Sunday, December 23, 2007

Banned: What to Expect from Account Admins

The carousel. The merry-go-round. The teacup ride. Blizzard's Account Administration. What do all of these things have in common? They all spin you around in circles, getting you no where fast, and maybe even a little queazy in the process. Since my recent ban that occurred a little over a week ago, I've been in contact with a few Blizzard Account Administrators trying to get to the bottom of my suspension. I was accused of using third party programs to give me an unfair advantage in my play. I disputed the claims, hoping to clear things up and prevent a similar event from occurring in the future. However, I now find myself in a cyclic pinwheel of corporate banter that is making things rather difficult. Not only are the Admin responses ignorant and lacking of any detail, but they are also quite stubborn and even a bit insulting as well -- hardly the response I was hoping for.

Here are the emails I have received from Blizzard's Account Admins up to now. I can only assume that the hollow tone is common among all letters of this type. So, if you do find yourself banned, these responses are probably similar to those you should be expecting if you decided to dispute any would-be claims against you.

Response 1
Greetings,

Thank you for your follow up e-mail regarding the account action on *~*. This account has been issued a 48 hour suspension as a result of using unapproved third party software that gave the player an unfair advantage over other World of Warcraft players. Therefore, we regret to inform you that we are unable to reverse the account action previously issued.

Any further recorded deviations of character behavior in violation of
the Terms of Use may result in repercussions up to and including account closure as outlined in the World of Warcraft Terms of Use ( http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/legal/termsofuse.html) and/or the World of Warcraft Exploitation Policy (http://www.blizzard.com/support/wowgm/?id=agm01716p).

Please note that due to security concerns we will be unable to disclose any further details of this investigation.

Any disputes or questions concerning this account issue can only be addressed by Account Administration. To learn more about how Account Administration is able to assist you, please visit us at http://www.blizzard.com/support/wowaa/.

Thank you for your prompt attention and cooperation in this matter. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or comments you may have.


Sincerely,

*~*
Account Administration
Blizzard Entertainment
http://www.blizzard.com/support/wowaa/

Response 2
Greetings,

Thank you for your follow-up email. The information regarding the account *~* has been reviewed once again and determined that the suspension was indeed warranted. As such, we regret to inform you that the account action decision is final and will not be reversed. Also all information regarding the action has been disclosed in our previous emails.

Any disputes or questions concerning this account action can only be addressed by Account Administration. To learn more about how Account Administration is able to assist you, please visit us at http://www.blizzard.com/support/wowaa/.



Sincerely,

*~*
Account Administration
Blizzard Entertainment
http://us.blizzard.com/support/article/21505

Response 3

Greetings,



Thank you for contacting us regarding the recent action of your account. I understand that your account is important to you, and have conducted another investigation with that fact in mind. Unfortunately, however, I was only able to verify that the action of the account in question was justified. Please understand that these actions are only taken when absolutely necessary.

I apologize for any confusion these actions have caused, but you may wish to review our Terms of Use (http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/legal/termsofuse.html) and our game policies (http://www.blizzard.com/support/wowgm/?id=agm01712p). Upon installation, all players agree that the accounts they are creating may be closed for any reason, and at any time.

Thank you for your time and understanding of our position in this matter. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have regarding a different issue.


*~*
Account Administration
Blizzard Entertainment
http://www.blizzard.com/support/wowaa

As you can see from the lack of detail and empty, hollow statements in these emails, disputing your suspension can ultimately lead to absolutely no gain. Indeed, for me, trying to right the wrong has felt like a complete waste of time. I must carefully dictate my arguments while all Blizzard has to do is tell me my suspension was "justified" and call it a day. It is insulting and frustrating to say the least, and I hope none of you ever have to deal a similar situation.

I am currently awaiting another response and will update you all accordingly... once my head stops spinning, that is.

Here's to enjoying the ride.

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