why square enix, why?

[Nailo1313]

Last week i decided to reactivate my account with play online/final fantasy XI. I reinstalled everything and tried it out. When I tried to log in it read: ERROR: invalid playonline id or password. After a few days i decided to go ahead and create a new account. After completing the whole registration, I filled in the CD key. There was another error: invalid registration key . So, I decided to call up the survice hotline. I told the "specialist" my problems and he said " It is a policy here at play online that we must have an oderly payment proccess. You have not paid in 90 days so there fore your registration is canceled." I replied " so how do i get play online running again?" he said "Sir, we have deleted your playonine ID from the records. The only way to get a new valid play online ID is to buy a new copy of the game" . That has got to be the stupidest thing i have ever heard. I don't think that it says anything about that on the manual. The question "why final fantasy?" refers to why did such a great company like square enix have a game hosted on a server that makes you buy a new copy of the game you already have and who are having problems as it is with the new expansion they have out. Well what should i do?

[DarkAurora]

I heard they would cancel your ID if you didn't pay for 90 days but I assumed that would mean you would just have to make a new character. I haven't played since February but I was thinking about buying the new expansion pack and playing again but if I have to buy a new copy of the game to play again, I will be seriously pissed. I say you call back and demand to speak with a manager. There is no reason for you to have to buy a whole new game.

[ROYGBIV]

My opinion: I love Final Fantasy but haven't bothered with FFXI. It went downhill when they only created it for online play. Your issue just states how bad they are treating it. They are really stupid and are now milking up FFVII. The movie seems cool (Advent Children) but now they are making another game for FFVII! Something Digestive Courage (totally wrong but it's FFVII: DC). It's after AC.

[Nailo1313]

maybe we should sue ^_^

[DarkAurora]

Uhhh... I doubt you would ever win in a suit against a giant company like Square-Enix but if you call and speak to a manger, I'm sure he will get everything situated with you and you won't have to buy a new version of the game.

[Nailo1313]

i dunno those guys are tough about policies

[Paratech]

I dunno why they're so tough on their policies. I know I'd never be interested in playing it. $50 is bad enough let alone paying per month...

[Warrior84]

hahahaha thats the most funniest thing i have ever heard , thats why i will never pay for a mmorpg there all crap and this one is very crappy

[ShinjiGohan]

>.< shoot. I had installed the game back in november, but due to a computer crash I lost the data and never bothered to reinstall it since. And now I'm hearing this?

[stilz]

Hope you guys can get it straightened out, not a FFXI player myself.
I don't know if I'd call the FF series 'downhill', but first having an MMORPG and now an action game to come out of it is just..well, weird. I must say though, FFXI looks absolutely beautiful. Alas, most companies make games to make $ and that's it, which is what makes companies like Blizzard (or maybe Flagship?) distinct; they love their games.

[Carmofin]

action game? cmon, youre just like those people who assumed that FFX-2 would be a jumpnrun
anyway, this is ridiculous! in FFXI they have tried a lot of things so far to force you to play a lot, but making you buy a new copy, that really tops everything! yet again my opinion of square-enix just dropped a little lower...

[Raziel]

As long as it isn't mentionned anywhere in the manual/box/all the docs on the CDs, you can sue them and you'll win, though, just threatening a manager will do

[Vahid]

actually u can reactivate it, u got to send them a check or money order, with your ID on it saying u wanna reactivate it, you shouldnt have a problem, i did it and about a week later i was back in the game

[Nailo1313]

thanks a lot!

[Nailo1313]

but how long was it deactivated?

[Mighty_KC]

Seriously here, somebody earlier had the exact right idea. Call their tech support hotline back, tell them the problem again, and if you get another moron that tells you that you have to purchase the game again you tell him you want to speak to his manager right this instant! Be firm but not abusive. More than likely you just got a lazy/stupid tech on the phone that didn't pay attention in training class so he just guesses at his answers and/or goes from the stupid things the other techs say in the break room because either they're stupid too or they're just being mean and trying to confuse the new guys that don't know any better. I spent a few years in the tech support business and I know how it goes in that environment.

Bottom line is that it isn't in the manual or the TOS or EULA or whatever that they can ban your CD Key for not keeping your account in a constant state of payment. There has never been an MMORPG that has done that and there never will be. That's just stupid and the moron you talked to needs to have a stern speaking to by his boss because he's spreading disinformation to people too timid to challenge him. Seriously, unless you did something else to get your CD Key banned (Like using a bot or exploiting a programming flaw, which ARE bannable offences per their EULA) then you don't have anything to worry about. Since I bought they game when it first came out I've played it for a total of maybe three months, about two months after I first got it, then I quit and cancelled my payments, then for another month about five months later, after which I cancelled the account again. They didn't ban my CD Key the first time and I better not find out they did it the second time either otherwise there's gonna be hell to pay for the chump that answers the phone and gives me such a stupid answer.

I don't know if anyone knows this but when the game first launched in the US they put out a pretty large batch of messed up install disks. I got one of those. I took it back to the store once at their request. After that didn't work I told them they better do something about this and you know what? They told me that they have an FTP server where you can download the disks, because they knew about the problem after all and had prepared a work-around for it, they just didn't necessarily feel they should give it out to everyone who called with this problem. Sometimes you gotta dig a little deeper.

Moral of the story: If it sounds stupid then it probably is. This guy you talked to doesn't have a clue what he's talking about. Don't send them a money order or check and if they ask you to tell 'em to shove it and ask to speak to their manager because that's the person you're gonna need to talk to.

And you know what? If the manager gives you crap about it (Unlikely, they're specially trained at kissing customer ass) ask to speak to their manager. I know that sounds ridiculous but honestly, sometimes they know less than the people under them. You usually have to just bump up the ladder enough times to get someone who has a clue or is willing to bend over backwards to fix your problem so that the company doesn't lose you as a paying customer.