(Update #2)


Final Word

I will say this one more time, as it seems my criticism has incited a few people to come here and hurl personal insults at me.  I’m still trying to decide which comment was the most hilarious, but I haven’t come to a conclusion yet.  :)   Anyways, my intent here was certainly not to insult anyone, though plenty of insults have been thrown at me for writing about this.  But my fire shield is solid so I can take it.  This was not an error on Funcom’s part, but a policy they have regarding any kind of payment on an account.

If a payment fails for anything….server transfer…name change…whatever…their policy is to freeze the account even if the payment has nothing to do with your actual subscription.  That was part of the email they sent me explaining what happened, as you can see below.  I don’t really think this is good policy, but that is just my opinion and you can take it or leave it.

On the upside, Funcom did do right by me and unfroze the account.  So for that I thank them and for all the hard work they have done making AOC a better game for all.  I can disagree with one of their policies and still enjoy their work.  It is possible to do that in case some people are unaware.

So I don’t have much more to say about this other than I disagree with the policy.  I would have no problem if they froze an account for a subscription payment failure, as that would make perfect sense!  But their policy is to do so for any kind of payment failure.  That just doesn’t sit right with me and I think they should change it.  But all is well and Funcom treated me right at the end of the day by unfreezing the account, so kudos to them.

So trolls and non-trolls alike, get out out there and enjoy your expansion already!  :)


(Update #1)


I just received an email from Funcom stating the following…

Greetings,

Thank you for contacting Funcom Customer Support.

I have removed your failed payment for the expansion upgrade and your
account has been unfrozen. I apologize for the inconvenience. Anytime
there is a failed payment for gametime or any other service, the account
is frozen until the outstanding payments have been paid.

If you have any more questions or concerns, please reply to this e-mail
without changing the Subject line. Have a wonderful day.

Why would they freeze an account in the first place if a payment fails for something non-subscription related?  That just doesn’t make sense.  However, they did right the situation and unfreeze my account so I sent a polite email to thank them for doing so.  This has nothing to do with Age of Conan, the game, of course.  There are many hard working people who have been doing a great job at improving AOC and making it a fun place to spend some time.

I am proud of those people and the work they have done.  Their dedication has helped AOC to grow and become a stronger MMO.  But I have received a healthy dose of flame and insults for talking about this, but that really comes as no surprise.  I understand that some people simply feel that they must jealously defend “their game” and the company that makes it no matter the facts or situation.

But as you can see…this was not an error…and while I do appreciate that Funcom righted the situation, I still think that freezing an account for a payment failure on something non-subscription related is a poor practice to have.  But to each his own, I guess.


(Original Post)


So apparently, if you don’t buy the latest Age of Conan expansion then Funcom just freezes your entire account.

I don’t really know what to say about these guys anymore.  I continue to give them chance after chance and they just continue to fall all over themselves.  So let me catch you guys up.  Recently, I bought a 60 day subscription card at Gamestop for Age of Conan.  I applied the card to my account on May 3, 2010.  So on my account page, it says that the next payment is due on 07-03-2010.  Ok, everyone with me so far?

Now, I actually use a prepaid Mastercard for all my gaming transactions.  This came in very handy when I got overcharged during the Mythic fiasco because I didn’t get hit with overdraft fees.  Age of Conan’s expansion, Rise of the Godslayer, is being released today.  I pre-ordered it directly from Funcom using my Mastercard, but was informed the charges would not go through until about 5-7 days before the expansion would be launched.

Unfortunately, something came up in RL at the last minute and I had to withdraw those funds from my card.  Real life is more important than gaming, after all.  No problem, I thought, the charge won’t go through and I will just have to wait until I get paid before I can buy and play the expansion.  Oh no, says Funcom, because when the charge for the expansion didn’t go through they decided to freeze my entire Age of Conan account.  I can’t play anymore.

I got an email from them this morning.

Dear Age of Conan customer,

We are sending you this mail to notify you that your account was frozen on May 11, 2010.

Since your subscription was not canceled, the reason for this freeze may be due to a failed payment transaction. Please log in to https://register.ageofconan.com to either purchase additional game-time or check for the following:

*  Check your card has not expired, if so please enter a new payment method under the “Change My Payment Option” menu-choice.
*  If you have been sent a replacement card by your bank you may also need to re-enter your details.
*  If paying via PayByCash: Check menu option “View my Subscription”, “View Subscription Payment History” to ensure that no action is required.
*  Check that your Billing Address matches the address your credit card is registered at.
*  Check that the available balance on your credit card is sufficient.
*  If all of these have been checked please visit the Check menu option “View my Subscription”, “View Subscription Payment History” and try to resubmit your payment.

If  none of the above helps you solve this issue, please send an e*  mail to account@ageofconan.com including your account name (but not your password).

Best regards,
Funcom

Since I was unable to purchase the expansion they have decided to not only deny me the expansion (which is expected and fine), but they also think that I no longer have the right to play Age of Conan even though I already paid them for 60 days of game time.  I give to you, the hilarity of my account page.  Notice that they froze me today, but you can clearly see that I have paid them to play until 07-03-2010.  Look under Next Payment Date…it shows July 3, 2010.



Alas, Failcom has struck again.  I paid them for 60 days of game time and they froze my account just because a charge for the expansion didn’t go through.  So let me ask a question to Funcom since they feel that I no longer have the right to play their game.  Do you plan on freezing the accounts of everyone else who fails to buy the expansion, or am I just a unique case?

These guys must really hate money or something.

If this is some sort of account error I will let you all know and recant, of course.  But stuff like this just burns me after so many years.  This is not the first issue I have had with Funcom either, so that also increases my anger.  They have some talented people working there but they just can’t seem to get their act together in the PR/Customer Service department.