test content
What is the Arc Client?
Install Arc

How bad can in game customer support be, really ?

SystemSystem Member, NoReporting Posts: 178,019 Arc User
I'm wondering if you're trying to set new records not only in blocking in-game bugs, but also in lousy tech support.

Problem: getting stuck on PvP maps for various reasons (spawned in wall/space objects, no respawn window, etc.).
Frequency: about one game out of 4.
Attempted solution: /stuck say use /killme. /killme opens a support ticket. Ticket opened.

Problem: After 12 days, tickets cannot answered.

I'm a professional programmer (although in a completely different field). I know that fixing bugs can be hard. I find the quality of the game an insult to the gamer community at large but, apparently we're stupid enough to let this poor standard go at launch for games (I'm including myself in the lot, mind you: i bought this sorry demonstration of what marketing-driven deadlines do to quality insurance).

However, the fact that you can't even hire junior staff to solve the truckload of problems your game has until you've managed to fix them is, frankly, unacceptable. A "stuck" ticket must have a live human look at it within 15 minutes for as long as it takes for the engineers to fix them if they happen that fast. Yes, it cost money, but that's the only way to retain your customers in the medium therm.
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    Hate to encourage hating on the devs, but I've been sitting in a stuck spot for almost an hour now, and there's still no response. There's gotta be at least one GM floating around on the server at any given time, and does it really take an hour to drop into a map, unstuck a player, and move on? :(

    Update: Okay, I think I may've inadvertently found a rather nasty glitch. Seems clicking "Submit and wait" on the GM request screen does nothing. No ticket ID, and I was sitting in a hole for nearly an hour.

    However, when I clicked "change instance" from that screen, I saw a ticket ID pop up, and a GM was sending me a PM within a minute asking me if changing my instance worked.

    That is a rather nasty bug, making someone wait forever when no one is coming...
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    How bad? Well for me CCP hold the record, 2 years 4 months. Blizzard worst was just 31 days. Cryptic took 8 days to answer my first petition.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    worst for me would be warhammer, submitted a ticket and didnt get even an automated response before i unsubbed 2 weeks later. nearly 3 months after that i got an email saying they were looking into the problem.

    best would be Fallen Earth. at no time have i looked for a gm and there not be at least one, and usually 2-3 online. average wait 3 minutes or so.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    I also have a ticket out there going on 2 weeks. i've been able to log on twice since the i bought the game. the service is bad, bad, bad. i dont buy the story that they didnt expect the overwelming response and sells of the game. Come on!
    your absolutely right about market driven deadlines. then the customer get hung out to dry. what if it goes on a month wait? i bought the game and paid for a subscrition for a month for nothing in exchange. not to mention not picking up the phone at cryptic. thats just bad business.

    mean while i'll keep playing EvE
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    Yeah they pretty much ignored my GM ticket for a item that randomly turned from a blue quest reward to a awful white item. Like you take blizzard for granted the good customer service they have, then you play some other game and you realize why people buy their games on day 1 without waiting for reviews.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    Blenda wrote:
    How bad? Well for me CCP hold the record, 2 years 4 months. Blizzard worst was just 31 days. Cryptic took 8 days to answer my first petition.

    Are you serious!? Hahahahaha!

    Nice post. :)
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    Prays4u wrote: »
    Like you take blizzard for granted the good customer service they have, then you play some other game and you realize why people buy their games on day 1 without waiting for reviews.

    I agree with this, Everyone could stand to take some hints from Blizzard in the MMO development world.
  • Archived PostArchived Post Member Posts: 2,264,498 Arc User
    edited February 2010
    Catkicker wrote:
    worst for me would be warhammer, submitted a ticket and didnt get even an automated response before i unsubbed 2 weeks later. nearly 3 months after that i got an email saying they were looking into the problem.

    best would be Fallen Earth. at no time have i looked for a gm and there not be at least one, and usually 2-3 online. average wait 3 minutes or so.

    ROFL.

    Man, that's just ........... sad.:(

    Agreed on Fallen Earth. Almost always there was a GM on in the chat. Very good community but the game graphically is prehistoric.
Sign In or Register to comment.