If you haven’t been following MMO news, you may have missed a minor story a few weeks ago in which Mythic Entertainment suffered a small hiccup with their billing system – causing many players to be billed several times in rapid succession. I say the hiccup was small simply because that is the nature of code and computers, and whatever it was that caused the problem likely was some tiny detail as opposed to a multi-tiered conspiracy to cash in on unwary subscribers.

That being said, the issues this little hiccup created were far more concerning than its origin. Reports of bank accounts cleaned out, overdraft fees stacking up, and general financial chaos swarmed the boards over at Mythic’s customer service forum, and those seem to be the lucky folks. Other users reported more dire consequences: interest hikes thanks to bounced mortgage checks, insurance being cancelled when auto-withdraw was denied, or being stranded with no available balance and an empty tank of gas.

While this clusterfuck certainly stands as a shining example of why you shouldn’t keep all of your money in one place, it can also serve as a case study for how a business regains trust with customers after demolishing their personal lives.

For starters, Mythic jumped on the issue as soon as they realized what was happening. So that’s a hit, in my opinion. They claim that the charges were reversed within 24 hours, so I’m calling that a hit as well. Finally, if your bank decides to be a bunch of dicks (I’m looking at you, Chase) and hold overdraft fees over your head thanks to an issue you had no control over, Mythic (and EA) are offering to pick up the tab.

Beyond all that, one of the “higher-ups” over at Mythic posted this on the company’s official website:

Over the past 15 years we have always strived to do what’s best for our players. We are truly sorry, and want to work to make things right and restore our relationship. We hope you will accept this small token of our appreciation for your continued commitment to our games:

For starters all players will earn 100% bonus experience and renown when killing enemies and monsters for two weeks. As well, during this time we’ll be hard at work designing and implementing a special vendor. This vendor will only accept special tokens that will be sent to the mailbox of players effected by the billing error, using these two tokens each of your characters will be able to receive two of the following items:

• Bottomless Chaos Black Dye
• Bottomless Skull White Dye
• Imperial Griffon Mount (Order)
• Enslaved Manticore Mount (Destruction)
• WAR Tract – earn a free level
• Choose from any of these pets – Order: Imperial Hunting Hound or Dwarf Keg Handler; Destruction: Warlord’s Fell Hound or the Goblin Bar-Back.
• Change your appearance with any of these illusion items: Skaven Skin Cloak (skaven), Kossar’s Helm (bear), or the Signet of the Cursed Company (skeleton)

Please accept this gesture as a step towards rebuilding our relationship. From all of us at Mythic, we thank you for your time, your commitment, and your trust that helps us to make great games year after year.

I think this is pretty spectacular ownership on the part of Mythic, especially considering that whatever happened with their billing was as out of their control (Mythic uses a third-party billing vendor) as it was out of ours. However, there is one thing that does bother me about this offer.

All of the things listed above cost Mythic absolutely nothing. Mounts, pets, in-game items, experience bonuses – this stuff all exists in a purely fictional universe and can only be accessed by customers who have chosen to trust Mythic not to fuck their credit cards up again.

If you decided that playing Warhammer Online wasn’t worth potentially having your bank account emptied thanks to a computer error, you’re receiving exactly zero compensation from Mythic. Sure, they’re paying your overdraft fees, but that basically amounts to them returning your money to the place it should have been to begin with. Besides, the stress of that process is mostly focused on people at the banks.

I suppose if you’re a diehard Warhammer Online fan and you’ve chosen to keep your account open, those in-game things are a fine way to apologize. But what is Mythic doing to salvage its relationship with the customers that have chosen to walk away?

The main question I want to ask here is this: Do you consider in-game items sufficient compensation for real-world fuck-ups? Sound off in the comments.

——————————————————————————–