Paid Character Transfer Issues.

Well, it looks like the other thread finally broke; it was becoming a bit unwieldy, anyway. Below are my most recent responses in that topic:

Q u o t e:
Yep, it looks like the momentary issue with the webpage has been resolved; as a note, I had to clear the cookies and cache in Firefox before it let me go through normally, so try that if you're still experiencing issues with the page. Please let us know of any other similar issues that arise. :)

To offer a more general update, the functionality of the Paid Character Transfer service has been investigated quite thoroughly; some of the issues that had been affecting the system have already been resolved, but we are still monitoring the process to ensure that nothing goes amiss. One thing that has become evident during our analysis is that attempting to log into characters that are pending approval may have an adverse effect on the process. Thus, please do not try to log into your character until the transfer has been finalised accordingly.

I shall be watching this thread for further reports from players of issues that crop up, and will offer updates should any become available. :)

Q u o t e:
To answer this question, and a couple of related ones above, the transfer should function normally whether the character is "locked" or not, unless you attempt to log into the character; so if you just initiate the transfer and leave the character alone, it should be fine. I hope this helps. :)

Please continue the discussion in this thread; I'll do what I can to keep up with, and address, any questions I can answer. :)

Q u o t e:
Any chance we could get an answer on the whether to restart and restart to keep it going, or whether to leave it? And thanks for the responses. =)

My personal recommendation would be to simply leave the transfer alone, as it should go through in time, but ultimately it's your decision. :)

Q u o t e:
apparently pavonum is bitter. i put food on your table, best you can do is change your sig and put my name in it.

I'm not bitter in the slightest; I merely have no desire to change my signature. It's nothing personal. :)

As for your "putting food on my table," I wasn't aware you were part of Vivendi's Accounting Department. :P

Q u o t e:
how about the issue of the "ongoing auction" error when I have no auctions going? Still bugging out my mage on warsong :-(

This is among the issues surrounding Paid Character Transfers that we are currently investigating, Shanus. You have not been forgotten. :)

Q u o t e:
Quick question.. If i started a character in the transfer process and accidentally left mail in the mailbox, Can that stop a transfer or would it just delay it? The reason I am asking is because my wifes character is in the approval process and am wondering if i should cancel the transfer and retry with the mail out of the mail box or if i should let it keep going.

If the character had any incoming mail prior to the transfer being initiated, Velvet, you would have received an error message. Fret not. :)

I'm sorry for the delay in my response, folks; I've been out of the office, and taking care of some other matters behind the scenes (so to speak). While I unfortunately have no specific updates to offer at the moment, I can say with confidence that the current issues with slowdowns are still being thoroughly investigated by the proper authorities to determine their cause and devise a resolution. In the meantime, a brief reminder:

Q u o t e:
One thing that has become evident during our analysis is that attempting to log into characters that are pending approval may have an adverse effect on the process. Thus, please do not try to log into your character until the transfer has been finalised accordingly.

To reiterate, please DO NOT make any attempts to log into characters whose transfers have not been finalised. Thanks for your cooperation, as well as the boundless patience you've shown during this time; I can assure you that your concerns are not being ignored, and that I'll pass along any information that becomes available to me. Should any questions arise that I'm able to answer, I'll do so -- I'm keeping an eye on this thread. :)

Q u o t e:
Pav is there anyway you could look at my account and the others having problems to see what the hold up is?

Regrettably, Cinder, this is not within my power; however, those in a position to delve into the matter are working to find the cause. :)

Q u o t e:
So, Pav.. I ask you this:
If I cancel my account can the transfer still go through so i can reactivate my account after I can play it?

Your transfer will still go through just fine if your subscription is frozen or cancelled; you just need to be able to log into Account Management. :)

Q u o t e:
Pav I think it would help all of us if you explained what the approval process entails during the Paid Transfer process. What exactly is being approved and what is going on behind the scenes while we are waiting. Please give us some insight so we can understand these long wait times.

Truthfully, Cinder, the inner workings of our Paid Character Transfer service aren't something to which I'm privy; not only does the Game Master Department have absolutely no involvement in the process, but I'm not particularly tech-savvy. I'm sorry to disappoint you, however. :/

Q u o t e:
Hey Pav, can you tell me what the average wait time is for emails from the billing reps? I sent my original email and it took 17hrs for a rep to email me back asking for more details. Im just wondering, will i have to wait another 17hrs or more?

I'm honestly not certain what their turnaround time is, Spacegoat, although I would venture a couple days. Have you tried calling them? :)

Q u o t e:
Thanks for the info Pav, but no i havent tried to call. I live in Sydney Ausrtalia, so ringing up would prove to be somewhat expensive.

So far as I know, 1-800-041-378 is a toll-free number for our Australian brethren to call Billing. Do you need any help with timezones? :)

Q u o t e:
hmmm question, i did a /gquit right b4 i logged off on this guy, why does it say im still in a guild?

If you're referring to your forum avatar, there is currently an issue by which they are not always updated properly. Read more about it here:

https://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=60759398&sid=1#11

Q u o t e:
EDIT: Oh and does posting as this character have any effect on the xfer?

Nope, posting on a character that is pending approval is just fine; it doesn't have any effect. :)

Sorry about that, folks; they don't let me stay here 24 hours a day, so I apologise for the delay in my responses. ^^;

Q u o t e:
PAV i attempted/restarted the transfer process 8 times and there are 8 pings on my credit card for 1$ and no credits yet, does it take a few business days to get the credits?

As another player has said, the "hold" on these charges should be released sometime in the next few days; fret not, Zooza. :)

Q u o t e:
I really want a repsonse to my problem. The finish button does nothing mroe then refresh teh pgae. Iv cleared cahce, and cookies. Iv tried on firefox and IE, iv went on two of my own comps and a couple of my freinds and no luck, please this is really bad.

This is generally indicative of an issue centred around one's web browser, rather than the system in and of itself; thus, I'd recommend clearing the cookies and cache in your current browser, restarting the program, and attempting to finalise the transfer once more. If that doesn't work, try using a different browser entirely (e.g. Firefox, if you're currently using Internet Explorer, or vice versa) and please let me know what develops. :)

Q u o t e:
Hey I recently transferred 2 of my characters my a brand new account. Do I have to wait the three months if I wanted to transfer to a different realm now or what?

The three-month cooldown applies to all transfers, whether they're from realm-to-realm, account-to-account, or both. :)

Q u o t e:
I submitted for a paid transfer from one account(skywall) to another account (in Malfurion) it has been at least a month and i have still not been able to play the character. I havent been billed for it yet either. What can i do to expedite this transfer? Did i miss a step somewhere? Please advise.

Can you offer the name and realm of a character on each of the accounts, Whizper? I'm going to have this looked into further. :)

Q u o t e:
I was just curious if there are any updates on the current situation of the PCTs that you'd be able to let us know about. Would you happen to know why some people get transfer approval within minutes and why others have to wait days... maybe even weeks? Would you suggest restarting it in an attempt to boost the process speed?

Our technicians are currently putting the Paid Character Transfer service through a series of extensive diagnostic tests to determine the underlying issues causing slowdowns for select players, and the resulting data shall be carefully examined by the developers responsible for maintaining the system; unfortunately, at this time it is not known the precise cause for the discrepancies in wait times, but I can assure you that the issue is not being ignored by any means. I feel it is important, however, to offer a reminder that the estimated approval time is merely intended to be a rough approximation, and should not be considered an exact figure -- the disclaimer that transfers may take up to 5 days to complete exists for a reason, and it would behoove players to remember that anything within timeframe is within "normal" parameters.

Q u o t e:
WE SPEND ALL DAY.. refreshing and doing this thing over and over so that we can raid with our friends and all you you do PAV is answer questions that do nothing to help with the topic of this thread. Someone at blizzard knows exactly what is going on with this process and ways we can get through and help the situation. I want an official response from Blizzard about this issue as that has some meat on it . Ive been with you guys since Warcraft 1 common how about some loyality.

I have offered what information I can, Cinder; no more, no less. I'm afraid that, until the aforementioned testing and analysis have concluded, we're unable to offer any means of circumventing the issues currently affecting some transfers. I wish I could be of more direct assistance in this matter, but truthfully I am not involved in the troubleshooting, nor do I have any personal or professional knowledge of the process. I hope my response to the previous quote has enough "meat" on it to sate your desire for a show of my loyalty. I shall continue to help however I can. :)

Q u o t e:
Like i said iv already tried that, IE along with Firefox, ive tried on several diffrent computers, how can it possibly be my borwer, it doens tmake sense.
I hope you understand why i think its not me. Ive clread cookies and cache and tried firefox and IE on all the comps ive been on, still nothing please anything other adive. My lock is taunting me.

If you're still experiencing issues, Lagerst, I'm afraid you'll have to consult Billing for further assistance; you're welcome to contact them via phone (1-800-59-BLIZZ) or e-mail (billing@blizzard.com) between 9 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Pacific time, Monday through Friday. I wish you the best. :)

Q u o t e:
Aww come on Pav, we're a little smarter than that. The issue isn't that some transfers are taking days, the issue is that some transfers are taking 15 minutes and some are taking more than double the time that your disclaimer is willing to vouch for. There's anomalous behavior with the system, there's no rhyme or reason for it and there's no good explanation. So perhaps it would behoove you -- and this is merely a suggestion -- to not try to gloss the whole thing over (which is frankly insulting) because no one's buying it.

I suppose you missed the part of that paragraph where I said that we are currently looking into the discrepancies in wait times, then? I made no attempt to "gloss the whole thing over," and merely offered the most recent update as to our concerted efforts to resolve the matter -- your implication that I insulted players' intelligence by doing so is frankly perplexing. Perhaps you'd be willing to back up your claims?

Q u o t e:
Maybe it would just be better if you referred people to previous responses; saying that things are being looked at with an assurance to update these people is more than adequate.

I shall take your suggestion to heart, Ableton, but I believe I am more than capable of determining what is "adequate" in my responses.

Was it really necessary to dredge this thread out of its two-month hibernation? Let's try to keep the necromancy down, shall we? :)