Here's what we know:
Today's hot topic!
(I allow everyone in the universe to use these screenshots however they please, no permission or credit necessary.)
Thousands of accounts are locked or banned at the moment. LurkMcGurk can give more details on the difference.
The accounts on which I purchased a cheap, aftermarket TBM key (from G2A and Playerauctions) are now banned, the others are fine.
If you purchased a cheap TBM key and your account is now locked or banned, reply to this thread.
DayBreak Games forums discussion here:
https://forums.daybreakgames.com/eq...og-in-says-access-denied.233733/#post-3447412
reddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/everquest/comments/4qqd8z/do_not_purchase_cd_keys_from_third_parties/
news:
http://knowtechie.com/daybreak-games-bans-thousands-everquest-accounts-market-keys/
http://eq2wire.com/2016/07/01/daybr...-everquest-ii-accounts-for-after-market-keys/
TBM pulled from the Steam store (page exists, but you can no longer purchase):
http://store.steampowered.com/app/420390/
Here's how it looked June 28th:
http://archive.is/mQwK4
Redguides is absolutely against credit card fraud and scams. If anyone here is found to be directly involved in chargebacks to DayBreak for cd-keys, or spreading info on how to do defraud Daybreak, they will be banned from here as well.
I hate to editorialize, but this is so over-the-top ridiculous that I can't help but give my opinion. We all agree that professional credit card scammers shouldn't be profiting from Daybreak's hard work, specifically The Broken Mirror expansion pack. But it's likely the majority of the thousands who were banned today didn't scam or chargeback, nor did they know anything about scams or chargebacks. They bought CD-Keys from a third-party (i.e. G2A), or traded in-game items for them, or were gifted them.
3 facts:
a) there's nothing in the TOS/EULA restricting where we can attain expansion keys, which players have been trading without complaint since Kunark (2000).
b) there's ample reason for people to believe the discount keys they attained were legit, including but not limited to prior deep discounts from SOE.
c) the majority of users banned last night did not scam or defraud anyone, but are being punished as if they did.
Based on these facts, Daybreak Games should completely and immediately reverse their punishment for a rule that was never written, apologize for this shortsighted blunder, and credit user's accounts for the game time missed. This is assuming that Daybreak cares about their customers, and isn't acting as a simple extension of Viktor Vekselberg's vast fortune - a man who doesn't even know he owns a game called Everquest.
Also I'd like to say FREE JEREMY HAMMOND. Alright, now I'm done editorializing.
UPDATE 7/1/2016 4:30pm
I've heard from a couple good sources that there was never a "chargeback" in the first place. This was a simple case of arbitrage, where clever sellers were buying TBM keys on Steam for 16k Indonesian Rupiah, which converts out to $1 or $2 USD.
This is rather common in the cd key market, there are even websites that keep tabs on arbitrage opportunities:
https://www.steamprices.com/us/
The sellers abused the Indonesian price for profit by selling these keys to users like us for 3 krono (~$30) and once DBG realized they just blanket banned all the steam codes that were purchased in this currency, and removed all keys from Steam (evidence of the latter can be seen above.) If this is true, then the "chargeback" accusation on your account is a lie.
Another source with knowledge of the "internal conversations" tells me that DBG is not going to reverse the ban. They're going to unban accounts on a case-by-case basis, which will likely take weeks. This news is disheartening and frustrating, especially when noting that Daybreak recently began demanding your original credit card number and original CD key from 1999 as evidence of ownership, pieces of information that many of us no longer have.
UPDATE 7/1/16 6:07pm
Word is now coming in that you have to prove you were the original purchaser of the latest expansion key on your account, by providing the credit card number that made the purchase.
Meaning that: If you bought your key aftermarket (which is the clear majority of users banned last night) you are now banned for life.
I'd like to repeat: there is nothing in Everquest's TOS or EULA restricting where one can buy or trade for an expansion pack, a practice that had been going on since the year 2000 in public channels.
I don't think Viktor Vekselberg cares, or even knows he owns Everquest, but for those of us who have been playing since 1999 today is a very sad day. We have either lost our accounts, or our friends and guildmates have lost theirs.
UPDATE 7/1/16 6:33pm
Crisis averted?
Email many are receiving right now:
If this is the case, thank you for proving that you care about your customers and can admit a mistake. Thank you Daybreak!
Today's hot topic!
(I allow everyone in the universe to use these screenshots however they please, no permission or credit necessary.)
Thousands of accounts are locked or banned at the moment. LurkMcGurk can give more details on the difference.
The accounts on which I purchased a cheap, aftermarket TBM key (from G2A and Playerauctions) are now banned, the others are fine.
If you purchased a cheap TBM key and your account is now locked or banned, reply to this thread.
DayBreak Games forums discussion here:
https://forums.daybreakgames.com/eq...og-in-says-access-denied.233733/#post-3447412
reddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/everquest/comments/4qqd8z/do_not_purchase_cd_keys_from_third_parties/
news:
http://knowtechie.com/daybreak-games-bans-thousands-everquest-accounts-market-keys/
http://eq2wire.com/2016/07/01/daybr...-everquest-ii-accounts-for-after-market-keys/
EQ2Wire said:For years, it has been possible to buy EverQuest and EverQuest II expansions at a discounted rate on sites like Steam, G2A, and PlayerAuctions. There is nothing in the EQ or EQ2 EULA or TOS that constrains where expansion keys can be purchased.
TBM pulled from the Steam store (page exists, but you can no longer purchase):
http://store.steampowered.com/app/420390/
Here's how it looked June 28th:
http://archive.is/mQwK4
Redguides is absolutely against credit card fraud and scams. If anyone here is found to be directly involved in chargebacks to DayBreak for cd-keys, or spreading info on how to do defraud Daybreak, they will be banned from here as well.
I hate to editorialize, but this is so over-the-top ridiculous that I can't help but give my opinion. We all agree that professional credit card scammers shouldn't be profiting from Daybreak's hard work, specifically The Broken Mirror expansion pack. But it's likely the majority of the thousands who were banned today didn't scam or chargeback, nor did they know anything about scams or chargebacks. They bought CD-Keys from a third-party (i.e. G2A), or traded in-game items for them, or were gifted them.
3 facts:
a) there's nothing in the TOS/EULA restricting where we can attain expansion keys, which players have been trading without complaint since Kunark (2000).
b) there's ample reason for people to believe the discount keys they attained were legit, including but not limited to prior deep discounts from SOE.
c) the majority of users banned last night did not scam or defraud anyone, but are being punished as if they did.
Based on these facts, Daybreak Games should completely and immediately reverse their punishment for a rule that was never written, apologize for this shortsighted blunder, and credit user's accounts for the game time missed. This is assuming that Daybreak cares about their customers, and isn't acting as a simple extension of Viktor Vekselberg's vast fortune - a man who doesn't even know he owns a game called Everquest.
Also I'd like to say FREE JEREMY HAMMOND. Alright, now I'm done editorializing.
UPDATE 7/1/2016 4:30pm
I've heard from a couple good sources that there was never a "chargeback" in the first place. This was a simple case of arbitrage, where clever sellers were buying TBM keys on Steam for 16k Indonesian Rupiah, which converts out to $1 or $2 USD.
This is rather common in the cd key market, there are even websites that keep tabs on arbitrage opportunities:
https://www.steamprices.com/us/
The sellers abused the Indonesian price for profit by selling these keys to users like us for 3 krono (~$30) and once DBG realized they just blanket banned all the steam codes that were purchased in this currency, and removed all keys from Steam (evidence of the latter can be seen above.) If this is true, then the "chargeback" accusation on your account is a lie.
Another source with knowledge of the "internal conversations" tells me that DBG is not going to reverse the ban. They're going to unban accounts on a case-by-case basis, which will likely take weeks. This news is disheartening and frustrating, especially when noting that Daybreak recently began demanding your original credit card number and original CD key from 1999 as evidence of ownership, pieces of information that many of us no longer have.
UPDATE 7/1/16 6:07pm
Word is now coming in that you have to prove you were the original purchaser of the latest expansion key on your account, by providing the credit card number that made the purchase.
Meaning that: If you bought your key aftermarket (which is the clear majority of users banned last night) you are now banned for life.
I'd like to repeat: there is nothing in Everquest's TOS or EULA restricting where one can buy or trade for an expansion pack, a practice that had been going on since the year 2000 in public channels.
I don't think Viktor Vekselberg cares, or even knows he owns Everquest, but for those of us who have been playing since 1999 today is a very sad day. We have either lost our accounts, or our friends and guildmates have lost theirs.
UPDATE 7/1/16 6:33pm
Crisis averted?
Email many are receiving right now:
This is a notification from Daybreak Game Company.
We regret to inform you that the account name: XXXXXXXhas been issued a warning due to a Community Standards violation. After reviewing our records, one of the characters on this account was found to have committed the following violations:
On Thursday, June 30th, Daybreak Games identified and suspended a number of accounts across EverQuest, EverQuest 2, PlanetSide 2 and DC Universe Online. These accounts had redeemed content via keys sold on third-party key selling sites. Those keys had been invalidated due to credit card chargebacks, which is often indicative of fraudulent purchases. Players should always beware of keys sold outside of Daybreak Games or our official affiliate partners like Steam.
Daybreak understands that some players may not have known that they were purchasing invalid keys. We will be reversing the suspensions through the holiday weekend so players can continue to play and enjoy our titles. However, we want to emphasize that players should be wary of any game keys purchased from sellers other than Daybreak or Steam, as those keys may not be valid, and we cannot provide any refunds for keys that were purchased from third-party sites.
We do not take situations like this lightly and are informing you that future incidences could result in further action against you, up to and including permanent account ban. You may view the full Terms of Service here: https://www.daybreakgames.com/terms-of-service
Thank you for your consideration,
Daybreak Games Support
If this is the case, thank you for proving that you care about your customers and can admit a mistake. Thank you Daybreak!
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