Recurring Payment Issues - 06/17

Update - 6:05 p.m.
I'd like to offer my assurances that the intricacies of this internal issue -- given that it is yet found to be impacting a small subset of the players who were initially affected -- are still being actively investigated by various departments, including our Database Administrators and other qualified technicians; they shall continue to work throughout the evening in their efforts to determine the causes of the recurring complications and subsequently devise an appropriate resolution. Furthermore, as additional technological and financial resources become available in the coming day, these shall also be devoted toward our continued endeavours, to ensure that the matter is resolved with all due expediency.

If I may, allow me to wholeheartedly commend the remaining players on the patience they have exhibited in light of the protracted research being conducted into this unfortunate situation; should any updates become available to us as to the progress of our current undertakings, we shall be certain to convey them in this thread and keep you folks apprised. Thank you, once more, for your understanding while our work persists. :)

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Many players have reported receiving the following message upon login:

"You have used up your prepaid time for this account. Please purchase more to continue playing. "

We are fully aware of this issue and do apologize greatly for the inconvenience it has caused; at present, our Database Administrators are looking into the situation and hope to implement a resolution as soon as possible. While we hope to resolve this matter without further interruption, it may be necessary to bring our Authentication servers offline for a brief period of time. Please stay tuned to Breaking News for further information.

Important note: This is not an issue with which Billing & Account Services can assist; please do not contact this department unless you wish to address matters extraneous to this event. Although I am certain our representatives would enjoy the conversation, this particular situation is regrettably beyond their purview.


Thank you for your patience. :)

Q u o t e:
Then why did Pavonus say no one could help us except Billing on Monday?

This was discovered to be an internal issue upon further investigation and not one with which Billing could provide assistance. As such, we are taking the appropriate steps to have this matter resolved as quickly as possible.

I can assure you that Pavonum is incredibly diligent in his work and would not simply overlook an issue such as this. Again, at the time of his posts, information suggested that it was strictly a Billing concern; upon additional investigation, however, it was revealed that matters needed to be resolved on our end.

Situations such as these tend to be organic in nature, Tardren. By this, I mean that, as matters are looked into more closely, the information with which we have to base our resolutions may change. Pavonum kept you as updated as possible; it was simply a matter of luck that a differing means of resolving this issue was discovered once I came on shift. :)

Q u o t e:
Your attempts at humour are condescending. Thanks to Blizzard's policy of only being open on weekdays (some of us have a job) I wouldn't be able to contact them to discuss it anyway! Unless of course you aren't planning on having the issue resolved prior to 8am PST on Monday.

Your attempts at being condescending are noted; however, at no point was I attempting humor. This is a serious matter and, as such, I addressed it seriously. I apologize that my tone was misinterpreted.

We are a global company and, in fact, open all hours to assist those in varying time zones. I speak on behalf of the Game Master department, of course; as you've mentioned, our Billing and Tech departments do have the weekends off. If you believe this to be a critical concern, I would sincerely suggest that you voice your thoughts on our Suggestions Forum.

Q u o t e:
IS ANYONE WORKING ON THIS PROBLEM TODAY??????DO YOU GUYS EVEN CARE?????YOU TAKE OUR MONEY BUT LEAVE US HANGING!!!!!!!!!SOMEBODY DO SOMETHING PLEASE!

Did you even read my post? :(

To quote two of Pavonum's responses:
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=110644621&sid=1&pageNo=1#17

Q u o t e:
You needn't fret about that -- if the activity thus far is any indication, this thread shan't need any assistance staying near the top of the forum. I'm sorry that I am unable to provide more detailed assistance, but please understand that the Game Master Department -- and, by extension, this forum -- has no involvement in matters regarding pre-paid time. I do, however, sincerely hope that everyone finds the resolution they seek. :)

http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=110644621&sid=1&pageNo=2#31

Q u o t e:
Simply put, Mannaris, this is an issue with billing. It does not fall under the jurisdiction of my department, nor can any investigation be conducted by our server technicians. You have my most sincere apologies, but your best course of action is to contact Billing during their normal business hours. Your patience until then is appreciated. Should you need any further assistance in getting in touch with them, please do let me know. :)

I fail to see how either of these posts demonstrate a lack of concern or an attempt to brush off the player base; on the contrary, it seems that Pavonum was doing his best to keep the many affected as up to date as possible.

Again, let me state: it was a matter of luck that an internal issue was discovered to be the source once I came on shift. I had different information to provide, so I provided it. Please do not discredit my fellow's assistance because our data and means of "attack" have changed.

Unfortunately, I do not have an ETA to provide at this time. Once I do, however, I will most certainly pass it along to all of you via this thread.

Q u o t e:
In all seriousness though Blizzard makes way too much money off this game to be so cheap on support

Next thing, you'll tell me that you're paying my wages. ;)

Q u o t e:
how about an ETA???

Repetitively asking for an ETA will not miraculously spawn one into existence, I'm afraid. :(

Q u o t e:
A great start would be correcting the issue instead of talking about correcting the issue.

Ah. I'm glad you've mentioned this.

My role is not to correct the issue. My role is, rather, to relay information. My role is to talk about issues that are being investigated and corrected. I am fulfilling my role.

Q u o t e:
A) you are not relaying the info there for not fulfilling your job (not saying its whats happening just an exaple)

I can only relay information I have been provided, Haruken. While I am keeping in touch with our Database Administrators, I'm afraid there is nothing new to report beyond "they're currently working on the issue."

Q u o t e:
B) they have no info for us and have yet to find anything. if thats the case say "they havent found the problem yet but are still looking into it, we have narrowed it down to a certain area and it will be back up in #seconds/minutes/hours/days/months/years/illkillyou.

Again, the only news I have is that they are still investigating at this time. I have not been given an ETA, because one does not yet exist.


If I could create information or updates from thin air, I would; unfortunately, this is not within my power, nor would those of you affected by this issue appreciate the deception. My promise still holds true, however: should any update be relayed to me, I will be most happy to share it with you immediately.

While I can understand your point(s), I'm afraid the universal Pre-paid Card idea is simply not a feasible means of temporary resolution.

Q u o t e:
"I can't help, not my thing. Call billing dept Monday... wait, what day is today again?"

Let's put this into perspective:

When initial reports started to trickle in, all evidence and anecdotes provided suggested an issue which would be best handled by Billing & Account Services. The Game Master department frequently receives queries regarding Prepaid Time and Credit Card concerns, and the posts present in the aforementioned thread mimic those queries almost identically. If I were on shift last evening, I would have referred all affected players to Billing, as well.

Now, as I mentioned before, my role--and, likewise, Pavonum's role--is to act as an effective liaison; our job is to communicate information and, if necessary, resolution to our customer base. We do not create this information nor do we put together related resolutions; we simply ensure that data is relayed to the appropriate locations. On this note, I'll say that Pavonum did initiate the investigation which is currently underway.

It's important to understand that problem solving on a scale as large of World of Warcraft is an extremely organic process, and that assumed resolutions may change as more and more time is spent looking into a particular issue. Those of you caught up in the whole "WE WAS LIED TO, LAWLZ" fiasco need to take a moment and reflect. Was referring you to Billing perhaps incorrect? Yes. Are you allowed to be a bit angered? Yes. Would I have done the same thing if I were Pavonum's position? Yes.

The point is, this was first labeled as a Billing issue and thus all cases were referred to the corresponding department; we have since amended that statement and are currently taking the appropriate steps internally to ensure that all players can access the game correctly.

Q u o t e:
The problem is that you, like almost every other Blizzard employee, have no earthly idea what you are talking about.

If you were attempting to offend me, I'm afraid your attempt was unsuccessful. You may want to try using a bit more truth in your next derogatory statement.

Q u o t e:
PEOPLE WANT AN ESTIMATED TIME THAT TELLS THEM WHEN THEY WILL BE ABLE TO LOG ON AND PLAY.

Again: if an ETA existed, I would provide it. Please take a moment to fully understand this concept.

Update 12:36pm -

Our Database Administrators are still working toward a resolution for all affected players at this time; however, not all accounts may become available simultaneously. We hope to have this matter concluded shortly, and thank you all dearly for your continued patience. :)

I'd like to offer my assurances that the intricacies of this internal issue -- given that it is yet found to be impacting a small subset of the players who were initially affected -- are still being actively investigated by various departments, including our Database Administrators and other qualified technicians; they shall continue to work throughout the evening in their efforts to determine the causes of the recurring complications and subsequently devise an appropriate resolution. Furthermore, as additional technological and financial resources become available in the coming day, these shall also be devoted toward our continued endeavours, to ensure that the matter is resolved with all due expediency.

If I may, allow me to wholeheartedly commend the remaining players on the patience they have exhibited in light of the protracted research being conducted into this unfortunate situation; should any updates become available to us as to the progress of our current undertakings, we shall be certain to convey them in this thread and keep you folks apprised. Thank you, once more, for your understanding while our work persists. :)

Q u o t e:
I'm another one of the "small subset" impacted by this situation. I'm wondering if there's anything we can do- any kind of "work-around" we could try? Thanks very much for the response and for the continued work on the solution.

While I must confess that such matters are not my area of expertise, do you perchance have a different credit card you can attempt to input? :)

Q u o t e:
I wouldnt waste your time...iv tried 4 different credit cards. Same result.

Thus is my lack of expertise revealed. I merely thought it worth a try. :)

Q u o t e:
Any ETA on a fix from this point?

None yet, I'm afraid, but I'll let you know if I hear anything. :)

Q u o t e:
Blizz is notorious for trying to pass the blame back on the consumer. Plus their consumer relations is horrendous.

I'm truly sorry if my question was misconstrued as laying blame on players; that was not my intent in the slightest. Given that the accounts are currently labeled as "Frozen," it may have been conceivably possible to "kick-start" the billing by introducing another payment method. Sadly, this was not the case, as evidenced by player testimony in response to my inquiry. While I understand your frustration, friend, hostility aids no one. :)

Q u o t e:
I suppose, as you can see it from a different view, that on your end it might be labeled frozen. Oddly, on my end, it's labeled active.

Sorry for the confusion, Allystine; I am indeed referring to the current status of your billing, not necessarily the account in and of itself. :)

Q u o t e:
Anyone know what's going on now?

At this point it would seem someone somewhere knows the problem and its resolution by now. It would also seem logical to assume someone knows the length of time needed for this resolution to take place. Would someone in a position of communication get with those people and relay that information here?

As has already been stated, Zugs, the matter is still under perusal by the appropriate departments, who are currently working to determine where the issue lies in regards to those players who are still unable to log in normally; if there were any conclusive updates I could offer beyond that, believe me when I say I would do so. We're not willfully withholding information from you; there is no grand conspiracy. We merely need time.

Q u o t e:
I understand the people working these forums may not have the information, but I also know they are empowered to obtain it. It simply has to be. In an enterprise the size of this game, while I am shocked this type of issue exists in the first place (the length of downtime due to a technical database issue), I am surprised someone isn't actively managing customer perception in a more acceptable manner.

I don't think it's too much to ask that we get an update as to this problem's status. For the 1000th time Blizzard, any information is better than NO information. Why haven't you guys learned that people can be very very tolerable if only given the slightest nugget of information?

If it were my situation to manage, there would minimally be an hourly update posted here as well as on the in-game login page. Bottom line - in a technical world, issues are expected and to a lesser degree - tolerable. However, lack of persistent updates does nothing for customer morale. I'm not griping, I'm only suggesting someone do some damage control.

While I can appreciate your desire for an update, I fail to see what purpose regular -- but ultimately meaningless -- progress reports serve when no additional information has yet become available for dissemination. I could just as easily come into this thread every hour and decree, "Hear ye, hear ye! The hour is 10 of the clock and no updates are available!" to ensure that you folks are on the cutting-edge of concrete developments in our ongoing investigation, but would that really be a preferable outcome for anyone? It strikes me as a somewhat imprudent use of time.

Of course, you would likely argue that what you seek is information, but what I have attempted to aid you in understanding is that currently none is mine to offer. Please realise that I am merely a messenger, Zugs; my role is to convey information to you once it has been passed along to me, and -- when applicable -- vice versa. At the moment, I have not been made privy to any conclusive information, and thus have nothing to provide in turn. I am aware that this is a frustrating situation, and I am sympathetic to your cause, but the issue is beyond my scope. My apologies, truly.

Q u o t e:
Is this problem rolling over into tomorrow? Will it continue through maintenance this week? Are we to expect extended maintenance? Is anyone actually working on this problem as we speak? Are the forum GM's serving as band-aids until the real technical staff comes into work tomorrow? What gives?

It is likely, at this juncture, for investigation to continue throughout the night and into the morning; again, as additional means of investigation are brought to bear and employed in our continued analysis of the matter, further developments may well come to light. When they do, one of my colleagues or I shall be here to offer what information we can, but not a moment before. I'm sorry if you consider this answer insufficient.

Q u o t e:
Ty Pav, i guess ill have to do normal stuff tonight.....I MIGHT have a book to read somewhere

I highly recommend The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood; I'm reading it for the second time. :)

All systematic issues have been resolved at this time. I would like to thank all of you for your incredible display of patience; it's very much appreciated.

Should you still be experiencing residual effects, however, please phone Billing & Account Services; I've provided their contact information below:

Q u o t e:
Phone Support - 1 (800) 592 5499 (1-800-59-BLIZZARD)
Automated 24 hours
Live Representative Mon-Fri, 8AM-8PM (Pacific)

Good luck, and thank you once again. :)