Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
March 28, 2024, 04:24:10 AM

Login with username, password and session length

Search:     Advanced search
we're back, baby
*
Home Help Search Login Register
f13.net  |  f13.net General Forums  |  The Gaming Graveyard  |  Warhammer Online (Moderator: tazelbain)  |  Topic: Mythic billing vendor snafu 0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
Pages: 1 [2] 3 Go Down Print
Author Topic: Mythic billing vendor snafu  (Read 74417 times)
WindupAtheist
Army of One
Posts: 7028

Badicalthon


Reply #35 on: April 10, 2010, 03:47:52 AM

Despite sharing an office with DAOC, UO is apparently on a different billing system and unaffected. Of course I use a prepaid card for all my internet bullshit, so they could charge my inactive account infinity dollars for all it matters.

This is the worst thing any MMO has ever allowed to happen on it's watch. Careers need to be ruined over this shit.

"You're just a dick who quotes himself in his sig."  --  Schild
"Yeah, it's pretty awesome."  --  Me
jakonovski
Terracotta Army
Posts: 4388


Reply #36 on: April 10, 2010, 03:52:56 AM

So is this thing still going on? I keep hearing about people getting charged again. Thank god the card I used for WAR in 08 expired last year.
Goreschach
Terracotta Army
Posts: 1546


Reply #37 on: April 10, 2010, 05:37:29 AM

I guess their billing system had three star talent and five star drive.
Pringles
Terracotta Army
Posts: 102


Reply #38 on: April 10, 2010, 07:03:27 AM

I guess their billing system had three star talent and five star drive.

 Oh ho ho ho. Reallllly?

Awesome.
Lantyssa
Terracotta Army
Posts: 20848


Reply #39 on: April 10, 2010, 07:57:16 AM

This disaster is a thing of beauty.  <sniffle>

(Sorry for the people actually affected though.)

Hahahaha!  I'm really good at this!
Arthur_Parker
Terracotta Army
Posts: 5865

Internet Detective


Reply #40 on: April 10, 2010, 09:39:07 AM

So is this thing still going on? I keep hearing about people getting charged again. Thank god the card I used for WAR in 08 expired last year.

It's a bit odd to see the same people hit over two days.

Charged - Even Again! 04/09/10

Quote
Yes that's right, 8AM EST Saturday Morning.  I was charged again on 04/09/10.
 
On 4/8, I was charged 63 times totaling just over $1,000.  Promptly called my bank, and conference call with Mythic.  Immediately cancelled all my accounts, and put stop payments to Mythic Entertainment. 
 
Upon waking up this morning, went to see if I had been credited my $1,001.07 plus overdraft and now stop payment fees (which I had not been).  And now I see, that even after all of this and my proactive approaches, I have been charged AGAIN!
 
I demand a response, and a solution to what clearly is a major problem and violation.  Not "I'm sorry, let me read this generalized statment to you, AGAIN" 
 
So yes, everyone check your bank accounts AGAIN, because clearly Mythic / EA has lost all control (if they ever had it to begin with)
 
See below for a single example of me being charged AGAIN.  I won't put them all, as it's pointless.
 
04/09/2010
CHECK CARD PURCHASE XXXXX3771 MYTHIC ENTERTAINMENT XXXXX0169 VA
$15.89
 
-$924.10
Sir T
Terracotta Army
Posts: 14223


Reply #41 on: April 10, 2010, 12:30:44 PM

Whats the betting certain executives are heading on a permanent buisness trip to RIO with large suitcases of cash?

Hic sunt dracones.
Modern Angel
Terracotta Army
Posts: 3553


Reply #42 on: April 10, 2010, 12:32:02 PM

This is the worst thing any MMO has ever allowed to happen on it's watch. Careers need to be ruined over this shit.

Seriously. I really can't think of anything comparable off the top of my head. Even my usual inclination to do the whole HAHA LOOK AT THESE IDIOTS is kind of muted here. This is really, really bad. A 2k charge for most working class to middle class people really can ruin a life on a temporary basis. I really can't laugh too much at that.
Arthur_Parker
Terracotta Army
Posts: 5865

Internet Detective


Reply #43 on: April 10, 2010, 12:50:04 PM

Whats the betting certain executives are heading on a permanent buisness trip to RIO with large suitcases of cash?

Zero?  According to one of the latest Mythic posts, refunds have already been processed they just haven't reached their destinations yet.  

It's very telling that nobody senior at Mythic/BioWare or even EA has stepped up to the plate so far.  James & Andy have been handling it, no disrespect to them, as I suspect they have done as good a job as humanly possible, but for such an epic screw up you would expect to see some leadership from the top brass, not the people who deal with the players normally.

Small example of a good post in a bad situation from Andy here.

« Last Edit: April 10, 2010, 12:51:55 PM by Arthur_Parker »
BoatApe
Terracotta Army
Posts: 66


Reply #44 on: April 10, 2010, 12:58:04 PM

  Should your financial institution refuse to refund any overdraft charges/fees based on your requests to do so, I implore you to contact our billing support team so that we may speak to them directly to request this courtesy for our mutual customer.

This would scare the crap outta me if I had been charged.
Lantyssa
Terracotta Army
Posts: 20848


Reply #45 on: April 10, 2010, 01:54:00 PM

Zero?  According to one of the latest Mythic posts, refunds have already been processed they just haven't reached their destinations yet.  
I'm sure the executives haven't reached their destinations yet.  It's a long flight.  Ohhhhh, I see.

Hahahaha!  I'm really good at this!
jakonovski
Terracotta Army
Posts: 4388


Reply #46 on: April 10, 2010, 02:05:31 PM

Pringles
Terracotta Army
Posts: 102


Reply #47 on: April 10, 2010, 03:23:26 PM


No, its Bank of America.

I've read other stories where they suspect fraud or that you're trying to rip them off (debit wise) they set your balance to -888,888.88
Modern Angel
Terracotta Army
Posts: 3553


Reply #48 on: April 10, 2010, 03:59:15 PM

Yeah, it's mentioned in the youtube comments.
Azazel
Contributor
Posts: 7735


Reply #49 on: April 10, 2010, 08:27:05 PM

Are US credit cards devoid of that feature where the credit card company says "This shit ain't right.." and stops it? Cause, I've had my card company call me when I purchased 3 items in succession because of a cashier fuck up. I can't imagine they would let 10+ transactions from the same company that only re-occur every month.

Nod. My company calls me whenever anything even slightly suspicios occues on my card.

http://azazelx.wordpress.com/ - My Miniatures and Hobby Blog.
raydeen
Terracotta Army
Posts: 1246


Reply #50 on: April 11, 2010, 12:05:49 AM

Are US credit cards devoid of that feature where the credit card company says "This shit ain't right.." and stops it? Cause, I've had my card company call me when I purchased 3 items in succession because of a cashier fuck up. I can't imagine they would let 10+ transactions from the same company that only re-occur every month.

Nod. My company calls me whenever anything even slightly suspicios occues on my card.

I remember my card being declined years ago because I tried to get gas at 3 am on my way home from a long shift at work. I really hope they're as on the ball now as they were then.

I was drinking when I wrote this, so sue me if it goes astray.
Ollie
Terracotta Army
Posts: 202


Reply #51 on: April 11, 2010, 12:07:06 AM

Practices vary from region to region, but a good number of large financial institutions world-wide have either already implemented or plan to implement processes that track payments and alert if anything unusual occurs.

Here in Northern Europe for instance, the largest Scandinavian bank has a system where the card owner receives a text message of any suspicious activity, such as huge sums or repeated withdrawals. The bank automatically puts the transactions on hold and won't accept any charges made until the account owner confirms they are legitimate. It's all automated and in real-time, so you just reply to the text if you want to okay the payment. Only flagged transactions are blocked, so you can still use your card normally while you figure out what to do.

The service can be nifty, though some object due to the "we are watching you" kind of Orwellian vibe. It's completely optional at this point, though, so it's easy to opt out.

Edit: clarity.
« Last Edit: April 11, 2010, 06:13:28 AM by Ollie »

Hug me, I'm Finnish!
UnSub
Contributor
Posts: 8064


WWW
Reply #52 on: April 11, 2010, 02:27:13 AM

It really would have been kinder for EA to have just taken WAR out the back of the shed and put a bullet into it.

Stuff like this just scares off players for years.

In Australia, I've received calls about my card being used at odd times - I wasn't spending hundreds of dollars at a petrol station in Canada, for instance - and I'm protected for fraudulent use in all cases. I'd have to check the specifics, but I might be up for the first $50 in some cases, but everything else is covered.

Mythic also just made it to CNN, which is nice.

The first sentence of that report is:

Quote
EA/Mythic Entertainment recently had a slight error in the billing of their popular MMO Warhammer online.


despite the author being out around $900 due to the mistake. That's not a 'slight error'.
« Last Edit: April 11, 2010, 02:29:55 AM by UnSub »

WindupAtheist
Army of One
Posts: 7028

Badicalthon


Reply #53 on: April 11, 2010, 03:52:17 AM

popular MMO Warhammer online.

lol

"You're just a dick who quotes himself in his sig."  --  Schild
"Yeah, it's pretty awesome."  --  Me
Ollie
Terracotta Army
Posts: 202


Reply #54 on: April 11, 2010, 04:09:13 AM

They'll probably keep milking that zinger to the day the servers go down for good.

Hug me, I'm Finnish!
SnakeCharmer
Terracotta Army
Posts: 3807


Reply #55 on: April 11, 2010, 08:13:23 AM

Are US credit cards devoid of that feature where the credit card company says "This shit ain't right.." and stops it? Cause, I've had my card company call me when I purchased 3 items in succession because of a cashier fuck up. I can't imagine they would let 10+ transactions from the same company that only re-occur every month.

Nearly all credit card companies will notify you of suspicious charges. 

But most people use bank debit cards to pay for their games, which pulls directly (and immediately) from their checking or savings account.  Depending on what bank and what tier checking/savings account you use/have, it's just going to get passed right on through.
Soln
Terracotta Army
Posts: 4737

the opportunity for evil is just delicious


Reply #56 on: April 11, 2010, 01:59:34 PM

Is this still happening to people?  If so, it certainly gives credence to the lulz that Mythic may have been compromised.

How many people were affected?  Was it really "thousands"?
Arthur_Parker
Terracotta Army
Posts: 5865

Internet Detective


Reply #57 on: April 11, 2010, 02:22:37 PM

Don't think it's still happening, I'd guess the initial "problem" happened over a few hours and took anything from hours to days to hit people's accounts.  Seems pretty quiet except for some guy trolling that he is going to lose his house, then hours later posting to contradict himself.
Sjofn
Terracotta Army
Posts: 8286

Truckasaurus Hands


Reply #58 on: April 11, 2010, 11:12:38 PM

I guess their billing system had three star talent and five star drive.

That will never stop making me laugh.

God Save the Horn Players
Mrbloodworth
Terracotta Army
Posts: 15148


Reply #59 on: April 12, 2010, 11:26:14 AM

Holy shit.  ACK!

Today's How-To: Scrambling a Thread to the Point of Incoherence in Only One Post with MrBloodworth . - schild
www.mrbloodworthproductions.com  www.amuletsbymerlin.com
eldaec
Terracotta Army
Posts: 11838


Reply #60 on: April 12, 2010, 01:12:23 PM

despite the author being out around $900 due to the mistake. That's not a 'slight error'.

The bank is out $900, not the author.

People have this weird idea that banks prey on about how it is somehow your responsibility to stop third parties defrauding the bank by claiming they have authorisation from you for a transaction.

It's akin to your walking in to your mortgage provider and saying 'sorry old chap, some guy in the street claiming to be one of your employees asked me to pay him what I owed on my house, so your account with me is now empty'.



I appreciate this does not stop it all being a giant pain in the ass.

"People will not assume that what they read on the internet is trustworthy or that it carries any particular ­assurance or accuracy" - Lord Leveson
"Hyperbole is a cancer" - Lakov Sanite
Arthur_Parker
Terracotta Army
Posts: 5865

Internet Detective


Reply #61 on: April 12, 2010, 01:19:50 PM

Nothing really new from Mythic today, but I'm seeing a lot of people say they were billed early or billed on a closed account and when the refund came through it was one month short.

Example

Quote from: Ulric
When I heard of this issue, I immediately canceled my account in order to try and avoid having this problem.  It seems as I was too late as I was charged 22 times later that day
 
This morning I checked my account and I was credited 21 times.  When I had cancled my account, it said that the next time they would charge my account would be April 18th, I believe.  While I can't remember for certain the exact date, I know it was some day a week to ten days later.
 
So my question is, why was I not credited for all 22 times?  I realize that this issue pales in comparison to those who have much more serious issues, but I would appreciate an explanation when you can.
 
Thanks!

If this turns out to be the general pattern of the refunds, it means someone obviously took the decision not to refund the whole batch hit by the mistake, hit undo if you like, but to first deduct 1 month game time.  

This whole story is pretty epic, both for the reaction of the players (some really retarded comments) and (if the above is true) for the reaction of Mythic.  Finding out you made an unauthorised billing error is one thing, deciding to keep part of it is a whole different level of cynical manipulation that I'm not sure if I should be shocked or impressed by.
« Last Edit: April 12, 2010, 01:21:43 PM by Arthur_Parker »
UnSub
Contributor
Posts: 8064


WWW
Reply #62 on: April 13, 2010, 07:48:20 AM

It will be truly epic when Mythic sends out a "Welcome back to WAR - you're already subscribed for one month!" email.

Shatter
Terracotta Army
Posts: 1407


Reply #63 on: April 13, 2010, 09:45:33 AM

It will be truly epic when Mythic sends out a "Welcome back to WAR - you're already subscribed for 3.5 years!" email.

Fixed
Arthur_Parker
Terracotta Army
Posts: 5865

Internet Detective


Reply #64 on: April 13, 2010, 11:35:19 AM

Mythic double charging monthly fees

Quote from: James_Mythic
So I'll have more info today once we hear back from our vendor. However, the short of it is that those impacted do not need to take any action while we resolve the issue.
 
The issue enlied in this occuring through our vendors services not our own, therefore we need their records in order to correct any mistakes. We do apologize for the delay in a resolution to this matter; however, it is a top priority for us to see it corrected.

Above thread is from September last year.

edit to add, looks like somebody figured out what happened last week.

« Last Edit: April 13, 2010, 02:47:17 PM by Arthur_Parker »
Soln
Terracotta Army
Posts: 4737

the opportunity for evil is just delicious


Reply #65 on: April 13, 2010, 03:39:26 PM

that's convincing -- Mythic fucked up. Not the banks.  Not the haxx0rs.  What a shame too, I don't like seeing them beaten up anymore. 
raydeen
Terracotta Army
Posts: 1246


Reply #66 on: April 13, 2010, 04:54:54 PM

Heh. I had the polar opposite happen to me when I was subbed to PSU. I hadn't played in a while and decided to log in one day and found my account was closed. Went looking through emails and found that SEGA had encountered a problem billing my card (the card was fine) and just up and killed my account when they couldn't receive payment. It looked the account was killed immediately though. No 'Hey we're having problems, could you check/update your account or contact customer service?'. Nope, just nuke from orbit and move on to the next victim. Fortunately the loss wasn't worth crying over.

I was drinking when I wrote this, so sue me if it goes astray.
01101010
Terracotta Army
Posts: 12002

You call it an accident. I call it justice.


Reply #67 on: April 14, 2010, 05:19:33 AM

So basically they ignored that warning clause at the end of most internet order submission pages: "Only click the order button once, otherwise you may charged for multiple orders."

wow...

Does any one know where the love of God goes...When the waves turn the minutes to hours? -G. Lightfoot
Pringles
Terracotta Army
Posts: 102


Reply #68 on: April 14, 2010, 01:16:14 PM

One of my friends got hit 38 times for $32, and still  hasn't gotten a cent refunded, bank tells him to get bent.  Account is -$700.

(Bank is Chase if anyone cares)
Arthur_Parker
Terracotta Army
Posts: 5865

Internet Detective


Reply #69 on: April 14, 2010, 01:45:47 PM

One of my friends got hit 38 times for $32, and still  hasn't gotten a cent refunded, bank tells him to get bent.  Account is -$700.

(Bank is Chase if anyone cares)

Did he not have any luck with the bank's fraud department?

Mythic - my MORTGAGE payment is about to bounce, +20 minute long-distance phone wait. Help!

Quote
Okay, so I need a red to come help me - all of the erroneous charges have NOT been refunded (we received a partial refund) to my bank account and my bank won't reverse the bank fees until all of these charges are refunded. My automatic draft for my mortgage payment comes out tomorrow (04/15) and I don't have enough to cover it without the fees being reversed.
 
Not only will we miss a mortgage payment, we're going to be assessed late fees, and the credit rating is going to take a hit. To add insult to injury, it's a 20+ minute wait on a long-distance call before I can speak to your support department (currently on hold now). I need this issue escalated ASAP as I can't afford the late fees and my mortgage holder wasn't at all sympathetic today when I explained that this issue was supposed to have been resolved by now. Their position is that it's not their fault that there's not enough funds to cover the automatic draft. I'd appreciate someone contacting me immediately.

Check the link above, but believe or not the Mythic response to the above includes a smiley.
Pages: 1 [2] 3 Go Up Print 
f13.net  |  f13.net General Forums  |  The Gaming Graveyard  |  Warhammer Online (Moderator: tazelbain)  |  Topic: Mythic billing vendor snafu  
Jump to:  

Powered by SMF 1.1.10 | SMF © 2006-2009, Simple Machines LLC