I Haven't Had Access to the Forums for a Week. It says I'm not Subscribed. GMs Couldn't Help

Support Customer Support
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I missed this, I apologize-- I was replying to the part where you mentioned reporting a bug. The forum isn’t the only place that you can do that, but I’m getting the sense you are conflating bug reports and submitting tickets. There would be no ‘trying,’ as you put it-- reporting a bug simply puts it in front of QA for investigation, they’re not the game masters that you’ve been going back and forth with.

Generally they aren’t, either-- but this specific sitch falls into a very niche category that Blizzard is at a disadvantage with. They simply license the software being used for the current iteration of the forums, they don’t have complete control over it. They can make things work to their preference with Discourse over time, but it also comes with the territory of highly-specific situations being something out of their wheelhouse that may need to be escalated to the software developer for some insight.

I’m unsure if the people responsible for that level of contact can be found in this forum, however.

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Seriously dude, thank you for being so understanding here and for explaining things to me. I genuinely appreciate you.

I know this is a very tiny issue, but, like…I want things to work the way they’re supposed to and I don’t think that’s too much to expect.

You mentioned that submitting a bug takes it to QA testers and that it’s different from talking to GMs? I did not know this. I thought it all went to the same place.

With this in mind, I will submit a bug report as well. Will I get a response? Or is it a way one-way kinda thing and I just have to hope the problem gets resolved?

Again, thank you for being so patient!

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Not sure if it has been asked & answered, but are you within the continental US, or in another country, do you use a VPN, have you tried disabling antivirus software , or maybe changed settings in your router recently?

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Yep!

As for antivirus, this problem persists on any device I try, even ones without antivirus.

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They are very different teams.

  • QA takes bug reports via the Bug Report forum and the in-game bug report tool. That is the only way to submit bugs. They investigate it, document it, try to replicate it, etc. Developers fix bugs - usually in patches or hotfixes.
  • GM/CS handle all Billing, Account Access (missing passwords), chat/name reports, appeals (unless escalated to Hacks for anti-cheat appeals), and a very limited number of in-game things for WoW. WoW mostly has made the GM tools available to players such as item restore. The GM/CS team handles tickets for all Blizzard games.
  • This forum is not a way to reach either - it is staffed by Forum Support Agents. It serves as an Information Desk to help people navigate the Support system, explain policies, and explain account services. There are no GMs on the forums, and they can’t help with the forum software anyway.
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So why did the GMs tell me to come to the forums to solve this issue? XD

This has been a real trip, lol.

Also, wasn’t I talking to a Blizzard employee earlier? Who was that blue guy?

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I believe it’s safe to say that we all understand and empathize with that, absolutely. Being frustrated with things out of our control is part of what makes us human. What sets us apart from others is how we handle and deal with that frustration, however-- while it’s hardly ideal, sometimes the answer is “we aren’t sure how to proceed from here, give us some time to look into it.”

Blizzard operates in teams, each team has their own projection of scope (responsibility, if you will) within the company. Hacks, Quality Assurance, Customer Service (game masters), etc. It isn’t one big melting pot of responsibility, everyone employed there has a specific set of objectives that they’re expected to tackle.

Bear in mind this is only valid for the issues you’re having in-game. Submitting a bug report will get it on the path to being a known issue, but it is not a guaranteed outcome. QA still has to take the information provided, try replicating the issue, and if they’re able, then they send it up to the developers for a fix. They won’t reach out to you unless they have more questions about the issue you’re trying to raise.

The issue you’re having with the website is a different matter entirely which might be a bit of an obstacle if you aren’t able to post in the Website Bug Report forum.

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To report it for it to be looked into, not fixed.

They don’t handle the forums, they mainly work in the CS form when it comes to info, not fixing the forums.

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They tell you to post on the forums as a last resort - so that the Community might be able to suggest something that helps kick your browser or forum software into seeing that you have a sub.

The Blue you saw was the last category I listed - Forum Support Agent. I explained what this forum is for. It is a good place to ask about how the forums work and what support articles or self help steps you can try.

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Well time to find out if I can post there. Do you know where I can find the website bug report forum?

Again, THANK YOU.

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There are other posts like yours.

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Oh no you deleted the post right before I clicked on it! XD

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Right over here!

I see it has been given already, baha! Me and my uncaffeinated self right now. Thankfully it is also a support category, so much like Customer Support and Technical Support, active game time isn’t required to post there.

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I suspect it was the same link I gave. We posted at almost the same time :slight_smile:

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You.
Are.
The BEST!

Why aren’t you an MVP?

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Generally, those posts are when the website randomly decides to only display your battlenet name and not display any characters. Doesn’t seem to be the same issue here, since they have changed characters.

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Yeah, the issue is the forums think I’m not subscribed XD

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Haha! I commend our local MVPs for what they do, but I don’t think I could personally handle that level of responsibility and expected professionalism. I won’t deny there are also times where tensions can egg the worst out of me if someone’s trolling or monstrous enough.

I know it’s just a color change (though green is my favorite color), but I’m perfectly content with being able to help when and where I can in boring white text.

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Okay so I opened a new post in, what I hope, is finally the RIGHT place to get this issue resolved. Thanks again!

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OK I read this ENTIRE thread, and I wanted to address a few things. First thing first:

Just because we can play the game (in this case, Retail), doesn’t mean we have a Sub. I don’t have a Sub but can play the game (well, Retail, at least, up to a certain point, but I digress). IK Orlyia (the one with blue text) DID clear you as “having a Sub” but for the lurkers reading this thread, I want to clarify that “having access to the game” (Retail, at least), doesn’t prove “having a Sub”. You can play the game (Retail, at least), without a Sub. Sure, there’s blockages like the level cap being 20, gold cap is 1kg, can’t use the AH, etc., but you can still access this game (Retail, at least), in some capacity, without a Sub.

Not once have I read you state actually trying to submit a post in (to the forums that require a Sub to post in). Reason why I ask is because whenever I am Subbed, sometimes (not always) when I switch to a different character, the forums will say (not that it’s true) “I can’t post because of X, Y and Z”.

So, not to ask such a silly question but have you tried actually submitting a post in (to the forums that require a Sub)?

As another poster kindly pointed out, there is an in-game Bug Report feature, you can report any Bugs you find. As other posters pointed out, the Forums can be deleted, tomorrow and then where else could we report bugs? The in-game Bug Report feature would be the only place. And, you don’t need a Sub for that, either. I can use BOTH the Customer Support Bug Report Forum AND the in-game Bug Report feature. No Sub required!

The ONLY forum place that requires a Sub would be to post Suggestions, in the General Discussion Forum. HOWEVER, there is an in-game Suggestion Feature. It’s in the same place where to report Bugs, in-game (just make sure you click on “Suggestions/Feedback” instead of “Bug Report”. And, you can use the in-game version WITHOUT a Sub, for anyone looking to provide Suggestions/Feedback and are having legitimate forum posting issues.

Most (keyword) of the time, no. Not even in the Bug Forums (which you can post in there without a Sub) will get a response. The only times they do (even this is a stretch) is for more clarification. Most (keyword, again) of the time, it’s a “one-way kinda thing”.

As the MVP (poster with green text) already said, it’s a “last resort” kind of thing. But, the Customer Support Forums is what they mean, since anyone with a WoW Account (Sub or No Sub) can post in. You can come to these parts of the Forums without a Sub including the Bug Forums which was your initial reason.

The only DIFFERENCE is trying to post a Suggestion because that one requires a Sub because those go to the General Discussion Forum. I’d rather guide people to the in-game Suggestions feature where it does NOT require a Sub.

IK the MVP (poster with green text) already pointed you in the right direction, but I wanted to share ALL of the Forums one can post in WITHOUT a Sub:

(This one) Customer Support
https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/wow/c/support/customer-support/13

Technical Support
https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/wow/c/support/technical-support/15

Mac Technical Support
https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/wow/c/support/mac-technical-support/16

Bug Report
https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/wow/c/support/bug-report/17

Website Bug Report
https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/wow/c/support/website-bug-report/18

Mobile Bug Report
https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/wow/c/support/mobile-bug-report/19

Those are ALL of the forums that those of us with WoW accounts (Sub or No Sub) can post in. They MAY (keyword) try to template (which may sound automated) say “go to the forums”, when you want to post a “Suggestion”, but THAT requires a Sub for the “General Discussion”:

(Requires a Sub) General Discussion - For “Suggestions/Feedback”
https://us.forums.blizzard.com/en/wow/c/community/general-discussion/171

Again, I’d rather just point everyone to the in-game Suggestions Feature instead, since you do NOT need a Sub, for that.

Yeah, sometimes the forums do that. It’ll give a reason “why you can’t post on the forums” despite it not being true. Again, have you just tried making a post, in those Forums that “require a Sub”? IK it sounds silly, but I’m curious if that was tried or not. Because IK seeing those kind of messages can deter people from even trying.

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