Slinglock Posted June 21, 2019 Share Posted June 21, 2019 (edited) *EDIT* - This issue has since been resolved, massive thanks to everyone involved! To Whom it May Concern, I am the owner of the account "KeyPawn" and have been working with the Customer Support team for the past two days attempting to regain access to this account. The Customer Service team has informed me that as a matter of policy and procedure, they need to verify my identity by means of sending a 6-digit code to the e-mail address on my account. While this normally wouldn't present an issue, the e-mail address on file for my account has since been permanently deactivated by Google. This means that I do not have access to the e-mail, and thus, cannot confirm the 6-digit code they would send. While the Customer Service team has assured me that they have done everything they can within the constraints of their policy to verify my identity, there is simply nothing that they can do other than to suggest that I reach out to the developers here in the forums. I even went so far as to send support@swtor.com an e-mail containing photographs and screen captures to help prove my identity to include my Driver's License. This issue has created a tremendous amount of stress as I have spent over $1,000 in total on this account since 2011 and was immeasurably proud to be one of the first subscribers to the game and receiving my Founder's Medal. While I understand that policy and procedure is preventing the Customer Service team from changing the e-mail on my account so that I can make the necessary changes myself, it's a hurdle that I simply need to find a workaround for. I hope that a developer sees this post and that something can be done. I can provide any information to further assist in establishing proof of my identity as well as ownership of my accounts that would be required to better facilitate an expedient solution. Not to be cute, but please... Help me, Developers, you're my only hope! Edited June 25, 2019 by Slinglock ISSUE RESOLVED Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zerileth Posted June 21, 2019 Share Posted June 21, 2019 This is a customer service issue and they shouldn't be passing the buck. They should get a manager involved. I've worked in customer service and this smells bad. Keep fighting the good fight OP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slinglock Posted June 22, 2019 Author Share Posted June 22, 2019 (edited) To be fair, I honestly don't think that they were passing the buck. I attempted several times to be transferred to some sort of supervisor or anyone with any decision-making power regarding exceptions in policy/procedure, yet was assured that I'd receive the same answer. The representative, "Anmol" claims he spoke to over 50 different individuals in attempts to help me and I genuinely believe that he did everything he could within the constraints of what's allowable in his position. It appears that this is less of an issue with Customer Service in general, and more an issue of policy handcuffing their ability to assist the customer in situations such as this. Edited June 22, 2019 by Slinglock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lightSaberAddiCt Posted June 22, 2019 Share Posted June 22, 2019 There is something hinky going on if your email was permanently deleted by Google. I have never even heard of that happening before, unless you were using it for something against their ToS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kodrac Posted June 22, 2019 Share Posted June 22, 2019 (edited) I attempted several times to be transferred to some sort of supervisor or anyone with any decision-making power regarding exceptions in policy/procedure, yet was assured that I'd receive the same answer. That right there is suspicious. "Don't worry, friend. My boss will say same think as me. You don't need talk to him". Yeahhhh uh huh. Everything CS related lately has a bad smell to it. The representative, "Anmol" claims he spoke to over 50 different individuals in attempts to help me Also, yeahhhh sure ya did. 50 you say. Uh huh. Edited June 22, 2019 by kodrac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slinglock Posted June 22, 2019 Author Share Posted June 22, 2019 There is something hinky going on if your email was permanently deleted by Google. I have never even heard of that happening before, unless you were using it for something against their ToS. What happened was that there was 24 months of inactivity on the account, an e-mail was sent to my secondary e-mail address informing me of the potential for the account to be deactivated, but I either misread it or thought nothing of it at the time. I have since e-mailed Google in attempts to recover my account, and here's what was said verbatim: "Hello, Thank you for reaching out about difficulties accessing your Google account. We've looked into your request, but unfortunately, we can only restore access to a deleted Google Account if the request is made within a relatively short period of time. It seems that your request was filed after this window closed, and your account has already been permanently deleted. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. You can create a new Google Account. Regards, The Google Team" Google didn't do anything wrong, per se, it was my own inattention to detail that caused the issue and I take responsibility for that. I simply find it hard to believe that verification through e-mail is the only way to "confirm my identity". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slinglock Posted June 22, 2019 Author Share Posted June 22, 2019 That right there is suspicious. "Don't worry, friend. My boss will say same think as me. You don't need talk to him". Yeahhhh uh huh. Everything CS related lately has a bad smell to it. Also, yeahhhh sure ya did. 50 you say. Uh huh. I've heard my fair share of horror stories about Customer Service lately, and there was another individual who was quite rude and off-putting, even resorted to hanging up on me in the middle of our conversation, but I can forgive all that if a resolution is reached. I believe he spoke to that many people, but they're all likely representatives in his office who are all held to the same policy restraints. When I asked to speak to his direct supervisor he stated that it wasn't possible and he wasn't able to escalate the call any further. While I may not necessarily believe the validity of that statement, this was possibly the third or fourth time I spoke to that same individual, both in game and on the phone, and he was nothing but polite with me and genuinely seemed interested in helping any way he could. I don't know what their set-up or procedural situations are there in regards to escalation, but I believe he did what he could to help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kodrac Posted June 22, 2019 Share Posted June 22, 2019 While I may not necessarily believe the validity of that statement, this was possibly the third or fourth time I spoke to that same individual, both in game and on the phone, and he was nothing but polite with me and genuinely seemed interested in helping any way he could. I don't know what their set-up or procedural situations are there in regards to escalation, but I believe he did what he could to help. Well, every forum post lately has had the same theme: they keep getting the same person over and over and he can never help further. It sounds like there's just the one dude manning the help desk. In previous years, I've never gotten the same person on follow up tickets. I've never been told no one else can help. But in the last couple months it's been a running theme and BW has been silent about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slinglock Posted June 22, 2019 Author Share Posted June 22, 2019 Well, every forum post lately has had the same theme: they keep getting the same person over and over and he can never help further. It sounds like there's just the one dude manning the help desk. In previous years, I've never gotten the same person on follow up tickets. I've never been told no one else can help. But in the last couple months it's been a running theme and BW has been silent about it. I found it slightly amusing that the representative who responded to my in-game ticket was the same individual I got on the phone, and aside from him, there was only one other individual I spoke with over the course of two days. BioWare is likely silent about it because they no longer handle Customer Service from what I've surmised, it seems that they've delegated that duty to EA. In regards to the final statement, "Originally Posted by aerockyul View Post I’d find it hard to believe this sort of thing goes on in the preferential treatment forum." I had to use a friend's 7-day subscription pass to even open a ticket in game since that's reserved for subscribers only - the situation is the same with forum posts. Hopefully this can be addressed or resolved within a week so that I don't have to find another time code or spend even more money. That being said, if this is resolved, I fully plan to subscribe for the duration of my playtime, but it is a bit ridiculous that I need to be a continuous paying customer to even reach out to a developer on these forums. But, whatever it takes to get my account back, I'm willing to do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elessara Posted June 22, 2019 Share Posted June 22, 2019 That right there is suspicious. "Don't worry, friend. My boss will say same think as me. You don't need talk to him". Yeahhhh uh huh. Everything CS related lately has a bad smell to it. To be a little fair, I've told people on the phone that my supervisor will say the exact same thing I've told them, however I will absolutely transfer the person to my supervisor (who, yes, tells them the exact same thing I told them) ... sooooo yeah. They still should have transferred the OP to a supervisor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slinglock Posted June 22, 2019 Author Share Posted June 22, 2019 (edited) To be a little fair, I've told people on the phone that my supervisor will say the exact same thing I've told them, however I will absolutely transfer the person to my supervisor (who, yes, tells them the exact same thing I told them) ... sooooo yeah. They still should have transferred the OP to a supervisor. I agree with that, I've worked for Verizon and I understand the tactic. Maybe I'll try again tomorrow, but for now, I'm a bit burnt out. Also, that requires the representative to actually transfer me and I can't force that if they have no intention of doing so. Edited June 22, 2019 by Slinglock Forgot to quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joonbeams Posted June 22, 2019 Share Posted June 22, 2019 Do you have a security key tied to the account? I'm assuming you don't or else you'd be able to change your email yourself without access to the previous email account (unless you also lost the password). But I figured I would ask just in case. Another idea is to try and see if you can recreate the deleted Google account using the same email handle - then ask for a push of the reset instructions to that email? Just a couple thoughts.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slinglock Posted June 22, 2019 Author Share Posted June 22, 2019 Do you have a security key tied to the account? I'm assuming you don't or else you'd be able to change your email yourself without access to the previous email account (unless you also lost the password). But I figured I would ask just in case. Another idea is to try and see if you can recreate the deleted Google account using the same email handle - then ask for a push of the reset instructions to that email? Just a couple thoughts.... I did have a security key at one point, but I've long since removed it. I've attempted to recreate the account but it says that there's already an account with that name - when I go to sign in with that account it says that the account was not found. It's just gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Werronious Posted June 22, 2019 Share Posted June 22, 2019 swtor does not have customer support, you cant call it that way, they even cant restore some cheap items that you lost and you want your acc back, you can pray to gods and you will not get your acc back. Worst customer support in games. Gl but but writing to them is like writing to a brick wall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denisdenizg Posted June 22, 2019 Share Posted June 22, 2019 Lets be honest here... You lost your password, you lost your email, you dont have security key... Its no wonder that CS wont retrieve account, because by any means you cant prove its yours to begin with... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lightSaberAddiCt Posted June 22, 2019 Share Posted June 22, 2019 (edited) What happened was that there was 24 months of inactivity on the account, an e-mail was sent to my secondary e-mail address informing me of the potential for the account to be deactivated, but I either misread it or thought nothing of it at the time. I have since e-mailed Google in attempts to recover my account, and here's what was said verbatim: "Hello, Thank you for reaching out about difficulties accessing your Google account. We've looked into your request, but unfortunately, we can only restore access to a deleted Google Account if the request is made within a relatively short period of time. It seems that your request was filed after this window closed, and your account has already been permanently deleted. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. You can create a new Google Account. Regards, The Google Team" Google didn't do anything wrong, per se, it was my own inattention to detail that caused the issue and I take responsibility for that. I simply find it hard to believe that verification through e-mail is the only way to "confirm my identity". Wow that sucks! I never heard of that before, but thanks for the info. Can't you remake the email address that you had before since they deleted it? Or did someone use your email after it was deleted? Does google let you register the same email after it has been deleted? Also, have your tried to PM Musco about it? Edited June 22, 2019 by lightSaberAddiCt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JediQuaker Posted June 22, 2019 Share Posted June 22, 2019 To be fair, you have to understand that you could just be a scammer that's trying to steal someone else's account. So, CS has to request certain information and has certain security procedures they will stick to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slinglock Posted June 22, 2019 Author Share Posted June 22, 2019 Wow that sucks! I never heard of that before, but thanks for the info. Can't you remake the email address that you had before since they deleted it? Or did someone use your email after it was deleted? Does google let you register the same email after it has been deleted? Also, have your tried to PM Musco about it? What happens is that the account gets deactivated. Essentially, nobody has access to it, Google included, and nobody can use that address again. It basically becomes a dead e-mail address lost to the ether. Also no, I'm not familiar with Musco, can you elaborate on that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slinglock Posted June 22, 2019 Author Share Posted June 22, 2019 To be fair, you have to understand that you could just be a scammer that's trying to steal someone else's account. So, CS has to request certain information and has certain security procedures they will stick to. I fully understand that. Not only is the e-mail address in question my full legal name, but I've provided my Driver's License to confirm my identity as well as an image of myself holding my Driver's License. Perhaps referencing the attachments contained in this EA forum post would better illustrate my point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slinglock Posted June 22, 2019 Author Share Posted June 22, 2019 (edited) Lets be honest here... You lost your password, you lost your email, you dont have security key... Its no wonder that CS wont retrieve account, because by any means you cant prove its yours to begin with... This simply isn't true. I know my password to both my SWTOR account and the deleted email account. I've explained the issues with the e-mail account already, and I have done this before in the past back when Customer Service was still through BioWare (I had used a company e-mail address I no longer had access to). They had made the exception then by confirming my subscription information (card on file), but it seems that since Customer Service has been outsourced, EA's policies make it so that access to the e-mail address is the "only way of confirming" my identity. Edited June 22, 2019 by Slinglock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lightSaberAddiCt Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 What happens is that the account gets deactivated. Essentially, nobody has access to it, Google included, and nobody can use that address again. It basically becomes a dead e-mail address lost to the ether. Also no, I'm not familiar with Musco, can you elaborate on that? Try PMing Eric Musco he is the head of community relations I believe. Just find a BW post with his name in it, click it and it shows his bio page where you can choose to message him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
battycoda Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 Go to EA Help. Seriously. https://help.ea.com/en/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slinglock Posted June 23, 2019 Author Share Posted June 23, 2019 Try PMing Eric Musco he is the head of community relations I believe. Just find a BW post with his name in it, click it and it shows his bio page where you can choose to message him. Thank you for that, I did that earlier today. Hopefully he sees it relatively soon. Go to EA Help. Seriously. https://help.ea.com/en/ I did, there's been no response for a while, although I am periodically checking it as I am this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveTheCynic Posted June 23, 2019 Share Posted June 23, 2019 Thank you for that, I did that earlier today. Hopefully he sees it relatively soon. It is very unlikely to be before business hours (Austin, TX time)(1) on Monday. (1) Austin is in the small part of Texas that isn't on Mountain Time.(2)(3) (2) The late Mrs Cynic was born in El Paso, which *is* on Mountain Time. (3) This is a joke. Almost all of Texas is on Central time. Except the little corner where El Paso is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lightSaberAddiCt Posted June 24, 2019 Share Posted June 24, 2019 I mean would it be so hard to have secret question only the account holder would know? **** happens, people could lose their email, or have the email compromised. If they just had 3 personal questions to have answered while communicating with CS, that would save everyone a lot of trouble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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