Paid Character Transfer update thread

I like this idea, Cheef; the other thread has somewhat gotten out of hand since I went off-duty early this morning. (Hey, a guy's gotta sleep sometime, right?) Let's continue the discussion here, starting with an update fresh from our server technicians and database administrators:

Update - 5:00 p.m. PST
We believe to have isolated the issue affecting Paid Character Transfers -- both preventing new transfers from being initiated on PvP realms, and causing successfully transferred characters to be "locked" from play -- and are in the process of testing code changes to resolve the matter.

Once this has been completed, Paid Character Transfers can be reenabled, but unfortunately this may not occur until tomorrow; we shall continue to monitor the situation, however, and should any more concrete updates become available, you have my word that they'll be conveyed in this thread as quickly as I can offer them. For the time being, folks, I'd like to commend you on the patience and composure you've exhibited. :)

Q u o t e:
Mind if I ask what the issue was? Was it a single issue causing both problems or 2 unconnected problems? I'm just curious, as I've been waiting patiently ever since the patch to transfer, having nothing else to do but post in random topics.

Truthfully, Unbearable, I'm not sure; I'm not directly involved in the technical aspects of their efforts toward resolution. :)

Q u o t e:
Also does "this may not occur until tomorrow" mean "all the server technicians/ database admins working on these problems have knocked off and gone home until tomorrow"?

The appropriate departments are currently working to test the code changes and ensure that everything's functioning normally; it is possible, however, that this process shan't conclude until sometime tomorrow. As I said, if any more information comes my way, you'll know. :)

Q u o t e:
Pav I effing love you.

Are we talking about fat kid-cake love here?

Q u o t e:
plz tell me theirs gonna be an update by tonite

That's yet to be seen, but you folks will be the first to know if there is. :)

Q u o t e:
Pav, could you edit your first post every time an update is available? Or mine? Yesterday it was extremly hard to find updates as the thread was going wild with responses and I'd like to change that with this post.

Thanks <3

Sure thing, Cheef. It shouldn't be hard to edit my first response with any additional information that comes my way. :)

Q u o t e:
Does anyone know whether transfers can occur during the weekends? thnx

Assuming that Paid Character Transfers are enabled (which is not currently the case), they can go through just fine on weekends. :)

Q u o t e:
There probably just waiting for it to "fix itself" as stated in the previous topic post...

I've found that negativity and hostility generally do little to help situations such as this, Chrisb. As indicated by my first post in this thread, the appropriate parties are actively working to resolve the matter; feel free to doubt my statements, however, if that is of some comfort to you.

Q u o t e:
oooorrrr how about pavo just answers my question =D

If your question is regarding what's going to happen once transfers are reenabled, that regrettably isn't an answer I possess; the service is handled primarily by our Billing Department, of which I'm not a part. Should any issues arise, however, they shall be addressed accordingly. :)

Q u o t e:
Do you even work AT BLIZZ? or are you posting from home... :-S reply honestly.

Not only do I work at Blizzard's headquarters, but I'm staying for overtime this evening. :)

I suppose you could say I am posting from "home," all things considered...

Q u o t e:
Pav, in all honesty and completely serious, all I want to know is, can I have your babies?

Are you sure about that? You know Moonkin have antlers at birth, right? That could be somewhat awkward...

Q u o t e:

Pav, What does the number green smell like?

Freshly-baked snickerdoodles.

Q u o t e:
ok this is a little off topic but i have no wheres else to turn. Does any body know if 2 people can use the same account at the same time from two different computers??

Only one person may use an account at any given time; any other attempts to log into it will log the other person out. :)

Q u o t e:
ok thanks. one more thing this is a very stupid question. but can someone have two accounts on one subscription??

You're able to pay for two accounts with the same credit card, but each subscription will be handled separately. Or have I misunderstood? :)

Q u o t e:
Pav - can you please send a message over to the people who are working on this issue and see if you can get them to give you an approximate time estimate of when we CAN successfully transfer over to our appropriate servers? Make it a point that some of us have friends in high places next to the Bliz HQ with upgraded goblin technology....And they're not afraid to use them....

As effective as I'm sure any mention of Goblin weaponry would be, I'm afraid that it's not my place to demand updates. Sorry, Callow. :(

Q u o t e:
Can you work from home for Blizzard as a forum mod?

Nope, we have to work from the office. That would be fun, though. :P

Q u o t e:
pav dont fall asleep, son.

Not likely, Rhythm. I have a four-pack of Monster energy drinks in the fridge. Speaking of which...

Q u o t e:
Whether they are working overtime or have gone home for the night doesn't matter. Unlike us, they have a life =p

Wait, I have a life? :O

Q u o t e:
Now, I can't help but wonder if the rolling restart will also have something to get transfers up and running? I'm content to wait while they fix other content, of course, though. Cross your fingers and blow a kiss to Bliz!

Just to ensure that no one's hopes are dashed, I don't believe these rolling restarts shall have any effect on the issues surrounding Paid Character Transfers; to my knowledge, they shall still be disabled until we are able to test and polish the code changes being implemented. :(

I do appreciate the kind words, however. Thank you, Ry, for bringing a little sunlight into this benighted day. <3

Q u o t e:
Pav worked long long hours trying to keep us all updated. Gotta admit that's a really sweet thing to do. Makes me think that in addition to having a good sense of humor and attitude, he's probably a pretty cool person. Hopefully he's getting some sleep.

Pavonum definitely is a cool person, and rather sincere in his efforts while at work. He did leave work after 3 am this morning after working a couple of hours of overtime.

Q u o t e:
Anyway, if there's another blue monitoring this maybe you can give us an update? I don't think anyone's expecting you guys to let us transfer if it's unstable or bugged, but just a word as to the status and if it's still being addressed would be nice.

Unfortunately, the latest word on this is that the coding changes that were recently made to address issues with the Paid Character Transfer service are still in the testing phase. Although we would like to enable this service today, I have no estimated time frame for the completion of this testing, nor for the reactivation of the Transfer service. We will continue to probe for announcements of progress as the day continues.

Now, if you would all like to join me for a drink, I'm going to see if Pavonum has any Monster cans left over from yesterday's four-pack. ; )

Q u o t e:


well our problems would be solved, or maybe this wouldn't have happened. There was so many things making everything wrong with the patch that server techs were busy on that. so some were doin that while a little amount are probably on our case

It is true that every department here is very hard at work on a multitude of issues and requests. With that said, this does not detract from our recognition that enabling character transfers is an important step to make in order to accommodate a percentage of our player base. I am personally unable to play one of my characters until the service is enabled, as I'm waiting to transfer a toon to an alternate account of mine.

One important point I'd like to make is the fact that our technicians are aware of this situation and have made several major coding changes to fix the system; however, these changes will not go live until we are sure they are fully and accurately tested. It is no mystery that players want service now, and want the service to work. Some times, the two requests are mutually exclusive. In order for the system to work, it cannot be fixed now. It may not be fixed within a day either, as has been the case with the transfer service this week. For this, I offer my most sincere apologies for the inconvenience and delay of a functioning transfer system.

As a Customer Service representative, my goal is to make you aware of the progress being made by our database administrators as this information is given to me. While we will continue to request updates, the Game Master department does not have the ability to expedite the procedure at the request of players. This is something we want fixed as soon as possible. You have my word on that.

On a side note, I think this is my first Monster drink ever. I believe I'll stick with Rockstars going forward. Enjoy your Panini and Red Bull, Caterpillar. : )

Q u o t e:
so how long do you guys think till the next blue responds to any of are ?'s
any time bets i say 40min

You lose. What do I win?

Q u o t e:
dang they post fast when there is nothing to post about lol

You talk about us like we're an odd science project, haha.

I'm currently probing for additional updates and will get back to you all as soon as possible.

Due to the way in which the transfer service code must to be implemented in order for this feature to return to full functionality, paid character transfers, unfortunately, will not be available until after the weekend. While I am again sorry for the continued delays in activating this feature, we do appreciate your ongoing patience everyone.

We will provide you with additional updates on Monday.

Due to the way in which the transfer service code must to be implemented in order for this feature to return to full functionality, paid character transfers, unfortunately, will not be available until after the weekend. While I am again sorry for the continued delays in activating this feature, we do appreciate your ongoing patience everyone.

We will provide you with additional updates on Monday.

I'm sensing that some players are upset by the delays... and, rightfully so, I say.

To clarify for those speculating that we're waiting for the problem to fix itself, or simply waiting for realm maintenance - the new code for the service requires maintenance on our systems which cannot successfully be resumed until Monday when the necessary components are obtained. This is something that was discovered as a result of the troubleshooting and testing processes over the last couple of days. We didn't simply say "it won't be until next week" because we did not know. The problem with troubleshooting is it can lead to unexpected trouble.

Are we being disingenuous when saying the work will continue on Monday (secretly just waiting until realm maintenance)? No.

Will it be delayed until Tuesday? Maybe.

When we have additional details we will let you know.

Q u o t e:
LOL who else loves how the people who post for blizzard have no idea wut they are talking about and its blatant.

You're very right. This is why it's a grand idea to not allow me to be a database administrator. I wouldn't know the first thing about setting up server hardware and networking. I'm relaying the information provided to me in the best way I can.

Q u o t e:
Neway cnt wait till the REAL staff come bak instead of the asaians that do weekends.

Not only is your assumption entirely false, but you're just blatantly insulting. I hope you realize that racial remarks such as this will not be tolerated on the forums, regardless of how witty you think it was. I live and work in California, by the way.

So, I've given you all the information I can before the weekend. At the risk of having my car windows shot out by players, I'll rest it at that.

Q u o t e:
P.S. The reason why they aren't fixing this over the weekend is simple. Overtime. They don't want to pay it.

The entire Game Master Department has worked overtime all this week. Want to try that one again, Mechazawa? :)

Q u o t e:
Welcome back Pav <3
I hope you had a good sleep =)

I've been here since this afternoon; there just hasn't been much to say in this thread. But I did sleep well. :)

Q u o t e:
Tell me when you have fixed it, thats all I want to hear from you or at least an explanation as to what is going on and why it happened.

I believe the multitude of responses Batta and I have offered in this thread should suffice. Have you read them, perchance?

Q u o t e:
Pav since you're parusing the threads now care to answer my question real quick.

Does transferring now wipe honor with the new system? I can understand why it would wipe it with the old pvp system but since the new system is like currency will that be allowed to transfer over?

I must say that's an excellent question, Atoja, and regrettably not one to which I possess the answer. I'm going to have this looked into. :)

Q u o t e:
Updated FAQ:

http://www.blizzard.com/support/wowbilling/?id=abl02008p

Yes, I saw what that FAQ had to say regarding Honor and transfers; however, for my own peace of mind I'd like to confirm that to be true. :)

Spamming the thread isn't going to help our database administrators work more quickly. When an update is available, I'll announce it.