I was a loyal player of EQ2 for over 3 years!!!  Then I stop playing for a few months and cancelled my subscription to take a break with the intention of going back.  One day, I get an email from SOE stating that my account has been compromised.  So, I logon, reset my password, and poof, 3 years of in game coin and gear gone.  I was robbed.  

Granted it's only a game, but when you invest 3 years in one, it means more to you then when you play a game for a couple of weeks.

So, I open a case with SOE.  To my shock and surpirse, they state they will not (note will not vs can not) restore my account because I am currently not a paying customer.   So I reply.  "I was a loyal paying customer for over 3 years, and this is how you treat me?"  Granted, you have policies, but what about caring for your customer base, especially a loyal veteran who would like to return if his account is restored."

The reply, sorry sir, we cannot help you unless you renew your subscription.   Again I reply, I renewd it.

The reply, sorry sir, the f2p model does not qualify you as renewing your account, you must select a payment plan and only then can we restore your account.    I asked them if that is guaranteed.  If I pay, do you guarantee my account restored before I was robbed?  I Figured, if it's guaranteed, then what's 15 bucks to get 3 years worth of stuff back.

The reply, no sir.  It is not a guarantee.  We will try, but we may not be able to restore your account.  

At this point I gave up.

To me this is not good customer service.  I get robbed.  Not my fault.  They hack into SOE security system and it's somehow my fault and I have to dish out money, first, before they'll help me.  

I know people will say, hey if you want it that bad, dish out the cash.  But that's not the point.  What ever happened to good customer service.  I mean 3 years!!!  That's longer then some marriages I know.

Am I over reacting that I feel like I'm getting cheated here? Honest opinions would be appreciated.

No, it is not good at all.

Making a game F2P but having different quality for players depending on how much they pay isn't really fair.

Customer service really should be the same for everyone, having VIP players and treating everyone else like trash is no way to build a good gaming community.

If SOE can't give everyone good customer service they shouldn't had made the game F2P.

Originally posted by Loke666

No, it is not good at all.

Making a game F2P but having different quality for players depending on how much they pay isn't really fair.

Customer service really should be the same for everyone, having VIP players and treating everyone else like trash is no way to build a good gaming community.

If SOE can't give everyone good customer service they shouldn't had made the game F2P.

Exactly.  Two people return a suit to a clothing store.   One is requesting a refund.  The other an exchange and is going to buy another suit.  Who should get the better customer service?  Neither.  It should be the same for both.

Money is the certainly the root of all evil.

Not surprised SOE were dicks when it came to actually helping people since my time in the orginial EQ back before luclin.

Originally posted by zeroscloud

Not surprised SOE were dicks when it came to actually helping people since my time in the orginial EQ back before luclin.

Wow, so many years ago, and they haven't changed much.  Very sad indeed.

That, sorry to say, is the current model for customer service for most MMO's now days. I had an issue with Blizz where my account was hacked and they said sure we can restore your account, just you done even have to re-sub. There you go, we sent every thing back to you, it's in your toons mail. Make sure you get it out of there mail by the end of the month...or it goes poof, oh and sense your account was active (by the hacker) you cannot use one of the reactivation scrolls from a friend. lol....re-sub...lol

Originally posted by Arkain

That, sorry to say, is the current model for customer service for most MMO's now days. I had an issue with Blizz where my account was hacked

I had the same problem w both Blizzard and SOE - no account help unless I monthly sub

Originally posted by tort0429

[...]

Then I stop playing for a few months and cancelled my subscription to take a break with the intention of going back.  One day, I get an email from SOE stating that my account has been compromised.  So, I logon, reset my password, and poof, 3 years of in game coin and gear gone.  I was robbed.

[...]

Well, the CSR never was good at SOE, thats for sure ;-)

But what i was wondering... If your Account was closed/locked, how they stole your Gear n Stuff? And how you found out, your Stuff is gone, w/o having a working Subscription? The "Big SOE Server Hacks" are a few Month ago now and the "F2P Mode" on regular Servers, started back in December, afaik.

(No Trolling! Just wondering!)

I have yet to experience any MMORPG that allows you to recover your in-game items after a hacking incident without paying upfront for at least one month. I actually ran into the same situation with Aion (my email was hacked while I was at the hospital visiting my daughter while she gave birth to my first Grandchild, and all of my MMORPG passwords were stolen and the accounts hacked). Aion refused to even acknowledge that my account was mine without the 'secret question' information which had been recorded solely in my email notes and deleted by the hackers. The company insisted that using the game code from the original box was not enough, I would have to magically come up with the secret question and answer before they'd take the account from the hacker and return it to me. "Screw 'em, then." I said, "You'll just have to deal with a naked gladiator named Ruejacobs dancing naked around a mailbox and spamming kineh offers." and I washed my hands of it. 

In short, at least EQ2 isn't Aion. (Although those wings might make you do a double-take, huh, Arkain?)

Isn't it stated on the grid that non paying people don't get full customer service? I'm pretty sure it's common for issues like this to arise with F2P games that were P2P before, it usually has it on the grids that only paying customers get Full customer service.