Ongoing payment issue still not resolved. Locked permanently out of ESO+

Lunarhound

This is the first time I can claim to have been genuinely angry with the company behind this game. I've been waiting for the sabre cat mount, but every time I've tried to purchase crowns since it's been added, I get a message telling me that the transaction is not authorized and to contact my payment provider. I've done that. They've looked at my card and bank account up, right, left, down, and sideways, and assured me that there is no problem with the card and that the issue is on the merchant's end. Additionally, I've been able to make purchases with the card elsewhere. My girlfriend has even tried to use her card to purchase crows, with no success. Same error.

I opened a ticket with support and was told to wait 48 hours and try again. In 48 hours, the mount will be gone, likely forever unless I want to gamble for it in crates. There is no phone support that I can call to talk to an actual person. I am SERIOUSLY pissed. Yeah, I know, it's a freakin' virtual toy, but it's one I've been waiting on since it was announced and planning to purchase, but I'm being barred from doing so because of a problem on THEIR end, and support has made it clear that they will not do anything to rectify it. I posted about this in the support forums, but I'm doing so here as well, because I want it to be seen. This is HORRIBLE customer service.

Blackleopardex

They don't like money

Ch4mpTW

So out of curiosity, why not use a different card? Or if as you stated how the card works elsewhere, buy a PSN card. Then simply enter the PSN card information to obtain crowns, and go from there. Why not do that? That way you won't miss the mount.

Betheny

Use PayPal, it bypasses all the built-in fails that the ESO payment system causes.

Damianos

Lunarhound wrote: »

This is the first time I can claim to have been genuinely angry with the company behind this game. I've been waiting for the sabre cat mount, but every time I've tried to purchase crowns since it's been added, I get a message telling me that the transaction is not authorized and to contact my payment provider. I've done that. They've looked at my card and bank account up, right, left, down, and sideways, and assured me that there is no problem with the card and that the issue is on the merchant's end. Additionally, I've been able to make purchases with the card elsewhere. My girlfriend has even tried to use her card to purchase crows, with no success. Same error.

I opened a ticket with support and was told to wait 48 hours and try again. In 48 hours, the mount will be gone, likely forever unless I want to gamble for it in crates. There is no phone support that I can call to talk to an actual person. I am SERIOUSLY pissed. Yeah, I know, it's a freakin' virtual toy, but it's one I've been waiting on since it was announced and planning to purchase, but I'm being barred from doing so because of a problem on THEIR end, and support has made it clear that they will not do anything to rectify it. I posted about this in the support forums, but I'm doing so here as well, because I want it to be seen. This is HORRIBLE customer service.

There is a phone number for them, however you have to google it as it is 'forbidden' for it to be posted in the forums.

Karminathevamp

I started getting these payment failures lately with Chrome. So I switched to MS Edge (Internet Explorer) and the payments are going through. It may be worth a try.

waterfairy

If it's any consolation there's a black sabre cat that's been datamined and it probably won't have the god awful gaudy gold armor.

Lylith

Vigarr wrote: »

If it's any consolation there's a black sabre cat that's been datamined and it probably won't have the god awful gaudy gold armor.

let's hope so, anyway.

i was all set to buy the current mount but the armor and lack of customization put me off.

Nifty2g

Blackleopardex wrote: »

They don't like money

This comment made me gasp

Acrolas

There are two things you can try.

1. Check and make sure the name, address, and ZIP code you're entering on the website exactly match what is registered on the card. I've seen some customers fail address authentication because, for example, the card is actually registered in Chicago but they put their Chicago neighborhood mailing address of Lincolnshire instead.

2. Even if the card says Good Thru 9/18, that does not mean you put 10/18 in the expiration date. You put 9/18 in the expiration date. It probably should be 10/18, but for all intents if it asks for the month and date on the card you put the month and date that's written regardless. I'm guilty of making this mistake, too. And it can fail a transaction.

ADarklore

Acrolas wrote: »

There are two things you can try.

1. Check and make sure the name, address, and ZIP code you're entering on the website exactly match what is registered on the card. I've seen some customers fail address authentication because, for example, the card is actually registered in Chicago but they put their Chicago neighborhood mailing address of Lincolnshire instead.

^THIS! I've had this happen before where the address didn't match EXACTLY as what my credit card statement said... it MUST match the statement address exactly or it can be denied. The problem I had was that my bank statement had my address listed one way, the credit card (same bank) had it listed another way... so I had to figure out which way the credit card statement had it listed- since I receive all my statements online, I never see the address.

starkerealm

Also, trying a different browser might help. I've had issues with my address failing to authenticate when I use Firefox, and have to handle any transaction through the portal on Chrome. Weird thing is, it will actually follow to different PCs, so it seems to be an account level bug rather than a local issue.

andreasranasen

Vigarr wrote: »

If it's any consolation there's a black sabre cat that's been datamined and it probably won't have the god awful gaudy gold armor.

Will most likely be in Crown Crate for next season

waterfairy

Lylith wrote: »

Vigarr wrote: »

If it's any consolation there's a black sabre cat that's been datamined and it probably won't have the god awful gaudy gold armor.

let's hope so, anyway.

i was all set to buy the current mount but the armor and lack of customization put me off.

I'm guilty of buying as the saber is cool enough to counter the gold and I loathe gaudy stuff in game. I had the crowns saved and I posted about wanting a saber cat over a year ago...now they just need to get on the wamasu and armored welwa mounts

srfrogg23

My bank has this weird hatred for California. I cannot use my bank debit card to purchase anything ESO related because the transaction somehow flows through California.

Have you checked with your card provider to see if they have a similar stipulation?

The person you talked to might not have thought about it if you didn't mention it because it's a kind of weird issue.

ADarklore

srfrogg23 wrote: »

My bank has this weird hatred for California. I cannot use my bank debit card to purchase anything ESO related because the transaction somehow flows through California.

Have you checked with your card provider to see if they have a similar stipulation?

The person you talked to might not have thought about it if you didn't mention it because it's a kind of weird issue.

Probably because a lot of fraud flows through California. Banks have ways of seeing where most of the internet and 'identity theft' events occur, and wouldn't surprise me that is why Cali is on a bank's online blacklist.

NovaShadow

Use Paypal.

I've had guildies run into this issues, I've told them to use Paypal and it goes through without a hitch.

srfrogg23

ADarklore wrote: »

srfrogg23 wrote: »

My bank has this weird hatred for California. I cannot use my bank debit card to purchase anything ESO related because the transaction somehow flows through California.

Have you checked with your card provider to see if they have a similar stipulation?

The person you talked to might not have thought about it if you didn't mention it because it's a kind of weird issue.

Probably because a lot of fraud flows through California. Banks have ways of seeing where most of the internet and 'identity theft' events occur, and wouldn't surprise me that is why Cali is on a bank's online blacklist.

I suppose that's a possibility. Never really got a straight answer on that one. I just know that if my card doesn't work somewhere, it's because it's come down with a case of Cali-phobia.

MLGProPlayer

Use PayPal fam, it's the 21st century.

Lunarhound

MLGProPlayer wrote: »

Use PayPal fam, it's the 21st century.

PayPal doesn't work. It gives me an error saying the card can't be added, and when I click the link to cancel and return to Zenimax, it returns the same "transaction could not be completed" error. And no, there is not an issue with the card. I've contacted the payment provider multiple times now and been told there is no issue. I've also been able to use the card just fine everywhere else, and attempting to use a different card returns the same error. This also happens when I use a different browser and a different computer, and even when I try to use a different card from a different computer. And yes, I am putting in all my information correctly. I've made plenty of purchases with this card in the past, and I've made plenty of attempts since this mess began to make a purchase. I know the information I'm trying to input and it is absolutely 100% correct. There is obviously some sort of issue with my ESO account itself that is preventing me from making purchases.

At this point, my ESO Plus membership has expired and now not only am I unable to buy crowns, I'm unable to renew my membership, and customer support is still zero help. They keep giving me the same unhelpful answers over and over again.

I know @ZOS_GinaBruno and the rest are not customer service, but I'd kind of appreciate a response from some sort of company representative at this point with something approaching helpful information. Like many others here, I've put both a lot of time and a lot of money into this game, and now that I'm having an issue, I'm basically being treated like I don't matter, and being given the same copy-pasted useless, unhelpful answers over and over again. I've been sent a customer support number by people on the forums, but all I get when I dial it is a busy signal.

Frankly, I'm beginning to consider looking into some sort of way to file a complaint with the consumer protection agency in my state. I've sunk enough money into this thing over its lifetime that to be suddenly denied service with no explanation and given no help whatsoever in resolving the issue beyond some halfhearted copy-paste email answers that show they aren't even fully reading my ticket is revolting.

Turelus

Lunarhound try contacting support if you miss the mount and ask if you can buy it anyway (once you have the crowns).

They should be able to confirm that you had a ticket open at the time it was available and that you only missed it because of issues with payments, then hopefully do a manual purchase for you.
I've heard of others being able to get things for similar reasons but I can't confirm for a fact it has happened nor that the customer rep you speak with will be willing (it seems to vary based on each rep).

Lunarhound

Turelus wrote: »

Lunarhound try contacting support if you miss the mount and ask if you can buy it anyway (once you have the crowns).

They should be able to confirm that you had a ticket open at the time it was available and that you only missed it because of issues with payments, then hopefully do a manual purchase for you.
I've heard of others being able to get things for similar reasons but I can't confirm for a fact it has happened nor that the customer rep you speak with will be willing (it seems to vary based on each rep).

At this point, I'd just be happy to have purchases working again, period. As I posted above, my ESO+ membership has now expired and I can't renew it because of this ongoing issue.

TyroneShoelaces

If you can't add your credit card to PayPal, surely you must realize something is going on that isn't the fault of zenimax?
I had a similar event once where I tried to use a MasterCard on the bclc.com website to purchase lottery tickets without going to the store, but that particular credit card company didn't allow anything to do with gambling. Perhaps it's because of the crown crates? :-p

Lunarhound

TyroneShoelaces wrote: »

If you can't add your credit card to PayPal, surely you must realize something is going on that isn't the fault of zenimax?
I had a similar event once where I tried to use a MasterCard on the bclc.com website to purchase lottery tickets without going to the store, but that particular credit card company didn't allow anything to do with gambling. Perhaps it's because of the crown crates? :-p

I don't think you've read my posts.

As I've already stated multiple times, I've called my payment provider as suggested. I've spoken to them four times now over the past week. They can find NOTHING wrong with my card or bank account. Additionally, I have tried different cards, tried paying from a different browser, different computer, etc. and continue to receive the same error. I have also been using this card for everything from paying rent to buying groceries to purchasing games on Steam since this began happening. I've used it TODAY. And I have been using this SAME card to pay for my membership and crown purchases for years. As for PayPal, I am still perfectly able to use this card with it. It only rejects it when I attempt to pay for anything from Zenimax. Whatever is going on, I have spent a week now doing everything possible to determine that this is NOT on my end. The only thing left to conclude is that this is some sort of problem with my Zenimax account, and they need to stop dodging it and deal with it.

TyroneShoelaces

Oh, I guess I misunderstood this part?
"PayPal doesn't work. It gives me an error saying the card can't be added"
So if you go instead to the PayPal site, can you link your card or bank account there?

Lunarhound

TyroneShoelaces wrote: »

Oh, I guess I misunderstood this part?
"PayPal doesn't work. It gives me an error saying the card can't be added"
So if you go instead to the PayPal site, can you link your card or bank account there?

Yes. I've tried both using my actual PayPal account, and doing it without an account. When I attempt to use it without an account is when it won't let me "add" the card. When using the actual account, I get an error saying the payment couldn't be processed, and then I get kicked back to Zenimax's site and shown the same "transaction could not be completed" error. My girlfriend has also attempted to use her PayPal account to pay for my sub and gotten the same error. She can use it to pay for crowns on her own account just fine, though. I even used my card - the one being rejected - to buy 8 bucks worth of crowns on HER account and it let me. Whatever's going on, it's happening solely with my ESO account. Every attempt to pay using any method is rejected when signed in to my account, but those same payment methods work perfectly fine everywhere else.

My bank (it's a debit card through my bank), when I call them, say they aren't even seeing an attempt at a payment coming through. Nothing is being "rejected" on their end, because there is nothing to reject. Whatever is happening, the request for payment is being stopped before it even reaches the card company.

TyroneShoelaces

Hmm.... Something like a social ban, but financial instead? Weird.... Is this for a PC account or console?

Katahdin

Have you tried adding the card to PayPal by logging onto PayPal directly first instead of doing it at the same time as purchasing? Then try to purchase the crowns with the paypal option afterwards?

TyroneShoelaces

That's the direction I was trying to head in. :-)

Lunarhound

Katahdin wrote: »

Have you tried adding the card to PayPal by logging onto PayPal directly first instead of doing it at the same time as purchasing? Then try to purchase the crowns with the paypal option afterwards?

Yes, and PayPal says that an error occurred, then returns me to the Zenimax site, which gives me the same "transaction could not be completed" error. Meanwhile, that same PayPal account, just like the card, can be used successfully elsewhere. We even tried having my girlfriend use her PayPal account, but the same thing happens. Something about my ESO account is simply blocking payments before they even reach the bank, but I can't get customer service to even acknowledge that this is happening. They just keep telling me to make sure all of my information is correct, or to wait 48 hours and try again, despite that I've told them repeatedly now that I waited 48 hours the first time this happened, and when it happened again, waited the better part of a week, with the same result.

Katahdin

Lunarhound wrote: »

Katahdin wrote: »

Have you tried adding the card to PayPal by logging onto PayPal directly first instead of doing it at the same time as purchasing? Then try to purchase the crowns with the paypal option afterwards?

Yes, and PayPal says that an error occurred, then returns me to the Zenimax site, which gives me the same "transaction could not be completed" error. Meanwhile, that same PayPal account, just like the card, can be used successfully elsewhere. We even tried having my girlfriend use her PayPal account, but the same thing happens. Something about my ESO account is simply blocking payments before they even reach the bank, but I can't get customer service to even acknowledge that this is happening. They just keep telling me to make sure all of my information is correct, or to wait 48 hours and try again, despite that I've told them repeatedly now that II waited 48 hours the first time this happened, and when it happened again, waited the better part of a week, with the same result.

Don't go to PayPal through/linking from the ZeniMax/Bethesda site.

Just go to PayPal by itself without logging onto your Bethesda account. Log in directly into paypal, see if you can change/update your credit card ino on there. Log out of the paypal account.

Then go to the Zenimax/Bethesda website, log in and try to buy via paypal.