I don’t tend to do shopping at places with poor customer service track records but I appreciate your candor.
This isn’t about a ‘classic’ or ‘non classic’ experience - It’s about customer service experience. Which. Mine was pretty abysmal. (respectfully)
Uh yeah, it is. Those didn’t have return windows on items. Retail does. This is a point of evolution of the game where you have chosen to stay in the past. This is a consequence of your choice.
To be utterly frank, this forum isn’t up for debate on what is or isn’t customer service or what it means to that person. The GMs and a supervisor GM step in and told you ‘No’ in this regard. I’ve worked in CS before facing customers. No, no amount of trying to talk me into giving discount for a dent or damage item because someone along the pipeline to here will make me do it.
But to the point: posting here won’t make the trade for the item you want will happen, nor would trying to, basically, guilt trip folks will make it happen.
Hi there.
Respectfully the items actually DID have a return window on the item. Akin to retail. Once it’s equiped… Enchanted… Or transmogged… The item can no longer be refunded. (Which I obviously immediately realized once I equiped it and realized…) "Oh crap. I got the wrong piece.
Your friends steered you wrong. Blizzard has rarely if ever replaced a token item once you equipped it. If it can be earned or dropped again they have always been hands-off.
You seem to know that this is not something you can expect help with. Once those systems are in place Blizzard does not get involved. It is a matter of player responsibility, as you said. The GMs are not allowed to refund tokens outside the in-game system that has been created.
They used to do more, but as usual, people abused it. They would get gear for one purpose, use it for that, then want to switch it out for raid or something. It drove up ticket times as you might imagine. Blizz changed the game to ensure it is harder to make mistakes, that players have a refund option for a set period of time, etc. Players in the end have to have some responsibility.
GMs would love to help - but honestly they are not allowed to fix every little thing a player wants. You are right, there is not much they do in-game anymore. Not that they ever really did.
They gave the GM tools to the players.
The rest of the things you said - no Blizz is not allowed to give game hints, they don’t get involved in civil disputes between players, and they don’t get involved in the free market AH.
This article on what GMs can (and can’t) do might be helpful.
I really don’t enjoy analogies because it’s not really accurate to compare two different services from two very different companies. And there’s always a way to poke holes in them –
In your original analogy, you are operating within the retailers existing refunds and exchange policy. In your original analogy, you exchanged your item with the vendor within 2 hours of purchase without equipping or modifying it. In your original analogy, Blizzard and your example retailer are actually offering the same customer service.
Lets modify your analogy to more accurately reflect the interaction with the game. You ordered a pair of shoes, you thought “I’ll run faster if I paint them red” so you modified them to better suit your desires. Then you realized you made a mistake and try to return them. I cannot imagine that a retailer, seeing that the product has been modified after purchase, is going to be too keen to accept the return from you.
I appreciate that you understand and are willing to take responsibility for the mistake. That also means accepting that the rules that apply to everyone else in this type of situation also apply to you. The in-game refund/exchange system is there so that players can resolve these mistakes without a Game Master. Because of that, our policy is that we will not assist if the system is not utilized.
We often see players who are upset with a declined request because from their perspective it is a very simple thing to fix. And yes, a lot of things can ‘technically’ be done very simply. If I wanted to max out a players gold, for example, I could do that very easily. If a player were to request that, I would still tell them no. Customer Support Departments (no matter the industry) operate based on policies which guide what they can and cannot do regardless of what may be technically possible.
When you’re told no, it doesn’t mean that the Customer Support team doesn’t care or doesn’t empathize with your situation but they do need to follow policies that were put in place for good reasons. In this case, the reason is that these types of requests took up a LOT of time in Customer Support in years past. So much time that the dev team decided building an in-game system would ultimately be more efficient even though it took developer attention away from other things. Now that is the system the game team expects players to use, and Customer Support is able to focus on problems where there may not be an in-game option to fix.
It’s ok to be dissatisfied with that, and we do provide surveys when your tickets are closed in order to gather satisfaction information and feedback. You should see them on your ticket history page:
They do, and quite often, whether you’d like to believe it or not. Just last week we saw one person who managed to get their banned accounts back after a mistake led to their sanction. We’ve seen people with accessibility issues advised or taught how to go about an issue that was preventing them from play. I could sit here and tick off so many times we’ve seen people who come back here to tell how their ticket experience worked out - for better or for worse.
Being told “no” isn’t terrible customer service when it’s on us for the mistake. It sucks, yes. But luck may favor you again with another tier chest piece, should you continue to keep playing.
They don’t really do this so much anymore, or I couldn’t say the last time I knew of it. They respond to tickets via tickets. The interactions were great, yes. But I can imagine it’s helped to drop back some of the ticketing times to just answer them via ticket and move on to the next.
The thing is though, there are no GMs, Devs. QA or any other staff that comes here to this particular forum. It’s only us, your fellow players and our pretty rad SFAs. And they have nothing to do with ticket resolution. This is Customer Support, not Customer Service.
I will tack on though, if you want your feedback heard, the only way to do that is the survey when your ticket is closed out. Normally, it would also be to post in the appropriate forum, but you’re really not supposed to be discussing tickets and this sort of thing on any of them. That leaves you with the survey and/or using the in-game suggestion/feedback tool.
Again, I am sorry for the spot you’re in, but trying to push through to try different folks to get what you want and ending up with only a resounding ‘no’ is not poor customer service. They’re doing what they’re told they can by The Powers That Be.
[Edit] Kalv ninja-ed in while I was typing and I’m not deleting my repeated mess just because. >[
You outline the refund window and criteria and then admit you moved outside the criteria. You’re asking for an exception. Asking doesn’t mean you get it.
Big reason they are hands off now. They used to have to help people exchange items all the time and it ran up ticket times. So they made refunds and exchanges like this self serve to cut down on ticket times and help cut down on needing more personal to keep up. After all there comes a point when throwing more people at a problem is not worth it, Better to find ways to streamline.
Players need to own their mistakes and not expect blizzard to come along and fix them. Just expect that you made a mistake and own that and it will not be fixed for you. Yeah it sucks but that is life.
It is not bad CS but a company taking a stand and not fixing every little mistake someone makes.
Hello there and good morning, apologies for the late reply.
I just wanted to start by taking the time thank you for replying, when I created this most I was aware that it was (Mostly) futile to expect any different outcome. In a manner of speaking I simply wanted to be heard, though I had a modicum of hope someone from Customer Support might actually be able to hear it rather than feeling like I was shouting into the void with a survey that reflected my dissatisfaction. I also wanted to make my dissatisfaction known to the general populous as both a warning for the error which I am completely responsible for; And for what I -respectfully - still see as a complete lack of customer care.
As far as your analogy goes it (respectfully) doesn’t really ‘fit’ the bill; Though this may in part be due to a possible ‘fail’ in me articulating the problem I experienced so I’ll re-give the ‘reader’s digest’ version… I got three tier tokens… Redeemed them. Equiped them. Upon equiping them all, I realized one of them was for the wrong spec. Within minutes of realizing that error. I submitted a ticket. And here we are. I didn’t buy the token intentionally, and I didn’t alter it or change it in any way shape or form in order to gain some sort of advantage. I purchased it, equiped it. took it off, and it sat in my bags untouched throughout the entire process of me awaiting reply(ies) for my ticket. Obviously any retailer wouldn’t take something back if I had altered or changed the product that was sold to me hence why I articulated my analogy the way I did. So hopefully that possibly clears that up for you.
As far as the event itself, yes I full and well take absolutely full responsibility for the error as it was my fault, I purchased the incorrect item, didn’t check it thoroughly before equipping it. And I am aware of and appreciate the safeguards in-place.
I am (Respectfully) still upset with the outcome (And I apologize if it seems exceptionally juvenile as it’s not my intention.) And still (respectfully) find it to be exceptionally poor customer service especially given the situation at hand. At the end of the day, I truly don’t feel like I was treated as a valued customer; Which is why I made this thread to begin with. I honestly, and truly believed and had faith that this was a simple, every-day problem that could’ve been resolved with relative ease. Everyone is of course entitled to their opinions; And this is an open forum for civil and respectful conversation.
Again, thank you for taking the time to reply; While I sincerely and respectfully disagree; If anything this hands-off line of customer service only further validates the things I had heard recently. I still really do appreciate the time you took to reply. All too often I’ve seen peoples voices go unheard, even if they think it’s the wrong answer I appreciate and respect you taking the time to say -something-
Sincerely,
Koorban.
I am not sure what you think you heard, but chances are high that it is pure internet speculation.
Blizzard does not allow GMs to violate policy.
You got the item. The item said no refunds if you equip or change it. You equipped it. It became non-refundable. You had the chance to check on purchase, and check before you equipped. You were warned that equipping it meant it was permanent. This is ultimately on you.
You can get more tokens so this is an issue a player can resolve on their own, eventually.
You were even told why GMs have been hands off tokens for many many years now. Since the refund system went into the game. This policy is something like 10 years old, or more.
This is not some new “change” that can be chalked up to whatever rumor you recently heard.
You really need to read the article I linked on what GMs can, and can’t, do. Your expectations simply don’t match reality of what GMs are there for. Many of the things you mentioned earlier are things they never ever have done (civil disputes, Auction house, game hints, etc.)
They have their policies and the Gm’s have to follow them. Would rather have this where a player has to be very mindful of their choices and own up to their mistakes. The only other choice is to go back to ticket times that had at one point been up to 7 days or more.
Sorry but if you had been paying attention to YOUR choice right away you could have fixed this yourself. But you did not notice until it was too late. I glad to see they made a policy and decided to stick with it. This is not bad Customer service, They do not always have to say yes and bend over for you.
Blizzard has a policy about tokens. They followed the policy. They treated you the same as every other player. It’s not a lack of customer care. It about treating all players the same. How many years you’ve played the game doesn’t give you any privileges. It’s not a lack of customer care. It’s just that YOU didn’t get what you wanted.
You want Blizzard to fix a problem of your own making. You knew that once you equipped it you could not swap it. You didn’t double check BEFORE you equipped it.
Your analogy doesn’t work because there is a difference between physical and digital items.
You claim you take responsibility for the error, but you are still blaming Blizzard because you made the mistake.
I ended up reading it, and I wanted to highlight something. That same post links to a Classic version (as the OP’s post pertains to Classic), as well, as (according to that thread) there’s some differences between the Standard game and Classic.
Please note: Policies around Classic World of Warcraft support will differ slightly. Details can be found in the post: WoW Classic Customer Support and You
Nonetheless, everyone here (except the OP) is saying the correct things. Highlighting the Classic version of what Customer Support cannot do, as my prior quote already links to the Classic Version:
Customer Support will be unable to:
- Restore quest items lost through deletion or quest abandonment. You’ll need to reacquire the quest and obtain the item again.
- Swap quest rewards
- Unbind items bound to a character
- Exchange bind on pick up loot between characters.
- Raid items will have a 2 hour trade window
I can 100% verify at least two instances of something similar happening two friends of mine, one of which I’ve played with for ages; Put in a ticket and got their token refunded and exchanged. I even went back and double-checked just to be certain (Only minor difference was they were tier boots and bracers from Sunwell but same problem.)
I would provide transcripts or screenshots but to be truthfully bunt; I don’t want to put what ‘few’ GM’s there are out there providing A-1 customer service ‘on blast’ or even get them in trouble. But I can assure you, these rules are being ‘picken and chosen’ to be followed in a case-by-case scenario. (Or some GM’s just don’t care for one reason or another.)
I digress. I feel as though my mission was accomplished, even if it is juvenile though in all honesty I was attempted to channel my frustration in the most respectful and constructive way possible. If I wasn’t specifically preparing to go play WOTLK, I probably would’ve unsubbed from how my ticket was handled. I truly didn’t feel I was treated like a valued customer.
And with all due respect… You’re simply wrong. I’ve seen GM’s help with ninja-looting or posted loot rules being disobeyed… I’ve seen GM’s handle people saying off-color things to one and other or flaming or harassing each other… I’ve also seen GM’s link helpful articles and even youtube videos… Shoot even one of my guildies accidentally bought some dumb item on the AH for an insane amount of gold, and they got him the gold back. (I’m actually pretty certain that there’s a youtube series out there about it, but some of it may also include footage about ‘good GM’s’ from private servers - so that’s neither-here-nor-there. Hard to validate those kinds of claims.
I digress, I’ve spoken my peace. I wish you and everyone else in this thread all the luck in the world, and hope you have a fantastic day.
Sincerely,
Koorban.
Some how I doubt that or it was from years ago before this became policy. Gm’s are not allowed and do not have the ability to do what you want them to do for you. Once the exchange and return window is closed by time or your equiping or enchanting the item there is nothing they can do.
I hope this will teach you to be much more mindful of your actions and not expect someone else to fix your problem.
Blizzard has never ever gotten involved in the AH. You buy something it is yours. They will not reverse a purchase or sale. That simply did not happen on the actual Blizzard servers.
If a scam has taken place Blizzard used to remove the item from the scammer. They did not re-distribute that loot though. Blizzard is hands off loot disputes as a general rule.
Of course. That is what the ticket system is for and what right click report is for. People will get Silenced, suspended, or their account closed for breaking the game rules.
Video, not likely. Sending someone to Wowhead because the GM is not allowed to give game hints, yes.
Yeah - illegal private servers are where you would find things very different.
But had they already equipped/used the item? That seems to be the sticking point.
Also, “They did this for my friend so they should do it for me” is exactly why it’s strictly against their policy, otherwise they’d be flooded with requests and have to take the time to do the same for everyone.
In BC Classic or “back in the day”?
You can block out the name(s).
Some exceptions can be made, depending on what happened.
According to the Classic Version of what GMs can do, yes, they deal with this. This is (also) part of their disclaimer:
Duh. This is across both the Standard and Classic version, of the game. Don’t even need to read the rules, to know this.
This isn’t the same as asking for a refund.
By “seen”, do you mean your experience? Or, a video that can be edited?
In BC Classic or “back in the day”?
Videos that can be edited…and (according to you) can be from private servers which is not Blizzard.
I think you’re conflating “good customer service” by mixing up “back in the day”, edited videos or even private servers.
Blizzard has evolved, over the years. What may have been acceptable then is no longer acceptable, now. That’s why we have to accept the ToS, again and again 'cause of new and updated policies.