EA Customer support is worse than ever

[Omnius]

We return to the issue of goza mats. After Cal's okaying the use of elevated gozas for decorative purposes, I rebuilt a less ambitious rooftop greenhouse.

I made care to avoid covering vendors and my neighbors house sign. I covered only the feet of some vendors at my neighbors house, less than what gets covered by normal walls on other parts of his house.

GM Akemai decided to jail me for 10 minutes without speaking to me or responding while he dismantled my rooftop design including parts that by his own statement were not offending any rules.

So now I have 2 warnings against my account for no reason other than terrible customer service. One for an exploit that an EA rep said was okay and another for disruptive behavior, aka covering the feet of vendors that my neighbor put down after he first got me banned.

This is absolutely the most ridiculous encounter I've ever had with customer service. I'm fuming mad that this gm didn't listen to a thing I had to say. He spouted off a canned response in some chat screen then sent me back to my house, my house whose design is ruined.

 

[Flutter]

Wow.

 

[Uriah Heep]

The last time I saw that house, the design wasn't hurting anyone. I can vouch that he had taken down the tall stuff, and replaced it. I imagine this is a case of another player paging, and using EA to grief someone.
And of course it is done over the course of a long weekend, when there is no real help available.

 

[Omnius]

The gm even removed the flat goza mats which in no possible way could have blocked anything.

 

[RawHeadRex]

any pics ? hang in there.

 

[Martyna Zmuir]

This is why I called Cal out after his letter where he COMPLETELY ducked the goza issue by pawning it off on older players to explain the rules. Rules we do not know.

And now another player is subjected to the whims of a GM that doesn't know what the frack (s)he's doing.

WTF Mythic!

 

[Flutter]

The last time I saw that house, the design wasn't hurting anyone. I can vouch that he had taken down the tall stuff, and replaced it. I imagine this is a case of another player paging, and using EA to grief someone.
And of course it is done over the course of a long weekend, when there is no real help available.

So sick of the guild drama BS where ppl keep trying to get other ppl in trouble with EA.
Get enough people banned and there wont be a game anymore. All this self policing needs to stop.

 

[RaDian FlGith]

Well, you know, if the GMs actually KNEW ANYTHING about the game they're supporting, this kind of garbage wouldn't happen.

It's a good thing that Cal walked himself back to the Customer Support area and told them not to action anyone on this. CLEARLY the Customer Support department listens as well to the developers as they do to the players.

Cal, YOU ARE THE PRODUCER OF UO. By DEFINITION, you should be calling both the development shots, as well as informing the Customer Service department what things are actionable based on the game that YOU are in charge of designing.

If your Customer Service department doesn't know what they're doing, it's time for you to get a new one.

 

[Tinsil]

Well, you know, if the GMs actually KNEW ANYTHING about the game they're supporting, this kind of garbage wouldn't happen.

It's a good thing that Cal walked himself back to the Customer Support area and told them not to action anyone on this. CLEARLY the Customer Support department listens as well to the developers as they do to the players.

Cal, YOU ARE THE PRODUCER OF UO. By DEFINITION, you should be calling both the development shots, as well as informing the Customer Service department what things are actionable based on the game that YOU are in charge of designing.

If your Customer Service department doesn't know what they're doing, it's time for you to get a new one.

Do the GMs do UO only? It may not be his call alone anyways, right?

 

[Martyna Zmuir]

Do the GMs do UO only? It may not be his call alone anyways, right?

In regards to UO, it damn well better be his call. I don't care what the rules are for other EA games the CS dept is responsible for, if they work on UO they had better follow the current "rules" - Whatever those rules happen to be this week.

And these rules need to be posted, BTW.

 

[RaDian FlGith]

Do the GMs do UO only? It may not be his call alone anyways, right?

No, unfortunately, as I understand it, the GMs support UO, DAoC, and probably WAR as well...

And while Cal may not have say as to how Customer Service actions in DAoC or WAR, I will go out on a limb here and say that if he doesn't, he damned well SHOULD have some say in how UO is actioned. After all, he IS in charge of how UO is developed. To break it down succinctly:

Cal is in charge of the developers who develop the game. The developers design the game with specific ideas and goals in mind. In other words, they set the rules of the game. If the rules of the game are broken, it is up to the Dev Team to decide if that breaking is (a) is something they're okay with happening [otherwise known as an unintended side effect that they're okay with the way it turned out -- see colored bonsais] (b) something that needs to be fixed, but doesn't break the game, (c) something that needs fixed, breaks the game, and should be actioned until they fix it, or (d) something that seriously breaks the game, needs to be fixed IMMEDIATELY, and should be actioned.

In ALL cases, the Dev Team sets the rules for the game... which means they should be passing the rules the rules on to Customer Service.

The dangers of letting Customer Service make the determinations is this: The GMs suddenly decide casting flamestrike on a blue player in Felucca is actionable because that's the PK griefing the player. Or they simply decide casting Flamestrike in general is a bug and needs to be dealt with. Or any other number of inane decisions.

The GMs don't design the game, thus they don't know how the game is to be played. A great many of them don't even PLAY the game, which means that they need a reference as to what is legal or illegal.

 

[Lady Michelle]

Well, you know, if the GMs actually KNEW ANYTHING about the game they're supporting, this kind of garbage wouldn't happen.

It's a good thing that Cal walked himself back to the Customer Support area and told them not to action anyone on this. CLEARLY the Customer Support department listens as well to the developers as they do to the players.

MY mom says she listens to everything my dad tells her then she lets it go in one ear then out the other, and does as she damn well pleases. Maybe CS is taking lessons from her.
It just amazes me that I would still be playing UO to see players jailed or banned for house designs (decorating), and players who should be banned don't even get banned.

 

[Evlar]

Sometimes I read stuff like this, then simply dispair at what's happening to this once great game.

*Reminisces of the days when you could actually talk to GM's*

 

[Taylor]

I hope you'll PM Cal about this incident.

 

[Omnius]

I have. I did the first time. I receive no real support. The 800 number borders on useless. They tell me why I'm in trouble then say it's no big deal and won't put me on the phone with anyone who knows anything.

 

[Omnius]

One of the funnier things about this absurd action by a gm is. If I were to put a bunch of arch daemon statuettes on my top floor, I'd get banned.

 

[Taylor]

Think of it this way, Omnius. Consider the median intelligence of the hundreds EA CSRs. Compare this number to your intelligence on your worst day. Do you still come out on top? Even though there are hundreds of 'em? Yup. And that is why you will succeed in this world.

 

[Bobar]

It can get worse?.

 

[Babble]

It can get worse?.

At least you get normally ignored.
Now they actually do something they think is right but their playerbase disagrees with.

 

[Kellgory]

It keeps getting worse. They have no idea how half the stuff works in UO and they're normal reply is to page a GM and half the time if not more the GM's are just as clueless. After a guildmates account was hacked they decided to do the account transfer, so they call EA/Mystic and they were told that they didn't know what that was and that they needed to page a GM. I thought maybe they confused account transfer with shard transfer, but no they were very detailed in what it was and even the website address for them to look it up. Another guildmates account was hacked and all the chars were deleted, so he called EA and they told him that if he paged a GM that they would be able to retrieve the deleted chars, so when he paged the GM it was sorry no can do, don't know what your talking about. I mean come on if your so desparate to save money on operating costs by hiring the rejects from the drive thru counter let us know so we can just cancel our accounts and move on to a better supported game.

 

[Lady Storm]

Rumor has it that the majority of GM's are gone, and so few remain that we get canned answers from staffers who end up babysitting the com when the few gms they have left need a break. Most of the staffers dont play UO and wouldnt know a Flamestrike from a Mongbat. Even the guys in customer service, most have not played UO or know the game mechanics at all, this is fact after talking to a good handfull of them and a few supervisors. We are lucky they moved the call center back to texas!!! (I for one will not miss trying to get someone over in india to get my account billing right)

We lost almost all GM's from the move to mythic, the few who took the move, some got canned with the firing in 09. They just now put out a hiring ad for new gms with the programmers.
People with EA come and go quickly unlike when origin ran the show.

Gone are the days of "How may I help thee.."

 

[Sevin0oo0]

Where's Spada in all this, wasn't he the head CS person?

 

[Experimental]

Where's Spada in all this, wasn't he the head CS person?

Spada, I believe, is gone (Thank the gods).

 

[Cloak&Dagger]

Where's Spada in all this, wasn't he the head CS person?

Yea Wasn't Spada the one who got the Higher position over on the war team?


Side note: From my understanding Cal has no real say in what CS does. Also Isn't CS a Branch of EA directly? Meaning they are not a Branch of mythic or any of the subsidies, so CS would have their own boss.

 

[Cloak&Dagger]

We lost almost all GM's from the move to mythic, the few who took the move, some got canned with the firing in 09. They just now put out a hiring ad for new gms with the programmers.
People with EA come and go quickly unlike when origin ran the show.

Gone are the days of "How may I help thee.."

You know....Origin has been a part of EA longer than UO has been a game. Does not really make your statement any less true, just...People seem to think OSI was ever really in charge when it has always been EA....

Edit: Of course I believe EA ruins ever company they touch....so yea, there is that.

 

[MalagAste]

This is pathetic... something needs done... NOT that I ever use Goza mats to make extra floors at my houses but I use them for 100's of things in deco and design of my house's.... and to think that one can be banned over stupid crap like this when just the other night some wench was scamming people by selling them a "Dread Mare" and pulling the old switcharoo with a nightmare..... scamming folk out of millions in gold is BS..... Crap like that is allowed to continue but people get banned over deco.... something is seriously WRONG here. It's beyond time that scammers are treated like the scum they are and jailed and banned while those with a true love of the game are assisted not hindered.

 

[ingsmsico]

if no pics, what shard and what house is this?

 

[ingsmsico]

Gone are the days of "How may I help thee.."

this pretty much explains the whole situation

 

[Martyna Zmuir]

Side note: From my understanding Cal has no real say in what CS does. Also Isn't CS a Branch of EA directly? Meaning they are not a Branch of mythic or any of the subsidies, so CS would have their own boss.

While CS may be run by EA "directly" (who knows if its true, its actually immaterial), their "rules du jour" need to come from someplace that actually knows how the game is played/run/designed - That would NOT be EA.

If what the OP said is true about the action, and if Cal's wishy-washy non-answer in his spin-control post of the month is to be taken at face value - CS has already been spoken to about the issue and "shouldn't" be doing this.

Unfortunately, CS centers tend to scrape the bottom of the barrel as far as intelligence goes (not knocking all CS people, chill).

Cal - It's time to put your cards on the table. Lay down the rules - and by that I mean explain them to the players, don't expect us to magically know them...we don't.

Explain the rules to the CS people. See to it they are fired or taken off UO duty if they can't apply the rules properly.

 

[Nexus]

Edit: Of course I believe EA ruins ever company they touch....so yea, there is that.

Yea I'm already mourning for Bioware...

 

[Cal_Mythic]

I'll see what I can find out on this.
I received the PM and am looking into it.

- c

 

[Sevin0oo0]

>> I understand it, the GMs support UO, DAoC, and probably WAR
All of those, on their forums, mention Mythic's shoddy customer service as a common factor.

One forum says "Commenting on CSR action is not acceptable." Keeps complaints of bad CS from spreading I guess. Also why Stratics is #1.

Another thing in common, when someone doesn't play 'fair' like spawn stealing, cheats, etc., they are advised to report these infractions.
Some of the people reported are allegedly CS employees and nothing is ever done, hmmm, that sounds familiar.

It was Jeff Hickman, executive producer at Mythic who said Mythic will "remain committed to providing you with the best possible gaming experiences and customer support both now and in the future." maybe he won't let Cal do what he wants to do, or maybe when he said that, it was in a special language only Exec's know.

I see Cal jumped in, some Coolness at last, Woot!

 

[Cetric]

Anyone want to take bets as to whether or not an EA rep posts in this thread, wanting to right the wrongs?

 

[Vaelix]

I'll see what I can find out on this.
I received the PM and am looking into it.

- c

Anyone want to take bets as to whether or not an EA rep posts in this thread, wanting to right the wrongs?

 

[canary]

Hey if nothing else kudos to the man for responding on a holiday.

 

[RawHeadRex]

Hey if nothing else kudos to the man for responding on a holiday.

big time ! plus I need to know because of the floating globe above my house for me to ooo and awe at. I even took down my totem, some plants and a mushroom from the front of my house because it actually blocked part of my neighbors house.

 

[Viper09]

Anyone want to take bets as to whether or not an EA rep posts in this thread, wanting to right the wrongs?

*confused*

*looks a couple posts up from Cedric*

Does Cal count? lol

Better than just an EA rep, but UO producer.

 

[Cetric]

hahaha whoops, completely missed it

 

[Viper09]

hahaha whoops, completely missed it

All good. Good laugh

 

[Lord Chaos]

Just so the devs know, but not everyone are in favor of goza mats or their applications. There are plenty of ways to decorate your house without needing goza mats, how do you think people survived before custom housing? Goza mats can be quite disruptive, I have a neighbour who is using goza mats and they're covering onto my house, been thinking about reporting him/her, but has so far decided against it.

Honestly I am sad they were ever introduced to the game, they create a lot of trouble. But alas, pandoras box cannot be closed. Though the rules on using goza mats should be pretty strict, like it cannot be allowed to overlap anothers house.

 

[Cal_Mythic]

I've followed up with CS on this topic.

I've contacted Ominus directly, and will follow up and bring a some clear understanding regarding this specific action.

 

[Demonous]

please do a mass firing of UO GMs and post a hiring on uo.com the same way you did for hiring EMs, thanks

 

[Lady_Rachel]

Thank you Cal!

 

[SchezwanBeefy]

Just so the devs know, but not everyone are in favor of goza mats or their applications. There are plenty of ways to decorate your house without needing goza mats, how do you think people survived before custom housing? Goza mats can be quite disruptive, I have a neighbour who is using goza mats and they're covering onto my house, been thinking about reporting him/her, but has so far decided against it.

Honestly I am sad they were ever introduced to the game, they create a lot of trouble. But alas, pandoras box cannot be closed. Though the rules on using goza mats should be pretty strict, like it cannot be allowed to overlap anothers house.

I think you're the only one who has anything against Goza's.
I used to decorate all the time without them and learned how to, and they have done wonders.
Without them, I wouldn't be able to make my stone counters or numerous other things. No floaty balls, no pretty gardens that couldn't be done otherwise. Floaty gardens, imo, are over the top but I wouldn't ever want them taken out I guess.
Also, I'm pretty sure you can't see gozas unless you walk into someone else's house, but I'm not positive about that. I know someone with 2 extra floors on his castle and I didn't see them until I walked up to the top floor, even while running. I think the only problem is that it slows how fast your game loads. Why not just try to contact your neighbor and ask them civilly?

 

[Ransom_of_BiC]

Does the 'mark' on the account of the OP get removed?

 

[NuSair]

I think you're the only one who has anything against Goza's.

Just because people don't voice their opinion on a particular thread, you really shouldn't assume such things.

 

[Ransom_of_BiC]

I'm not necessarily *against* the mats, but I will say I could understand someone's frustration if the mats were blocking house signs or walkways in common areas. That being said, I'm always displeased by the house designs in Luna as well, as one can never quite find the darn sidewalk because of giant monstrosities built 2342342 stories tall in Luna.

 

[MalagAste]

I've followed up with CS on this topic.

I've contacted Ominus directly, and will follow up and bring a some clear understanding regarding this specific action.

I'll be saving my Thanks for when some CLEAR and CONCISE rules are laid out... and when the GM's stop over reacting... on the ban button... and quit taking away things.

The Goza mats are NOT the only issue needing to be spelled out here but for now they are a big one.

 

[Luke Carjacker]

Just because people don't voice their opinion on a particular thread, you really shouldn't assume such things.

Definitely agree with this. I'll speak up and say I'm against gozas being used for anything other lying flat on the floor, or maybe flat on a table for background (I know, I'm about to catch a world of hell from the house designers out there).

However, the issue in this thread really isn't whether people like gozas. It's that the people in charge have left the issue ambiguous, and that players are getting punished without knowing the rules they are violating. That's just total BS.

I will say that I bet both the OP and his neighbor consider the other party a "Neighbor From Hell". We know the OP's side of the story and it sucks that he's getting punished because the developers refuse to take responsibility and define the rule. However, looking at it from the other side, I'd be pissed if my neighbor purposely put up deco that blocked my house, whether it's the house sign or just the feet of my vendors. I've never paged on anyone in my 10 years playing this game, but if my house sign was blocked it just might be a first.

So I'll say, developers take responsibility for what you're doing and define the rules so everyone can understand. And people decorating your houses, unique and interesting designs are awesome (I love them), but don't be @ssholes.

 

[Sergul'zan_SP]

*confused*

*looks a couple posts up from Cedric*

Does Cal count? lol

Better than just an EA rep, but UO producer.

Pwned.