PlayNC check if your C key is working for Ctrl+C

I made a ticket about some GW CD-Key alrdy in use.... so my ticket goes like this...

...then the answer I get goes like this...

...so basically that guy gave me the cd key he had copy pasted from the last support ticket. thank you plaync now we know how accounts get hacked.

Ouch. Glad I don't use support now.

End of topic.

The CD Key is proof that you own an account to Anet. You could have this CD Key and basicly say the person it belonged to hacked your account and changed all the information. While it wouldnt provide you access to the account easily its not something that should be given out to strangers.

I made this in paint for you.

LMFAO OWND hahahhah <3 <3 paint ftw

/doh!

and then
sigh....
people make mistakes, though I think this one is pretty big.

Last time they asked me for a receipt I sent them a screenshot of that amazon page where it says "This document does not serve as receipt" on the bottom, I just edited that part out and it worked.

well when i contacted support i had a really good service. I scanned my cards in and i was fine. I also screenshot'd my amazon order pages

Retailers constantly fail. You do realize you can walk into a Best Buy and stroll out with an HDTV in your cart if you know the system. I would never do such a thing, but any intelligent former employee knows this. Ah, high school days.

Oh, and PlayNC support is quite literally the WORST support in the universe. They tried to tell me my RAM was shot and to replace it. Me... someone who designs fabrications for processors and attended the JEDEC Council Summit in 2007. Yep, my RAM was certainly malfunctioning, seeing as how everything else but Guild Wars was working.

I replied with a very wordy response, noting my position and JEDEC council status, to which they never replied back to because it was too technical. I laughed and proceeded to fix the issue after 3 days.

like some stores don't require reciepts so you usually get credit for them item so you could just pick up the item and refund it. You could also walk into a store and pick up something you've previously bought and show them the reciept. I wouldn't do this though because its WRONG!"

You are assuming of course that most of the general population has a concious and isn't out for themselves and care about big business. While I agree with the 3rd part of that, and perhaps the 2nd in some cases, the 1st part of what I said is something I am the opposite of like you (minus sneaking into a movie here and there just to feel bad, lol )

Still, the point holds... PlayNC Support = worst support in the universe, even worse than... I am about to say this... Microsoft AND Dell.

Wow, just wow.

Actually, they seem worse than Orange's ISP support, who, now matter how hard you try to explain to them that you have done every single step, they still mindlessly read the script whilst flat out ignoring you.

Aren't there any sort of clauses or laws against this, the handing out of another person's account information? I ponder this.

Nah Anet ain't so bad when compare to some other online game companies out there. Although, they should stop paying their staff with a sack of potato every month though.

Yeah but since it was already activated, no exploit right?

It's bad support as you didn't get your answer, and it's bad security as a vulnerability was shown. Either NCsoft does a better job, or they're going to loose business.

The information is not related to identity, but to access, so the privacy laws don't apply.

Fril couldn't someone get access to a tad bit of identity information if they used the access code for malicious purposes, such as the account information?

You can't use it since it's already been used. Keys are not tied to accounts until you've attached them manually via the game interface. So to get ID information from the key would amount to breaking this link, which seems only possible if you have access to account database on Anet's server?

(it's a bit like a house key: if I were to just give you the key, could you find the house?)

Hmm, true. I don't know much of the identity and access laws (or Consumer Protection) mostly because I haven't had the time to find and read them. (Finding the Consumer Protection law statue's going to hard, all I have found so far are amendments).

Also, r.e. the house key thing, you have a good point. Let's just hope it's not possible to easily get one's hands onto account names.

You can just tell PlayNC your key doesn't work and it says error 103 this code is already in use and they would give you a new one and ban the account that was using the CD-Key at that time.

I find a good general rule when asking questions of support technical or otherwise is never exceed 1 line of text.

The number of times I list the problem simply , then give a more detailed explanation.
Followed by a list of everything I have tried and finally complete details as to pc hardware software and that fact everything has been updated.

All in neat paragraphs with headings.

Then comes the reply suggesting something I have already tried.
you point this out and they come back with is my router correctly set up or similar.
Back again pointing out you don't have one and had already told them this.

You then realise your dealing with a support person determined to go through his list of ideas no matter what the actual question is.
You eventually learn patience and just answer I tried your suggestion but no improvement.
After a couple of weeks you usually find the answer.

Stop getting embarrassed Ubisoft you know its all true.

And they don't ask for proof of purchase???

Yes, but as I said before you can make the proof of purchase yourself they don't even check it.

.. Yep.

Yet they don't like to mention that the first time.

I had the American team asking for not-so-crazy information, then got forwarded to the European team who then said I was "missing information" that wasn't asked for in the first place. Namely my address, receipts and credit card numbers.

It'd be nice if they were a bit clearer about this stuff. Huff.

You don't need that if you just tell them your CD-Key is already in use.

You should contact Gaile or NCSoft Support and inform them of this flaw.

Not post it on a forum, you give malicious people a chance to exploit this!!!

True (it's even horribly easy!), but protections against that (i.e. security code used for credit cards, verified by Visa program) are not yet widespread. What you're asking NCsoft to do is something most e-businesses are not doing. And it has a very daunting cost which means that people get paid less on this side of the wage equation.

I'm all for more security, but you HAVE to understand that it's mainly a business and security has a cost than can quickly escalate. Trade-offs are made and sometimes they have to be changed. It's RELATIVELY easy to hack into software (anyone with enough interest can train himself online and with a few good books, it requires very little expertise) while the counterpart is rather difficult.

(a police officer once showed me how easy it is to get into a car, and I've seen that with some scary stuff you can even break immobilisers without much efforts; I know how easy it is to break SIMlock on mobile phones and that it's not even difficult to change your phone identity ... security is NEVER, EVER perfect and NEVER, EVER will be, it's all about finding the right deterrent from malicious people, ultimately making people less malicious is the only long-term solution )

P.S.: did you try to PM/whisp Regina about that?

Some of these approaches by "white hat hackers" (the non-malicious hackers) have been used extensively in the past to force companies not doing a good job on security (e.g. Microsoft 5 years ago) to change the way they're tackling the problem. I don't know if pablo is doing it on purpose, but I've heard that sometimes Anet/NCsoft are a (big) bit too slow ...

It's more the Control key that's broken!
I don't know what happened but that's a lack of attention to the customer.