Could verified by visa be the reason for our problems? [Archive]

JadeFor

08-08-2009, 09:03 PM

I went through hell trying to activate my eq2 account a few months ago cost me loads in international calls to bank and soe and I still don't know if my next payment will clear.The only thing the bank can think of is that verified by visa is blocking payments, at this time the box to verify does not come up when you try to subscribe!This is my second account and I am having exactly the same problems I had with the first nothing I try will let me subscribe to open this account.Now I prefer this game but I am totally fed up with soe's complete incompetance in solving these problems. For goodness sake get with your bank and fix these issues!If not blizzard will get my money from now on at least they will take it you guys don't even care enough to take my money.And please don't tell me to call customer support or my bank neither of them have any idea what to do to fix these issues, the bank says the payments aren't even being attempted at your end and you say the bank is denying the payment the payment the bank says they aren't even seeing on their computers.Bottom line is you have serious issues with your billing! If the bank has no record of a denied transaction YOU ARE THE PROBLEM! Sorry but I am angry and frustrated this has been going on for ages and your customer support is no help the only solution they can offer is some free play time but what happens when that runs out? Just means I put all that time in for nothing as my account closes on me again.Please get with your bank and sort this out if verified by visa is the problem fix it and give us the option to verify! If not find out what the problem is!

Skylissa

08-09-2009, 02:45 PM

Have you tried subscribing through the station launcher? I do it this way because of that verify visa box and it has worked for me. Hope this helps!Edited: Typo <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/2786c5c8e1a8be796fb2f726cca5a0fe.gif" border="0" />

Alienor

08-09-2009, 03:05 PM

Same here, account was cancelled from SOE end without notification and resub is not possible with some VISA related error. The card is good, of course....

Lenefir

08-09-2009, 03:20 PM

Same here. The account worked fine up until today, but now for some reason it won't even accept my credit card that has worked earlier. And I know I have sufficient money on the account.And now, trying again for what must be the 10th time I can't even get to the stage where it checks with my bank, but rather get the following error message:<h1>Purchase Preview Error</h1>We're sorry, a system error has occurred while processing your request. Please try again later. We apologize for the inconvenience. If you continue to encounter this error, please view our <a href="http://help.station.sony.com/cgi-bin/soe.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=18268" target="_blank">knowledgebase</a> for possible solutions to your error.*sigh*So much for today's raid.

Efroma

08-09-2009, 04:19 PM

one of my accounts is having the same problem. I am being told suddenly that the card is refusing payment or some such, all though its the same debit card i have been using since launch. something strange is a foot.

xochipi

08-09-2009, 09:42 PM

Problem with the visa card here too '( . everything was fine till last sub. Its refusin the payment after it checks the security code but the card s good

CHOPPERNIKI

08-09-2009, 10:51 PM

Same here too, and I have check with my bank and they said no problem with my card,then I try to use the same card to online book store, I've got the bank approve and done successfully...So I really dun think is my card problem here........pls dun just tell me to contact the bank....I've complained about this problem for 1 week, but still can't settle the payment of my nephew's account ,the subscribtion is now expire again and my nephew is going to kill me <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/0320a00cb4bb5629ab9fc2bc1fcc4e9e.gif" border="0" />.......P.S. Also my new guildmate said he cant buy the most update patch for a week, and he thinks soe so X that he is now considering to try other non soe game..........

Alienor

08-10-2009, 11:29 AM

I was able to resubscribe after they have switched my billing currency from USD to Euro. The "verified by visa" banner also vanished the same time.

TSR-DanielH

08-10-2009, 04:47 PM

<cite>Melon@Vox wrote:</cite><blockquote>Have you tried subscribing through the station launcher? I do it this way because of that verify visa box and it has worked for me. Hope this helps!Edited: Typo <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/2786c5c8e1a8be796fb2f726cca5a0fe.gif" border="0" /></blockquote>This is something I would recommend. I would also suggest trying a different browser if you have one available. Errors where the verified by visa box does not display are usually caused by the browser settings. Trying a different browser will correct it in many cases.

Squadleader

08-10-2009, 06:45 PM

Just to add that I can't resubscribe either. <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/9d71f0541cff0a302a0309c5079e8dee.gif" border="0" />Living in the UK, country set to UK, but can't resubscribe via Station Launcher, IE8 or Safari 4. Have tried three cards that all get the payment rejected prompt. All three are set up for Verified for VISA or the Mastercard equivalent, but this doesn't appear to be attempted to launch - it goes straight to the payment rejected prompt.And, yes, all three cards have funds on them! <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" />

TSR-DanielH

08-10-2009, 06:49 PM

<cite>Squadleader@Antonia Bayle wrote:</cite><blockquote>Just to add that I can't resubscribe either. <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/9d71f0541cff0a302a0309c5079e8dee.gif" border="0" />Living in the UK, country set to UK, but can't resubscribe via Station Launcher, IE8 or Safari 4. Have tried three cards that all get the payment rejected prompt. All three are set up for Verified for VISA or the Mastercard equivalent, but this doesn't appear to be attempted to launch - it goes straight to the payment rejected prompt.And, yes, all three cards have funds on them! <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" /></blockquote>Go to the 'account info' screen on station.com and check the country and currency entries for your account. Make sure that the country/currency in your account info screen matches the country/currency where your credit card was issued. It could be another issue but that is the most common cause for the one you're experiencing.

Aoradur

08-10-2009, 09:33 PM

There I was thinking it was just me - but here is the response I have gotten from customer support"Greetings,Thank you for contacting Sony Online Entertainment.After investigating this issue our development team has found that the card in question is not going to work because of a problem with our credit card processor. You'll need to use a different card to purchase the subscription in this case. If you have any other questions or issues please don't hesitate to contact us again and we'll be happy to assist you."The credit card processor seems to be broken at SOE's end. I have contacted my bank and confirmed they are not getting any attemted transactions from SOE. I dont have any other card and I dont want to get one just for this game. I have not had a response to my question on when this problem will be fixed and they do not seem to be concerned with fixing it...**edit - card in question is a VISACheersR.

Aoradur

08-10-2009, 10:49 PM

And now for another fantastic update to my support case...."Greetings, I understand that you would like to just set up manual billing, but unfortunately, we're not equipped nor authorized to force any credit payments. You could try to purchase a prepaid debit/credit card, they don't always work on our payment processor, but it's worth a shot. This email is a confirmation of your contact with SOE Customer Support earlier today. If you have any other questions or concerns, please let us know so that we can help. "What amazes me is the line..."they don't always work on our payment processor, but it's worth a shot"...Worth a shot to who when you cannot guarentee sucess??I still have not recieved an answer if this is being worked on and is going to be fixed - or if it is a known issue that we cannot purchase the game and that SOE does not want mine and others subscriptions.

JadeFor

08-11-2009, 12:16 AM

Sometimes I wonder if customer support even looks into our problems.County and currency is fine, all info is fine, our cards are fine YOU ARE THE PROBLEM SOE!For goodness sake how long will these issues go on for? In my case 5 international calls later it still rejects payment, all avenues tried and tried again, alternative payment option tried, game card website has exactly the same issues as the soe website but these are the only sites on the whole world wide web that wont accept my visa card and all this was on my first account the only solution was free game time which will soon expire and I am back to square one when the payment fails.This is my second account and I have exactly the same issues as the first!At what point do you TSR'S begin to grasp the obvious and stop telling us we are doing somthing wrong? You have a billing problem fix it already!

CHOPPERNIKI

08-11-2009, 12:21 AM

I've talked to the card centre already, and there is nothing wrong with my card, so I tried to use station launcher to do the payment, and the verify page is poping out..and success for verify, BUT!! the error message pop out from SoE again............I have checked the country and currency and nothing wrong with it. I dun think there is something wrong with it becuase I started to play EQII from 2005 till now.So, what can I do now? I have complain it with the email support 1 week ago, but they just keep telling me to wait and said must be something wrong with my card.

JadeFor

08-11-2009, 12:43 AM

We're Sorry. Unfortunately, your payment provider prevented this transaction from being completed. Please contact your payment provider directly to resolve this issue. You may also reattempt your purchase with a different method of payment. (Error: GC-430450)Just tried again and what a surprise same error on all my cards, talk to the bank and once again the bank computers say no payment was attempted yet alone denied.This error message should read:We're Sorry. Unfortunately because of our our lack of ability to make anything work well we can't accept your visa payment we know it's the most used credit card in the world and you use it to purchase everything else in life but we can't be bothered to make sure it works with our billing system. Have a nice day!I am so fed up I can't even manage a smile you got one week soe and I will find another game this is beyond rediculous.

Lenefir

08-11-2009, 06:49 AM

Well, since I'm kind of a foreigner having the GM change the currency to match the country worked for me, but only because now the whole popup window with bank verification was bypassed and never showed up. The Verified by Visa thing was never attempted and the image never showed up either.I have used the exact same settings for the ~4 years I have played the game. The same name, address, and bank account the whole time, but with a new Visa card about a year ago as the first one expired. And it was only 2 days ago the subscription stopped working for me.And the reason I preferred to use US dollar instead of my own country currency is because I now have to pay $49 instead of $42 with the fixed and bloated exchange rate used. (Not included what the bank will eventually charge me for using internet payment.) Yay.Not sure if I should be happy it is "working" for me or frustrated. *sigh*

Squadleader

08-11-2009, 01:53 PM

<cite>TSR-DanielH wrote:</cite><blockquote><cite>Squadleader@Antonia Bayle wrote:</cite><blockquote>Just to add that I can't resubscribe either. <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/9d71f0541cff0a302a0309c5079e8dee.gif" border="0" />Living in the UK, country set to UK, but can't resubscribe via Station Launcher, IE8 or Safari 4. Have tried three cards that all get the payment rejected prompt. All three are set up for Verified for VISA or the Mastercard equivalent, but this doesn't appear to be attempted to launch - it goes straight to the payment rejected prompt.And, yes, all three cards have funds on them! <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" /></blockquote>Go to the 'account info' screen on station.com and check the country and currency entries for your account. Make sure that the country/currency in your account info screen matches the country/currency where your credit card was issued. It could be another issue but that is the most common cause for the one you're experiencing.</blockquote>Both were set correctly...The good news is, I deleted all my payment sources and tried again and it worked perfectly! Hopefully something has changed behind the scenes to help everybody else...

TSR-DanielH

08-11-2009, 03:37 PM

<cite>Laniala@Crushbone wrote:</cite><blockquote>Well, since I'm kind of a foreigner having the GM change the currency to match the country worked for me, but only because now the whole popup window with bank verification was bypassed and never showed up. The Verified by Visa thing was never attempted and the image never showed up either.I have used the exact same settings for the ~4 years I have played the game. The same name, address, and bank account the whole time, but with a new Visa card about a year ago as the first one expired. And it was only 2 days ago the subscription stopped working for me.And the reason I preferred to use US dollar instead of my own country currency is because I now have to pay $49 instead of $42 with the fixed and bloated exchange rate used. (Not included what the bank will eventually charge me for using internet payment.) Yay.Not sure if I should be happy it is "working" for me or frustrated. *sigh*</blockquote>Well that would certainly be the cause of the problem if the country/currency doesn't match. It may let you through temporarily with that kind of setup but it wont last. For anyone else having an issue, please make sure your country/currency matches the country your card was issued from.Besides that, SquadLeader's suggestion of deleting the payment sources and re-adding them will work in some cases as well. If you haven't tried that already then you might want to give it a shot.

Aoradur

08-11-2009, 04:03 PM

So another update - basically I have been told I cannot pay by credit card, but must buy a prepaid game card. Which costs more PayByCash Price: $15.59 / 30 Days and is an option I dont want to use. I am not happy with this as a solution. This credit card has worked in the past, and I have been a subscriber to SOE games since July 9, 1999, between myself and 3 of my freinds we can run 5 accounts. We are all having the same issues.After my 3 days are up I will not be back."If you wish to purchase the expansions, you can try to purchase a digital download from either <a href="http://www.steampowered.com/" target="_blank">www.steampowered.com</a> or <a href="http://www.direct2drive.com/" target="_blank">www.direct2drive.com</a> they will provide you with an account activation key with your purchase, redeem this key on your account, and you should be able to update to the latest expansions, adventures, etc. In regards to your subscription, there are alternative methods of payment available, such as prepaid game cards that can be used to pay for time on your account. Thank you for contacting SOE Customer Support."

JadeFor

08-11-2009, 11:38 PM

The pre-paid card system is exactly the same method of payment and will not work either I have been down that road already.As for currency my country and currency are the same SO THAT IS NOT THE PROBLEM!As for station launcher that has been tried AND FAILEDNotice how the TSR is only convieniently reading the posts in this thread he wants to because he knows I am right he knows they have a problem and he knows it is entirely soe's fault but he is paid to lie to us.There is nothing wrong with my cards, there is nothing wrong with my bank, there is nothing wrong with the way my account is set up and yet I still can't make payment either through soe or for a game card, these are the only two websites on the entire world wide web I can't buy anything from and somehow soe figures I must be doing somthing wrong.I have made international phone calls to talk to your customer service, I have made calls to my bank, I have posted here over and over again on 2 accounts bottom line is they either don't care or they are incompetant take your pick but I have done everything been down every avenue and nothing they say works!

Alienor

08-12-2009, 04:53 AM

It is still not clear to me why we can't pay in USD. SOE is the *only* online shop in the US who does not USD from Europe. The only US ones who I have to pay in Euro. How ridicoulus is this? Additionally, as stated above, they give you a crappy exchange rate not reflecting their weak currency. And for the records, I have been paying in USD for 4 years now and all of a sudden without warning or even notification they cancelled my account...

TSR-DanielH

08-12-2009, 03:44 PM

<cite>JadeForce wrote:</cite><blockquote>Notice how the TSR is only convieniently reading the posts in this thread he wants to because he knows I am right he knows they have a problem and he knows it is entirely soe's fault but he is paid to lie to us.</blockquote>That simply isn't true. The billing system has not changed since October of 2007 and Global Collect is working as it always has. I am responding to people I believe I can help and trying to identify common issues. Keep in mind that 'fix the billing system' is not something I am here to do. I am hear to help people get through the existing billing system.In regards to the USD question, the system requires people to use the country/currency associated with the card and it has been that way for quite a while. If you had a recurring subscription before it started working that way then it wouldn't go through the same filters, though. It would only try to route through that filter if the account experienced an unrelated decline and then it had to re-attempt the billing. At this point the country/currency code on the account must match the location where the credit card was issued. In regards to exchange rates, I believe they are recalculated once every 6-months to a year.

Aoradur

08-12-2009, 04:05 PM

<cite>TSR-DanielH wrote:</cite><blockquote><cite>JadeForce wrote:</cite><blockquote>Notice how the TSR is only convieniently reading the posts in this thread he wants to because he knows I am right he knows they have a problem and he knows it is entirely soe's fault but he is paid to lie to us.</blockquote>That simply isn't true. The billing system has not changed since October of 2007 and Global Collect is working as it always has. I am responding to people I believe I can help and trying to identify common issues. Keep in mind that 'fix the billing system' is not something I am here to do. I am hear to help people get through the existing billing system.</blockquote>Cheers for the reply - but the billing system has changed since October of 2007 - there is a little box called verified by VISA. Its a thing a company has to opt into putting on their billing system. Blizzard hasnt. SOE has. I can buy a subscription at Blizzard but not SOE...

TSR-DanielH

08-12-2009, 04:49 PM

<cite>Rastis@Najena wrote:</cite><blockquote>Cheers for the reply - but the billing system has changed since October of 2007 - there is a little box called verified by VISA. Its a thing a company has to opt into putting on their billing system. Blizzard hasnt. SOE has. I can buy a subscription at Blizzard but not SOE...</blockquote>If you haven't already, send me a PM with your station name and I'll see what I can find out about your specific case. I may be able to find something that the previous tech didn't see.

TSR-DanielH

08-12-2009, 07:59 PM

Hello Everyone,If you are experiencing this issue then please let me know if you're trying to use a Visa card with the first 2 digits of '49'. I have received a report that Visa cards starting with those 2 numbers are being incorrectly identified as Solo/Switch cards by our system. That is probably what is causing the issue for many of the people in this thread.If your card meets that description and you're unable to subscribe then contact me through PM. I should be able to get your account working temporarily until this problem isresolved.

Haram

08-14-2009, 06:38 AM

<cite>TSR-DanielH wrote:</cite><blockquote>Hello Everyone,If you are experiencing this issue then please let me know if you're trying to use a Visa card with the first 2 digits of '49'. I have received a report that Visa cards starting with those 2 numbers are being incorrectly identified as Solo/Switch cards by our system. That is probably what is causing the issue for many of the people in this thread.If your card meets that description and you're unable to subscribe then contact me through PM. I should be able to get your account working temporarily until this problem isresolved.</blockquote>I would do so, but I can't send a PM. Got everytime "You do not have permission to send/receive private messages."Have the same problems like all others here and have a 49er Visa card.

TSR-DanielH

08-14-2009, 02:33 PM

<cite>Allhana@Valor wrote:</cite><blockquote>I would do so, but I can't send a PM. Got everytime "You do not have permission to send/receive private messages."Have the same problems like all others here and have a 49er Visa card.</blockquote>If that's the case then you'll need to contact our support through phone, e-mail, or chat so that we can assist you. The following link contains all of our contact information:<a href="http://help.station.sony.com/cgi-bin/soe.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=10404" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://help.station.sony.com/cgi-bi...p?p_faqid=10404</a>

DrkVsr

08-15-2009, 12:01 AM

So when did 49--- VISA cards stop being recognised? Would it happen to be before or AFTER the Account System Maintenance?

JadeFor

08-16-2009, 10:22 PM

well I have 2 visa cards a debit and a credit one does start with 49 but the other is 46 and both are being denied.a lot of the people with problems do seem to be from the uk though is this an issue with UK issued cards?As for verified with visa I have never seen a pop up for it whicjh is why I made this thread because I should be getting one and I don't.

TSR-DanielH

08-17-2009, 03:04 PM

According to the information I have received, this issue was corrected over the weekend. I also confirmed that the people I was tracking have been able to make purchases again. Let me know if you are still unable to make payments. If so, it is probably a seperate issue.

CHOPPERNIKI

08-17-2009, 04:46 PM

Yes, I can settle down the payment now, but I want to report that why I didn't see the VISA verify page this time?Is that alright to skip this step? (Anyway, Thx a lot <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/47941865eb7bbc2a777305b46cc059a2.gif" border="0" />)

TSR-DanielH

08-17-2009, 04:57 PM

<cite>CHOPPERNIKI wrote:</cite><blockquote>Yes, I can settle down the payment now, but I want to report that why I didn't see the VISA verify page this time?Is that alright to skip this step? (Anyway, Thx a lot <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/47941865eb7bbc2a777305b46cc059a2.gif" border="0" />)</blockquote>I'm glad to hear that you are able to make purchases now. Generally speaking, the verified by visa window will only show up if your bank is requesting that we do so. If it is not displaying then it should not create an issue. It is only a supplement to our normal fraud screening and is not required in most cases. Please let me know if you need any further assistance.

Hara

08-20-2009, 07:01 PM

I've been trying to reactivate my account after a year of not being able to play and I'm having the same sort of issue with my MasterCard. Like the others, I've contacted my bank over and over after failed attempts and they assure me there's absolutely no problem with my card and have verified that I've definitely entered my billing information into the SOE form correctly.I've contacted SOE CS many times so far and one of the last reps gave this as the issue:Thank you for contacting Sony Online Entertainment. Our payment tech software system is giving us the error of UI : AVS not performed by issuer. Address information is unavailable for the account number the card issuer does not support AVS, or card issuer declined authorization and did not perform AVS. Also coming up with this error: 530 / No other information is being provided by the issuer: This is a hard decline for Bill Me Later.I called my bank's MasterCard service rep with the above info and he said the error can only be on SOE's side since they absolutely *do* use AVS and that it's their primary means of validating a purchase.When I asked my bank rep about the MasterCard Secure Code panel I get when I try to renew the subscription via the SOE site, which SOE says my bank is requiring, he said they absolutely do *not* require that the Secure Code system be used by any merchant and that it's SOE asking for it.So, speaking to another SOE rep after this conversation regarding the Secure Code I was told that if my bank isn't using the Secure Code feature then there's nothing SOE can do since when SOE tries to confirm the transaction they will get a null data return which is an automatic hard decline.If this is true, then why is SOE forcing me to use the Secure Code when my own bank doesn't require it? Further, why is SOE giving me a dialog box saying my bank is requiring that I use the Secure Code feature when four different CS reps for my bank have to date assured me that they do not?EDIT: In case it's relevant, this is a MasterCard debit card.

TSR-DanielH

08-20-2009, 07:16 PM

<cite>Jeniel@Lucan DLere wrote:</cite><blockquote>I've been trying to reactivate my account after a year of not being able to play and I'm having the same sort of issue with my MasterCard. Like the others, I've contacted my bank over and over after failed attempts and they assure me there's absolutely no problem with my card and have verified that I've definitely entered my billing information into the SOE form correctly.I've contacted SOE CS many times so far and one of the last reps gave this as the issue:Thank you for contacting Sony Online Entertainment. Our payment tech software system is giving us the error of UI : AVS not performed by issuer. Address information is unavailable for the account number the card issuer does not support AVS, or card issuer declined authorization and did not perform AVS. Also coming up with this error: 530 / No other information is being provided by the issuer: This is a hard decline for Bill Me Later.I called my bank's MasterCard service rep with the above info and he said the error can only be on SOE's side since they absolutely *do* use AVS and that it's their primary means of validating a purchase.When I asked my bank rep about the MasterCard Secure Code panel I get when I try to renew the subscription via the SOE site, which SOE says my bank is requiring, he said they absolutely do *not* require that the Secure Code system be used by any merchant and that it's SOE asking for it.So, speaking to another SOE rep after this conversation regarding the Secure Code I was told that if my bank isn't using the Secure Code feature then there's nothing SOE can do since when SOE tries to confirm the transaction they will get a null data return which is an automatic hard decline.If this is true, then why is SOE forcing me to use the Secure Code when my own bank doesn't require it? Further, why is SOE giving me a dialog box saying my bank is requiring that I use the Secure Code feature when four different CS reps for my bank have to date assured me that they do not?</blockquote>I'm familiar with your case and I just spoke with that previous tech. The issue you're experiencing is completely different from the rest of this thread. The other issues were being caused by the system running Visa cards through the Solo/Switch card algorithm. For your attempts we are getting a "Do not honor" message directly from the bank. The only thing that error can mean is that the bank is blocking the charge. Call the customer service number on your card and ask specifically for the fraud department. We will not be able to process the charge if the bank is sending us do not honor messages.

Hara

08-20-2009, 07:18 PM

Will give them a call now, thanks.

Hara

08-20-2009, 07:27 PM

Just got off the phone with the rep and she says there's still not a problem on their end as far as my account is concerned, and she added that there was an approved charge of $1 made by SOE on the 17th of this month that wasn't actually debited by SOE.

TSR-DanielH

08-20-2009, 07:52 PM

<cite>Jeniel@Lucan DLere wrote:</cite><blockquote>Just got off the phone with the rep and she says there's still not a problem on their end as far as my account is concerned, and she added that there was an approved charge of $1 made by SOE on the 17th of this month that wasn't actually debited by SOE.</blockquote>The $1 is a pre-authorization charge that we send through in order to verify that the billing information is correct. We never actually collect the money for that charge and it is returned to the bank after 2-4 business days usually.While I can't tell you what's happening on the banks end, I can assure you that we are receiving a 'do not honor' message from them every time you try to run that card. At this point the only thing I can suggest is purchasing game cards as a temporary alternative. If you decide to use a game card and don't have one in your local area then I would recommend the following website:<a href="http://www.paybycash.com/soe/codelist.php" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.paybycash.com/soe/codelist.php</a>

Hara

08-20-2009, 10:28 PM

I called the bank once more just as a final last ditch effort and the rep informed me that they have no declined transactions listed for my account, period.While I do understand that your credit card processing system is different from many others, when I can pay for a World of Warcraft subscription, order pizza from Pizza Hut and new shoes from Sears with this credit card, as is with 0 problems, then I simply can't accept that the problem is with my bank when SOE is the *only* merchant that fails to get approval or even register on the MasterCard system.I'll be buying an online game card for my wife for her account but at this point I doubt I'll be doing the same for my own 3 accounts.Thanks for your time and I hope SOE conducts a critical review of their current payment system.

Hara

08-23-2009, 02:34 AM

It appears that the MasterCard Secure Code is indeed the culprit for the problem I had.1) When I was getting the failures I was trying to restart an expired subscription and purchase the latest expansion pack all in one transaction.2) An SOE CS rep granted a 3 day non-recurring subscription so I could play while we tried to figure out why the MasterCard transaction was failing.3) Out of curiosity and/or frustration I tried just restarting a subscription without purchasing the latest expansion pack at the same time, which I discovered skips the MasterCard Secure Code panel that I was getting before.4) The 3 day access granted by the SOE rep expired earlier today and my MasterCard was successfully charged for a 3 month recurring subscription.5) Trying to purchase the latest expansion pack for this account afterwards met with the same failure after entering the Secure Code information.Considering these 5 points I feel it's pretty clear that the Secure Code system is a solid culprit for the failures.Luckily, I was able to order the expansion from Amazon.

JadeFor

08-26-2009, 07:24 AM

You are absolutely right the problems we are facing are ENTIRELY SOE'S FAULT.I have had much the same issues that you are facing but with visa both debit and credit cards. I can buy from anywhere else without issue but soe wants me to believe it's my bank thats at fault. lolSorry but I have been dealing with soe for a long time now swg and eq2 and I have had enough issues to know that they are almost always at fault. Lets see believe HSBC a highly competant, global leader in world banking or believe a TSR that works for soe, sorry but I know which way my vote is going.You do have problems with your payment system I know it, you know and the hundreds that have already given up trying know it. There is no way it is my bank or my card! Thank goodness for blizzard they accept my cards and not only that they also offer us paypal as an option. What a revolutionary idea! what a stroke of genius! how amazing! Make it is easy for your customer - maybe thats why they have 11 million accounts and eq2 is barely scraping by with a few decent population servers.I make no apologies for my sarcasm you have messed me around for months now, YOU HAVE A BETTER GAME, I would rather play eq2 but the hell you are putting me and many others through for a simple subscription is utterly rediculous.

TSR-DanielH

08-26-2009, 04:12 PM

<cite>JadeForce wrote:</cite><blockquote>Sorry but I have been dealing with soe for a long time now swg and eq2 and I have had enough issues to know that they are almost always at fault. Lets see believe HSBC a highly competant, global leader in world banking or believe a TSR that works for soe, sorry but I know which way my vote is going.</blockquote>I'm sorry, but you are only partially correct. The fault in this case really lies with both the bank and ourselves. Since we are an online business we are required to deal with an extremely large amount of fraudulent transactions. To try to prevent some of that as a means to protect both consumers and ourselves, we must verify certain information with the bank. Some banks don't think that is necessary or their systems are not capable of verifying the info like we require.So, we require some basic anti-fraud screening and the bank doesn't support it. The problem doesn't lie with either side but with an incompatibility in systems. That said, the vast majority of cards will be able to make purchases without issue, assuming they are entering the information correctly.I'd like to help you but I do not have control over what system our company or the bank is using. My ability to help is limited to assisting you through the current system. Please keep that in mind. If this thread devolves into accusations and insults then I will need to lock it.

JadeFor

08-27-2009, 12:59 AM

I hope then that at the very least you are telling the people making these rediculous decisions that their system is not fully compatible with the worlds largest and most successful bank!I also hope that you are passing along and trying to impress upon the decision makers at soe that they need to provide better support for payment by giving us the option of paypal a very simple and safe way for us to make payment that will save you the trouble of having to defend soe all the time and me the trouble of not being able to play anymore because your billing department can't get their system to work with the worlds biggest and safest banks.I know you have to defend them it's your job but what I don't understand is how you can't see how rediculous it is to say that it's both the bank and soe's fault. It is soe's responsibility to make sure their system is compatible with the worlds banking standards and it is very obvious that as of this time it is not. Many people have been having problems not just me, especially folks in the UK.No one else on the world wide web declines my cards, no store declines them, I can use them to buy anything I desire on the whole planet except a subscription with you!If sony cared about it's customers at all this whole thing would have been fixed months ago, the fact that it is still on going after all this time is insane. I mean come on you are an online business, I am trying to give you money for what I consider to be a good product (eq2 that is, you wrecked swg) and it is mind blowing to me that soe wont move heaven and earth to make sure they take it.So if you cannot fix this problem at the very least offer us paypal and as customer service make sure those that are making the decisions know this.

TSR-DanielH

08-28-2009, 03:52 PM

I have received some new information about this issue.Apparently there is a new standard for credit card authorizations. Instead of putting through a $1 hold charge to verify card information we are now required to put it through as $0. This change was required by the law and went into effect recently. The problem is that the same law does not require banks to comply until later this year. To sum it up, the banks have not adapted to the new procedure that we are now required to use. The problem should correct itself in time but for now I can only suggest calling in for a manual charge or using a game card. Thank you for your understanding.

MadTexan3

08-29-2009, 03:13 AM

<cite>TSR-DanielH wrote:</cite><blockquote>Thank you for your understanding.</blockquote>Thanks for not giving up on investigating the issue.

Krirk

08-29-2009, 07:05 AM

The same problem here, I could transfer some money ten days ago on Stationmarket, today with the same credit card Visa I cannot make it any more.Then it's very attractive telling people to pass from prepaid cards but when we are obliged to buy a totem for change server for example and pass necessarily by the stationmarket , when dont works :Where find $25 prepaid cards ?

TSR-DanielH

08-31-2009, 04:31 PM

<cite>Zephii@Storms wrote:</cite><blockquote>The same problem here, I could transfer some money ten days ago on Stationmarket, today with the same credit card Visa I cannot make it any more.Then it's very attractive telling people to pass from prepaid cards but when we are obliged to buy a totem for change server for example and pass necessarily by the stationmarket , when dont works :Where find $25 prepaid cards ?</blockquote>Greetings,You can find game cards at many local stores including 7-11 and wal-mart. That said, prepaid cards can be hit or miss and it's hard to say whether or not a specific card will work. If you are looking to purchase $25 worth of station cash then I would advise buying a free realms station cash card. Those cards will work for any SOE account and will be the fastest way to resolve the issue. You can find the cards at the same places listed above along with target, blockbuster, many others.

esb

03-27-2010, 02:00 AM

<cite>Kildare@Lucan DLere wrote:</cite><blockquote>It appears that the MasterCard Secure Code is indeed the culprit for the problem I had.1) When I was getting the failures I was trying to restart an expired subscription and purchase the latest expansion pack all in one transaction.2) An SOE CS rep granted a 3 day non-recurring subscription so I could play while we tried to figure out why the MasterCard transaction was failing.3) Out of curiosity and/or frustration I tried just restarting a subscription without purchasing the latest expansion pack at the same time, which I discovered skips the MasterCard Secure Code panel that I was getting before.4) The 3 day access granted by the SOE rep expired earlier today and my MasterCard was successfully charged for a 3 month recurring subscription.5) Trying to purchase the latest expansion pack for this account afterwards met with the same failure after entering the Secure Code information.Considering these 5 points I feel it's pretty clear that the Secure Code system is a solid culprit for the failures.Luckily, I was able to order the expansion from Amazon.</blockquote>I have two accounts I have been trying to restart. I got through to Support Chat and I was given 3 free days of game time on one of these; I was able to subscribe with my VISA card after this. However I am not able to use my credit card for anything else on SoE thus not being able to purchase Station Cash, expansion, LoN cards or upgrade to Station Access.I wasn't given free time on the other account and can find no way to restart it, also finding a place that sells gamecards around here has proved to be impossible. With gamecard I would not be able to purchase Station Cash, expansion or upgrade to Station Access either though, so I am wondering is there any point to actually pay for a game I can not fully access.This problem is still alive and doing well by the looks of it.

Littleflame

03-27-2010, 02:13 AM

<cite>esb wrote:</cite><blockquote>I have two accounts I have been trying to restart. I got through to Support Chat and I was given 3 free days of game time on one of these; I was able to subscribe with my VISA card after this. However I am not able to use my credit card for anything else on SoE thus not being able to purchase Station Cash, expansion, LoN cards or upgrade to Station Access.I wasn't given free time on the other account and can find no way to restart it, also finding a place that sells gamecards around here has proved to be impossible. With gamecard I would not be able to purchase Station Cash, expansion or upgrade to Station Access either though, so I am wondering is there any point to actually pay for a game I can not fully access.This problem is still alive and doing well by the looks of it.</blockquote>That would have been me on the inactive unactivatable account. *sigh*So anyone got any ideas?(And it's showing me on some weird server in some weird guild: auuugh. I now have a headache.)

dkzapper

03-28-2010, 06:49 AM

same problem here visa card starting with 49, i tried using mozilla, explorer and the little weird window from patcher,only thing I was able to do was reactivate my subscription, it will not let me buy Sentinels Fate how ever.Any ideas would be welcome

Littleflame

03-28-2010, 10:42 PM

<cite>dkzapper wrote:</cite><blockquote>same problem here visa card starting with 49</blockquote>Mine starts with 49 as well.

dkzapper

03-30-2010, 03:57 AM

bought it on steam, cost me more than from station though sadly but what can you do <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/0320a00cb4bb5629ab9fc2bc1fcc4e9e.gif" border="0" />

TSR-DanielH

03-30-2010, 09:35 PM

Greetings,If you're experiencing a problem with billing then I would advise contacting our support line through phone, chat, or e-mail. It would be hard to provide anything more than speculation through the forums since I would need to look at the accounts for specific information about why the card is not working with our service. I have included a link to our contact information below:<a href="http://help.station.sony.com/cgi-bin/soe.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=10404" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://help.station.sony.com/cgi-bi...p?p_faqid=10404</a>