Oh Dear! Account Admins Chasing tails!

#0 - June 27, 2010, 10:45 a.m.

Hi, I'm leaving this here in the hopes that one of you blue flavored folks can help me out.

Recently my account was hacked while I was away. It was a pretty brutal process to get it back. First I called to recover, played it for a few days, then the hacker called using my name to recover back, then you guys locked the account for ownership verification. Which made sense, considering me and the scumbag were playing tug of war with the account--and your phone lines...which are rather short--and often busy.

So, the good news: I sent in the account recovery form, along with my photo ID, you guys unlocked the account and changed it according to my info. Meaning the account is now back, safe and sound, and I even threw an authenticator on it so that this will not happen again.

Now, the bad news: I logged on to find that my mage had been pulled off of the server I recently put her on. So I sent in an unauthorized PCT complaint. I received an answer to that complaint from AA tonight...they locked my account--oh joy.

AA has once again locked my account and said that they cannot finish the unauthorized PCT request until I send in, you guessed it, an account recovery form along with my photo ID. They say they are doing this because they want the account to be "safely in my possession" before they finish the PCT request. Only problem? IT IS safely in my possession. I sent in an account recovery form with ID three days ago...that is how I got my account back in the first place! Now they want me to do it again?

Forgive me if I'm missing something, but I fear AA is actually asking me to defy the laws of nature. They are telling me to recover an account...from me. They say they can't put the character back on her server till I have control of my account--I do have control of my account, I regained control three days ago.

I assume this was a mistake on their part, they have to see in their logs that all the emails involving the recovery process were made from the email which the PCT complaint came from. The very email the account now resides on! It is my account, I am in control, do I really need to send in a copy of what I just sent you three days ago? This is making zero sense.

I hope you can help me. I know from browsing threads that AA is a department full of busy humans and they therefore make busy human mistakes, I pray this is one. If not, as I said in the email to them, I will send in the forms again, but the recovery people may find it a bit odd that I'm asking an account to be recovered to...the place it already is.

"Yes, please change my email from shoeface1234, to shoeface1234. It is an emergency. Thank you"

And, I of course fear that were I to send in the form again, they would see my PCT request, lock my account, ask for a form, then see the request, then lock my account and ask for a....you get the picture.

Please rescue me from the frightening land of confusion. The twilight zone has always scared me, and this feels very monster-on-a-plane-wing-ish.

Thanks!

Editing out info for my shoe.

Vrakthris

#7 - June 28, 2010, 5:06 a.m.

I'm not certain what I will be able to do, Shoeface, but I can take a look. Can you provide me with the name and realm of a character on the account? If I missed where you posted it previously I apologize.

Vrakthris

#9 - June 28, 2010, 6:05 a.m.

Sorry for the delay, Shoeface. Yes, I can see edits but I have to know to look and I missed your original statement that it was there. :)

From what I've been able to find I can very much assure you that Account Administration isn't going around in circles. They act based on the information available. When contacted by the registered user they try to help as best as possible. If the information provided by the "registered user" is in question though a simple copy is not always good enough.

In this case, Shoeface, it appears that circumstances around this account require verified ID to be provided. I can assure you that it is not meant merely to inconvenience you but to make sure that we return the account to the user registered to the account.

If you do not wish to provide us with the requested verification that is up to you and I am sorry that we may lose you as a player. Once notary is required though that is the only method of verification that we will be able to accept.

Vrakthris

#11 - June 28, 2010, 6:51 a.m.

Q u o t e:
Well, I'm sorry as well. Sorry I invested so much time in this account and this is the response I get. Sorry I brought up the UPCT, when apparently my account would have been fine if I had just sent you another 25.00 instead of asking for an investigation.

I guess this is a good example of why doing the right thing is often the wrong choice. had I kept the unauthorized move to myself, I'd be playing my account right now. In trying to inform you about it, my account is gone. That's irony for you. But I've always been a sucker for paradoxes.

Actually, Shoeface, you are incorrect. Your bringing up the UPCT is not what caused the account to be locked again. That would have happened regardless.

Q u o t e:

So I guess I say so long to you, to my account, as it will be locked for eternity, and parting is surprisignly sweet sorrow. I've never been screwed quite like this, by the very people who are supposed to be helping me, and I must say that not giving you a snippet of money each month, will be slightly refreshing now that I've seen how poorly a customer can be treated.

I'm sorry that is how you feel, Shoeface, considering the lengths that we do to on player behalf it is also a bit unfair but you are welcome to your opinion.

In such cases I have seen two main possibilities. Either you are the registered user and you are frustrated by this request and are simply unable or unwilling to provide the requested information or you are the other party who is attempting to gain control of an account that isn't registered to you and through causing a bit of hullabaloo believe that perhaps we will ignore the policies that govern such issues.

In either case, good luck to you.

Malkorix

#111 - June 28, 2010, 9:36 p.m.

Q u o t e:
I know I know, "just level up your own," and all that. But it seemed like it would take a really, really, really, really, long and boring time to do so. Not to mention I couldn't really play with them till I reached their level.

Actually, some people find that they enjoy the leveling process even more than end-game. Regardless, you can substantially improve the speed at which you level, if you do so with a friend. If you haven't explored the options provided by the Recruit A Friend service, this would be an excellent time to do so:

Recruit A Friend Procedure
http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?locale=en_US&articleId=26269

Recruit A Friend FAQ
http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?locale=en_US&articleId=20588

This thread is starting to resemble a tilt-a-whirl gone out of control, so I'm going to shut this particular carnival down for the safety of all participants.