A GM can't restore an item?

Q u o t e:
what's the deal with this? i talked to a GM today and asked him if he could unsoulbind a Death Chill cloak because I was trying to put it in the AH window to sell and accidentally equipped it. He said, "Equipping a BoE item is intended to bind it to that character permanently. Offering a service to unbind items would allow players bypass this intended game mechanic."

First isn't deleting items intended to permanently remove them from the game? I have had something i accidentally deleted restored. Why is this different.

The Game Master is completely correct in this case. I apologize if you accidentally equipped an item that you intended to sell. Unfortunately, once an item is Soulbound, our Game Masters are unable to unbind it.
In very particular circumstances, such as a mis-loot in a raid, a Bind on Pickup item can be transferred from one character to another. This is different from unbinding an item though.

Q u o t e:
Second the comment and some of his others seem to make it sound like he wouldn't return it because there is the possibility i or someone else could exploit the system. Why couldn't he check my character and see that i was already wearing one that was enchanted... why would i want two? Seems like a pretty simple bit of deductive reasoning could see that i have no need for a second cloak.

While you may indeed have no need for this second cloak, it remains that others do try to exploit the services we offer our players, and some of our policies and procedures are in place specifically to prevent that kind of activity. More than that, this is simply a service that our Game Master staff is typically unable to offer.

Q u o t e:
Finally he said that GM's just don't have the ability. That seems like a flat out lie. Why can't he boot me temporarily lock the account delete the item and mail me a new one. Like what was done when i deleted a previous item.

Occasionally, Game Masters will make mistakes - they're only human after all. They do not lie, however. The customer service representative that you spoke to was merely being as forthright as possible.

I know this situation isn't exactly pleasant - but it's important to keep in mind that we have safeguards in place specifically to prevent situations of this nature. For example, Soulbinding items do have warning messages asking if you are certain that you want to loot or equip them, as this will soulbind them to your character.

We are more than happy to help when we can, but this is one of those situations in which we are unable to assist. I am truly sorry if a painful lesson in caution was learned as a result =(.

Q u o t e:


why would it not be the same thing in spirit? I obviously don't think it's the exact same thing. But the ability to restore items whether it's the wrong one purchased, wrongly sold to a vendor, or accidentally deleted is a service GM's provide to fix mistakes. No one has given a good explanation why its not ok to fix this mistake? Saying, "LoL it could be abused, ur dumb." is not a valid reason because all of these could be abused. Blizzard however has faith in their employees ability to discern the truth in the former instances, if it's not possible (and i really think it is), why would blizzard not give their GM's this ability?

It's not about 'the spirit of the law', but the actual policies and technical limitations that are in-place which are assessed on a case by case basis. As always, no reimbursement or restoration is ever guaranteed.

We do have very good reasons why we do or do not provide certain services, but it's important to keep in mind that these are not 'standard' services, and we provide them voluntarily to help our players. We certainly aren't under any obligation to provide them though.

Ultimately, a substantial measure of responsibility falls to our players to employ reasonable caution when dealing with items, currency, characters and other valued in-game materials. Here's a link to our restoration policy as well:

http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?articleId=20457

Q u o t e:
Thank you for the reply Malkorix, a couple more questions. Is there someone other than a GM I could speak to that could fix this mistake?
Also, what would be an atypical situation where this service would be possible?

You're welcome. Unfortunately, the only means to gain assistance regarding items is contact with our Game Master department. As to when this kind of 'un-souldbinding' might be performed? I don't think it would be. I merely say 'typically' to allow for the remote possibility that something may occur in the future which is so extreme that it justifies this kind of intervention. At the moment, though, it isn't something we're able to do.

Q u o t e:
And Malkorix could you weigh in on the ability to restore items whether it's the wrong one purchased, wrongly sold to a vendor, or accidentally deleted is a service GM's provide to fix mistakes right?

Sometimes currency may be reimbursed for accidental purchases and the item removed, but in most cases this isn't possible. That is something that is, once again, measured on a case by case and item by item basis. Accidental sales and deletions are far more likely to be the kind of standard situations a Game Master might be in a position to provide a hand with - but there are circumstances which can prevent this kind of reimbursement as well.