Square enix is a bizarre company. You'd think they would want to keep customers, not run them off.

[Lorentz Factor]

They make a great game. This is probably one of the best MMORPGs I've played in a long time. Lots to do, well designed, fun crafting and gathering mechanics, good graphics. It almost has it all. Except Square Enix lacks one thing. Customer Support. Their customer care is literally the worst I've ever come across in my 36 years of breathing. It's almost as if they don't want to keep their customers. This is bizarre to me in that most successful companies pride themselves on maintaining a good Company to Customer face, and even those who have crap quality service. Sadly I can say, even EA, who I have dealt with more than I care to think about, has better and more cordial customer service, even if they're as useless as Square Enix's turned out to be.


I do apologize for the long bit, but knowing how harsh steam forums can be, I figured I'd include all the details so I would not need to deal with quite as much of that here.


So a friend of mine had bought him a PC copy of the game. He had 2 year old characters, he found on the SE store the game is 29$, half of the steam price. He told me I should play. The sale wasn't going to be going on for too long, so I went ahead and purchased it at the store. Being comfortable with steam and preferring it, I downloaded the demo here to play a 2 week free trial prior to using my key for my full acocunt and 30 days. Huge mistake.

Apparently, for no plausible techical reason, because my friend's characters from PS3, work just fine on his windows copy, and show up in the steam version when we logged him in using another friend's account. So clearly this was some sort of arbitrary rule.

After 3 days of playing this on steam, I downloaded the windows copy provided from my purchase. I figured since i was going to have to install the entire version outside of steam, since the demo version wasn't the full game. I played my trial 2 weeks on this for about a week and a half, having spent only 3 days on the steam demo copy.

As my trial period came to an end I went to register my copy of the game:

http://i.imgur.com/rNduDMX.png -- here we see that having a ps3 or ps4 version may cause problems. Good for me, I was playing on windows.

http://i.imgur.com/scyBAZR.png -- Well I know the game works, been playing for about 2 weeks now, so unlocking my key so I can enter it won't be a problem, since no reason I'd need a refund at this point.

http://i.imgur.com/aKOq7h9.png -- Wait, wtf? Really? So, both the initial page on the website that I was registering with said that only the ps3 and ps4 version causes problems. And steam the only warning being that I need a North American Square Enix account ( http://i.imgur.com/Ju8MATr.png seen here ) , both cases which do not apply to me and suddenly, I can't use the product I purchased, on my SE account, which I've had for years for other games and the like, just never FFXIV, at all.


I called support, because this is silly. Clearly an error. Support was quick to answer, a nice change from some of the long hold times other services have, but quickly I found out why. They're manned by extremely rude jerks.

I spoke with the CSA and he tells me that the windows key cannot be used to register an account that played the steam demo. Why? I asked. Because according to SE, Steam demanded that FFXIV on Steam be considered a completely different platform, a la PS3 v. PS4 v. Windows. Except, my friend's account, who began his on a PS3 many years ago, sure seems to work just fine. The only difference here is that they have my money for their 30$ version and are trying to railroad me into buying the 60$ steam version, because I made a mistake and clicked "DEMO" on the steam market.

He gave me two options.

1. Buy the steam verision so I can play my characters that I've spent a good bit of the last 2 weeks on for 60$ and eat the 30$, since I've already claimed the key (albeit unregistered)

or

2. Make a completely new Square Enix account and start all over. Which in itself wouldn't be TOO big of a problem, except my friend is on a very busy server, with a couple a multiple 50 lvl characters, him transferring isn't going to happen, and I only purchased this at his behest to play with him. That I have a character on his server at all was a concerntrated effort that involved waking up at 3am out of the prime times to try and create a character, which itself took a couple days. Mind you, I did not create this SE account using the steam client. I have had it for years and have other products on it, I simply signed into FFXIV the first time from the steam Demo.

I told him that this wasn't okay cos I'm not only out the character from my 2 weeks I spent playing, which my friend's new character he made leveled up with, but I'm out 30$, plus another 60$ having to buy it on Steam.

He got a irate with me, getting really snappy. And to quote him:

"I've given you your two options, you can choose which one you want to do, there's nothing else to discuss, unless there is something else we can help you with, goodbye. *click*" and he hung up, not waiting for me to even say anything, must just be a requirement of their script, and likely the only one other than "tell the customer no, we can't help with anything"

I know I've gone on a bit, but I needed to both rant and warn those who have yet to purchase this extremely fun and wonderful game, just know if ANYTHING hiccups, you may as well just toss your money in the toilet, cos no help from the company at all. I'm saddened by this and it's made me rather disappointed in what I had thought was going to be months, if not a year or so of a very fun MMORPG for me to enjoy, all because the company can't get their heads out their arses.

I don't even want a refund, I just want to be allowed to play the game I've paid for :(.

[zztoluca]

Its easier to start over again then buy it twice. To get back to where you left off in your trial with your previous experience should be as short as one day.
BTW the info regarding steam version issues is stated on the SE store, FAQ of FF14 and on any forum of this game.

[Lorentz Factor]

>BTW the info regarding steam version issues is stated on the SE store, FAQ of FF14 and on any forum of this game.

It does not appear in the store. http://i.imgur.com/jhMcewB.png

After clicking checkout, purchase, you come to the screen shown here -
http://i.imgur.com/scyBAZR.png

Neither say any of the sort. As for the FAQ, let's take a look there. -- http://i.imgur.com/WEhkxWb.png

Oh I see now, the FFXIV versions are exactly the same, EXCEPT that I must buy heavensward on steam if I purchased FFXIV on steam. I purchased both products in the combo package. .

As for forums, I'm sure it is there, just as my post is now here. But I, the customer, am not nor should be expected to peruse the forums to find out that such an issue exists, when neither Steam nor SE make any indication on any official publication that it exists as such, UNTIL it is too late and the key has been entered and rejected.

It may be easy for some. See I work, a lot. I don't have a lot of play time. My friend I play games with works too. We have characters we've leveled together and should be allowed to play together, with the product I have purchased and paid for, which by all indiciations except that it doesn't work, should work.

This is horrible customer service, an arbitrary hurdle that should not exist, and for which there is absolutely no technical reason that it is this way. They should address this rather than telling paying customers such as myself to eat the cost, which were the exact words out of the CSAs mouth...

[Gabby]

Lorentz Factor님이 먼저 게시:

It does not appear in the store. http://i.imgur.com/jhMcewB.png

Curious you chose to go to the bundle there. The Standard Edition page on the store clearly says it:

https://store.na.square-enix.com/product/282255/final-fantasy-xiv-heavensward-pc-download

As does the Collectors Edition.

But you went specifically to the version of the product that one would assume no one should have ANY concerns about Steam, seeing as the Bundle has both ARR + the Expansion so there's no reason to have a Steam version to begin with.

Oh I see now, the FFXIV versions are exactly the same, EXCEPT that I must buy heavensward on steam if I purchased FFXIV on steam. I purchased both products in the combo package. .

You clearly purchased the game already, why would you go to Steam, a completely different sales platform, to then play a demo when you already had the full game? You're already making this plain that this is far from a normal scenario any normal customer would come across.

Where you drew there being any problems AT ALL with the PS3 / 4 versions and having a PC account, is beyond me, since there literally aren't any actual issues in that instance.

As for forums, I'm sure it is there, just as my post is now here.

There are hundreds of threads about this. Literally.

But I, the customer, am not nor should be expected to peruse the forums to find out that such an issue exists, when neither Steam nor SE make any indication on any official publication that it exists as such, UNTIL it is too late and the key has been entered and rejected.

You're the one who for some reason did your best to avoid a reasonable purchase in the first place. Most customers, who were buying with any sort of sense, would have gotten the warning.

Dude, you're trying to talk from a high horse when you're the one who clearly made a mistake.

You keep acting like there's no reason for the account difference, but you also keep saying you can't be bothered to look up the reasons. You keep showing "evidence" that forms complete loopholes and makes for, at best, a circumstancial argument. If someone's going to buy a game on a store, they're usually not going to go to a completely different store to make an account for it. That was your own leap in logic.

There is a reason, their API wasn't originally made with adding in new payment types, so when they made the steam version they did something with keys to create a unique identifier that lets you pay for game time in mogstation with your Steam Wallet. Yes, it seems complicated and bothersome, but I highly doubt they'd have done it that way unless it was the only way they could fill that promise.

You are the customer, howeve,r you SHOULD peruse forums and research products before you invest money in them. Same way people check reviews before heading to a movie or check websites to see how worthy a purchase some new product is they want to buy. We have an entire industry built around this concept in gaming... you're arguing that you should be hand held through any purchase and any mistake you make is on the shoulders of everyone else. I look at the convoluted thing you did and what you arrived at, and have to wonder how you can actually, really, think this is anyone's fault but your own.

They make sure every store page for the expansions clearly states that said expansion is only compatible with the matching versions. This game has an announcement that clearly states that both the expansions and demos are polarized in terms of being able to be transferred between them. If you go to literally any other retail website, there's a disclaimer about the expansions.

No, of course they don't put that disclaimer on the combo pack, why should they ever fathom that someone who's going to purchase the game and expansion together would ever need to be told about compatibility?

[Lorentz Factor]

Curious you chose to go to the bundle there. The Standard Edition page on the store clearly says it:

https://store.na.square-enix.com/product/282255/final-fantasy-xiv-heavensward-pc-download

But you went specifically to the version of the product that one would assume no one should have ANY concerns about Steam, seeing as the Bundle has both ARR + the Expansion so there's no reason to have a Steam version to begin with.

It isn't curious at all. I purchased it from the store there because it was $30. Steam was $60. I needed both, as I owned none.

You stated you'd already purchased the PC version of the game from Steam before you purchased it on the Store. Why on earth would you purchase ARR again?

No, this is not the case. I never purchased this, but once. From Square Enix's store, the bundle. I just downloaded the demo client from steam cos it was a much faster download than from the SE store when I first bought it, since I was going to play the 2wk trial preceding my 30 days with my purchase. I didn't buy a thing from steam at all. All I did was use the Steam Demo client. A free download, like all demos.

But you went specifically to the version of the product that one would assume no one should have ANY concerns about Steam, seeing as the Bundle has both ARR + the Expansion so there's no reason to have a Steam version to begin with

I had no concerns about steam, I didn't buy anything from steam. Steam had no association with my SE account, except, apparently it does, which is a permanent flag, simply because I used the Steam demo client. No warning from steam, no warning from SE. I had no concern for steam, because there was no concern expected. Any other game, eg. EQ, which I still play, has no care in the world if the game is played using a steam client's version of the game or a windows verison. Why should I suspect one here?

You clearly purchased the game already, why would you go to Steam, a completely different sales platform, to then play a demo when you already had the full game? You're already making this plain that this is far from a normal scenario any normal customer would come across.

Where you drew there being any problems AT ALL with the PS3 / 4 versions and having a PC account, is beyond me, since there literally aren't any actual issues in that instance.

except the steam download was much faster by a factor of 5. I work, I have a tight schedule, maybe you don't, but time is a commodity for me, and one I try to minimize. Since I was playing the free trial, the demo was fine, I wasn't going to use the paid version until after this, so why would it matter had I bought the game or not? You as well clearly are confused, since in the quote before you seem to think I've purchased from steam but now are clearly know I did not. You're making tons of sense.

You're the one who for some reason did your best to avoid a reasonable purchase in the first place. Most customers, who were buying with any sort of sense, would have gotten the warning.

Dude, you're trying to talk from a high horse when you're the one who clearly made a mistake.

I have no idea what you're on about. What reasonable purchase did I avoid? I had already purchased the game for 30$ from the SE store, I already had a Square Enix account. I made the most reasonable purchase, I could, paying half price at the SE sale. This was the first and only purchase regarding this game I have ever made.

No, of course they don't put that disclaimer on the combo pack, why should they ever fathom that someone who's going to purchase the game and expansion together would ever need to be told about compatibility?

I purchased the games together, because I needed to do so. Just like any other customers, I'm not even sure what you're on about.

Listen up. In the real world, with 99% of other products, no problems like this exist, because this isn't an issue even with compatibility, it is the same platform, and the same game, one that their very own official FAQ states is exactly the same, except for when purchasing the DLC, it must match the delivery client, either standalone or steam. Beyond this, zero is expected, nothing is said. It makes no sense, to most people. http://support.na.square-enix.com/faqarticle.php?id=5382&la=1&kid=69853&ret=main But then why should it matter, cos I purchased both from the SE store, and cared nothing about steam and I should not have to. Simply choosing to play a demo of a game that is the same game according to all involved, doesn't make me the one who did something wrong or unexpected. I did exactly what is expected of a customer.

[Freyar]

SE's certainly weird on this. That being said.. ranting here isn't going to get anything to change. WE're lucky we even get posts about new patches here.

[Jyntax]

So your only problem about all of this is that you can't use your trial character on your account? Dude the game offers a million more stuff than the trial. I wouldn't worry about something that'll just take up about less than 1% of your gaming experience.

Also if you buy or download a game from a third party don't assume it to work on Steam. Steam tends to start MMOs with your Steam ID and not with a login screen. Everyone using steam for a while should know that. This is why you should always check first if the game is actually playable with your old data or not.

First thing I always do if I want to play a MMO on steam is I go to the website and login to see if there is a migration function or google for it.

As someone already said. 2 out of 3 sold versions have the indicator. Just looking at one of those 66% would have told you that right away. Using google for 2 minutes would have told you that right away.

Sure I can understand that you feel like "They could have just migrated my old data into my new account" or anything like that but as Freyar said. Ranting about it doesn't change a thing. Specially here.

And two last things to mention. Besides this SE Support is super strong. I myself had to interact with them already and they solved every problem in a few hours or even a few minutes.

Last but not least... We live in a time where you can get informations fast. Taking 5 minutes before a purchase to actually inform yourself about it isn't a problem at all. You should be old enough to know that it's sometimes better to breath in a second.... relax... think... breath out and go on. Instead of breath in out in out "OMG the sale is going to stop insta buy!!!!!!".

[Lorentz Factor]

>Also if you buy or download a game from a third party don't assume it to work on Steam. Steam tends to start MMOs with your Steam ID and not with a login screen. Everyone using steam for a while should know that. This is why you should always check first if the game is actually playable with your old data or not.

This might have been the case... if this were the case. Except it isn't the case. It isn't tied (according to them) even to a steam ID, simply that my square enix account is flagged as having used steam when I first played a demo. I had to use my original square enix account, which is now permanently bound to using the steam version, I can't simply not transfer my trial characters, but my Square Enix account, the one with everything I've purchased ever from the mog store requires I use the steam version. They won't even remove the trial characters, telling me to make a second account. Uh, no, I have my card details on a single account, I don't need two just to play something I've already purchased...

I asked for a refund. They told me no. Said I retrieved my key, too bad. 30$ gone, cos you can't use the item I bought on the only account I plan on having. I retrieved the key, yes, because I had no forewarning that the key would not work (as seen in all my screenshots of warnings about the game on store, on steam, SE's own FAQ, and everywhere leading up to my attempt to actually enter the key, which during key entry only said ps3/ps4 accounts wouldn't work with steam trials. So I'd still have to unlock the key to know. Oddly in the email they told me it'd also been 10 days since I unlocked my key...which is interesting, considering I just purchased it 8 days ago and made the ticket friday night, 5 days after purchase, as if they're trying to make any excuse not to refund it. It is truly bizzare. I don't know why they feel this is a good design plan, or what it means to gain them. Seems a good way to lose customers, cos it seems that's the route it will be going here, which is unfortunate, because I really enjoyed the game.

and as for this:

>Last but not least... We live in a time where you can get informations fast. Taking 5 minutes before a purchase to actually inform yourself about it isn't a problem at all. You should be old enough to know that it's sometimes better to breath in a second.... relax... think... breath out and go on. Instead of breath in out in out "OMG the sale is going to stop insta buy!!!!!!"

You did see the 7 or so different screenshots I've provided of ALL company given information. All of that made the concern not even something to consider, because it clearly states that certain things don't work, some do.

I had already purchased the game, and if the download hadn't been so slow, I'd not have grabbed the demo from steam, which I had no idea was different from using the demo client from them, since...well... the FAQ said they're exactly the same and it required me to use my original account. So yeah, this doesn't apply here, i did adequate research, ensuring the company told me all I thought I needed to know.

[Gabby]

The screen shots I pointed out were specifically taken from the pages on sites where you would most logically not find that information, instead of the pages where you most logically would.

The FAQ also didn't say that.

You did do adequate research, you've just been very clever to not show the stuff that should have been clear warning signs.

[Lorentz Factor]

So the store page, the purchase page, the entry page for the serial key, most of which clearly stated that the PS3/PS4 version won't work with steam, up until I entered my key and it did not work? What world do you live on where these places that most LIKELY would have this very information (because it was clearly there for the PS3/PS4 versions, just not the windows, which is the same platform and exactly the same as steam as per the faq which I will quote for you.

What is the difference between the Steam and classic PC versions of FINAL FANTASY XIV?

Both versions of FINAL FANTASY XIV are identical.

Please note that users who purchased and registered FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn from Steam must purchase Heavensward from Steam as well.

Identical means exactly the same

and my statement in the above comment regarding the faq was in response to this,

Steam tends to start MMOs with your Steam ID and not with a login screen.

in the prior comment.

My response was:

I had already purchased the game, and if the download hadn't been so slow, I'd not have grabbed the demo from steam, which I had no idea was different from using the demo client from them, since...well... the FAQ said they're exactly the same

Which was all I was talking about the faq, and the "and" was in reference to the client, which did not have a steam ID linked to it, it clearly has a login screen

and it required me to use my original account.

I should not have to dig into forums to get adequate descriptions of what this product does or does not do. The steam page had NO mention that using the demo from the steam page would require I buy the key from steam, in fact simply playing the demo first on steam resulted in my account being flagged, so even IF I wanted to not play my trial characters and start anew, I can't even do that. And the whole "it is incompatable" bit is BS anyhow, since I played my trial characters with absolutely no issue on the PC client, they just don't want to use the key to register the game cos I happened to play on steam's demo, it isn't a technical issue, it isn't an incompatibility, it actually makes no sense from a sane company.

There is NO clear warning signs, I've over 700 games from steam, many of which I have multiple copies of, usually Steam and Windows. I have never run into a problem like this on a single mmo I've played, I play Eve online on steam as well as windows, same account, Rift, when I played it. And EQ1/EQ2 both. Among numerous login authentication games such as those from Origin. There is NO reason I should expect this to be a problem, when such problems that may exist were mentioned except this ONE particular issue. The FAQ even says the only issue will be if I buy the FFXIV base game on steam, I must also purchase the DLC from steam. There is nothing else noted in the mention of "What is the difference between steam and PC version", it does indeed say they're exactly the same, this is what identical means. I frankloy have no idea where you think I didn't look that I should have known to look, cos I've never looked at much more than this when I purchase a game, cos I've never had much trouble. Placing a few warnings about a few problems is a false sense of security, as they're clearly mentioning which games won't work with a trial that was first used on the steam client, except the one I bought...


And to add to the gripes, I was told by the SE customer service guy that I had two options, get a refund or make a new SE account. I went with getting a refund, yet the square enix store tells me I don't have this option, which is counter to exactly what the SE customer rep said. Clearly SE doesn't know what it is saying, which is why every warning page says something different, instead of having the entirety of the incompatabilities. Why would they tell me I need to be sure that I buy the steam version and not try to use the trial characters on PS3/PS4 copies, but fail to mention it about the PC version. Seems a bit of bad form.

[Gabby]

You're still trying to be as convoluted as possible and you've spent far more time on this nonsense than it takes to get any character to the trial's level cap. You made a mistake, just cop up to it and move on.

[burg]

Sorry to hear. My experience with SE support was actually hilarious. The guy seemed pretty chill and helped me out rather quickly.

Hope it all works out.

[zztoluca]

Seraphna님이 먼저 게시:

You're still trying to be as convoluted as possible and you've spent far more time on this nonsense than it takes to get any character to the trial's level cap. You made a mistake, just cop up to it and move on.

[PFC Demigo [29th ID]]

NonSteamVersion > SteamVersion

[Bruce]

This thread was quite old before the recent post, so we're locking it to prevent confusion.