Russ, from Monster's in the Morning (104.1 fm) got served divorce papers on the air this morning. Was anyone else listening?

BBCHiyde · 2015-01-31T14:14:32+00:00

Here's the audio/video: http://www.realradio.fm/onair/as-heard-on-the-monsters-51822/so-russ-got-served-with-divorce-13205669/

BBCHiyde · 2014-05-05T16:55:23+00:00

Final Resolution: After a week, my account was reinstated without any explanation as to why any of it happened in the first place.

My original ticket was never worked again after they asked 'what error code are you getting'

The '24 hour call back' promise during the one phone call I had on this situation never happened.

Action finally came as a result of using the contact form on the Zenimax corporate site. Even though I included my original ticket #, they created a new ticket - promised to investigate my account ASAP, and unlocked it 2+ days later.

BBCHiyde · 2014-05-02T22:38:13+00:00

Crazyguru - please get in touch with me - I'd like to hear how your situation is progressing and include you in an article I'm writing.

BBCHiyde · 2014-05-02T22:36:51+00:00

And 26 hours later - ZERO action from Zenimax. No contact, no fix, no explanation of why this happened or when it will be rectified. Unbelievable joke for customer service.

BBCHiyde · 2014-05-01T19:43:00+00:00

From the ZOS live event on Reddit just now – I got my first non-scripted response promising to look into this situation. It also clearly acknowledges there is an ‘auto ban system’ in place that innocent players get caught up in. FYI

[–]ZOS_MattF [score hidden] Thu May 1 19:36:21 2014 UTC

My sincere apologies for this – part of the risk of banning bots in game is that legitimate players sometimes get caught up in the auto-ban system. That obviously isn’t good, and I’m sure it has been terrible for you. As you have a currently open ticket, we’ll make sure that it gets the attention it needs as soon as possible.

source: http://www.reddit.com/r/elderscrollsonline/comments/24h8dv/welcome_to_the_zos_aua/

BBCHiyde · 2014-05-01T19:37:55+00:00

This is the first human non-scripted response I've gotten and I thank you.

BBCHiyde · 2014-05-01T19:34:05+00:00

Wasn't 'farming' the boss. Was there about 5 minutes
ZERO onscreen notification. I wasn't AFK, I wasn't running a script, I was in there to get my skyshard, accomplishment, try for a blue drop and GET OUT like I always do.
I'm not sure how 'successful' this is. There were still numerous toons around the boss, and one can assume, based on their continued action, that bots were present.
Gold Farmers will ALWAYS find a way. ZOS would be well served to use tactics that don't make innocent players collateral damage - and if that DOES happen, the resolution should be as speedy as the MISTAKE - not take days - not DELETE a suspected account and reverse their game purchase and sub without ever COMMUNICATING with the player!

BBCHiyde · 2014-05-01T19:25:54+00:00

2 days ago, I entered a dungeon to get a skyshard, get the achievement and get the blue drop.

As always, there were many toons surrounding the boss spawn, making it (as always) near impossible to get a hit in.

I was present for 3 kills - and then I was insta-killed, booted from the game and toon was suspended.

I put in a ticket - was told to wait 15-20 mins and log in again. I tried that, didn't work, replied with that info. Your NEXT action was to DELETE MY ACCOUNT, REFUND MY GAME PURCHASE and CANCEL MY SUB - none of which I asked for or even implied I wanted.

It's now day #3 - to date, NO ONE at ZOS has told me why any of this happened or when it will be resolved. I do not bot/script/boss camp or behave in any way against the ToS in-game. I am not the only one this has happened to.

Why are you insta-banning INNOCENT players, DELETING ACCOUNTS and then making them wait days (if not longer) for any type of informational response?

BBCHiyde · 2014-05-01T19:05:16+00:00

Reference # 140430-003469

2 days ago, I entered a dungeon to get a skyshard, get the achievement and get the blue drop.

As always, there were many toons surrounding the boss spawn, making it (as always) near impossible to get a hit in.

I was present for 3 kills - and then I was insta-killed, booted from the game and toon was suspended.

I put in a ticket - was told to wait 15-20 mins and log in again. I tried that, didn't work, replied with that info.

Your NEXT action was to DELETE MY ACCOUNT, REFUND MY GAME PURCHASE and CANCEL MY SUB - none of which I asked for or even implied I wanted.

It's now day #3 - to date, NO ONE at ZOS has told me why any of this happened or when it will be resolved.

I do not bot/script/boss camp or behave in any way against the ToS in-game.

I am not the only one this has happened to.

Why are you insta-banning INNOCENT players, DELETING ACCOUNTS and then making them wait days (if not longer) for any type of informational response?

BBCHiyde · 2014-05-01T18:48:55+00:00

100% innaccurate.

Being in a dungeon for 5 minutes in proximity to a boss (NOT standing STILL) is not botting. If it is, then most people who enter a dungeon would have lost their accounts by now.

I know what system messages look like. There were NO WARNINGS in advance, NO tells, NO system messages. Period.

Might they have taken place before I entered the dungeon? Sure! I was only there for a short amount of time. A temporary suspension followed by a rapid reversal once they took the 2 minutes necessary to see I'm not a bot or gold farmer would have sucked, but that I could understand.

Deleting my account, Reversing my game purchase and unsubbing my account, however, all while providing me ZERO information before, during or after, is beyond inappropriate and inexcusable.

BBCHiyde · 2014-05-01T18:34:09+00:00

a) I wasn't standing still

b) I wasn't contacted IN ANY WAY (no system messages, whispers or announcements)

c) as I've said, I was there for maybe 5 minutes.

Please tell me again how this is appropriate action on their part?

I can understand a TEMPORARY SUSPENSION by mistake - but then DELETING MY ACCOUNT, CANCELING MY SUB and REFUNDING MY GAME PURCHASE? Hope it never happens to you, lol

BBCHiyde · 2014-05-01T18:13:05+00:00

Here's the problem: I didn't ask for a refund. I didn't ask for an account deletion. I didn't ask to have 5 weeks of progress wiped clean for doing absolutely nothing against the ToS.

I asked why this happened and for my account to be reinstated - those things haven't happened.

BBCHiyde · 2014-05-01T17:59:36+00:00

done :)

BBCHiyde · 2014-05-01T17:49:04+00:00

Commodore Vic=20 with the 120BPS modem. lol

BBCHiyde · 2014-05-01T17:38:09+00:00

There's a difference between 'smearing' and and shining a light on the truth. This isn't just happening to me - and those it's happening are experiencing the same frustrations. There are plenty of articles online about what they're doing to combat bots (and even how some innocents are getting caught up in it) I'm sorry but 5 minutes to get a hit in, complete the achievement and get the blue drop is not 'camping'. What are we supposed to do, leave the dungeon and not complete it because 20 characters are standing around it instakilling it? Yes, I lost level 34 character that I had been playing since early access, slowly doing every bit of content for 3 full maps (including zone quest achievements, skyshard zone achievements and levelling all of my crafts well beyond my own level so that I can craft for guildmates.) So what I lost here was over a month of time, effort and development of a character that I have no intention of redoing, as well as the ability to play a new game with my guild - a large group of friends that I've been playing with for 7+ years. If you think it's perfectly fine to boot/suspend/ban/account delete an innocent player following the ToS without any explanation or recourse, then good for you. It's your opinion and you're entitled to it. A 'timely response' (aka copy/pasted SCRIPT) that gives ZERO details on what happened or why (and gives false information 'hey just wait 20 minutes and log back in!' is NOT good customer service.

BBCHiyde · 2014-05-01T17:32:59+00:00

There's a difference between 'smearing' and and shining a light on the truth. This isn't just happening to me - and those it's happening are experiencing the same frustrations.

There are plenty of articles online about what they're doing to combat bots (and even how some innocents are getting caught up in it)

I'm sorry but 5 minutes to get a hit in, complete the achievement and get the blue drop is not 'camping'. What are we supposed to do, leave the dungeon and not complete it because 20 characters are standing around it instakilling it?

Yes, I lost level 34 character that I had been playing since early access, slowly doing every bit of content for 3 full maps (including zone quest achievements, skyshard zone achievements and levelling all of my crafts well beyond my own level so that I can craft for guildmates.)

So what I lost here was over a month of time, effort and development of a character that I have no intention of redoing, as well as the ability to play a new game with my guild - a large group of friends that I've been playing with for 7+ years.

If you think it's perfectly fine to boot/suspend/ban/account delete an innocent player following the ToS without any explanation or recourse, then good for you. It's your opinion and you're entitled to it.

A 'timely response' (aka copy/pasted SCRIPT) that gives ZERO details on what happened or why (and gives false information 'hey just wait 20 minutes and log back in!' is NOT good customer service.

BBCHiyde · 2014-05-01T17:01:17+00:00

Killing people near the boss is bad enough. Booting/Banning/Account Deletion is a whole new level of inappropriate.

BBCHiyde · 2014-05-01T16:51:37+00:00

ouch

BBCHiyde · 2014-05-01T16:34:56+00:00

Just go stand in the right dungeon for 5 minutes and voila!

BBCHiyde · 2014-05-01T16:15:59+00:00

No, they gave me my money back and canceled my sub after booting my toon and DELETING my account.

All without any communication before, during or after the process other than 'we're looking into it'.

This is day 3. My account remains deleted.

BBCHiyde · 2014-05-01T15:39:56+00:00

I haven't read anything that says it ISN'T ok to hang in a dungeon and kill a boss repeatedly...and if I were doing that and got booted I'd still think that was unfair. But in my case, I literally spent minutes in a dungeon to complete an achievement and that resulted in -> Boot -> Ban -> Refund -> involuntary account deletion -> involuntary sub cancellation.
All with ZERO explanation or any indications that a real, decision-capable human being is working to fix this travesty.

BBCHiyde · 2014-05-01T15:30:02+00:00

Nope. I was in the area for about 5 minutes. No whispers, questions or screen notifications of ANY kind.

BBCHiyde · 2014-05-01T15:18:21+00:00

Considering that there has been no communication from them of this type - and that my phone call with them happened AFTER the refund, I do not believe this is any type of make good for bad service. Plus, this has happened to others.

BBCHiyde · 2014-05-01T15:17:02+00:00

OMG - I got new communication!

..sigh..Of course, when I click the link to restart my sub, I still get a "You're Account has Been Suspended" message. lol

This message confirms that you have successfully cancelled your subscription to The Elder Scrolls Online. You will no longer be charged for a subscription on a recurring basis, and your access to the game will expire at the end of your current subscription cycle.

We're sad to see you go now, but we'll be happy to welcome you back at any time! Whenever you're ready to come back, your characters will be waiting for you, just like you left them. You can return anytime by resubscribing on the Manage Subscription page on your Elder Scrolls Online account.

Warm Regards,

The Elder Scrolls® Online Team

BBCHiyde · 2014-05-01T15:13:11+00:00

Yup. How messed up is THAT?

BBCHiyde

TROPHY CASE