Support responds with "pending account deletion" to private information requests?

[IsmertIdegen.2401]

Edit: **The issue received an proper statement regarding it from Dornsinger on Reddit, posted below. Take time to navigate to and read it, as it pertains a proper explanation to the issue I opened the thread about initially. If you are having issues that are similar, but not quite the same, feel free to post in here regardless. Thanks for reading.**

 

Last Wednesday, I opened a ticket, requesting private information from ANet that they've had hold of, shared with partner companies, et cetera, due to the recently updated Privacy Policies that I'm sure most of you have been swimming in a sea of this past month or so. I'm a worry-prone person, so even if nothing is wrong, I like to be able to check these things, and now we've been given the opportunity to. I even added, specifically, that I would like to ascertain nothing changes on my account that would damage it, render it unusable, or viable for a mishap/repercussion by their standards. This, again, was a "just in case" thing.

 

This morning, roughly past midnight I got a response to my ticket from Lead GM Dornsinger that they received a 'request to delete my account', and that I should reply with a confirmation if I wished that actually happening. Naturally, since I have requested no such thing, I replied with no, and with another clarification on what I _actually_ requested. The below screenshot shows the exact copy of the message my ticket also received:

 

https://i.imgur.com/sfyfco1.jpg

 

Mind you this screenshot is _not_ mine, it was shared by reddit user **4ndre4**. I am not at my home computer right now, and won't be for a while, thus I cannot access my own screenshots for this, but there's little point as it is the same thing. A clear request for information to be shared, replied to almost a week later by a message stating that there was a request for the accounts deletion.

 

What exactly is going on? These tickets contain not even a hint of the users wanting their accounts deleted. Were these tickets not even read? Should I just sit in stress now, hoping Customer Support will actually read my replies, and doesn't delete my account for nothing?

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

You'd have to discuss it with the CS Team. Nothing personal is discussed on the forums, usually.

Perhaps, this is the avenue used to request information:

_Our privacy email is privacy@arena.net_.

 

https://www.guildwars2.com/en/legal/arenanet-privacy-policy/#_Toc513129407

 

Good luck.

[IsmertIdegen.2401]

I'll keep that handy, thank you! I figured, bringing it to some attention might prove useful a bit, given it happened to a few people.

I can't rightly imagine these 'deletions' will go through (I hope they won't as there isn't a reason), but it's good to know what the official venue is for future pursuits.

 

Edit: Don't hesitate to move/close the thread if it's irrelevant info, however. Last thing I intend is to cause a scare; it was mainly for my curiosity.

[Andreakos.5934]

Yep that's me, related thread.

[Inculpatus cedo.9234]

From that thread:

 

**Dornsinger**

 

_This is why we ask, y'know? Because we need confirmations and mistakes can indeed happen. As for how? The same way any mistake happens in the history of humankind - by being a mistake._

 

_You've replied this isn't a deletion. Your ticket may simply have ended up in the wrong pile as I am working through these - and it is only the leads that work these. These are not worked by a team, these are not handled by a large group - this is just a few people who can even touch these and we are pretty much slammed because everyone is requesting these right now._

 

_You did the right thing and replied you do not want the account deleted. Meaning the process on the ticket will change. That's all there is to it, really. Sorry I spooked you, but the account can't even be deleted by the push of a button, so even people who change their minds have a chance to speak up. Because, as /u/dydzio stated correctly: Gone's gone. So we make extra sure we have a few fail-safes before that can take action._

 

_With that, more coffee, clearly I was lacking some yesterday._

 

There's also this new article in the Knowledge Base:

 

https://help.guildwars2.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001325887-How-to-Request-Delete-or-Update-Personal-Information-

[IsmertIdegen.2401]

Saw that just now, myself, indeed. Good to know it was a tech hiccup and nothing more.

What a hiccup, though. Not gonna lie, seeing a "pending" deletion in response to something unrelated was pretty darn frightening.

[Healix.5819]

They're jumping ahead. If you ask them to remove the personal information they have on you, they'll delete your account. Maybe most people are asking that, so they're just going straight for it. Either way, the team is probably tired of these requests, since this is apparently the reason they're currently 2 weeks behind.

[SlippyCheeze.5483]

> @"IsmertIdegen.2401" said:

> Saw that just now, myself, indeed. Good to know it was a tech hiccup and nothing more.

> What a hiccup, though. Not gonna lie, seeing a "pending" deletion in response to something unrelated was pretty darn frightening.

 

Human hiccup, mostly, I suspect: some poor overworked CS person tossed it into the wrong escalation queue or something, some poor overworked supervisor just posted the comment without checking, blah blah, having a ten day backlog sucks, that sort of thing. ;)

 

I'm super-glad they are doing the right things to fix it, though.

 

> They're jumping ahead. If you ask them to remove the personal information they have on you, they'll delete your account. Maybe most people are asking that, so they're just going straight for it. Either way, the team is probably tired of these requests, since this is apparently the reason they're currently 2 weeks behind.

 

This backlog was in place before the GDPR launch, and a range of things contribute, including the wave of bans for cheating that was followed, naturally, by people trying to wheedle their way out of the punishment for their actions.

 

It hasn't been helped by players submitting duplicate tickets, and even advising other players to generate throw-away email addresses and submit extra duplicate tickets from them (!!!!), to the point that ANet have explicitly said "for the love of the six, don't do that!"...