Computer Hope
Software => Computer games => Topic started by: 2rani on April 15, 2009, 11:19:27 AM
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My account was closed for investigation and I am attempting to appeal. Firstly I sent a message through Blizzard's support webform, but after receiving no reply, I wrote another mail and sent it to the address which notified me of the temporary account closure (GM team). I haven't received a reply from there either.
Where can I message them to be sure that they receive it? Their initial mail that notified me of the account closure said that I would receive their decision shortly, but I have not yet received it, and it's about 3-4 days ago now.
I believe that their decision of banning me was unjust and I want to resolve this asap.
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All you can do is continue to wait or email their accounts department again. It often takes more than 3-4 days to receive a reply from them, especially when they're investigating your account. What was their stated reason for closing your account?
I've seen temporary bans for harassment, attempting to find ways into areas of the game where players aren't supposed to go, or "unknowingly" taking advantage of a flaw in the game. I have rarely heard of them closing an account permanently without good reason though. The main reasons being knowingly exploiting a flaw in the game, repeated spam reports on your account, unauthorized third party programs (like bots and such), or gold buying.
There is a bit of "spyware" embedded in WoW that monitors what programs are running and reports violations to Blizzard. Blizzard even admitted to the existence of this feature about a year or so after WoW came out after it was discovered by someone.
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I was banned for naming my guild 'Pedobears'. If you don't know Pedobear, then I can tell it's just an internet phenomena and a joke, and there was absolutely no harm intended in naming my guild 'Pedobears'. Now I think that it would've been a more appropriate solution to the problem if they just messaged me in-game and said "Hey, you need to change your guild name" instead of just banning with no warning, telling me that they'll be replying shortly without actually doing so for days, so far.
Now they said that naming my guild Pedobears was highly sexually inappropriate and that would rank in the top offenses, but I have a spotless history of playing WoW. I've played for years, with one big break in between, without ever breaking their rules or getting suspended or warned in any way. They said they were going to investigate my account for previous offenses etc. and then decide after doing that.
But still... I am banned without a warning, my game-time is being spent and they're not replying to my appeals. Their customer service outright sucks.
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I searched via Google, re: pedobear and got a site which, let's say is suggestive, if nothing else. This may be the phenomenon to which you refer, or I may've gotten the wrong site. Based on my search, I inquire:
WHAT WERE YOU THINKING????
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From Blizzard's policy on naming:
http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?articleId=20368 (http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?articleId=20368)
Extreme Sexuality/Violence
This category includes both clear and masked names which:
* Refer to extreme and/or violent *censored* acts
* Refer to extremely violent real life actions
If a player is found to have such a name for their character, guild, arena team, or pet, he/she may:
* Be assigned a randomly generated name.
* Be temporarily suspended from the game
* Be placed on Final Warning
While these repercussions may seem harsh, we feel very strongly that these names have no place within the world of Azeroth due to their extremely offensive nature.
Your guild name was in clear violation of their naming policy. When you agreed to World of Warcraft's terms of service, you agreed to abide by these rules, whether you took the time to read them or not. My guess is you've been placed on Final Warning given the amount of time you've been suspended:
http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?articleId=20221 (http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?articleId=20221)
Final Warning
Final Warnings are applied when a player needs to be removed from the game for an extended period of time or the player has repeatedly violated policy in a relatively brief period of time. Placing an account under review for possible closure is quite rare, and only occurs in the case of particularly serious policy violations or excessively repeated policy abuse. The following are true of Final Warnings:
* Extremely serious account penalty
* Quite rare
* Extended service interruption, with a possibility of permanent revocation
If you have further issues with your account being banned, you can contact them through one of the addresses on this page:
http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?articleId=19775 (http://us.blizzard.com/support/article.xml?articleId=19775)
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I am sure you will be back on.... thre is one guy in steamwheedle cartel that they keep allowing to come back and its just insane that they havent permenantly banned this guy.
Constant spamming the trade channel with sick *censored* content and telling everyone to go do this and that. The toons name is Cholk
Makes no sense why they keep letting this guy back on without a permanent ban.
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He must have paid extra.
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I am sure you will be back on.... thre is one guy in steamwheedle cartel that they keep allowing to come back and its just insane that they havent permenantly banned this guy.
Constant spamming the trade channel with sick *censored* content and telling everyone to go do this and that. The toons name is Cholk
Makes no sense why they keep letting this guy back on without a permanent ban.
It's funny you mention that. I know a guy who has repeatedly been told to change his nickname, so he just switches from one to the other and they just haven't figured it out yet. I won't mention what either of the nicknames is, as they're both *censored* in nature and inappropriate to post here. He also has one character with a *censored* name that hasn't been reported yet or people just aren't catching the meaning.
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I know of people having written far worse things in-game and naming their characters far worse names than 'Pedobears'.
Pedobear is just a joke. If people take it seriously, they just don't get it, just like one of the new South Park episodes with Kanye West not getting the Fish-dicks joke.
Besides, the original and official Pedobear is just a 'bear' that teaches kids what to do in traffic afaik. It has merely become what it has become because the name might be misinterpreted and therefore sound dirty.
The comments I got about the guild name in-game were all positive. It made people laugh and they said stuff like "great guild name". Seriously, they did.
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OK, thank you for explaining that.
It's a shame that my Google search didn't bring me to the bear's original intention.
Wouldn't it be better to name the guild for something that better fits the WoW universe?
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Even though the original meaning of the bear is what it is. I must admit, that's not what I named the guild after. But I don't think it's a reason worth banning someone for, especially not someone who has never broken the rules before.
I suppose we just come from different backgrounds and have different values and humor. You're allowed to go quite far as far as humor and jokes are concerned where I am from. Nothing is holy, but seriously, I've heard about worse things getting lesser punishments.
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All completely irrelevant. Joke or not, it was offensive enough for someone to report it and it was in violation of Blizzard policies. It's their game, their rules.
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Yes of course. I have apologized for naming the guild the way I did and explained that I meant no harm, but I have also explained that I consider a permanent ban to be too harsh.
But even if I have broken their rules or not, I believe I should get an answer on what they decide. Especially if they tell me they're to answer shortly.
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Yes, you should be dealt with equitably and fairly. Maybe they're just really busy.
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Blizzard Billing and Account Services:
1-800-592-5499
If they won't answer emails, get them on the phone.