World of Warcraft

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  • 0. Tech Support sleeps while WoW is down.   03/26/2008 10:57:35 AM PDT
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I suggest everyone take a look at the following thread.

http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=5540036533&sid=1&pageNo=1


On the day a new patch goes live, why is it that there are no technicians at work? Or what about the fact that they could be called in and put to work, because the worlds are not running? Why with all the money that Blizzard makes are there not techs on duty 24 hours a day 7 days a week?

I work in the IT field, and if one of my customers has a problem, I make myself available 24 hours a day to server their needs. I don't do this because I want lots of money, I do this to keep customers happy, which means I get to keep them as customers.

Blizzard makes over $100,000,000 a month. Yea, that's right, that means over $1 Billion a year. A #@$%ing Billion Bliz. Spend some of that money to pay for technicians to keep your customers happy. You sure as hell aren't trying to keep us as customers, otherwise you'd have techs working 24 hours a day.


I make this thread as instead of moving this thread to this forum the Blizz rep said this belonged in, it instead gets locked.

Blizzard takes your money, but isn't spending it to maintain what you are paying for. As customers, we need to come together and demand and ensure they provide us with what we pay for, and that is the ability to play this game.
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  • 1. Re: Tech Support sleeps while WoW is down.   03/26/2008 11:09:59 AM PDT
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Needs to be addressed!
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  • Moonrunner
  • 3. Re: Tech Support sleeps while WoW is down.   03/26/2008 11:14:10 AM PDT
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Q u o t e:

I work in the IT field, and if one of my customers has a problem, I make myself available 24 hours a day to server their needs. I don't do this because I want lots of money, I do this to keep customers happy, which means I get to keep them as customers.




I haven't even read the thread you linked, nor am I going to discuss the other points of your thread. I did want to highlight what you said here, because it could be very important.

Why do you bend over backwards for your clients? Because if you don't, you're afraid they might leave. Seeing that Blizzard isn't losing any customers over this, why should they follow the same course of action that you do when they don't have the same incentive?

If this game didn't require skill, I wouldn't be afraid of pugs.
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  • 4. Re: Tech Support sleeps while WoW is down.   03/26/2008 11:15:38 AM PDT
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Q u o t e:
STFU.

no u
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  • Cenarion Circle
  • 5. Re: Tech Support sleeps while WoW is down.   03/26/2008 11:18:55 AM PDT
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I pity you.

..(>'o')> (::) <('o'<)..
<Cult of Cookies>
We are so accustomed to disguise ourselves to others that in the end we become disguised to ourselves. -Francois, duc de La Rochefoucauld
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  • 6. Re: Tech Support sleeps while WoW is down.   03/26/2008 11:20:03 AM PDT
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I pity him too
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  • 7. Re: Tech Support sleeps while WoW is down.   03/26/2008 11:22:51 AM PDT
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Q u o t e:

I work in the IT field, and if one of my customers has a problem, I make myself available 24 hours a day to server their needs. I don't do this because I want lots of money, I do this to keep customers happy, which means I get to keep them as customers.

Blizzard makes over $100,000,000 a month. Yea, that's right, that means over $1 Billion a year. A #@$%ing Billion Bliz. Spend some of that money to pay for technicians to keep your customers happy. You sure as hell aren't trying to keep us as customers, otherwise you'd have techs working 24 hours a day.



What part of the IT field? From the second quoted paragraph you have no idea how a business is run, nor do you even have the numbers right.
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  • 8. Re: Tech Support sleeps while WoW is down.   03/26/2008 11:26:00 AM PDT
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If Blizzard had performance guarantees and SLA's with its customers this might actually happen. Alas, no such thing exists with WoW, so they can do whatever they hell they please without any repercussions. Horrible way to run a business, I know, but there are very few game devs and publishers these days that run businesses the way they should be.

About the only ones I can think of off the top of my head are Valve and Epic.

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  • Black Dragonflight
  • 9. Re: Tech Support sleeps while WoW is down.   03/26/2008 11:28:31 AM PDT
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Technical Support is available for approximately 12 hours a day on Monday through Friday. You have the option of contacting Technical Support via the forums, e-mail, or even phone. Perhaps, you should take a look at the quality or the availability of support at other video game companies. Most are quite atrocious and their responses can be hilarious.

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  • 10. Re: Tech Support sleeps while WoW is down.   03/26/2008 01:32:15 PM PDT
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Q u o t e:


What part of the IT field? From the second quoted paragraph you have no idea how a business is run, nor do you even have the numbers right.


Really, you think my numbers are off?

Lets look at this. Blizzard claims to have 9 million subscriptions world wide. Lets assume that on average they are paying $13.00 a month. That's $117 million right there. Should we move into sales? How about Character Transfers? Name Changes? Copyrights?

I am being conservative in saying they make $100 million each month. Do you want to argue it. my figure of 9 million subscribers might be incorrect, however you can clear 100 million with only 5-6 million.

Now, for what they pay out, I understand how a business works, and they have costs. Their costs are no where near what they take in.


As for what I do. I do just about everything except programming. I know what I need to about programming to understand troubleshooting operations within my networks. I started with Electrical Engineering in the early 90's then moved into Computer Engineering, which was really a simplified version of I know how to operate a computer, and put together everything. (A+) I'v since worked on the following certifications: CCNA,CCNP,MCSE, MCSA, and a few others that aren't civilian certifications. (I work for the government, and no I'm not trying to make it sound like secret squirrel stuff.) I'll go into it more later, but I do have to go to work.
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  • Maiev
  • 12. Re: Tech Support sleeps while WoW is down.   03/26/2008 01:35:28 PM PDT
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Q u o t e:


Really, you think my numbers are off?

Lets look at this. Blizzard claims to have 9 million subscriptions world wide. Lets assume that on average they are paying $13.00 a month. That's $117 million right there. Should we move into sales? How about Character Transfers? Name Changes? Copyrights?

I am being conservative in saying they make $100 million each month. Do you want to argue it. my figure of 9 million subscribers might be incorrect, however you can clear 100 million with only 5-6 million.

Now, for what they pay out, I understand how a business works, and they have costs. Their costs are no where near what they take in.


As for what I do. I do just about everything except programming. I know what I need to about programming to understand troubleshooting operations within my networks. I started with Electrical Engineering in the early 90's then moved into Computer Engineering, which was really a simplified version of I know how to operate a computer, and put together everything. (A+) I'v since worked on the following certifications: CCNA,CCNP,MCSE, MCSA, and a few others that aren't civilian certifications. (I work for the government, and no I'm not trying to make it sound like secret squirrel stuff.) I'll go into it more later, but I do have to go to work.




You fail at trolling. And sounds like you have no job. Go outside.



Anyone with real IT experience thinks you are an *!#!@!!.
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  • 13. Re: Tech Support sleeps while WoW is down.   03/26/2008 01:39:52 PM PDT
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You are confusing technical support with technicians. Technical support answers the phones, emails and message boards, telling people how to fix problems. Having some sleepy usually moderate to low hourly wage guy answering the phone in the middle of the night saying "Yes we know there's a problem. Sorry we can't fix it right now." Isn't going to help all that much.

I'm sure Blizzard's technicians, engineers, and programmers were working their collective butts off last night.

i was being nice and everyone was being mean to me
so im gunna be mean right bak
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Drysc
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  • 14. Re: Tech Support sleeps while WoW is down.   03/26/2008 01:41:25 PM PDT
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The issues you're referring to were realm and in-game related issues, which does not involve our Technical Support department. If your sound isn't working, or the game is crashing, that would be Technical Support. If a realm goes down, your character is stuck in a battleground, etc. That would be in-game support, or more than likely our server admins/IT departments.

The issue was indeed being addressed last night by our 24/7 in-house IT departments, and there was communication both from the Customer Service reps as you saw, as well as through the Breaking News window.

It's possible that there needs to be better wording for the Technical Support department to indicate that they only provide technical support, and are not related to or involved in game service issues.

sink your teeth into the flesh of midnight
night forever more
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  • 15. Re: Tech Support sleeps while WoW is down.   03/26/2008 01:41:27 PM PDT
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I hear 6-8 hours a week is a healthy sleep schedule.

Edit: Almost got another negative first on Drysc.. if only I had posted 2 seconds sooner.

[ Post edited by Larwax ]


I (shaman) personally can't wait to get Totem of the Crusader as my 51 point talent.
Increases mountspeed by 20% while in range of the totem.
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  • Cenarion Circle
  • 16. Re: Tech Support sleeps while WoW is down.   03/26/2008 01:43:24 PM PDT
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Q u o t e:
The issue was indeed being addressed last night by our 24/7 in-house IT departments, and there was communication both from the Customer Service reps as you saw, as well as through the Breaking News window.

Yeah, but they still were sleeping while they did it, I hope?

..(>'o')> (::) <('o'<)..
<Cult of Cookies>
We are so accustomed to disguise ourselves to others that in the end we become disguised to ourselves. -Francois, duc de La Rochefoucauld
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  • Hellscream
  • 17. Re: Tech Support sleeps while WoW is down.   03/26/2008 01:44:07 PM PDT
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You see, Blizzard exists to make as much money as possible.

If they can get away with 1 8 hour shift for support, they will. because it makes them earn MORE money.

There is no moral obligation to keep customers any happier than the carrot of easy epics, and wow, I can kill Kael'Thas Sunstrider in a pug now!

The only people they have any duty to please are their shareholders.

[ Post edited by Eulynn ]


Shift Happens.
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  • Dath'Remar
  • 19. Re: Tech Support sleeps while WoW is down.   03/26/2008 01:48:06 PM PDT
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So the OP's guild tag is quite true to form

as a sidenote I play Oceanic timezone - at about 9:00 pm server time they restarted the realm. I figure this was well into the wee small hours where the servers are stuated. Someone was working.

[ Post edited by Mutabull ]

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