"We currently cannot ship to this address"

I'm not sure Podric. =/

I'd call our Billing department on Monday to see what's up. ^_^

Billing and Account Services:

Webform: http://us.blizzard.com/support/webform-us.xml?gameId=11
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 1-800-59-BLIZZ (1 (800) 592 5499)

Hours of Operation: 8AM to 8PM — Monday through Friday

Thanks Podric. I'll be doing my own inquiries regarding the matter just to be sure. =)

Ah! Thanks Cheeri. =)

I've been so busy catching back up I seem to have missed a few things. >.<

That's weird. Never heard of that before. What's the URL listed as on your address bar when you visit the store?

And: http://www.blizzard.com/store/ doesn't work for you? You just get redirected?

Q u o t e:
yep, as soon as I hit enter it redirects me to http://eu.blizzard.com/store/

Would you mind trying to clear your cookies and cache and trying again for me?

Just to keep everything in the same location, Erif, would you mind posting here: http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=7475462573&sid=1 ?

This way I can keep the issue to it's own post and since it appears that it's not just you I'm going to inquire into the issue further.

I probably won't receive a response until Monday, unfortunately. =/

I doubt if it has anything to with us not wanting to send them to you, Demelza. It's probably some form of international law; Vitreoscilla mentioned one possibility. I'm not aware of the reasonings at this time, unfortunately.

I've inquired regarding the matter, and I'll get back to you as quickly as possible with the information if I can provide it. =/

Our Billing department only just opened for the week. Let's allot some time for a response to formulate before assuming the worst and tossing about ideas of nationalism and prejudice. :)

Q u o t e:
I continue to be disappointed with the unfairness shown to the customer base regarding this issue. I do not believe that Blizzard fully researched the issue nor do I believe that they took all measures necessary to treat all customers fairly. The devices in question are for sale already (just in different forms) in the affected countries, so obviously it's possible to get them into those places. Blizzard has failed its customers and I will not stand for it. My account will remain closed until they fix the issue. I am not doing this because I desperately wanted a device and now cannot get one, but rather it is because I believe that no company should ever treat its customers this way and be allowed to get away with it. If Blizzard really wants to stop accounts from being stolen, they should be making them more secure for everyone.

Dear CSF: I love you all, but I need to take a stand on this one. Sorry.

Gray--

Ultimately, we hope this service becomes available to all of our players regardless of their geographical location. Unfortunately, however, this is not possible from the get-go. We are looking into this issue and hope to be able to provide more information as quickly as possible.

I believe it is a bit nonsensical to argue that we're not treating our customers fairly. To put it plainly, we're looking to reduce the number of accounts that are compromised by releasing the Blizzard Authenticator. It would be absurd to willfully withhold this device from certain areas simply because it is unavailable in other areas. Why wouldn't we want to prevent as many compromises as possible while we work out the details with foreign countries?

Quite frankly, I think you are getting way ahead of yourself. This product has been available for a total of what... 2-3 days now? We -- the Moderators of this forum -- haven't yet even had an opportunity to gather more information regarding this issue. I understand that you're frustrated, but at least allow us the opportunity to delve into the whys and why nots before passing immediate judgment.

Q u o t e:

I thought that it would have been better if all the details had been worked out in advance. The moment they started thinking about security, the whole user base should have been considered as one single unit.

I imagine they did, Gray; however, the same reasoning still applies. If we can make the product available in a limited area immediately but will have to wait <enter an unspecified amount of time> before it is possible to implement it in another area, why not release it immediately to one area while we wait?

Q u o t e:
If something couldn't be worked out for the whole user base, then a different method should have been tried.

My point is, no one has said this can't be worked out for the whole player base. All that is known is: we are unable to cater orders outside of the United States at this time. It is for this reason I want you to calmly wait while we acquire additional information.

Personally, Gray I love the Authenticator and think it's an amazing idea. To be perfectly honest, I am happy -- and would be happy even if I lived outside of the United States -- that this product is available for many players. As both a player and a Game Master I want to see fewer compromised accounts as quickly as possible.

The issue you are having is not that the product doesn't work well, but rather that the solution is not immediately available to all players. Because of this, it's extremely difficult to detach your argument that this is not the correct solution from the argument that it is not universally available.

If you think the Authenticator itself as a solution is a bad idea (or if you simply believe that additional security measures are necessary), please feel free to let us know on the Suggestions Forum.

I do have a multi-part question for you though...

If the Blizzard Authenticator became available in all parts of the world tomorrow, would a different solution still have been necessary?

What if it was a week later?

A month later?

A year?

Edit: To be clear, I'm not trying to keep this issue alive for the purpose of proving a point or to spur an argument. I do, however, care about your opinions and would love to dispel any misconceptions/misunderstandings. :)

As a quick update:

We are working to make the Blizzard Authenticator available globally. Unfortunately, however, the current restrictions are outside of my purview and I will be unable to delve into the specifics.

Q u o t e:


Decky? I have one for her if she wants it. The authenticator itself is not the issue. Lets just let her have her opinion and leave it at that

I understand your concern, but in some cases it's necessary to hear the issue out to ensure that we are aware of the concerns -- and dispel any misconceptions -- that are affecting our player base. I realize that Gray feels strongly about this issue, and it is for this reason that I want to gain a better understanding of her position.

I hope that the ongoing discussion has helped Gray understand our reasoning a bit more. Additionally, I sincerely hope it's helped her develop a more specific suggestion to post on the Suggestions Forum.

We want happy players, and sometimes we have to let the heated discussions go on a bit longer in order to get the answers/feedback necessary to make a multitude of players happy.

I respect Gray's opinion on this matter greatly. As a result, I would like to hear more if she is willing to share.

I'd rather keep this thread unlocked and its posters mindful of their actions than lock it and close a good conversation.

There's quite a bit of merit here. Graymalk and Azazrael have reached an understanding, so let's try to mimic their resolution. :)

Let's respect Podric, please. Final warning, guys.

Courtesy of Aredek:

Q u o t e:
As a quick update:

We are working to make the Blizzard Authenticator available globally. Unfortunately, however, the current restrictions are outside of my purview and I will be unable to delve into the specifics.

Q u o t e:
As with the oceanic farce, you two have been left high and dry by your company - as, once again, have we. The answer I'd sadly expected, not the one i'd been hoping for.

With respect to Oceanic concerns, we're still definitely not done yet. More departments are getting involved.

But not to deviate—I don't wish to "cross the streams," as it were—this remains a Billing matter and so our purview does not extend too far. Suffice it to say, though, the goal is indeed to have this product available globally. There are simply circumstances that are precluding that at this time.

Q u o t e:
On the assumption that these will never be shipped overseas (Let's face it, 5 months down the track the oceanic SERVERS are still busted) - can you confirm for me please.

If, by subterfuge, payment of extortionate fees and the use of US-based forward shipping companies, I obtain the said keys, can you confirm that my guilds' accounts (located in Australia) will be able to USE the devices, or have Blizzard locked out their use for non-US customers at the server level?

The authenticators are non-region specific, Demelza. :)

Q u o t e:
In regards to the arguement of is it better to offer a solution to a portion of the player base vs offering no solution at all, I'd opine that the latter is the better balanced approach. As I expressed earllier, my primary concern here is that when a large number of US (and Euro) accounts become much harder to hack, the hackers are going to naturally move to targeting the accounts with less security, and thus easier to compromise.

Kind of like taking a balloon full of water, and squeezing the middle, the concentrations of water expand into the un-hindered areas with much greater density.

I'm worried those of us with non-US and non-Euro accounts will become larger, more attractive targets for account theft and exploitation. Blizzard will have locked off a significant portion of accounts from hackers, but those hackers aren't going to just go away, they're going to focus elsewhere, namely, those of us with traditional (and apparently much easier to compromise) accounts.

It's this concern that I'd very much like to see addressed by someone who can speak for Blizzard.

I can, and my response is that you needn't worry. We're focused on getting the device rolled out to all possible regions as soon as humanly possible. I'm afraid I can't go into much more detail, but this isn't us not caring about you. Believe me.

Q u o t e:
Belf, got a question...

I live in Canada....

If I were to buy 2, and have them sent to a guildy who'd then send them on to me, they'd still work fine & there wouldn't be any problems?

Bf's been having issues with him computer (which I play on sometimes) and I don't want anything happening to my account.. Or his either i guess... >.>

They're not region-locked. :)

Graymalk, Aredek passes this along:

Q u o t e:

I appreciate you taking the time to send me an e-mail, Gray!

I'm not scheduled to be in the office until Thursday, but I'll make sure to stop by the office first thing in the morning to take a look! :)

Thanks! :P

Q u o t e:
You know what would be really grand?

If Blizzard remembered that they have customers in Australia and New Zealand.

This is available for every WoW region in the world (China, North America, and Europe) except Oceania.

fail.

Ease up on the hyperbole. There are legitimate reasons for the delay and it's nothing to do with not caring about specific regions of the world and the customers contained therein.

Trust me, as soon as this information becomes available we'll let you know. :)

Please don't dredge up posts this old.