends that you include the following information about the scam:
   1. Produce evidence of the scam. This is best done using a screen capture. Press the Chat button (bottom left corner) or the ` key (under Esc). This will bring up the chat log and you can scroll to where the scam took place.
   2. The name of the player that has committed the scam.
   3. The area in which the scam took place.
   4. The time of the scam, including your time zone.
   5. The character you were playing as at the time.
   6. Any other information you feel is relevant.
2. Proceed to the PlayNC support page (http://www.plaync.com/us/support/)
3. Choose your location/language and proceed to the Guild Wars page (http://www.plaync.com/us/support/prod_48.html)
4. You need to create an account. Go to the login page and fill in the required information. After submitting you will receive a verification e-mail. After verifying your account you can log in through the same page.
5. Fill in the question/report form using the Ask a Question page and submit it to ArenaNet.

Hope I helped. — Teh Uber Pwnzer 05:16, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

Thanks mate. :) -- Salome 12:03, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

Lol PlayNC support wont do nothing mate, there preety lame when it comes to scamming. Ive been scammed with the same problem and all they sayed to me is that they will do nothing and you have to put trust in the player to pay you. (so preety much its your fault). Richi2k8

oh how incredibly unhelpful of them. They should just give us a kick command then. -- Salome 17:21, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

The Support staff will take action if they receive reports of repeated scamming by an individual. After all, why would they have a process set up for such reports, and such specific details about how to obtain help, if they didn't intend to address the issues? They cannot get back your money; will not run your character to a desired location. But scammers--given enough proof of their misdeeds--will find themselves with a block or even a ban on their account. -- Gaile 20:46, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

Errr.. Gaile it seems that the support staff don't agree with your viewpoint. Here's a direct copy of the email I received, it was very nice but in essence says "we can't do anything":

Hello (name deleted),

Thank you very much for contacting the PlayNC Customer Support Team.

Transactions and other player interactions that take place in the game world - such as those involving “runs” to different locations - often involve a certain amount of trust. Occasionally, some players may fail to live up to their end of an agreement, or act in a less than honest manner. Unfortunately as such acts our outside of our control, the Support Team is unable to force players to live up to their end of the bargain or replace any items or in-game currency that may have been lost. I apologise for any frustration that this may cause.

However, the Support and Development teams are always looking for ways to make trades and other transactions more secure. For example, the Trade window now notifies players if an offer has been changed, with a red warning message. Please let us know if you have any suggestions for how transactions such as this can be made more secure, as the Development team looks closely at player feedback when making changes to the game.

If you feel that the player in question has violated the User Agreement or Rules of Conduct in any other way than previously described, please let us know and I will investigate the issue further.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation, and please feel free to contact us again if you encounter any other problems.

Regards,

GM Darren

PlayNC Customer Support

NCsoft Europe

http://eu.plaync.com

It was a very nice email and all but as I said, in essence just said "we can't help, sorry". -- Salome 20:55, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

It doesn't necessarily mean that they're not doing anything about it just because we get an impression like that. I think a small review of the tone and what's in these semi-automated responses is in order though. :/ — Poki#3 21:19, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

I don't think it was automated and Darren basically says that they cant do anything,as it's not their job to make sure people pay for runs. -- Salome 21:21, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

I will check with NCE about this to learn more about their practices. Although we have a big multi-team meeting each week and we discuss support matters every day, it's possible that over time a policy or practice can come to be a little different between the teams. I would like to be able to assure you that we're all on the same page, so we'll all discuss that very soon.

I just checked with our North American Support Team lead, and he assures me that his team watches for patterns of misbehavior and gathers account information in order to mark the accounts of scammers. We don't jump into the middle of every transaction disagreement -- there are too many, and a lot of such disagreements cannot be clearly resolved because both players argue a different position on the matter. Sometimes, the records and logs do not give a preponderant weight to either side. And in looking at the different ways that scammers impact players, I think we'd all agree that run scams are not as critical as, say, a player getting scammed out of 100 plat. (For while we can't return the plats, we sure can try to deal with the scammer!) However, "repeat offenders" are likely to be noted over time and handled differently than a single incident.

Thanks for pointing this out to me. :) -- Gaile 21:32, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

Hmm, can't you just add a Scam option to the report system? it would be faster then having to send an email all the time somebody scams you(I've had alot of them, but I always let them pass because there was not such an option).. Or make a system where players can trade there money when they reach a point.. Example: you run to Sanctum Cay, then you enter that inside a box, where the other player needs to agree and pay the money, the money is paid as soon as you reach that location... I think it's a bit difficult to do this, but it might help for the running part... PS:plz answer to my question(scroll up ;) ) - Dutch Sunshine 145.53.242.142 22:35, 27 June 2008 (UTC)

Adding a "Scam" feature to the /report system just isn't feasible, since there are many types of scams and we need additional information from the outset so that we know what we're looking for. And while "Running" is an acceptable part of the game, at least in the minds of most of the player community, and while the development team has no objection to running, it is not a design element. Therefore, taking the time to design, artify, localize, and program extra features to support it might be a little odd. :) -- Gaile 00:44, 28 June 2008 (UTC)

The devs can add an area where we can give a short description of the situation. Although that could be a problem if the scammer changes location/district, although that could be changed by giving us something like, 5 mins time from when we type /report to the time to send it (where it could work even if they changed location) --MageMontu 07:28, 28 June 2008 (UTC)

As Gaile said, ingame support exists for all the intended styles of play. However running was never intended to be one of these things. So although anet aren't against it, investing coding into protecting a mode of play which they never intended to reach popularity would be somewhat odd.

I just hope this means that anet have realised that despite their efforts, some degree of running will always be evident in GW and probably in gw2 to and thus maybe make arrangements to protect runners in gw2 with some type of pre pay system that secures both the runner and the person being ran. -- Salome 13:37, 28 June 2008 (UTC)

Actually Salome, ANet added in running as an intended design element, as Gaile herself said [1] (second question/reply). However, it would be hard to keep track of paid fee's and everything. 76.171.59.206 02:18, 3 July 2008 (UTC)

You know, that interview was so long ago, I forgot what the designers said about running! I had thought I might be obliged to make a distinction, in the here and now, between "allowing," "not disallowing," and "adding as a design element within the game" based on comments made some time ago. In truth, I thought I remembered that running was more a player invention, like "death leveling" in Pre-Searing Ascalon. But there in front of me are words that were given me by the Design Team back in 2005, so I guess I won't quibble with "working as intended" after all. :D

But yes, tracking fees paid, proper and timely renumeration, and all the other aspects of a business transaction of that sort would be an enormous task and don't seem feasible for Guild Wars. -- Gaile 07:18, 3 July 2008 (UTC)

[edit] My Role, Appeals, & More

I thought I'd catch you up on what I'm doing, about how I work with the Support Teams to help players. First of all, as I have said before, I don't want to be seen as some sort of "Shortcut to Service." It's not as if a player can come to me and get insta-help, like a "Front of the Line Pass" or something. :) Yes, I do help Support with some of the pesky issues, but I'm not the "Court of Appeal" for banned accounts or other support issues. If you have a support-related issue, get "into the system" by submitting a ticket. From there, any and all of use who need to assist you will do so.

The Support Team deals with stolen accounts, bug reports, technical issues, shared accounts, bots, family item and account squabbles, scamming issues, lost credentials, unacceptable behavior, reports of bad coffee, and dozens of other issues every single day. Incidents come to Support, team members research and resolve them, and all is well. (Oh wait, reports of bad coffee are supposed to come directly to me, sorry. ;) ) In short, though, the team is faced with a monumental task, yet in the vast majority of cases, they manage to arrive at the best resolution possible.

We know the support system isn't as easy to use as it could be. For instance, I think we should make it clearer how a player contacts us. Happily, NCsoft recently hired a highly-qualified new team member to work on improving the way you submit tickets, to make it easier and faster to get help. However, players still need to contact Support first for all issues. One exception: Exploits can be sent to Support or if you're a GWW member you can email them directly to me using the link on the left of this page.)

Support may ask me to get involved with a matter for any number of reasons: To discuss potential policy changes, to get new account/GM tools, to help a player with a complex or potentially unresolvable matter, and so forth. For example, today, I spent two hours researching a single account issue they referred to me. I'm always happy to help, and I think that we've been doing great work together to the benefit of individual players, the company, and the community at large. And... that is what Support is all about!

[edit] About Account Bans for RMT Activities

Support bans accounts involved in RMT (real-money trading) activities. Their accuracy rate is remarkably high when you consider there are more than 5,000,000 Guild Wars accounts and a large number of RMTs, too. A number of RMT bans involve stolen accounts, so that makes reviews even more complicated. Still, Support digs through the facts and takes care of matters very well, whether it's the initial action on a gold seller's account, an issue with a gold buyer, or the matter of an appeal.

By the time an account is blocked for RMT (gold selling) activity, the account has been looked at both through pulling a few dozen points of data and through a review by a team member. This assures a "human review" rather than a ban based on a few numbers on a spreadsheet. Of course, no process is 100% accurate, but we'll do our darnedest to fix any errors as quickly as possible and we will (and do) reinstate accounts that are mistakenly blocked or banned.

One of the Support leads told me that lately they've been seeing a number of RMT appeals saying things like "I spoke with Gaile -- you must reinstate my account." Or "I know somebody at ArenaNet, take care of this immediately." (Those are direct quotes, btw, and they come from people I don't know and who have never contacted me. :-/ ) There's really no need to say such things, everyone is given our best effort. Simply remember to use the Support system. When you do, the whole team will work hard to resolve the matter, and we'll do so in the player's favour whenever possible. Thanks for your understanding. -- Gaile 23:51, 28 June 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Banned for RMT

Hello, Gaile, I am very sorry to trouble you but I don't have another method. My account recently have been permanent banned from logging into Guildwars game. I have send a ticket letter (Reference #080623-001125) to Plaync to ask Guildwars support groups for help. I got a respond saying that the reason was because I have been done Real money trading items in game. I swore that I never trade any in game items or Guildwars coins to Real world money. Also I seldom trade with another players in game. What I have remember is that I recently sold a Bone Dragon Staff Req 9 Air magic to a foreign player for 80 ectos which I got from Shars or Orr dungeon reward chest. It is not illegal trading!!! I don't know why GM repeatly said that I have done "Real Money trading" in game and he didin't give any evidences nor more informations on this. Can you help me to investigate my case because I am innovent and even don't know what have happened due to the respond from GM. I even can't get the satisfied respond from GM because they keep saiding the same answer. The Ticket number I sent to Plaync support is Reference #080623-001125. I think I did not violate the rules, and I like GW very much, also I have played on my banned account for more one year. I hope I can receive good news from you. Kelvinchi 20:18, 30 June 2008 (UTC)

Hello, Kelvinchi. Please understand that we will not give exact details about an account that seems to be an RMT (real money trading) account. If we do that, RMT accounts will grow and the game will be damaged by them! We do not make a judgment without having a lot of facts, and almost always, the judgment is correct.

If you made that trade, and that is all that you did, I should be able to see that. I will check, with the help of the GMs. Please understand that if you were involved in gold selling, with regret, I cannot help you. This may take a few more days, but I will let you know what I find out. -- Gaile 06:42, 3 July 2008 (UTC)

Hello, Gaile, Thank you for your respond. I understand that Guildwars Support groups have done a busy and difficult work on assisting players to solve their problems or suggestions throught plaync support team mail box. I am sorry to trouble you to help me to check on my banned account just to because I don't have any another method. I will be patient to wait for your respond ^_^, Thanks again. Kelvinchi 08:36, 3 July 2008 (UTC)

I'm really sorry, but after the Support Team carefully reviewed this entire situation, and after I took another very detailed look at the data today, there is no way that this account can be reinstated. The data shows -- without question -- that this account was involved in real-money trading. It was not banned for the trade you mentioned involving a Bone Dragon Staff. It was banned for a completely different incident and we can see those details very clearly. Therefore, whether it was you who was involved, or someone who used your account, we cannot reinstate an account once it has been proved to be involved in an RMT transaction. I regret that there cannot be a different resolution. -- Gaile 20:32, 3 July 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Wanted the reason

Hello Gaile Gray

My Hong kong friend's gw account has been blocked. But he didn't know why the reason to blocked ..... PS: he had wrote 5 letters to PlayNc Support,but they didn't talk about why blocked reason... Updata my friend sent to PlayNc Support information:

Reference: #080610-000638

Product: Guild Wars Category: Account Support General Date Created: 06/10/2008 03:18 AM Last Updated: 06/10/2008 03:28 AM Date Closed: 06/10/2008 03:28 AM Status: Closed Character Name: 鬼s靈s精

My guild wars game accounts were blocked in error . I have a good job in real world and never buy or sell the gw coin... I almost long time to worked and played gw at few time. One more check my accounts why blocked plz. I believe my account have been blocked in error.

IGN:鬼s靈s精 thanks all i like gw very much

This block was not in error, and has been researched multiple times. The account was involved in RMT; the research makes it clear. Either this player or someone on his account was involved, multiple times, in RMT transactions. The account has been blocked several times. Each player is responsible for his account's security. So even if someone else conducted the RMT activities, the account owner is still responsible.

The player involved in this account termination has written a large number of new tickets asking about this. He has received a polite response several times. I do not think he will receive any more responses because there is nothing new to say. This player was unbanned several times previously, starting last autumn. The team was exceptionally considerate. But now, every time this player makes a new ticket on this issue, it costs other players time that we should be giving to their tickets. I think it would be good to stop the appeals, because (1) they have already been rejected (because the research has shown conclusively that this account needed to be banned) and (2) the players as a whole deserve attention on their legitimate issues. With regret. -- Gaile 22:59, 12 July 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Double account trade?

→ moved from User Talk:Gaile Gray

Gaile, can i trade items, gold and materials back and forth between my own accounts without getting a ban? --Silverleaf 09:36, 11 July 2008 (UTC)

I did that a couple of days ago and did not get a ban. I think the auto ban is, if u trade 100k all at once without receiving nothing --MageMontu 09:40, 11 July 2008 (UTC)

My husband and I have 2 accounts each and this past weekend with the boardwalk games we both transfered 200k from each account over to our main account and never recieved a ban. Maybe it was just luck, but I do move money and items from my main over to my 2nd account all the time and I've never been banned. It does make me nervous to do that cause if I ever did get a ban and need my key codes I would be in a pickle cause I have a lot of codes and I'm not sure which one goes to which account. I would guess to be safe is not to transfer 100k, just make it a lower amount maybe.--BabyJ 18:10, 11 July 2008 (UTC)

Guy, guys, guys! "Auto-ban = bad choice of words!" :) As we've said a lot of times, the rumour of an auto-ban is grossly over-exaggerated. The specifics for any ban or block are a lot more fine-grained than a simplistic "A - B = Ban." It's more like "A + B - (C + D) (E + F + G) - (M + N + (O x XX%) - P) then Ban." (Ok, I made all that up, but still! :) ) Anyway, all that a "ping" on the preliminary review equations gets is an introduction into the human review list, which all suspected gold sales or purchases receive before a ban takes place. Yes, people do get actioned in error, it's true. We regret that, but it's part of keeping the parameters as close to the edge as we can so as to address the pernicious gold selling issues while doing our best to not cite legitimate players. And the numbers of those who are erroneously actioned are very, very small. Should an error take place, it will be reviewed and amended as quickly as possible. So please, go forth and mule between your accounts with a feeling of confidence, and in the unlikely event that you are somehow nabbed, please let us know and we'll address the concern right away. -- Gaile 18:11, 11 July 2008 (UTC)

*Looks at the mathematical formula, head starts spinning and falls on the floor with whirling eyes (anime style)* :P. Sry Gaile if that's d case but it's good to learn new stuff. *thinks out loud* Now all I need to do is take a feather from 1 of Emily's birds and tickle her until i have some info about GW2, hmmmm sounds like a good plan. --MageMontu 20:42, 11 July 2008 (UTC)

Thank you Gaile :). --Silverleaf 23:14, 11 July 2008 (UTC)

Is that the equation where E = the number of minipets you have, M = the number of times you said "lol" today and G = your total number of wiki contributions then the result is incorrect as it forgets to multiply by the mysterious "Z" factor where Z = the number of times you have been killed by Shiro after spending 45 mins doing the Gate of Madness mission.... :) --Lemming 02:14, 12 July 2008 (UTC)

Almost. Don't forget the "D-Factor," which is where you have put in at least 30 minutes of synchronized dancing in a major town while shooting off at least X (variable determined by profession) Bottle Rockets and have consumed more than Y (variable determined by armour class) sweets and/or other edible/drinkable goods.

Whooops, do add the "Dye-factor," which I will leave you to figure out how to work into the equation. (Hint: Purple is the next Black.)  :D -- Gaile 02:28, 12 July 2008 (UTC)

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH, MATH!!!!!! Did you know that math is the next Abaddon? and all of you are the next Varesh for summoning it D: --MageMontu 21:53, 12 July 2008 (UTC)

Well, foo, given that reaction, I guess I shouldn't bust out the Latin noun declension double-check element of the whole process, huh? :D -- Gaile 04:45, 13 July 2008 (UTC)

(Reset indent) /rubberchicken I do believe this thread is getting very silly! (Aiiane - talk - contribs) 06:36, 13 July 2008 (UTC)

Yes, but I have in on good authority that Silverleaf doesn't mind. *innocent whistle* -- Gaile 06:49, 13 July 2008 (UTC)

iguyfyrdresew? --Sum Mesmer Guy contribs 07:24, 13 July 2008 (UTC)

Hmmmm... I'm torn between asking "Who let Sum Mesmer Guy into the Alphabet Soup" and asking, "So, Pat, can I buy a vowel?" :D -- Gaile 17:55, 13 July 2008 (UTC)

Giggles* I have my answer and am still save with my accounts :). Dntmndtll, darn those vowels. W2B an O, I & double A please. --Silverleaf 18:01, 13 July 2008 (UTC)

i'd like alphabet soup...--Sum Mesmer Guy contribs 06:34, 14 July 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Banned incorrectly?

→ moved from User Talk:Gaile Gray

Hi there Gaile. I'm not entirely sure where to start with this one so I'll try my best to keep it brief. Myself and a few others have been working on a new auction site called Guild Wars Auctions, a completely free and non commercial auction site dedicated to guild wars players, much like the others out there currently but we've done things 'our' way. It's been months in the making and a lot of work for all involved, but we're pleased with the result. I wrote to NCSoft a few weeks back to ask them to take a sneak peak at the site before we launched, to make sure everything was compliant with policy and asked if we should change anything. After some very positive feedback from the Customer Support Team last week, we decided it was high time we took the site to the community. We planned our launch of the site for this weekend, with the build up over Thursday and Friday and we've been very much looking forward to it all week.

Yesterday the other moderators and I started our build up promoting. We were merrily hopping about outposts yesterday announcing a message about the site just "once" per outpost, per district, then moving on. We all logged in this morning and all the moderators of the site have been banned from Guild Wars for 72 hours. I have replied to my original support ticket 080628-001045 to request that the banning be reversed. That ticket shows me asking about the site to begin with, and receiving Kudos back from the Customer Support Team wishing us luck with it...then me replying to ask why we were all banned.

What I think has happened is people are confused about what the website is. They see people shouting a message about a website in game and they assume it's some kind of money trading site or something...either way, I think people have been too quick to use the /report function. None of us have done anything wrong accept spend months building something for the community...so we'd very much like to bring it to them, as planned, this weekend. I'm nervous that the bans will effectively stop us from launching the site this weekend, in which case we may as well throw in the preverbial towel. I'd appreciate any help you can offer with this. --Bunny - Angel talk 07:27, 11 July 2008 (UTC)

Just to give an update, the Customer Support Team have removed the ban from my account. I'm still working to help the others that were also banned, but we're making some progress. One of them was a young one from my guild who just wanted to help and be a part of the launch. He was so careful not to spam after all my instructions, so I think he was a bit shocked, he's such a good kid. The poor thing doesn't know how to raise a support ticket but I'm trying to talk him through it. I had put his details into my ticket, but they responded to say he needs to raise his own, so I'll persevere. --Bunny - Angel talk 16:11, 11 July 2008 (UTC)

Hi Bunny. I'm really sorry to hear about the blocks. (Not bans, those are permanent, just to make a fine point of it.) I immediately sent a message to our Support Lead in Europe to see if there was any way I could assist in getting these resolved. It's is Friday evening, and he's not online at this very moment, but he's a great guy and I know he will consider if there is a way to expedite the issues so we can get those who were mistakenly blocked back into the game. The best process is submitting a ticket, of course. (Giving me the number here was very helpful, so I could look at the situation from within the system.) Please keep me informed, as I shall do you, with any updates on this. Best of luck with the launch, too! :) -- Gaile 18:00, 11 July 2008 (UTC)

Oh I'm very sorry, I had no idea I was using the wrong term (blush). I've tried talking the young one through how to raise a ticket 2-3 times and the poor thing can't get it to work so he's given up. I feel absolutely terrible, there's nothing else I can do to help him unfortunately. If he can't raise a ticket I have nothing to go on and no way to escalate it for him. --Bunny - Angel talk 20:10, 11 July 2008 (UTC)

Bunny, why don't you have him email me through the wiki here, or through my SupportLiaison@arena.net email address? If I have account name; time, timezone, and date of his block; one of his character names, I may be able to start a ticket or help him directly. If he was actually spamming (multiple repeated messages in the same zone), obviously there's nothing that can be done for it, but if he was caught in the same situation as the others, we should be able to assist with this. -- Gaile 20:29, 11 July 2008 (UTC)

Thanks so much for that Gaile, I'll let him know to do that if he logs back into our ventrilo server. I think he feels a bit defeated by the whole thing so he's gone for the night, he's on Europe time too so I don't expect him back today. I know he was very careful to only shout once and move on because I gave him a good lecture (and probably even scared the point into him) before he set out to help yesterday. If I have worked it out correctly, his block will be lifted Sunday evening. Looking at it logically, even if he logs back in tomorrow it's unlikely we can do anything to accelerate it further, I'd say the Europe Support Lead will be enjoying his weekend by then. I think I'll just need to give him a little something to cheer him up when he eventually gets back on. --Bunny - Angel talk 21:16, 11 July 2008 (UTC)

One thing: I'm a major fan of both of our account leads, in part because they're great guys, and in part because I often hear from them after hours and on weekends and that's a big help! Now, I don't mean to imply any sort of promise that we can or will be able to investigate and resolve the block issue right away, but there is always a possibility that we might be able to do so. -- Gaile 23:52, 11 July 2008 (UTC)

(Reset indent) Bunny, I did hear from your guild member and was able to verify that his actions on behalf of the guild and event were entirely appropriate. I spoke with the European Support Lead (because we work as a team and I do like to check such things) and he agreed that an unblock was just fine. So I've taken care of that and the player you mentioned should have no difficulty accessing the game now. -- Gaile 22:23, 12 July 2008 (UTC)

Oh that's wonderful! Thank you so much! I caught up with him on ventrilo yesterday afternoon and passed on your advice. He sounded sceptical about it being resolved when I spoke to him yesterday, so I'd say he's going to be one happy camper when he logs in today. I honestly can't thank you enough Gaile, I really appreciate your help, and on your weekend no less! PS: The launch is going very well, people are really enjoying the site. You may want to peruse the minipet section, for some reason it is largest ;) --Bunny - Angel talk 09:19, 13 July 2008 (UTC)

I'm really happy to have been able to help. (He sounds like a really nice and helpful guildie.) And I'm sure I'll be over on the site looking at those mini options. :) -- Gaile 18:42, 13 July 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Gaile,can you help me?

hello Gaile.sorry to trouble you.My question has been closed!!Need your help,I know that very liberty,But I am a legitimate player.i very love GW~To my account, I talked with Support Team many times!But has not been the answer, the question was closed.(Reference#080529-000532)and(Reference#080613-000336). Please take a little time! help me!!!--Mr.Yu 11:11, 14 July 2008 (UTC)

Mr. Yu, it appears that you removed comments left on this page by Ruby Lightheart. It is not permitted to remove content from the wiki. I have replaced Ruby's comments as a separate topic. Please do not delete content from these pages again. If you have questions about wiki policies and practices, the members will be happy to answer them. -- Gaile 18:43, 19 July 2008 (UTC)

As to the issue that you asked us to look at, we have given the account additional examination and it is possible that we will reinstate the account. But be aware that this is not the first block on this account, and the account will be subject to intense examination in the future. Playing legitimately is wonderful, and you are welcome to do so. But you seem to be playing with a lot of people involved in RMT. If the account is blocked again, there will be no additional review. -- Gaile 18:43, 19 July 2008 (UTC)

I hope that all goes well for you, now. The account is restored, and I wish you well as you continue to enjoy playing the game. :) -- Gaile 06:47, 24 July 2008 (UTC)

sry!gaile!(Reference#080613-000336).that account can't playing! :(--Mr.Yu 00:46, 25 July 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Factions Question

I too am having massive problems with Support. I have had an issue waiting for resolution since 6/28. The Question Reference is #080628-001059. Any help wold be appreciated. -RubyLightheart

I just checked the support system and I see that you have received a detailed answer, so you're good on the Factions quesiton. You were not missing Faction, but were getting the appropriate amount for the area in which you were playing (and hitting the ceiling for Elite Zaishen Challenges). I also see that you felt this information was not apparent, but yet that exact information is on the Balthazar Faction page here on the wiki: "If you plan to farm the Zaishen Challenge, there is a faction cap at 2,000 a day, and a faction cap of 6,000 with Zaishen Elite."

That's just proof again that the GWW is a great resource for information about game mechanics. In fact, as a general rule, I always look at the wiki before submitting a bug report. It seems practical to do so, and it's certainly a time saver for me as a player and for the Support, QA, and other teams involved in researching bugs. Thanks. -- Gaile 19:06, 19 July 2008 (UTC)