This is Customer Service?

[Jehanne]

<p>Earlier this evening I zoned into Freethinker's Hideout.  No mobs were engaged, my char didn't even move a single step because I was playing with my kitties at the moment.  I hadn't been there two minutes when I got our lovely crash to character selection screen.</p><p>So I toss the cats out of my lap, select my inquis and go back, fully expecting to return to Freethinker's.  Nope. Now I'm in Loping Plains with an 8 hour lockout timer.</p><p>It's petition time.  I petitioned to have the lockout timer reset.  The first GM refused.  I reiterated that I had done nothing voluntarily to leave the zone and the petition was sent to another GM, who stated his records showed I went linkdead and that the timer wouldn't be reset under that circumstance.</p><p>1.  If I went linkdead why was I at the character select screen?  My account was indeed logged in at all times.</p><p>2.  Refusing to reset the timer wasn't very good customer service.  The only result it had was to anger me, my raid, and when I logged off in disgust cause I was so upset I decided to pre-order AoC.  Kudos to SOE CS on pleasing yet another customer.</p>

[Armawk]

Its unfortunate, but Im not sure how I can see any way they could distinguish you from someone who just wanted their lockout timer cancelled. Sometimes circumstances work against one..

[Jehanne]

<p>If they'd done more than the most cursory investigation they would have noticed that there is no log of my character camping.  They would also have noticed that my account was logged in at all times.  How did I get to the character select screen without camping?  The account remained logged in - at no time did I have to reenter my name and password.  How did that happen without the game dumping me to the login screen?  All I know is that it's been happening to me fairly frequently and to lots of other folks as well.</p><p>The lockout timer isn't the issue.  The issue is the lousy customer service and the needless upset of a customer.  What they did was jump to a conclusion that I'd gone linkdead, obviously without even the slightest cursory glance at my toon's actions, then use a lockout rule to back up their "decision."</p>

[noetici]

<p>Actually you can get to char select by typing "/quit"</p><p>/quit desktop will of course send you to the desktop, but just the command /quit will send you to char select. It's not particularly useful to do so since you'll have to wait for the char to actually log out (LD) before you can log back in.</p>

[Frijoles]

<p>Whenever I see this type of customer service <i>faux pas</i>  (and over the years I've seen some hum-dingers) I have to wonder where SOE gets (or, more importantly, <i>trains</i>) some of their customer service personnel.</p><p>I don't think it would have cost them anything to give you the benefit of a doubt in this situation.</p><p>Not a single thing.</p><p>But whenever word of something like this gets around, I'm sure it ends up costing them plenty.</p><p>It's pretty damned sad, really.</p>

[Nomii_of_AB]

<cite>Drash wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>Whenever I see this type of customer service <i>faux pas</i>  (and over the years I've seen some hum-dingers) I have to wonder where SOE gets (or, more importantly, <i>trains</i>) some of their customer service personnel.</p><p>I don't think it would have cost them anything to give you the benefit of a doubt in this situation.</p><p>Not a single thing.</p><p>But whenever word of something like this gets around, I'm sure it ends up costing them plenty.</p><p>It's pretty damned sad, really.</p></blockquote><p>On the other side of that token, I have played through EQ, SWG and now EQ2 and I have never had anything but outstanding customer service.  I don't know how the gentleman who posted this topic worded his ticket but I can assure you that a nice and polite ticket goes a LONG way into getting things done on your behalf.</p><p>I have never had a customer service request turned down including everything from missing items, borked loot opportunites to deleted characters with one-time only consumable items.  The customer service has been nothing but spectacular for me.</p>

[Jehanne]

<p>The ticket was titled "Freethinker's Hideout lockout timer" and contained a brief explanation of what happened.  There were no obscenities or accusations, just an explanation and request to have the timer reset.</p><p>So please don't put the onus of poor customer service onto the customer.</p>

[Nomii_of_AB]

<cite>Anasur@Antonia Bayle wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>The ticket was titled "Freethinker's Hideout lockout timer" and contained a brief explanation of what happened.  There were no obscenities or accusations, just an explanation and request to have the timer reset.</p><p>So please don't put the onus of poor customer service onto the customer.</p></blockquote>As I said, I cannot say how you wrote your ticket.  As people should not assume how your ticket was sent in you should not assume an unwillingness by SOE customer service to help you.  For whatever reason after investigation the findings of your situation did not warrant a reset of the lockout timer according to the rules they have for all of us.  The guidelines are put there to stop people from abusing the ticket service for personal gain.  Again, I am not implying that was your intention but you need to look at other factors other than assuming that SOE hates it's customers.

[Deathma]

<p>So what happens if this happens to you on AoC and CSR doesnt reset your timer (or something similar)?</p><p>I had this happen to my Bruiser and they would not reset my timer, i understand and was cool with it. I just logged on my healer and my guild reinvited me.</p>

[Makar]

If you actually read his post, you will see that he didnt put the onus on the customer. He said he didnt know how the OP worded his ticket, but that he personally has gotton outstanding Customer Service.

[Tyberi]

The funny thing is, he wasn't trying to get his timer reset to have a reset timer.He was trying to get it reset after being kicked to char select to get back into the zone with his guildmates/raidmates that very same night in the very same instance that he was originally in.Poor CS indeed.That bad part is, sometimes you get a CSR that understands the game and what happens and can help you or tell you no based upon the information available, while other times, like this, you get CSRs that have no clue and don't even try to look at the information available.

[guillero]

I have to agree with the OP tho.The GM's have plenty of tools (at least I hope) to check things out.They can easily check her guild being in that instance at that moment and that she was in there too.So why is it so hard to not give her the benefit of the doubt and reset her timer? What's the big deal in that?Fraud is pretty easily detected if they have the right tools for it. Character actions log.They can make a policy in like saying that the "benefit of the doubt" rule only applies for a maximum of once a two weeks or so if they cannot clearly investigate what happened in that instance.Cheers

[Elorah]

Actually, I Have gone LD and went to Character select ...  It happened last night to me.  I had a blip on my connection that was enough to boot me out of the game, but not enough to do so completely.  I just wanted to confirm that it can happen...

[Frijoles]

<cite>Garmin@Antonia Bayle wrote:</cite><blockquote>The customer service has been nothing but spectacular for me.</blockquote><p>Good for you.</p><p>The point of this thread, I think, is that it should be so<i> for everyone</i>.</p><p><i>Exceptions prove rules,</i> as the saying goes, and over the years I have seen (and experienced, first hand) both the understanding and competent side of SOE's customer service and also the unthinking, inept approach such as the OP has related here - so many instances of both, as a matter of fact, that at times like this I tend to wonder which is the 'exception' and which is the 'rule.'</p><p>And, as I indicated previously, words gets around. (Just ask the folks over at Blizzard Entertainment.)</p>

[StormCinder]

<p>I think they're trying to avoid having to reset the lockout timer for every person who /quits out of a zone for whatever personal reason.  That's the idea of a policy...as soon as you start making exceptions, everyone starts wanting lockout timers reset.</p><p>I'm sorry the decision didn't go your way.  It sounds like they responded to your request in a timely and polite manner.  If you ask me, that seems like great customer service.  You just didn't like the decision.</p><p>SC</p>

[Mayl]

<p>Called /quit</p><p>And the classic "I am getting <insert mmo name here> line" as just icing on the cake..</p><p>2/10 </p>

[Dasein]

As a general rule, lockout timers will not be reset. This complaint comes up every few months, and the response has always been the same.

[Raknid]

<cite>StormCinder wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>I think they're trying to avoid having to reset the lockout timer for every person who /quits out of a zone for whatever personal reason.  That's the idea of a policy...as soon as you start making exceptions, everyone starts wanting lockout timers reset.</p><p>I'm sorry the decision didn't go your way.  It sounds like they responded to your request in a timely and polite manner.  If you ask me, that seems like great customer service.  You just didn't like the decision.</p><p>SC</p></blockquote>Could they have looked at when they logged in, looked that hadn't did anything, then said o gee...sure we can do that? Too much common sense and effort required I suppose?

[Jalanix]

I don't understand why they can't just set it up like "That other game", where if you go LD you have a grace period to get back in the zone before you're locked out and/or it resets (with everything the same as you left - no boss repops or anything). In fact, I think if you're in a group, there isn't even a grace period, you just can go back in the zone whenever as long as your group is still in there and the zone hasn't reset since it assigns an instance ID to your character. The EQII system as it is now is infuriating at times, especially for people with slightly dodgy connections. I myself have been quite annoyed with it since I usually get stuck loading into the 4th floor of Poet's Palace and then have to force quit and am unable to get back in until the next day. Its a shame that I had to give up on it since it's a really cool zone. I can imagine being really upset at missing guild raids because of it.

[StrollingWolf]

<p>Per the forum rules:</p><p>You may not: </p><ul><li>Make posts seeking or giving feedback about Customer Service resolutions. All requests and feedback about Customer Service issues should be handled through petitions or emails using the Knowledge Base (<a href="http://www.station.sony.com/kb" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">www.station.sony.com/kb</a>) and selecting Email Support</li></ul><p>Please provide feedback on customer service through the Knowledge Base. I've passed on the info about going LD and not ending up back in the instance upon login.</p>