Current Events > Final Fantasy XIV and Square-Enix are destroying my psyche

(+) Yeah! (+)

TLDR: I'm losing my damned mind here over a game that I deliberated on buying for over a month, and now I literally can't do anything with this fucking game that I bought because I can't register it to the account that I purchased it on and I can't make a new account.

This is seriously some absurd shit.

About a month or so ago I started exploring the possibility of buying FFXIV. I've never mulled over buying literally anything as I did this. I had some experience in the past with it (free trial) and it didn't fully grab my attention, but I was getting in the mood for something similar and I really love the setting, soundtrack, etc.

Finally it went on sale this past week on the Square-Enix site. I buy it.

I try to link the game to my account, but I can't, because my account has a "Steam (Free Trial)" "service account" on it (if you have a Steam account for the game you have to apparently buy it on Steam, so you can't buy the base game on Steam and the expansion pack as a standalone). So I can't register my key there because it acts like I'm trying to register a standalone game on top of a Steam trial account... but people start suggesting using a second "service account" on the same parent account. I go on YouTube, I go to a few subs, I go to the official Square website. They all show a similar account page set-up WITH an "Add a service account" button. My account does NOT have this button.

Send a customer service request. Get a generic ass response that is literally a copy and paste of the support page that tells you how to fix it.

Decide to just say fuck it and make a new Square account which I think is absurd but whatever. Register the account. Get an e-mail with the generic "account management" link and a confirmation code. Follow the link, go to log in with my username and password *that I just entered and saved on my browser*. "Invalid ID or password". Try it with e-mail address and password. "Invalid ID or password". Try it on the FFXIV account management page. And then another Square page. Same shit everywhere. Try it a couple dozen more times.

I can't find a link to enter this fucking confirmation code at.

Decide maybe the browser saved my information wrong somehow which is ridiculous but I have literally no other working theory. Go to the "recover ID and password" page, enter my e-mail address, get the "You're gonna get a confirmation code in the e-mail!" message. Get an e-mail ten seconds later, skim through it for a code... no code... Read it... "No account is associated with this e-mail address". WHAT THE FUCK.

Go back to the site, go through the account creation process again... "This e-mail address is already associated with an account".

WHAT. THE. FUCK.

I'm losing my damned mind here. I literally can't do anything with this fucking game that I bought because I can't register it to the account that I purchased it on and I can't make a new account.
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I can't get over this. How hard do they have to make it to make a fucking account so I can literally give them money on a recurring basis.
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I agree with you, their account management system sucks. If you post this on reddit, it gets upvoted and they will notice
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this sounds like user error

Mystery_Mission posted...

this sounds like user error

Yeah no

You've obviously never used Square-Enix online service

Dear OP, be happy it's not FFXI you're trying to register
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Mystery_Mission posted...

this sounds like user error

It's 1998 website design.

Just posted a review on the Better Business Bureau. Surprise, they have 8 (soon 9) reviews that are 100% negative and it has an F rating.

megamanfreakXD posted...

I agree with you, their account management system sucks. If you post this on reddit, it gets upvoted and they will notice

Thank you and so that's literally the only way to get it fixed? -_-
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BlockAddition posted...

Mystery_Mission posted...

this sounds like user error

Yeah no

You've obviously never used Square-Enix online service

Dear OP, be happy it's not FFXI you're trying to register

I don't even want to imagine that. This already feels like a twenty year old system and I know FFXI is a pretty old game...
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Lmfao, I just realized the only unique link in the confirmation e-mail takes me to an "Opt Out of e-mails from Square" site, but it says if I opt out of e-mails I can't use that e-mail address for a Square account without contacting customer service.

It's like there are so many signs maybe I should just give up on this shit. I don't even know if I'm going to enjoy it since it's been so fucking hard. At this point I'll get an account set up and then the day after I register for the game and everything they're going to get hacked and my credit card information's going to be at the top of the database.
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BlockAddition posted...

Dear OP, be happy it's not FFXI you're trying to register

lmao, this was the hardest thing to get working for me. Fun Times took like 3 hours i think with repeated issues every step of the way.
Thankfully I knew about the steam version issue before buying an expansion on pc, otherwise i would have run into this issue as well. They need to be more clear about it
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solosnake posted...

BlockAddition posted...

Dear OP, be happy it's not FFXI you're trying to register

lmao, this was the hardest thing to get working for me. Fun Times tooke like 3 hours i think with repeated issues every step of the way

How the hell do they screw this up?
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I'm doing web chat support let's see if this helps. Still not changing my BBB review.
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It's not a bad game, but it is everything wrong with MMOs.
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TES_Nut posted...

It's not a bad game, but it is everything wrong with MMOs.

I've heard it's everything that's good about MMOs, but without anything new. idk

I just wanted a new MMO in my life I don't have any friends and my wife has a job now so it's like I'm just by myself all the time.

As you can see I also play ESO, but I need a break from the dreariness and wanted something a little different. Tried WildStar but that feels so lonely idk and it has zero development.
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When I posted the web chat support thing 15 minutes ago it said I was number 2 in queue and the wait time was 1:12.

Now I'm 1 in queue and the wait time is 00:36.

... Is that minutes or what? jfc.

Trying to find some music to chill me out like this blows my mind I can't.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xd7zaiNS2d0" data-time="
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I will literally buy someone a $20 game on Steam if they correctly guess what Customer Service's solution was.
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Make sure you entered the code correctly?
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solosnake posted...

Make sure you entered the code correctly?

Nope. Remember, at this point I had no way to enter the code.
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I played at beta. Registering the game and creating an account was a shit show then too. The game is ok but after you play it for two years you realize it's a never ending gear grind that resests every three months. An MMO does not need to be this way.

If you want to play a final fantasy MMO play xi. It's still got a dedicated community and went f2p so lots of new people joined then. It's a much more rewarding experience.
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Hexenherz posted...

solosnake posted...

Make sure you entered the code correctly?

Nope. Remember, at this point I had no way to enter the code.

Its was buy the game again. Gift card plz
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TES_Nut posted...

I played at beta. Registering the game and creating an account was a shit show then too. The game is ok but after you play it for two years you realize it's a never ending gear grind that resests every three months. An MMO does not need to be this way.

If you want to play a final fantasy MMO play xi. It's still got a dedicated community and went f2p so lots of new people joined then. It's a much more rewarding experience.

I have such limited experience with MMOs, I don't even know what's good or what's bad to be honest. I was also eying Project Gorgon which looks a little more open ended, too.

TES_Nut posted...

Hexenherz posted...

solosnake posted...

Make sure you entered the code correctly?

Nope. Remember, at this point I had no way to enter the code.

Its was buy the game again. Gift card plz

Thankfully no.

Oh god I hope not at least, I haven't actually tried to go through the process.
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TES_Nut posted...

I played at beta. Registering the game and creating an account was a shit show then too. The game is ok but after you play it for two years you realize it's a never ending gear grind that resests every three months. An MMO does not need to be this way.

If you want to play a final fantasy MMO play xi. It's still got a dedicated community and went f2p so lots of new people joined then. It's a much more rewarding experience.

I do agree with this, but at the same time majority of people will still prefer 14 simply for QOL improvements
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Did they ask you to refund the game?
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I'm sorry this is happening to you TC. I had no problems at all when buying/activating/playing the game :/
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solosnake posted...

Did they ask you to refund the game?

I don't even know if that's a thing they offer rofl.

Yomi posted...

I'm sorry this is happening to you TC. I had no problems at all when buying/activating/playing the game :/

Well thanks for the concern, I am so sorry for derailing the official topic with all my dumb issues and questions. Still gonna make a character on Cactuar I think >_>.
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