Comment rulers of their own vast empire need not be just (Score 1) 1691
Blizzard has, unarguably, the best game out there.
Blizzard also has, again unarguably, some of the worst customer support. My university's OIT "Help" Desk could do better - and that's saying something. When I picture the WoW staff I don't see professionals, I see a bunch of over-grown 13-year-olds sitting around a gaming table free-basing Mountain Dew. This is the impression left by their support and enforcement track record (and after reading the technical support forum) - and if that's the impression they are hoping to leave then more power to them, they're hitting the mark.
This name-change business is just one more example of capriciousness, arbitrariness, and lack of consistency on the part of their GMs/support. Getting a question answered or need addressed is a lot like calling the phone company (note: I switched to a cell phone because I got sick of that nonsense.) - if you use the forums and aren't outright ignored the blue answer you recieve is usually as whiny and dismissive as the n00bish comments of the righteous who took a break from learning how to write epic poetry in Klingon to complain about the inconsistent technical intricacies of a buff or saber. A naming policy that's almost impossible to manage by the user, combined with zero oversight at the point of character creation, random enforcement, and zero oversight after the fact = a pretty damn ludicrous situation. A minimum of 90% of the names I see on my (PvP) server are in violation, some outrageously blatant, and unless you gank the type of person who would enact their revenge by reporting your name it all happens under the GMs radar. An oversight position that looks at new character names upon creation and can notify the player days or even weeks, instead of many months, into their persona creation is clearly too obvious an answer..it might lead to consistency. (A less obfuscated naming policy might be an interesting idea, too. It's nearly impossible to comply with the policy, in the strictest reading, so enforcement is necessary arbitrary if not arcane.)
The bottom line is their bottom line - if the support is poor enough, they lose customers. So they maintain the standard of support excellence that a minimum of effort can produce without being unprofessional enough to affect greater numbers than are already ditching WoW in disgust. I would think they'd have higher aspirations for their company, but who am I to say...
Blizzard also has, again unarguably, some of the worst customer support. My university's OIT "Help" Desk could do better - and that's saying something. When I picture the WoW staff I don't see professionals, I see a bunch of over-grown 13-year-olds sitting around a gaming table free-basing Mountain Dew. This is the impression left by their support and enforcement track record (and after reading the technical support forum) - and if that's the impression they are hoping to leave then more power to them, they're hitting the mark.
This name-change business is just one more example of capriciousness, arbitrariness, and lack of consistency on the part of their GMs/support. Getting a question answered or need addressed is a lot like calling the phone company (note: I switched to a cell phone because I got sick of that nonsense.) - if you use the forums and aren't outright ignored the blue answer you recieve is usually as whiny and dismissive as the n00bish comments of the righteous who took a break from learning how to write epic poetry in Klingon to complain about the inconsistent technical intricacies of a buff or saber. A naming policy that's almost impossible to manage by the user, combined with zero oversight at the point of character creation, random enforcement, and zero oversight after the fact = a pretty damn ludicrous situation. A minimum of 90% of the names I see on my (PvP) server are in violation, some outrageously blatant, and unless you gank the type of person who would enact their revenge by reporting your name it all happens under the GMs radar. An oversight position that looks at new character names upon creation and can notify the player days or even weeks, instead of many months, into their persona creation is clearly too obvious an answer..it might lead to consistency. (A less obfuscated naming policy might be an interesting idea, too. It's nearly impossible to comply with the policy, in the strictest reading, so enforcement is necessary arbitrary if not arcane.)
The bottom line is their bottom line - if the support is poor enough, they lose customers. So they maintain the standard of support excellence that a minimum of effort can produce without being unprofessional enough to affect greater numbers than are already ditching WoW in disgust. I would think they'd have higher aspirations for their company, but who am I to say...
