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Re-subscribe failure, frozen cash, multiple billing
Ikumarbeh
✭✭
Contents
Basic problem is that there is something wrong when ZMAX bills you for subscription. A lot of people are unable to finalize their payment. There are several scenarios going on, depending on credit, debit PayPal or Game-Card payment.
There are people that are billed two times (finalized transactions) and even three times (mostly occurs with people that went 3 or 6 months subs). Other people are billed 2 or 3 times but without geting additional game time.
The majority of the cases are people who had exact amount on their bank cards, so ZENI-System could not freeze one extra payment ammount, so one payment was frozen, and transaction failed.
Other cases - like mine - is when no transactions occur, but multiple hold-ups instead.
Be advised - if you noticed that your re-subscription has failed in time, you can post on the forums. Soon after you loose all game-time left, your Forum Profile gets "Lapsed" status and won't be able to post.
My Case
Can't remember exact date now, but aprox last Friday (May 9th) my automatic billing failed. I received an e-mail with the failure. I tried to re-sub in my web ESO Account several times. So I received a "Thank you" e-mail, and shortly after (several seconds) "Transaction failed" e-mail. These are not the exact e-mail title quotes.
I found a glitch in the System how I could be in game without having any game-time left, related with bank-card verification abuse. I reported that glitch to Support. So there is something wrong about how the whole automated billng performs - problem is on ZENIMAX side!
After they picked my ticket for not being able to pay, I tried to pay several times, with no luck. On May 14th I stoped receving "Thank you - Failed" e-mail pairs, and I just started receiving a "The Transaction was not authorized" error message in my web Account on ESO main page.
Communication via e-mail is very clumsy on my active Ticket and I have been kept in the dark pretty much, untill I started opening new Tickets.
Support guys have a delay of about an hour, but will always respond and do one of the three things they CAN do - give you 3 days of game time, give you information, escalate your Ticket to a higher authority.
When you get escalated to the "Expert Team" guys, thats where you get in the dark and seem to receive no attention at all, so Ticket seems frozen, at least from the outside.
PIC 1: shows the time I received "Failure" e-mail, then I thought I ran out of cash, then deposited 30 euro more.
PIC 2: shows my bank funds in my debit card - history for month May.
PIC 3: shows the Frozen sums tab. This is when I tried several times (it is histoty up till 16th, thats the course of several days) and after I already had contact with Support also.
What happened is System kept freezing authorization sums, but failing to translate them to Trader (Zenimax). This was confirmed to be the case by my bank's staff. But Trader for some reason did not release the hold ups.
After I went completely out of usable cash (10 times 13 euro = 130) I got the "The Transaction was not authorized" message.
Other active threads you can discuss the matter at are:
Subscription Setup = "The Transaction was not authorized"
People that got charged twice or can't Re sub post here ( ZOS CS rep needed ASAP )
Official Statement on Payment Methods - people with problems start to apper when nearing page 7, this link gets you to page 9 where the topic is all about thet problem already
First & last months rent from a company without in game player housing?
Subscription Taken out of my account - No subscription renewal provided
Cant pay the game. took dubble payment and still cant play. what is this
My assumption on the matter is, that problems are due to several things.
ESO policy - holding up double sum may be not be entirely against the laws in some countries, but it is definitely not customer-friendly. Actualy it is quite customer-aggresive... not only moraly wise, but pure technical wise. Because IF you do not have DOUBLE the subscription sum, you are going to fail your payment, and freeze the sum of one payment in your assets. Thats is, IF you use DEBIT card. Because with CREDIT CARDS, you will just be thrown in overdraft, and may not be aware of it at first. But you will at least have game time. Or not. Because sometimes you don't get the game time, but you DO get billed. Even several times in some cases.
In my communication, a Support Staff member promised me 3 days of gameplay as compensation. I never received them tho, even after 24 hours have passed. So there may have been some more technical problems on their side (I do not want to think that Support is sloppy).
Annother Support Staff member gave me 3 days access when I opened new ticket today (thank You! You are the first person to actualy manage to do SOMETHING!) but the ticket I opened was not about game-time QQ, but about Forum Access. I suppose he gave me 3 days because that was the easiest way to get me post in the Forums again. Altho I couldn't get in my Profile aprox an hour after I received the 3 days. At the moment it is working.
Reading up this outside article, I got aware of the possibility stuff to get bugged if Zenimax "Expert Staff" made an attempt to battle bots by placing some weird credit/debit card filters.
So my assumption is that - anti-bot bank card filters, or - thoughtlessness of the people who made the ESO payment system, so it bugs if you do not have double the sum, or - some hidden bug when subscribing for 3 or 6 months so it bills you more times, on top of the frozen assets.
My simpathies with all people with same problems
I have no idea when it will get resolved, nor how. I just think that after my 3 days are up, I wont be able to play again for a long time.
And honestly? I don't feel like playing right now, so I don't realy need 3 screwed days of game-time. With every new day I just wish ZENIMAX to unfreeze my bank assets, so I can at least play another game before my holiday from job is over. I'll go back to EVE or something.
Because yeah - I took 20 days off work, to enjoy this gaming product. Instead I am dealing with this ***. I could have been working and not wasting my time with some sloppy releaces.
PS.
If you find yourself locked out of Forum Access, use a guildie or other friend to post for you. Or someone may send you Invitation Code to make another forums Profile. Or contact Support ofc, but I am sick of doing that.
Edited by Ikumarbeh on May 16, 2014 11:11PM
- Basic problem
- My case
- Other active threads
- My assumption on the matter
Basic problem is that there is something wrong when ZMAX bills you for subscription. A lot of people are unable to finalize their payment. There are several scenarios going on, depending on credit, debit PayPal or Game-Card payment.
There are people that are billed two times (finalized transactions) and even three times (mostly occurs with people that went 3 or 6 months subs). Other people are billed 2 or 3 times but without geting additional game time.
The majority of the cases are people who had exact amount on their bank cards, so ZENI-System could not freeze one extra payment ammount, so one payment was frozen, and transaction failed.
Other cases - like mine - is when no transactions occur, but multiple hold-ups instead.
Be advised - if you noticed that your re-subscription has failed in time, you can post on the forums. Soon after you loose all game-time left, your Forum Profile gets "Lapsed" status and won't be able to post.
My Case
Can't remember exact date now, but aprox last Friday (May 9th) my automatic billing failed. I received an e-mail with the failure. I tried to re-sub in my web ESO Account several times. So I received a "Thank you" e-mail, and shortly after (several seconds) "Transaction failed" e-mail. These are not the exact e-mail title quotes.
I found a glitch in the System how I could be in game without having any game-time left, related with bank-card verification abuse. I reported that glitch to Support. So there is something wrong about how the whole automated billng performs - problem is on ZENIMAX side!
After they picked my ticket for not being able to pay, I tried to pay several times, with no luck. On May 14th I stoped receving "Thank you - Failed" e-mail pairs, and I just started receiving a "The Transaction was not authorized" error message in my web Account on ESO main page.
Communication via e-mail is very clumsy on my active Ticket and I have been kept in the dark pretty much, untill I started opening new Tickets.
Support guys have a delay of about an hour, but will always respond and do one of the three things they CAN do - give you 3 days of game time, give you information, escalate your Ticket to a higher authority.
When you get escalated to the "Expert Team" guys, thats where you get in the dark and seem to receive no attention at all, so Ticket seems frozen, at least from the outside.
PIC 1: shows the time I received "Failure" e-mail, then I thought I ran out of cash, then deposited 30 euro more.
PIC 2: shows my bank funds in my debit card - history for month May.
PIC 3: shows the Frozen sums tab. This is when I tried several times (it is histoty up till 16th, thats the course of several days) and after I already had contact with Support also.
What happened is System kept freezing authorization sums, but failing to translate them to Trader (Zenimax). This was confirmed to be the case by my bank's staff. But Trader for some reason did not release the hold ups.
After I went completely out of usable cash (10 times 13 euro = 130) I got the "The Transaction was not authorized" message.
Other active threads you can discuss the matter at are:
Subscription Setup = "The Transaction was not authorized"
People that got charged twice or can't Re sub post here ( ZOS CS rep needed ASAP )
Official Statement on Payment Methods - people with problems start to apper when nearing page 7, this link gets you to page 9 where the topic is all about thet problem already
First & last months rent from a company without in game player housing?
Subscription Taken out of my account - No subscription renewal provided
Cant pay the game. took dubble payment and still cant play. what is this
My assumption on the matter is, that problems are due to several things.
ESO policy - holding up double sum may be not be entirely against the laws in some countries, but it is definitely not customer-friendly. Actualy it is quite customer-aggresive... not only moraly wise, but pure technical wise. Because IF you do not have DOUBLE the subscription sum, you are going to fail your payment, and freeze the sum of one payment in your assets. Thats is, IF you use DEBIT card. Because with CREDIT CARDS, you will just be thrown in overdraft, and may not be aware of it at first. But you will at least have game time. Or not. Because sometimes you don't get the game time, but you DO get billed. Even several times in some cases.
In my communication, a Support Staff member promised me 3 days of gameplay as compensation. I never received them tho, even after 24 hours have passed. So there may have been some more technical problems on their side (I do not want to think that Support is sloppy).
Annother Support Staff member gave me 3 days access when I opened new ticket today (thank You! You are the first person to actualy manage to do SOMETHING!) but the ticket I opened was not about game-time QQ, but about Forum Access. I suppose he gave me 3 days because that was the easiest way to get me post in the Forums again. Altho I couldn't get in my Profile aprox an hour after I received the 3 days. At the moment it is working.
Reading up this outside article, I got aware of the possibility stuff to get bugged if Zenimax "Expert Staff" made an attempt to battle bots by placing some weird credit/debit card filters.
So my assumption is that - anti-bot bank card filters, or - thoughtlessness of the people who made the ESO payment system, so it bugs if you do not have double the sum, or - some hidden bug when subscribing for 3 or 6 months so it bills you more times, on top of the frozen assets.
My simpathies with all people with same problems
I have no idea when it will get resolved, nor how. I just think that after my 3 days are up, I wont be able to play again for a long time.And honestly? I don't feel like playing right now, so I don't realy need 3 screwed days of game-time. With every new day I just wish ZENIMAX to unfreeze my bank assets, so I can at least play another game before my holiday from job is over. I'll go back to EVE or something.
Because yeah - I took 20 days off work, to enjoy this gaming product. Instead I am dealing with this ***. I could have been working and not wasting my time with some sloppy releaces.
PS.
If you find yourself locked out of Forum Access, use a guildie or other friend to post for you. Or someone may send you Invitation Code to make another forums Profile. Or contact Support ofc, but I am sick of doing that.
1
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Utildai✭✭✭This needs to get bumped continually and responded to by someone higher than a GM... I've had the same issue and was billed once with a hold as well, so basically billed twice until a week later when they decided to release the funds of the second billing...
This needs to stop...0 -
BaKaNoOB✭✭✭
I think so tooThis needs to get bumped continually and responded to by someone higher than a GM... I've had the same issue and was billed once with a hold as well, so basically billed twice until a week later when they decided to release the funds of the second billing...
This needs to stop...
0 -
Evergnar✭✭✭✭✭
✭Had the same issue. Well, actually still do have the same issue since my money is still being held. 6 days and counting.0 -
LameoveR✭✭✭✭As i said before in another topic - the only safe way to subscribe - is to buy a time card/code/whatever from side distributor, as i did.
Was charged on ~3500RUB on 10th may and didn't get my sub also.
0 -
Ikumarbeh✭✭As i said before in another topic - the only safe way to subscribe - is to buy a time card/code/whatever from side distributor, as i did.
Was charged on ~3500RUB on 10th may and didn't get my sub also.
Very good advice LameoveR, but first - there are many posts on the forum with cards that give invalid codes, in which case you contact Support, then they tell you to contact retailer. Second - ZENIMAX doesnt sell Cards outside UK officialy. I am in Bulgaria (which is in the EU), so I have to order via Amazon, wait for couple of weeks, after that there still is the bug-risk.
OR you can buy Card from online trader, only the code of it, but you reeeaaly goda trust that source.
Aint gona happen.0 -
*quote from CS*
"I apologize for this inconvenience you have experienced and for the delay in replying to your issue.
When a player sets up a new subscription or changes their payment method for a subscription, our system will perform an authorization check. In these situations, players will see both the authorization check and the subscription on their card/account, but only the funds for the subscription will be kept.
Players are not being doubled billed. The funds that are subject to the authorization hold should be returned to your account in a matter of days dependant on your financial institution's policy.
In the future, we do plan to decrease the authorization amount so that it is no longer for the full amount. (end quote)
Ah, but you see, on a debit card THE DAMN FUNDS ARE STILL HELD until the bank figures out one was a authorization & one wasn't!
Which can take up to three weeks.
If I bought a television with my debit card, for say; $1000; (hell, anywhere between $1 & $1000 ) & the company... ANY fraking company...said
"Oh, we're gonna have to have you have $2000+ on that card to cover this $1000 transaction...
I'd tell them to go right where I told ZoE0 -
I wonder if this problem only affects people over seas, or are there people in the US that are also experiencing this issue?0 -
Ah just wondering, it seems that the ZOS billing system is having issues with processing accounts that are out of the US.
Just a gut feeling.1 -
BaKaNoOB✭✭✭Jim_McMasterub17_ESO wrote: »*quote from CS*
"I apologize for this inconvenience you have experienced and for the delay in replying to your issue.
When a player sets up a new subscription or changes their payment method for a subscription, our system will perform an authorization check. In these situations, players will see both the authorization check and the subscription on their card/account, but only the funds for the subscription will be kept.
Players are not being doubled billed. The funds that are subject to the authorization hold should be returned to your account in a matter of days dependant on your financial institution's policy.
In the future, we do plan to decrease the authorization amount so that it is no longer for the full amount. (end quote)
Ah, but you see, on a debit card THE DAMN FUNDS ARE STILL HELD until the bank figures out one was a authorization & one wasn't!
Which can take up to three weeks.
If I bought a television with my debit card, for say; $1000; (hell, anywhere between $1 & $1000 ) & the company... ANY fraking company...said
"Oh, we're gonna have to have you have $2000+ on that card to cover this $1000 transaction...
I'd tell them to go right where I told ZoE
more likely 30-45 (depensind ond cars )days then the holds are returnedEdited by BaKaNoOB on May 17, 2014 8:26AM0 -
Ikumarbeh✭✭Jim_McMasterub17_ESO wrote: »*quote from CS*
"I apologize for this inconvenience you have experienced and for the delay in replying to your issue.
When a player sets up a new subscription or changes their payment method for a subscription, our system will perform an authorization check. In these situations, players will see both the authorization check and the subscription on their card/account, but only the funds for the subscription will be kept.
Players are not being doubled billed. The funds that are subject to the authorization hold should be returned to your account in a matter of days dependant on your financial institution's policy.
In the future, we do plan to decrease the authorization amount so that it is no longer for the full amount. (end quote)
Ah, but you see, on a debit card THE DAMN FUNDS ARE STILL HELD until the bank figures out one was a authorization & one wasn't!
Which can take up to three weeks.
If I bought a television with my debit card, for say; $1000; (hell, anywhere between $1 & $1000 ) & the company... ANY fraking company...said
"Oh, we're gonna have to have you have $2000+ on that card to cover this $1000 transaction...
I'd tell them to go right where I told ZoE
more likely 30-45 (depensind ond cars )days then the holds are returned
Yes, 45 days in my case. Or one payment cycle (world standard).
I already asked Support - "Will I receive any compensation for the fact that I cannot use my personal bank assets because of your Company?"
My e-mail was dodged, no answer, instead they replyed to another one I've sent them.
So for me it's clear - if I do not get compensation (which is the case) for the fact that some 3rd party takes the liberty of freezing my personal bank assets (which is what you get when charged in court with any type of financial fraudulence), this means that I DONT WANT TO HEAR ABOUT ZENIMAX EVER AGAIN.
Im blind and deaf to their online products from now on and will find another gaming product to feed my hobby.
I humiliating for me to have any relations with a company that treats me like a criminal and which treats itsel like they are the court.
Edited by Ikumarbeh on May 17, 2014 8:55AM0 -
snigernissen✭✭ive had this happen to me before, last time it was EA that multiple billed me and i just called my bank and told them to withdraw the transaction, that worked ( quit the game i was playing and have never bought an EA product ever since and not going to ever again, had so many issues with that company trying to rip me of besides just that one issue... )
As from what i can see now, im missing aprox 200 DK ( danish kroner ) from my bank account with no listing to what my money has gone to atm, my suspicion is ZOS since i was automaticly billed and have not received any notice on it on my bank account yet... if this is true, then im prolly gonna quit the game cause i dont have money for an idiotic payment system like that....
Other gaming companys just "withdraw" 1 euro to make sure your bank account is ok for them to withdraw the money from and you get that back after 1 day if not after a couple of hours ( have never seen it go past 1 day so far from any of the other games im playing atm )
so why cant ZOD use this "true and tried" method ????
I call "SCAM" really... cause if just 1 out of a 100 does not notice this and he never gets his money back or just has the "meh i dont mind loosing 10 euros" attitude, then they make an extra profit before the game prolly ends up like swtor and goes f2p because of to many people leaving the game.
Im getting sick and tired of gaming companys hiding behind eulas and sh.t when they know they have done something wrong but just wont admit it.
i for one hope that tons of people ends up suing ZOS like people ended up doing to EA cause they just ripped people of...Edited by snigernissen on May 17, 2014 9:15AM0 -
Volla✭✭✭now i got a mail from some pedro dude that explain how to pay with their pay part. yea i'm *** ... :P i cant pay online. i just payed since 1999 MMO's. never had a problem....0 -
Kpu4Soul ShrivenHaving a problem with exact amount of money on my visa account... tech support says I need twice that amount to subscribe. Now 2 payments is frozen because I did it 2 times with just summ of 1. This is wrong on so many levels. Now if I do try to sub I will loose 4 times of money.Edited by Kpu4 on May 18, 2014 2:49PM1
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Iago✭✭✭✭✭magickats242cub18_ESO wrote: »I wonder if this problem only affects people over seas, or are there people in the US that are also experiencing this issue?
I live in the US and am having this problem as wellThat which we obtain to cheap we esteem to lightly, it is dearness only that gives everything its value.
-Thomas Pain1 -
Kpu4Soul ShrivenWhy can`t they do like apple for example. They charge only 1$ to see if your account is valid, and its totally fine by me. But in this case if you need 60$ to subscribe normally, you will need 120$ to do that available on bank account to play at the same day as payment went through? Many debit card users are screwed here because of this.Edited by Kpu4 on May 18, 2014 2:00PM2