Get ready to play - activate your account

[RepJediKnight]

OKAY PEOPLE LISTEN UP: YOU SET UP A SUBSCRIPTION( GIVEN THEM HTE INFO OF A DEBIT/CREDIT CARD FOR ANY FUTURE PAYMENTS YOU'LL PLAN ON MAKING), RIGHT NOW U GOT 30DAYS FREE, SO YOU DO SUBSCRIPRTION AND ONCE ITS DONE, YOU CANCEL IT, MEANING YOU PLAY YOUR REE 30 DAYS, AND THATS IT! NO DDITIONAL CHARGES ONCE THEY ARE UP, BECAUSE YOU CANCELED THE SUBSCRIPTION, MEANING YOURE TELLING THEM YOU DONT WANT TO PAY FOR THE FOLLOW UP MONTH. IT EVEN SAYS IT ON THE PAGE WERE YOU SUBSCRIBE EXPLAINING THAT IT WONT CHARGE ANYTHING WHILE YOU GOT GAMETIME GOING ON(THE FREE 30DAYS),MEANING THAT THAT IS THE THING LETTING YOU CANCEL THE SUBSCRIPTION WITHOUT GETTING CHARGED FOR SUBSCRIBING.....woop sry caps, is not like i wanted to scream it oout through typing in the hopes that people would open their eyes and smell the coffee:cool:

[Ivstan]

well been reading the backside of my case again and it clearly says , and i quote :

 

THE *FIRST* 30 DAYS OF SUBSCRIPTION FEES ARE INCLUDED IN THE PURCHASE PRICE OF THE PRODUCT.

 

just my 2 cents , but when it says that on black and white, theres not rly a reason to start charging at day 2 now is there?

 

 

They aren't charging at day 2. They aren't being misleading. They aren't stealing your children. Asking for your CC info when you make the account is the MMO equivalent of gas stations requiring you to give your CC before you get gas. This is the industry standard way of doing things. Any other game in the world will require this as well.

 

( Don't compare apples to oranges. We are talking about P2P, non-trial accounts here. Trials such as WoW's endless trial to 20 don't count.)

[Noxsabe]

:mad:Boware please explain i bought a CE i states cleary i would get a month of free playing time and now after two days you already ask me to buy a pre-paid card?

Really? I hope it's a bad joke on your part just just all my money to pay the CE and now i can't play anymore starting tommorow because i dont have the money right now to buy a freaking pre-paid card? im so mad right now im planning to burn up CE you are ripping people off!! You promised 30 days free playtime not 30 days free play time if you buy right away 60days pre-paid time!!

 

i take it this is your first MMO you play, cus of all the MMO's i'v played all of them ask this to start playing your free month.

But yea i can understand if this is your first MMO game that this took you by surprize. sucks but there is not a darn thing you can do about that.

Look on the bright side, you have the CE version, i was to-late and the force left me that day.

[megalomaniacalia]

God, have you people never played an MMO in your lives?

 

If not that's fine, but there's no point in complaining about something that is a normal procedure (entering CC information) in pretty much any other product you'd pay a fee for via the internet. This will never change and seriously is no different than any other game.

 

Also, with WoW, you bought a trial pack of the original game that was completely separate from the original game itself (aka, you did not pay 50 or whatever dollars for the trial, you paid like 10 or however much it costs nowadays). In that trial period is a "disposable" trial key that does not require CC information because you must upgrade your trial in order to continue playing the game with a legitimate and normal product key/registration code. When WoW first launched, there was no trial pack to buy. It is the same situation here. I'm sure in the future SWTOR will have trial packs and all of that happy horse ****, but THIS IS LAUNCH.

 

You paid for a collector's edition and don't expect to play for more than a month? OR, you bought an MMO (full version, at launch) with no means of paying for said monthly fees? That's your problem. Everyone should at least know that MMOs require monthly fees; this prevents a lot of probable complaint-related customer service issues with "late payments" and other possible liabilities. The first month is free as a courtesy to you; you don't like the game, cancel it within the first month and you don't pay **** else, sorry and have a good day. Or, simply, you can't afford it? That's alright, your account will be frozen when the month runs out and you can reactivate whenever you are able. It will not be deleted. You like it? You keep playing and it charges you once the first month is over with no extra work. Then, you can cancel at any time and still play until your month (or months, depending on what you pay for) run(s) out.

 

Also, I chose the regular monthly subscription plan and had no issues with payment going through. It took nothing from my account. What DID happen was I preordered the digital version and the cost for the game MINUS the $5 preorder fee was deducted from my account on the day of release.

 

The 6-month payment should not have been taken out and I'd recommend contacting customer support in order to refund your payment and let them know that this is happening in the first place because it is not normal.

 

Anyone having issues with their hard copy coming in the mail should have expected to at least possibly encounter issues, especially with the holiday season right around the corner. There's nothing anyone can really do about that unless there was a transporting issue, in which case you'd contact the place from which you ordered the game (Origin, Amazon, etc), but again, it is the busiest time of the year. They are SWAMPED. I chose a digital download based upon these reasons and perhaps you should have considered the same.

 

But honestly... your account will still be there once the game comes in the mail. It's frustrating to have to be cut off, I'm sure it is, but **** happens mang. You can't always expect everything to go smoothly in life.

[Voidence]

Absolutely not true. WoW did not require any such thing on purchase. They were pretty confident that once you play it you'll still want to subscribe. No need for sleazy tricks.

 

Same, When I started WoW I didint have to put anything in untill my 30 free days were up. This is bs, And tbh if this is how its gonna work I wont be able to play for a couple weeks and if thats the case I might just say screw it at this point.

[Evilnessme]

Holy rage thread batman...

Only issue that I'm running into is that none of the game stores or electronic stores have the time cards yet...so...where the bloody he'll are they?

 

Best Buy has prepaid cards.

 

I too was charged for a month even though the box says first month free. I'm not sure as to why its happing but I do hope I get my free month and soon

[Agitator]

i cant figure out how to subscribe. on my account it shows that i haven't entered my code. but i go to enter it and it already says its been used. and it also says that i redeemed it already. but the link to subscribe is locked. help me out thanks.

[Sashalanda]

I havent been able to play longer than 10 minutes for the last 4 days. The last thing I want to do is give them even the chance to get more money from me until they fix the black screen. In tech area there are threads all over it with pc freeze..black screen altho some kick back to desktop.

 

I havent even opened my box because if that isn't fixed, I want to be able to take the game back and get my money back. The thread I replied it was over 70 pages this morning. I hope they fix it but so far all I have heard is the text book answers. I realize that is the norm but geez, I did check all that stuff before I emailed them. I tried everything everyone said with the exception of the person that said to manipulate .exe. I really believe the problem is their side. /shrug so disappointing when I have waited for this game for so long.

[Agitator]

i cant figure out how to subscribe. on my account it shows that i haven't entered my code. but i go to enter it and it already says its been used. and it also says that i redeemed it already. but the link to subscribe is locked. help me out thanks.

 

yeah this is definitely the right code too. its been used but the subscribe link is locked. help!

!!!!

[LTFIRE]

there fine

[VariableEntity]

The bold, underlined part seems untrue. When I signed up for billing (I chose the 6 month plan), my card was charged immediately.

 

 

I signed up for the 90 day billing on both my and my wife's account and there's been no charge for either of those subscriptions.

[maxbaby]

There is no such thing like a smooth launch. Better to wait it out and enjoy christmas. Edited December 22, 2011 by maxbaby

[Vandrel-Blitz]

As a reminder, in the early hours of tomorrow morning (December 22nd), we will be taking both the game servers and SWTOR.com offline for maintenance. This maintenance will begin at 2AM CST (12AM PST / 3AM EST / 8AM GMT / 9AM CET) and is expected to last until 6AM CST (4AM PST / 7AM EST / 12PM GMT / 1PM CET).

 

Get Ready to Play

 

After this maintenance period is completed, in order to continue playing Star Wars: The Old Republic you will need to have completed the following steps:

 

1) Create an account on SWTOR.com (if you have not already done so)

 

2) Within the 'My Account' section:

 

• Complete your contact information
  
• Add between three and five security questions on your account
  
• Redeem an official Game Product Registration Code (not a pre-order code; see below)
  
• Sign up for a subscription or enter a Pre-Paid Game Time Code

Once you have completed all of these steps, you'll be ready to play once the servers come back up. You can complete these steps at any time before the maintenance begins, or afterwards if you prefer. Right now, approximately half of those who played in Early Game Access have completed these steps and are 'ready to play', so we'd encourage all of you to complete these steps as soon as possible.

 

If you have issues completing any of these steps, please contact Customer Service via support@swtor.com for assistance.

 

Forums 'Read Only' During High Load Period

 

When we bring SWTOR.com back up after maintenance, we're expecting to see very high load as users complete their 'ready to play' steps as outlined above. As having everyone complete these steps and getting them back into the game is our highest priority, we have decided to keep the official Forums in 'read only mode', hopefully just for a few hours, until load subsides. (In other words, you will be able to read the Forums, but not make posts.)

 

If we experience unexpected load, we may take the Forums offline for a period. Remember, when we switch the Forums back to normal, you will not be able to post unless you have completed the steps listed above.

 

Here are answers to some questions you might have regarding the process:

 

What's a 'Game Product Registration Code'?

 

The Game Product Registration Code is the code provided with your retail or digital copy of Star Wars: The Old Republic. This code should be found inside the packaging of any retail edition of the game, or would have been emailed to you from Origin.com if you ordered a digital Standard or Deluxe Edition.

 

If you have purchased a retail copy of Star Wars: The Old Republic and find the Product Registration Code missing or unreadable please email support@swtor.com with the following details:

 

• The subject "Product Code Proof" in your email title.
  
• A detailed description of your problem.
  
• Attach a scan of your proof of purchase (receipt). Please write the name of the account holder on the receipt. Please make sure that your name is clearly readable on the scan.
  
• Customer Service will get back to you as soon as they can.

 

If you have purchased a digital copy of Star Wars: The Old Republic and find the Product Registration Code missing or unreadable please email support@swtor.com with the following details:

 

• The subject "Product Code Proof" in your email title.
  
• A detailed description of your problem.
  
• Attach a scan of your proof of purchase (receipt). Please write the name of the account holder on the receipt. Please make sure that your name is clearly readable on the scan.
  
• Customer Service will get back to you as soon as they can.

Why do I need to sign up for a subscription?

 

You first 30 days of Game Time are included in the purchase of any edition of Star Wars: The Old Republic, but you must add a valid payment method to activate your account. This method of payment varies by country, but includes most major credit cards plus ELV and Paypal (in some territories). Please visit our Billing and Subscription FAQ for more details. You can also activate your account using a Pre-Paid Game Time Card, available at most major retailers.

 

Whenever you activate your account, your 30 days of free Game Time will begin. When using a credit card, ELV or Paypal, you will not be billed for your second month of play until your 30 days of free Game Time is complete. You may cancel your subscription at any time in your first 30 days of play. Your unused Game Time will still be available on your account and you can still play until this expires.

 

While you're at it,

 

GIVE US SERVER FORUMS

 

http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=3500

 

It's only been asked for over 1,000 times now in that thread, though you can't see that because your support team decided to remove several hundred posts.

 

 

 

 

Respectfully,

 

Your friendly neighborhood Support Manager

Edited December 22, 2011 by Vandrel-Blitz

[Fatesender]

Well i don't know what you signed up to but WOW, Rift and every other MMO subscription i have played I have had to put my CC details in first to activate.. its standard. Plus like any other subscription for anything else in the world it is the onus of the customer to cancel your subscription because companies don't want the QQ if they cancel yours cause you pay late.

 

Umm Rift activated your account by phoning them if you were going to use time cards. Bioware isn't offering that option.

 

I have yet to play an MMO that screwed over time card users by forcing them to buy a time card right away and I'm hoping Bioware does not go that route.

Edited December 22, 2011 by Fatesender

[Rechez]

I was billed today but only $1. Like someone mentioned earlier that is just so they can validate the card. Now will they reverse that right away or just charge me one buck less for my sub after the 30 days? hmmmm...I'll have to watch that.

[Silthir]

For the millionth time, no. It's not normal procedure. And how exactly am I not gonna be billed if I don't have a credit card and need to purchase a game card. Can I scratch it, use the code and then send it back? Christ.

 

Actually for the millionth time, yes. For God sakes. Just because WoW didn't do it, doesn't mean it's not a normal procedure. I've played MANY mmos and 90% of them do require a credit card or a prepaid time card to begin playing. Examples would include, Rift, Aion... woah I can't remember the names of the others right now o.O but that's probably because I haven't played them in forever. Anyway, regardless, the only MMO I've seen that doesn't require a credit card or prepaid time card is WoW (that's not including free to play mmos).

[Tileon]

I hear you guys. I like the game and I'm happy to sub but I don't like that I have to sub to play when I have a month already. I know I can sub and then cancel and buy time cards... but why not just let me say I plan to use time cards in the future right away instead of making me run out and try to buy a time card or sub and then cancel? There must be a reason that it's done this way because I had to do this when I tried WoW. Anyone know?

[Xahnastma]

So... Just got off the phone with customer support and feeling pretty stupid atm Wanted to give anyone out there a heads up in case they run into the same problem. Now to explain:

 

I subbed up last night (6 month repeating) before the deadline. When I went to log into the game to start playing this afternoon I got a message on the launcher, "There is currently no active subscription on this account." I logged into the website to double check in case I had missed a step in the subscription process. Once there I verified that I did have a subscription on file and it was active. So I re-launch the game to see if maybe it was just an error that one time, no luck. So I call customer service (by the way the on hold messages are annoying ). After about 20 in queue and 40 min on the phone (most of that spent on hold as well) and I'm sure a great amount of confusion on the part of my customer service rep. We discovered that I had missed one vital step in the account set-up, putting in my contact info. So for anyone else having this or similar issues, before you spend 20 min. waiting on the queue to speak to a customer service rep. Log on and double check that you have put in your contact info., set up your security questions, AND fully completed your subscription. It just may save you some time and the poor guys at the customer service area some headache.

 

Happy Holidays! And may the force guide you and keep you safe during your holiday travels.

 

~Xahnastma

[anonymously]

Can someone tell me why I waited over 8 hours to login to the website in order to enter my retail key, I couldn't understand what was going on, so I launched up a different browser and all of a sudden I can login first try? Utter ********! My other browser is still sitting there in a "queue", refreshing the browser automatically....

 

Then on top of having to put in payment details, they're trying to get me to "upgrade" my game? and make the UI so *********** difficult to navigage. EA is the worst, glad I don't have to use origin, cuz well.. then I wouldn't.

 

EDIT: Cleared cookies and guess what, no more queue. What a waste of *********** time

Edited December 22, 2011 by anonymously

[RamzaBehoulve]

They make me laugh trying to force people with powerful currency to pay way more than 15$.

[NorthernMyst]

When told you get 30 days of game time that is what you should get. Not a bunch of hassles. LOL you cant even post a comment without getting a subscription. Guess they don't want to see the comments from all the people that can't access their 30 days because they dont have credit cards and dont want to waste money on time cards if they can even get them.

I received wow as a christmas gift with 30 days and played my time without having to give credit card no. or time card code. I pay when I want to play. You do not have to sign up for a subscription.

I have a friend who purchased the game with understanding he had 30 days. He has no credit card, a tight budget and no way of getting a time card. Probably doesnt even want a time card since he keeps crashing whenever he does any group activity. Not to mention the hours of time waiting in ques.

I have visited the web page to see if there is any mention of not being able to play your 30 days without having to buy a subscription. This is the closest they come to the fact ( PAID SUBSCRIPTION, VALID AND ACCEPTED PAYMENT METHOD OR PAID GAME TIME CARD (IF AVAILABLE) REQUIRED TO ACCESS GAMEPLAY)

 

NOTICE THE IF AVAILABLE

Seems like alot of false advertisement to me.

I feel sorry for the people who get this as a Christmas present. What joy it will bring when they load their game and find out they can't play their 30 days without a whole lot of hassle, and hours sitting in ques.

[Denber]

So due to some paypal issues and website overusages I wasnt able to get my subscription started untill today. In the original post it states:

 

"Whenever you activate your account, your 30 days of free Game Time will begin. When using a credit card, ELV or Paypal, you will not be billed for your second month of play until your 30 days of free Game Time is complete. You may cancel your subscription at any time in your first 30 days of play. Your unused Game Time will still be available on your account and you can still play until this expires."

 

So in other words, my free 30 days should start today, no? I was able to activate it just today. I only have 27 days left according to my account info. Is that working as intended?

 

I dont mind getting told to try again later when setting up the subscription, but I do mind that my free days started counting while waiting to try later.

 

I reported this issue last week, when the site kept timing out asking to fix it before the end of prelaunch to prevent the problem, on which I never got a response. And earlier today I emailed the situation. I got a reply later on that, stating there had been some issues with paypal subscriptions but it had been fixed. At dinner time I tried again, and indeed it finally went all through. No word has been said about the 3 days I lost.

 

Sincerely,

 

Dennis

[AlbedoX]

I agree with many of the angry ranters, however so far I entered my info and then immediately canceled my subscription and am sitting in my hour long queue to play. Still dont know if i was charged yet but based on previous complaints I'm worried that I will be.

 

Just wanted to address people who said this is "normal"...It isnt. I've played dozens of MMO's and the point of a subscription card is for those users who don't want to use easily hackable electronic sites...and this company should know exactly what that means given past history. Its ridiculous to make people verify with credit cards and even more ridiculous to extort the information from them by holding their already paid for subscriptions hostage. We shouldn't be forced to trust a company with a history of bad security with sensitive information.

[Summerwine]

I purchased copies of this game for myself, my children, and my grandchildren. At the time of purchase, I was only able to buy 1 time card ( I got the last one the store had). Since then I have been all over this city and nobody has any more. So on Christmas day, after loading this game, my grandchildren can't play. I don't want to disapoint them, so I only have one option. Return the 5 games to the store, get a refund, and get them something they can actually use on Christmas day. I am sure I won't be the only person doing this. Not a very good marketing ploy!

[Mike_Bluesky]

Similar situation here, there''s going to be many pissed people in Poland after trying to play the game on christmas day...