She had never played Guild Wars before, so, of course, she types /bonusitems in for the first character she creates, then immediately deletes it to try a different hair style or somthing. Bye-bye baby dragon.
Arenanet doesn't provide any instructions in the box for this feature or explanation of it in the game, so this is an easy mistake for someone playing the game for the first time to make.
Here's how my conversation about this issue with Arenanet went:
Quote:
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Customer (John Hutton) 08/08/2006 08:35 PM I recently bought a copy of the Guild Wars Factions Collector's Edition for my girlfriend. As a new user, it was not obvious to her that deleting the character she used to activate her pet reward would permanently delete the reward. (Rewards from other mmorpg's collector's editions that she was familiar with didn't work this way). Now she is mad at me. I purchaced this product with the understanding that it included this feature, and I do not feel that sufficient care was taken to ensure that new users do not accidently delete it. Please reactivate the feature in the account with the login: (personal details deleted) so that she can enjoy the product as advertised. Thank You John Hutton ************************************************** Response (Shane) 08/08/2006 09:27 PM Hello John, Thank you for contacting the Guild Wars Support Team. We appreciate the time you took to contact us on this. However, our system works best when the person experiencing the issue contacts us directly. If they would like to contact us, please ask them to do so using the "Ask a Question" feature at http://www.guildwars.com/support/. Here are some general points that will help our team investigate most issues: - If you are receiving an error message, what is the exact error number and message? - What was the date and time (including time zone) of the incident(s)? - If you were playing a character at time of incident, what was its name? - Did you have any screenshots of the incident? (If so, please ensure they are under 2 megabytes and in JPEG/.jpg or GIF/.gif format and attach them to this message.) - Do you recall any additional details? We appreciate your support of Guild Wars and your interest in keeping the game world pleasant for all players. Regards, The Guild Wars Support Team ************************************************** Response (GM Dynamite) 08/09/2006 11:36 AM Hello, Thank you for getting in touch with us concerning your account question. Unfortunately, at this time we do not have the option for reversing an accidental character deletion. The deletion process that we have in place does ask a player to confirm, by retyping the character name, that the deletion is desired and intended. This is a safety measure to try to assure that instances of accidental deletion will be very unlikely. In cases where characters are accidentally deleted even with this safeguard, we're sorry that we cannot offer you a process to reverse the process, and the Support Team is not able to reinstate characters or any of the items on that character. We are very sorry for the inconvenience. Please contact us again if you have additional questions. Regards, The Guild Wars Support Team ************************************************** Customer (John Hutton) 08/10/2006 11:21 PM There are two responses to this issue, so I'll respond to the more recent one. I'm not asking for the deleted character to be restored. I'm asking that the bonus item be restored to the account for use by another character. There isn't a sufficient safe-guard to make sure that players trying Guild Wars for the first understand that the bonus item isn't permanently tied to the account, as in other MMORPGs. To answer some points of the earlier response: -Let's just take it from here that it is my issue, since I paid for the product, activated the account with my own email address, and would prefer to deal with it myself. -The character in question was just made to jump into the game and take a quick look around. We don't remember what the name of the character was, nor any additional details that might be pertinent. I purchased your Guild Wars: Factions Collector's Edition product with the understanding that it included this feature. If you Are not able to provide said feature, I will expect my purchase to be refunded. If my concerns cannot be corrected here, I would like to speak to someone directly. I can be reached at (personal details deleted) between 10am and 6pm EST. Thank You, John Hutton ************************************************** Response (GM Dynamite) 08/11/2006 10:48 AM Hello, Thanks for contacting the Guild Wars Support Team. We do not offer phone support for Guild Wars, only e-mail support. If you wish to pursue a refund, you will need to do so from the store that you purchased the product, as we do not offer refunds of any kind. As previously stated, we can not restore any characters or **ITEMS** deleted that were on that character. If you feel as though there are not sufficient measures taken to be sure that players truly want to delete their characters, we encourage you to consider posting your suggestions on one of many of the Guild Wars Fansite message boards. A compiled list can be found on the official Guild Wars web site at http://www.guildwars.com/community/fansites/. By posting on one of these message boards, other players can comment on your ideas, concerns, and suggestions, and Development Team members are able to catch up on what the community wants to see in Guild Wars. Fansite forums make it easy and efficient for us to learn from those playing the game. Thank you for your efforts in assisting us to make Guild Wars the best gaming experience possible. Regards, The Guild Wars Support Team ************************************************** Customer (John Hutton) 08/13/2006 12:44 PM I would like to you give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that implicit in your suggestion that I seek a refund in the store that I purchased the product from was an agreement to reset or replace the access key card that came with said product; and that you were not fatuously suggesting that I attempt to get a refund by returning the box contents without including a working key code. That would be an acceptable resolution to this issue, assuming you also refunded my credit card for the purchase of Guild Wars: Prophesies through PlayNC linked to the same account (bought, of course, before we were aware of the issue in question). I would, in fact, be satisfied enough with resetting the access key that I would not need to return the product. I am giving you this benefit of the doubt because it's hard to believe that any business would handle a dissatisfied customer so flippantly as to suggest they attempt to get their money back from the retailer without the product in hand. If, however, you did intend to insult me with a prima facie ridiculous suggestion, that is not acceptable. Because you are based in Washington, and Guild Wars: Factions Collector’s Edition is sold in states other than Washington, you are subject to the Federal Trade Commission Rule, 16 CFR § 251. The entire text of this section can be found at http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-...00&TYPE =TEXT, but I’ll include the two relevant subsections here for your convenience: (c) Disclosure of conditions. When making ``Free'' or similar offers all the terms, conditions and obligations upon which receipt and retention of the ``Free'' item are contingent should be set forth clearly and conspicuously at the outset of the offer so as to leave no reasonable probability that the terms of the offer might be misunderstood. Stated differently, all of the terms, conditions and obligations should appear in close conjunction with the offer of ``Free'' merchandise or service. For example, disclosure of the terms of the offer set forth in a footnote of an advertisement to which reference is made by an asterisk or other symbol placed next to the offer, is not regarded as making disclosure at the outset. However, mere notice of the existence of a ``Free'' offer on the main display panel of a label or package is not precluded provided that (1) the notice does not constitute an offer or identify the item being offered ``Free'', (2) the notice informs the customer of the location, elsewhere on the package or label, where the disclosures required by this section may be found, (3) no purchase or other such material affirmative act is required in order to discover the terms and conditions of the offer, and (4) the notice and the offer are not otherwise deceptive. … (i) Similar terms. Offers of ``Free'' merchandise or services which may be deceptive for failure to meet the provisions of this section may not be corrected by the substitution of such similar words and terms as ``gift'', ``given without charge'', ``bonus'', or other words or terms which tend to convey the impression to the consuming public that an article of merchandise or service is ``Free''. Section (i) is significant because the feature in question is described as both a “gift” and a “bonus” within the game and on www.guildwars.com, thus subjecting said feature to Federal Trade Commission Rule, 16 CFR § 251. Section (c) states that, “conditions and obligations upon which receipt and RETENTION of the ``Free'' item are contingent should be set forth clearly and conspicuously at the outset of the offer so as to leave no reasonable probability that the terms of the offer might be misunderstood.” There is no documentation provided with the box that advises a consumer how to use the feature in question. The only instruction provided within the game interface is “You have a bonus item! Type /bonusitems to retrieve it. You may only use this command once per account.” which is inserted within a rapidly scrolling text window. Given this limited guidance, it is not unreasonable to expect a reasonable person, using the product for the first time, to accidentally delete the feature in question. Please bring yourself into compliance with rules I have cited, and remedy the issues I have brought to your attention that resulted from prior failure to comply. Thank You John Hutton (personal details deleted) ************************************************** Response (GM Dynamite) 08/14/2006 11:09 AM Hello, We have reviewed your comments regarding our policy about replacement of lost or stolen in-game items. We have noted that you are unhappy with the policy. But as we stated earlier, we simply are unable to replace items. We're very regretful when a player experiences a loss of this nature, but it is not in our capacity to replace such items. We are setting this ticket to closed status and any further correspondence about this issue will be closed without response. Regards, GM Dynamite Senior GM Guild Wars Support Team ************************************************** Customer (John Hutton) 08/14/2006 01:33 PM I have made you aware of how your company is failing to live up to its legal and ethical obligations me, a customer. I have, in good faith, given you an opportunity to remedy this error, which you have chosen not to take advantage of. I have no alternative now but to pursue this issue through a third party. I will not contact you directly again about this matter. If Arenanet should decide to offer remedy, I may still be reached at (personal details deleted) most weekdays between 10am and 6pm EST. John Hutton |
So, anyway, I now have a complaint filed with the Better Business Bureau to compel Arenanet to comply with the Federal Trade Commision rules. I've also filed one with the Federal Trade commision itself, but who knows if Guild Wars will still even exist by the time they get around to reading this.
If this has happened to anyone else, post here and PM. I can either add your name to my Better Business Bureau complaint or help you file your own. Make sure you contact Arenanet and ask them for help before you go to a third party.
