Welcome to the Customer Service Forum!

Hail and well-met, travelers! Welcome to the Customer Service Forum, maintained and frequented by members of the very Game Master Department whose staff assists players every day with various in-game issues via the ticket system.

We are all excited to be granted this opportunity to offer additional support through constructive dialogue within a forum environment; our goal here is to broaden the lines of communication between the Game Master Department and the rest of the World of Warcraft community, so that issues new and old alike may be addressed accordingly. Not only shall we Game Masters offer the most up-to-date information regarding newly arisen issues that have come to our attention, but we also hope to receive reports of as-of-yet unknown issues from concerned players, so that we may fully investigate such matters and work toward resolving them.

As such, visitors of this forum can expect to find a host of information pertaining to in-game issues, including (but not limited to):

• Identifying common quest, profession, loot, item, character, or interface-related issues, as well as resolutions for them wherever available.
  
• Information on the most recent issues which have been brought to our attention, as well as some indication of their status as we work to resolve them.
  
• Further insight into the functionality of the Game Master Department for our player base, so that we may demystify how we operate.
  
• A regularly updated and comprehensive list of the most common issues at any given time, based on the reports we receive in-game.

For those of you unfamiliar with the general role and functionality of the Game Master Department, allow us to shed some light on the matter. All of our Game Masters are employed at Blizzards headquarters, and work shifts spanning twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. This means that if you happen to submit a ticket at 3 a.m. on a holiday, a real-life Game Master shall assist you as quickly as is possible. That’s right: We’re not robots. In fact, most Game Masters spend their off-hours playing World of Warcraft on regular accounts, just like everyone else. Contrary to some theories circulating amongst the player base, we do not work from home, nor are we allowed to play World of Warcraft while on the clock. All our time on-duty is committed to responding to players’ petitions, all the while endeavoring to ensure that each and every player has the smoothest, most enjoyable adventures while in Azeroth.

Ultimately, our goal as Game Masters is to provide the best customer experience in the gaming industry for each of you in turn; it is our hope that, with the arrival of this new forum, we shall be able to do so by offering that information which is available to us, as well as receiving feedback regarding issues which have not yet fallen under our gaze. We, the GM Forum Moderators — as representatives of the Game Master Department — consider ourselves privileged to be given this chance to participate in active and constructive dialogue with our player base, in the hopes that our combined efforts may contribute to the best possible experience in World of Warcraft.

Please keep in mind that this forum is for issues specific to the Game Master Department. We must stress that, whenever necessary, we will redirect posts to their appropriate forums, so that you may receive the most accurate response possible.

This forum is not an alternative way to submit a ticket. For in-game assistance, you must submit a ticket in-game.

That said, we encourage you to browse this forum and share any thoughts, questions, or concerns you may have as they relate to the Game Master Department and the services we provide. Please note, however, that if you wish to offer feedback regarding a specific Game Master, your best course of action is to send an e-mail to wowgmfeedback-us@blizzard.com, so that your comments or concerns may be handled by the appropriate parties.

Additionally, if you come across anything in-game which seems amiss, or discover an issue of which we may not currently be aware, please do let us know; we shall relay the information you provide to those departments best suited to look into the situation, and take all necessary steps to ensure that it is attended to. Suggestions, on the other hand, are best directed at our aptly named Suggestions Forum (http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/board.html?forumId=11122&sid=1) as Customer Service representatives do not act as liaisons to our Development teams.

In the end, friends, we hope you enjoy your time here at the Customer Service Forum. Have fun!

***FORUM GUIDELINES***

In addition to the Forum Code of Conduct (http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/policy/forum-coc.html), here are some common courtesy guidelines to follow. While these do technically fall within the bounds of the Code of Conduct, there has been some confusion regarding what is and is not allowed. These guidelines should help clear up any misconceptions.

• The World of Warcraft forums are for discussion of topics directly related to World of Warcraft.
  If you wish to discuss other topics, whether its polling for real-life statistics or asking what one listens to while playing, please post in our Off-Topic Forum. Please note that this includes comparisons with other games.
  
  
• Do not post in all capital letters, use excessive punctuation, etc.
  This practice is used to draw attention to ones post. While everyone wants their posts read, we ask that you refrain from using sensational tactics in order to bring more people to your thread. Let your post stand on its own merit.
  
  
• Posting IBL, IBTL, or its variants constitutes spamming.
  We appreciate that our posters understand the Code of Conduct to the point where they can call whether or not a thread is in violation; however, saying In before the lock does not contribute to a constructive community, and it does fall under spamming. If you wish to acknowledge a post that violates policy, please report it instead.
  
  
• Do not bump posts.
  The act of bumping ones post is considered spamming and contributes nothing constructive to the discussion. Your thread will be seen; there is no need to continually bump it to the top of the list.
  
  
• Do not disclose other players' details or post defamatory remarks regarding another in-game character. This includes screenshots or chat logs. If you encounter an issue with another character that needs our attention, please open a ticket to a Game Master on the issue in-game.
  
  
• Do not post about locked or deleted threads.
  Posts that are moderated have a reason behind the moderation. We lock before we post on a locked thread to stop the violation in question as soon as possible, so if you have yet to see a comment by a member of the community team on a locked thread, please wait for it and do not post on the subject. If you do have questions regarding forum moderation, please use the contact list below.
  
  
• If you have a post to report or a sticky to request, use the biohazard symbol or e-mail wowreportedpost@blizzard.com.
  Please do not post linking to threads you feel should be moderated or stickied. By using the methods we have in place, we can moderate more efficiently.
  
  
• Do not recruit for a guild outside your guild’s realm forum or the Guild Recruitment forum.
  This includes either advertising/recruiting for your guild, or requesting characters to transfer to your realm to join your guild through:
  
  
  • Forum posts outside of your guild’s realm forum or the Guild Recruitment forum
  
  If a player is found to have participated in such actions, he/she will:
  
  
  • Be given a final warning, any further Code of Conduct violations may result in a permanent ban from the forums
    
  • Be permanently banned from the World of Warcraft forums

In addition, there is a cooldown period we institute during times of high forum traffic. If you are violating policy during one of these times due to frustration, you will be given a three-hour cooldown suspension. This does not get logged on your record, and is simply in place to keep the forums readable and civil. Serious violations will still have the appropriate action taken against them as documented in the Code of Conduct, and we do keep track of these cool down periods separately; if one is found to be repeatedly violating policy, appropriate action will be taken.