devtrackers.gg
Let me start by saying, this is all my doing. I have no one to blame but myself. I'm just frustrated and decided this is as good as a place to rant as any. Feel free to downvote me into oblivion.
I recently purchased 800 gems from the store with the express purpose of buying the Jack-in-the-Box Scythe from the gem store. I purchased it and was so happy to equip it. Once equipped, I had that sinking feeling. Oh no, I equipped this on the wrong character and it is soulbound. I have heard in the past that ArenaNet is great to their customers, so I immediately submitted a ticket, hoping I could get it transferred to my other character where I already have the unlimited use mining pick. A day and a half later I get the email stating there is nothing that can be done. I tried submitting on the forums to get a second opinion, only to hear the same.
I don't blame the customer service reps, as they can only do what ArenaNet allows them to do. But this situation reminds me a lot of the story of the $100,000 salt and pepper shaker from Randy Pausch's book The Last Lecture. The quick version is that when Randy was a child he purchased a $10 salt and pepper shaker as a gift for his parents while at a Disney park. A little while later he dropped and broke them. He returned to the store where he purchased the gift, told the clerks what had happened, and they gave him a new one free of charge. When Randy's parents heard this, they gained a whole new level of respect for Disney. He calculated that since that time he and his family have spent well over $100,000 in Disney merchandise, tickets, and concessions. The final point of that story is "There is more than one way to measure profits and losses. On every level, institutions can and should have a heart." This is what I was hoping for from ArenaNet. A change of pace from the typical support you get from a large corporation. I was hoping for a company that understands that accidents happen. A company that is willing to look at your situation instead of blindly following a policy to maximize profits.
I could sit here and complain that the item should be account wide or that the Yes/No prompt for soulbinding is a really poor paradigm, but I won't. In the end, this is my fault and I accept responsibility. I clicked too fast and need to live with the consequences.
Will I continue to play the game? Most likely.
Will I spend more money on gems? Probably, but I will most likely spend less. I will always be fearing the worst, knowing I have little to no recourse when a problem occurs.
Thanks for reading my rant.
TLDR: Bought an item with gems and soulbound it to the wrong character. Hoped for help from ArenaNet, but got nothing. It's my fault, I know it, but will be weary of future gem purchases.
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