My phone call to Bethesda

[mpc4utube]

If you're thinking about calling Bethesda, read this topic first.

Like everyone else having a problem with coop, I wanted to get to the bottom of what the issue was, and get it resolved so I decided to call Bethesda tech support.


This is the following conversation I had with them let me know what you think afterwards.

==============================

HERE IS HOW THE CONVERSATION WENT

BETHESDA: Can I help you?

ME: Yes Hunted the Demons Forge Coop is broken and cannot be used! and I want to know if a patch/fix is under way that allows Coop to be used.

BETHESDA: I assure you coop does in fact work and a lot of other people are having no problems

ME: Well it clearly doesn't work, because if it did, then why can't use coop?

BETHESDA: Did you port Forward?


ME: What the hell is port forwarding? (Even though I know what port forwarding is, I wanted to see just how bad Customer support is with taking responsibility for their own products)

BETHESDA: You have to port forward to 7777 in order to use COOP.

ME: OK then you can explain to me how to port forward so I can use COOP where do we start? What is the first thing I do?

BETHESDA: It's on the website go there and it shows what to do.

ME: Ok hold on please let me pull up the website. OK I got it up and I'm reading through and all it says is port forward to 7777. I thought you said it explains how to get connected?

BETHESDA:It does explain how to get connected. It says you have to port forward to 7777 and then it will work.

ME: OK so I entered in 7777 into the address bar of my internet browser and pressed enter....Hold on a sec let me launch the game and see what happens. A short time after....Hello Sir...sorry but 7777 doesn't work so again I'm going to ask you how to connect to coop?

BETHESDA: You didn't do it right, because if you did it would work a lot of other people have no problems and when we tell them you need to port forward to 7777, they go ok and have no problems and get it working.

ME: I'm doing it wrong you said. So how exactly do I enter in 7777 PROPERLY. Do I need to be sitting in my chair sideways with my right hand on the mouse, while lifting one leg and standing on my TIP TOES? Would I be entering in 7777 correctly then?

BETHESDA: As I said you have to port forward and if you want to know how to do that you have to look it up yourself because we do not supply that information.

ME: So let me get this straight, I paid for a game, that Bethesda published and has advertised that CO-OP is a feature in it, So even though I PAID FOR THIS GAME I still have to do all the work to get COOP to work because it DOES NOT explain anywhere on the website, that you keep telling me to go to, THE EXACT AND ENTIRE PROCEDURE FOR PORT FORWARDING and now you're saying that after sending me to a website you full well know doesn't explain how to get CO-OP to work, that now I have to look it up myself because Bethesda cannot explain how to use something that was implemented into a game I purchased. What the hell is my money going towards then, and how is it my responsibility to figure out a feature Bethesda is supposed to be explaining to me how to use? Are you serious!

BETHESDA: Starts talking and I cut him off

ME: OK that means it's false advertising, because the game is advertised as having a feature that is 100% unusable unless you do something, and no one in Bethesda can/wants to explain how. Sorry but as long as it's got Bethesda's name on it, and it's a feature that's been advertised to be able to do, then therefore Bethesda is responsible for making sure people know HOW TO get connected to coop

BETHESDA: It says how to do this on the website. You have to port forward to 7777.

ME: That explains what to do but NOT HOW TO DO IT, so therefore it doesn't work and you guys are responsible for providing the instructions on Port forwarding so that people can actually connect. The instructions for connecting ARE NOT ON THE WEBSITE...Saying what has to be done IS NOT AN INSTRUCTION. Instruction is actually saying the entire and exact procedure for fixing the problem and I'm not going to look up how to do what Bethesda is supposed to be explaining..Sorry that's not my responsibility...I bought the game from Bethesda, so they need to accommodate ME, not me have to do their job for them

BETHESDA: It is not our responsibility to tell people how to port forward, that is the owners responsibility. Our job as a tier 1 tech is to answer any problems you may encounter playing the game or getting it to run.

ME: Exactly, I'm having a problem getting the coop working because you guys have not explained how to connect online for coop.

BETHESDA: Yes we did, the game works, we explain that in order to play online coop you have to port forward to 7777 and if a player doesn't know how to do that it's not our fault.

ME: Then you shouldn't even have that on the website, because saying what has to be done has nothing to do with how to do it, and if you're going to even say on the website you have to port forward, then you need to include how because do not say something, then leave people hanging, then try to tell the player they are responsible for doing you guys job for you. This is your guys game and you have a feature that does not work and you guys say it works but have yet to explain HOW TO GET IT TO WORK then try hiding behind the excuse of it's on the website what to do...Sorry but you guys have not explained how to connect because I know it has to be port forwarded....Now you can explain to me HOW to port forward and if you do not then you have not explained anything. So again do not say how is on the website when that's totally untrue.

BETHESDA: I've already explained this and I have other customers I have to help, is there anything else I can do for you today.

ME: Yes there is something else you can do for me.

BETHESDA: What's that?

ME: I want to know how to port forward this game so I can use a feature you guys advertise is there that does not work, so lets start with what do I have to do...Please explain now.

HANG UP!

======================================

[ElfShotTheFood]

I would have put you on hold and left you there.

[cyxceven]

This really is why we cannot have nice things.

[GrimCreaper]

You are a terrible person and i am ashamed of you as a gamer. Bethesda is one of the last PC gaming companies that gives a rats ♥♥♥ about its consumers. People like you will ruin that. Thanks.

That rep should be commended for putting up with you.

[Dirili]

Am I the only one who thinks that this guy, douch-ique as it may have been, has been completely right?
Create a game, make it not work, don't care how people implement your "help" and tell them to ♥♥♥♥ off, after they're start to be pissed off after a while.

People get cancer for less bad karma.

[Scorcher24]

Learn how to port forward:
http://portforward.com/

[harley dude]

If you live next to the OP I bet you can get free wi-fi.

[tigmaster420]

(OP)Do you need instructions on how to go to the bathroom.

[Rolo42]

Bethesda is one of the last PC gaming companies that gives a rats ♥♥♥ about its consumers.
I cannot agree; it took me 8 months to get a fix from them.

They quit repeatedly asking the same questions (already answered) with "with the release of Skyrim, it will take a long time to get back to you."

My pointing out that my ticket was opened prior to Skyrim's release made no difference. Skyrim users > Hunted: Demon's Forge users; I didn't feel cared about.

Last week--long after abandoning this game--I did get an e-mail from them with the solution: "You have to log into GameSpy even if you are only playing a LAN game". 8 months and tier 2 for that! (The issue was that cutscenes wouldn't play on one machine when playing LAN co-op with the wife.)

Between this and my disappointment in Skyrim, I'm lumping Bethesda with the other lost-touch publishers/developers like Blizzactivision, Ubi, EA, etc...

I shop Steam and Kickstarter for indie games now; retail can stuff it.

[MaestroRage]

OP, you are the definition of a ♥♥♥♥♥♥. That rep is golden in my books.

[oliathsg]

Learn how to port forward:
http://portforward.com/

You should also post a link for him on 'Learn how to act like an adult and not a spoiled immature brat to get things done'.

[spyrochaete]

"Hi, McDonalds? I'm having trouble using your drivethrough. Can you teach me how to drive?"

[killyou420]

"Hi, McDonalds? I'm having trouble using your drivethrough. Can you teach me how to drive?"

^ this

Though it is funny when people act like total ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥s and think that people will rally behind them on a forum, only to have a dozen people call them a D-bag

[hildegain]

Would have been no big deal for the guy on the phone to just give BASIC step-by-step instructions on how to Port Forward. Tech help is there to help, not to tell you to "google it".

"Hi, McDonalds? I'm having trouble using your drivethrough. Can you teach me how to drive?"

Question: Do they have a Tech Support related to vehicles? No? Then shut the ♥♥♥♥ up!

[Nose Nuggets]

You expect Bethesda techs to know how to setup port forwarding on every router on the market? lol.

[Booke]

As somebody who's done tech support, this is typical of most complaints. Though, the one or two people daily who genuinely needed and appreciated the support made it worth it.

[bewilderedronin]

I would have put you on hold and left you there.
^ This.

Would have been no big deal for the guy on the phone to just give BASIC step-by-step instructions on how to Port Forward. Tech help is there to help, not to tell you to "google it".

You do realize that there's tons of different routers and they're not all the same, right? Really, the best way is to go and search for how to port forward on your specific router. Expecting a tier 1 tech support on a phone line to walk you through port forwarding is pretty daft.

OP, I hope the rest of your life is filled with dealing with overacting irate dickbags just like yourself.

[DiceDuP]

Most reasonable PC gamers are aware that with most PC games there is some kind of adjustments you have to make or implement to get some games working. Port forwarding is not something a developer can guarantee you won't need to use, mainly because there are masses of different routers and net providers across the globe. It isn't difficult to google port forwarding and find out how to do it. If you find something on the net to show you how to do it but still don't figure it out, it might be an idea to scrap gaming on a PC and just play on consoles, where you will have a lot less issues.

[Foulplay]

I'm willing to bet the OP's conversation wasn't even half as sarcastic as he made out, and he embelished loads of details to make it more "funny". Even so, he acted like a total dbag and deserves everything he got for many reasons.

[HorrorScope]

Looks like this one backfired on the OP.

[sereaI]

people like the op should just get a console... pressing one button to get something to work seems to be on the edge of comprehension for most people these days.

[Scorcher24]

people like the op should just get a console... pressing one button to get something to work seems to be on the edge of comprehension for most people these days.

You need to portforward when using a console too.

[Tavio]

Am I the only one who thinks that this guy, douch-ique as it may have been, has been completely right?
Create a game, make it not work, don't care how people implement your "help" and tell them to ♥♥♥♥ off, after they're start to be jarateed off after a while.

People get cancer for less bad karma.


not really

http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2778595

i didnt read half the chat, but the moment i saw the username it sprung back a reminder of someone who made a very demanding and belittling post on the very same subject, which i just posted it above, if already he treats peers like that...

he gets no simpathy from me, and apparently from most of us.

i got the coop of this game to work, using different means, but i would not suggest that to him, since if portforwarding is too complex to him, getting a program for an alternate solution would probably seem heretic to him

to those who work on the support side of things, thank you very much for working there and enduring idiots like him, the few times i've had to contact support for help in different games, the persons have been very helpful in solving the issues i have

[SwiftyMagee]

As a former tech support agent, teaching a customer how to port forward on their modem really isn't something that I would/could teach over the phone. Unless I was working support for the manufacturer of the modem, the caller would pretty much have to find out the process of opening ports themselves, which isn't even hard if you know how to Google subjects.

At most I would escalate the call to a higher support group and try to have someone call them back...only for that agent to tell the customer that they need to call the modem's manufacturer.

Also...the OP really sounded like the kind of prick we would just leave waiting on the hold line until he hung up. The place where I used to work, even the supervisors hated picking up callers like that.

[urbanspcmn]

As a former tech support agent, teaching a customer how to port forward on their modem really isn't something that I would/could teach over the phone. Unless I was working support for the manufacturer of the modem, the caller would pretty much have to find out the process of opening ports themselves, which isn't even hard if you know how to Google subjects.

At most I would escalate the call to a higher support group and try to have someone call them back...only for that agent to tell the customer that they need to call the modem's manufacturer.

Also...the OP really sounded like the kind of prick we would just leave waiting on the hold line until he hung up. The place where I used to work, even the supervisors hated picking up callers like that.

Thats probably why you aren't tech agent... Youre a ♥♥♥♥♥♥. I wouldn't hire somebody thats incapable of handling people no matter how bad they are... Comes with the job.

[urbanspcmn]

As a former tech support agent, teaching a customer how to port forward on their modem really isn't something that I would/could teach over the phone. Unless I was working support for the manufacturer of the modem, the caller would pretty much have to find out the process of opening ports themselves, which isn't even hard if you know how to Google subjects.

At most I would escalate the call to a higher support group and try to have someone call them back...only for that agent to tell the customer that they need to call the modem's manufacturer.

Also...the OP really sounded like the kind of prick we would just leave waiting on the hold line until he hung up. The place where I used to work, even the supervisors hated picking up callers like that.

Thats probably why you aren't tech agent... Youre a ♥♥♥♥♥♥. I wouldn't hire somebody thats incapable of handling people no matter how bad they are... Comes with the job. If you couldn't manage a polite way to tell the customer that the issue is out of your control and point them in the proper direction in a polite format... Heres your pink slip sir.

[SwiftyMagee]

Thats probably why you aren't tech agent... Youre a ♥♥♥♥♥♥. I wouldn't hire somebody thats incapable of handling people no matter how bad they are... Comes with the job. If you couldn't manage a polite way to tell the customer that the issue is out of your control and point them in the proper direction in a polite format... Heres your pink slip sir.

Wow! Double post instead of a simple edit...so much hate for me.

That was, however, the official strategy for those issues at my former employ; had to troubleshoot internet for hotels mainly, and sometimes home customers for a mid-western cable company, among other clients. The cable company customers would buy routers outside of the cable company; wasn't our jobs to configure the equipment that they didn't buy from the cable company, so we had to refer them to the OEM of the router or any instructions that came with the router. We'd try to help out whenever we could but rules are rules, man, and at that crappy job, to the higher ups it was all about making those call times and less about solving the customer's issues. Also, I never said that I wasn't polite in referrals...but there were those days...

Work at just about any call center and they do the same thing, though. Follow the script, help as much as you can AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, and escalate the problem to a higher tier if it seems like an issue on our end. If it isn't, refer to OEM. The OP's port problems aren't Bethesda's issue in this case. Admittedly, the tech agent on the phone could have explained port forwarding in more detail than just "port forward to 7777" and saying that works for everyone else - sort of implying the OP's just too dumb to do it right - but the OP still sounds like a d-bag for wasting the dude's time (he already knows about port forwarding, supposedly, so he's calling just to make a point about the company's customer service...?) and cutting him off while he's talking.

So all in all, useless thread about a dumb issue...so a typical forum thread. I did get to rant about the poor tactics of my crappy ex-job, so I'm glad I participated! Therapeutic, in a silly way.

[SyrenOfScripts]

MPC4UTube, what you're failing to understand is that the configuration of your network inhibits you playing their game and the configuration of your network is your responsibility, not theirs.

As a secondary concern there are practical limitations on what level of tech support they can provide, because there are literally thousands of different types of routing devices used to connect to the internet it's impossible for them to support them all, even if they wanted to.

The McDonalds drive through analogy is fundamentally correct, some services provided by businesses assume some prior conditions to be fulfilled by the users of that service, McDonalds expect you to be able to drive before you can use their drive through and similarly if you want to host internet applications on your local network you need to be able to configure your network to support those applications.

If you want to learn how to port forward something on your network you'll have to learn how to actually configure your own network, the tech support for your router would be a more appropriate place to seek help for configuring routing rules for the network, and not a game development tech support help line.

Furthermore, harassing the tech support line for a game company who could actually be providing a helpful service to other users is lame and a waste of everyones time. These are just other people who are just trying to make a living, it's rude and disrespectful to be deliberately awkward with them and doesn't solve anything.

[BlunTman]

MPC4UTube, what you're failing to understand is that the configuration of your network inhibits you playing their game and the configuration of your network is your responsibility, not theirs.

As a secondary concern there are practical limitations on what level of tech support they can provide, because there are literally thousands of different types of routing devices used to connect to the internet it's impossible for them to support them all, even if they wanted to.

The McDonalds drive through analogy is fundamentally correct, some services provided by businesses assume some prior conditions to be fulfilled by the users of that service, McDonalds expect you to be able to drive before you can use their drive through and similarly if you want to host internet applications on your local network you need to be able to configure your network to support those applications.

If you want to learn how to port forward something on your network you'll have to learn how to actually configure your own network, the tech support for your router would be a more appropriate place to seek help for configuring routing rules for the network, and not a game development tech support help line.

Furthermore, harassing the tech support line for a game company who could actually be providing a helpful service to other users is lame and a waste of everyones time. These are just other people who are just trying to make a living, it's rude and disrespectful to be deliberately awkward with them and doesn't solve anything.

OP got owned.