For the record, Playonline makes it VERY difficult....

[Winklewil]

....to return to the game after a long hiatus. This is particularly true if you've long since forgotten your Playonline password. I'm not even sure if I can manage to dig up the old credit card number I originally paid with. I can't think of another MMO I've ever played that made me feel less like they actually wanted my return business.

Sure, security is great and all, but ... it's really ME. I swear it.

T_T




Oh, yeah. Hi guys. ^_^


Anyone about that still remembers me?

 

[Tim Wakefield]

Wink! I do remember you (from the boards at least). I mean, how could anyone forget that avatar? Good luck gettin' your character back dude.

 

[Winklewil]

Ah, Tim. You are remembered as well (uh, by me)!

That's another thing -- the fact that nearly every other MMORPG in existence will keep your characters for eternity (even the ones that warn you they won't, like EQ1), but Square definitely makes good on its promise to wipe you clean after 90 days. It's like they're doing everything in their power to dissuade you from returning.


I'm hoping to get my mules back, too. I had some nice stuff on them.

I recall a friend having a character restored via the "Return Home" campaign, though, and he was missing quite a lot of stuff. He had only half of his AF, for example.

All I can say is, if my Lu Shang's isn't there, I'm turning right back around and cancelling again. >_<


As of right now, I couldn't get through on their customer service phone line (perpetual "busy" signal), so I'm waiting in what appears to be an extremely long queue for a web chat with a representative. It's going on thirty minutes, now.

 

[Tim Wakefield]

I hear different stories from different people all the time. Some people say they've gotten their characters back after years of not-playing, and some seem to get the axe 90 days in and are never seen again. I quit once upon a time for roughly 6-7 months, but had no trouble getting my character back. I don't follow very closely with the "Return Home to Vana'diel" program, but I would think if there was one of those going on/coming up soon, that it would be your best bet.

You are right though, customer service has been poo lately. It could be idiots that can't figure out how to register their Security tokens, are having payment troubles, or a combination of the above that are clogging up your lines though. Keep pluggin away, you'll get em eventually ^_^

 

[Reeve]

For whatever its worth, I remember Play Online being a pain in the fucking ass to use. I hated it.

 

[Acutie]

I got my guy back after 2 years inactive without even using Return To Vana'diel. I just activated my credit card, upgraded to WoTG and I was good to go.

 

[Winklewil]

A quick update -- I finally, FINALLY managed to get through to someone. After waiting in the live "web chat" queue twice, both times for nearly an hour (and after being disconnected both times when someone finally started talking), I got stubborn and began calling their little long-distance phone line until I got something other than a busy signal.

It took eleven tries.

Then, once i finally got their automated system to pick up, it was a half-hour hold time before a representative was available. Again, this is no "toll-free" 1-800 number. This is just a standard, long-distance, California telephone number, complete with area code.

-_-;

Once I managed to get through, resetting the password was a simple enough thing.

Now, the place I'm stuck at is trying to see whether or not I can re-activate my old Content IDs. If it turns out I've been inactive too long, I'll still need to go through the "Return Home" campaign in order to get ol' Winklewil back. The problem is, I have an old card stored now, and the registration server has been down for 72 hours. I can't update the payment information. It won't even let me see if the Content IDs are available for re-activation unless they have a fresh card on record, but they won't let me give them one.

Again -- if I didn't know it was absolutely ludicrous, I'd swear that they really, really don't want my money. At all. >_<

 

[Aloo]

OMG WINKLE~

You dissappeared after that one night on vent! HOW DARE YOU! (also missed you mucho)

 

[Winklewil]

OMG WINKLE~

You dissappeared after that one night on vent! HOW DARE YOU! (also missed you mucho)

Haha, Aloo. I just kind of "phased out" after a while ... I don't know. I never really have an official "Okay, I quit" moment with these games. I just come to a point where I realize I haven't logged in for two weeks.

I'm sorry to have been so abrupt about it from your end, though. ^_^


Another update: there's been something majorly wrong with the registration server for at least five days. According to this thread over at Gamefaqs:

http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/genmessage.php?board=555735&topic=49156126

...the servers were supposed to be up as of Sunday, but Playonline customer service representatives have been claiming that congestion is so bad at the moment, that almost nobody can get through. I'm beginning to wonder if this whole mess might not be because of everyone trying to squeeze in registration of those security tokens at once, combined with the "Return Home" campaign.

Still, this is really amateurish stuff, here.

Can you imagine what the corporate bigwigs over at Blizzard and Sony would do to their "billing partners" if something similar happened with their products (i.e., it was impossible to purchase for nearly an entire week) over such stupid billing issues? They'd be going apoplectic.

Why must S/E and Playonline insist on being different from every other kid on the block? All other MMORPGs in existence allow for simple registration and account maintenance via their websites. Being forced to use an archaic failure of an experiment like Playonline for anything and everything is just .... ugh.

....frustrating.

So, yeah. Still not back in the game. I'll let whoever's interested know when I can actually show my lil' Taru face again.