Warhammer Online Billing Error Drains Bank Accounts
Posted: 2010-04-11 06:14pm
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This problem may have also affected people with inactive accounts, so keep an eye on your bank accounts if you've played.
Definitely not good publicity for Warhammer Online, particularly since EA has apparently done a half-assed job in trying to fix it, basically amounting to "We'll return the extra money. If our error racked up a bunch of overcharge fees for you, ask your bank nicely if they would take the charges back and pray that they care."Just like that, we suddenly understand some peoples' stern distaste for subscription-based MMOs. A recent bug in the Warhammer Online billing system charged some players its $14.99 monthly fee dozens of times on their monthly due dates. The amount of the overcharge differs from user to user -- reports on this forum thread average between $200 and $500. One player, who claimed to be repeatedly charged for a $77.94 six-month subscription, was hit with fees totaling $1013.12.
The cause of the error is currently unclear, as is the scope of its impact on the game's subscriber base. EA's billing support department is now in full-on crisis recovery mode, working with each affected player's financial institution to refund the fees within "24-36 hours." Considering that this debacle could have likely led to any number of overdraft fees and bounced rent checks for the over-charged, it could prove quite a costly recovery for EA.
This problem may have also affected people with inactive accounts, so keep an eye on your bank accounts if you've played.