#18 - May 5, 2010, 7:45 p.m.
Q u o t e:
Lastly, I wasn't making threats of any kind, i read the Blizzard code of conduct before i posted. I will make a comparison. If a car dealership sold me a car with a door that you couldn't lock without telling me and my car got broken into and stolen and then horse beaten and stripped and the car dealership refused to accept any responsibility and also made it as difficult as possible to find out how to rectify the situation, i would do the same thing. Never purchase a car from them again and make sure people know what happened and persuade them from buying from the dealership.
You were threatening to cancel your subscription, Chillback. While the threat itself is victimless (though, I admit, I would be sad to see you go), it was still a threat. I was merely noting that such statements are not necessary in order to receive recovery and restoration assistance. We will provide that happily, without provocation. :)
Q u o t e:
It's called doing good business and the customer is always right.
Sometimes the customer is wrong. It would be remiss of us as a company to not acknowledge that. Why? Because then there would be no room for growth, understanding, or continued education. It's okay to be wrong, though. We've many representatives that are more than happy to help our players find an answer to a question, learn more about any particular aspect of any of our games, or simply correct a previous misunderstanding.
Now, stating that the customer is sometimes wrong isn't synonymous with "the customer is
never right" or "Blizzard Entertainment is
never wrong." Just like the absolute of "the customer is always right," those ideas would be just as poor an example to follow and would hinder positive growth in the same way.
Q u o t e:
If there is a way for anyone to prove this was in any way my fault (i left my own doors unlocked) i will wholeheartedly apologize and accept responsibility.
Unfortunately, since I do not have access to your computer systems, I cannot identify what the source of your compromise may have been. By providing recommendations for account security and reminding you that compromises occurs client-side, though, I'm not saying you were remiss in your responsibilities as an end-user—nor am I blaming you for your compromise. Sometimes accounts can be compromised despite our best efforts: we click on a site we didn't mean to, we accidentally forget to update Adobe Flash or our OS or our scanning software, or we log in from a friend's computer. These things happen and the best we can do is regroup, rethink, and (in your case) consider picking up an Authenticator. :)
Q u o t e:
Until then i believe it is the Company's responsibility to ensure the safety of its customers and their money. At the very least take the time out to explain the process of rectification before people start thinking that the company that they are sending their money really couldn't care less about them.
In terms of explanation, we've provided these various resources to help spread awareness about account security:
This resource, in turn, breaks down to the following pages:
We also have these pages on our Support site:
If you can think of any additional ways we could help educate more players, though, please let us know!
Q u o t e:
As far as i can see it, the steps Blizzard has taken to ensure the safety of its customers accounts via authenticator and Battle.net has proven itself to not add any safety at all. In fact it seems a higher percentage of people are getting hacked than ever.
If players elect to use the Authenticator, it provides a very real, very solid level of security. While it's no silver bullet—the Authenticator shouldn't replace system security and safe browsing habits—adding one to an account can significantly reduce one's chances of being compromised. Unfortunately, many players do not wish to use this device.
As for an increase in compromises? There's not really been one. Reports of compromises frequently come in waves, though, and you may be noticing that trend as it's cresting.
Q u o t e:
Blizzard stating there are just a handful of employees working in game and in the account office is not an excuse. Blizzard claims to have over 11 million subscribers At $15 a month that is more than enough money to have enough employee's to service all of its customers, not to mention all the authenticators and miscellaneous swag they try to sell at every opportunity.
Just a handful of employees? May I ask where you might have seen or heard this assumption? While we do have finite resources, there's certainly more than a handful of us employed in Blizzard Entertainment's Support department. Several hundred handfuls, in fact.
We are seeking to hire more representatives, though. We more than acknowledge that increased staffing is merited. If you know anyone's that interested, please encourage them to apply online:
Q u o t e:
I just got finished talking to a friend in game, they got hacked a couple months ago, and swear up and down they took every precaution necessary to ensure the security of their account. So she went through the process, got her stuff back, got a whole new computer with the latest firewall, virus scanner and spyware scanner and purchased a Blizzard account authenticator and dedicated the computer soley to Game playing, no downloads, no streaming videos, no email checking. Well guess what? She got hacked today and subsequently immediately deleted all 3 of her accounts.
Did she update her registered email address? Many who are compromised unfortunately don't think about this particular step and, as a result, are compromised a second, sometimes even a third time.
