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When are you going to do something about mass squelch abusers?


EosX

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It happened again. Trying to sell and buy some things in trade chat, an old "friend" whispers me condescendingly, doesn't like the way I talk back, vaguely threatens me by reminding me that they've done it before, I ignore them, all is well, yes? A few minutes later, after nothing more than a few WTB/WTS lines from me in the trade channel, suddenly I can't use the chat because I'm squelched (banned from using chat for 24 hours, for those uninitiated). They even gloated about it...and as I said, it's not the first time it happens. I reported it, but I have a feeling nothing will happen, otherwise incidents such as these wouldn't exist.

 

How does this happen? Squelching is this automatic system put in place to silence credit selling bots and toxic offenders, without needing to go through Customer Support (as they would surely be overwhelmed if every little report had its own ticket). The way it works is that if enough spam reports get made on a certain player in a given time, that player is automatically silenced for 24 hours, with no way to reverse this (as far as I know).

 

What's the problem with it? The problem, as I and other players can attest, is how easily this system can and absolutely IS gamed to grief people you merely don't like for any reason whatsoever. Just coordinate with a few friends to collectively report someone's postings in chat, and within a few minutes, they'll be silenced for a whopping 24 hours with no recourse. Wonderful, isn't it?

 

Who's doing this? For the most part, even the most toxic people I've met haven't steeped so low as to do this, but when you have toxic people with enough toxic friends, that's when they can make the magic happen on you. No reason is needed, I know people who have gotten squelched simply for undercutting "too much" on the trade channel, upsetting some whales perhaps, they do this, they get away with it, which only emboldens them to keep doing it.

 

So now, I wait. Meanwhile, I'm asking the community to chime in on this. Have you been on the receiving end of a malicious coordinated squelch? Are reports on such incidents even taken into consideration? Are there maybe any plans to address this issue?

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  • 3 months later...

Pushing the problem back to people who are being abused by brigaders abusing the squelch system is not fixing the problem, EA, it's losing you long-time paying customers like me. I have been subbed for most of the last 9 years, and I will not renew my subscription until you address this issue in a meaningful way. I assume that means I will never give you money ever again, and that includes your other products. As it stands now, bullies rule your game, and it's not acceptable. None of us who are affected by it are amused.

 

I was squelched today apparently FOR PRAISING YOUR PRODUCT. This is stupid. I'm fed up, and I know others who are just as fed up, and we're going elsewhere in the future with our dollars, because not being able to talk to each other because we beat some people in pvp is unacceptable, no matter how much you tell us otherwise. Blame the victim isn't the future.

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did you screen grab the chat, and what he said, if so you can send it to support@swtor.com , no idea if they can/will do anything, but it's probably the best option.

 

What I've learned is that EA's reputation for horrible customer service is earned. They won't help, it's my current assumption that EA people are among the trolls who are currently driving away long-time paying customers, in bigger numbers than they probably realize, because the whole system reverts to blame the victim the moment you try to get these issues addressed, including Musco's condescending bs on other threads about this matter.

 

I know I don't matter, I'm just a paying customer, but seriously, fix your house EA.

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Absolutely experiencing what you wrote so eloquently, regularly, and the trolls win. After years of enjoying this game I'm out, and I will never pay for an EA product ever again.

 

You win EA. This is normal.

Edited by NateSivad
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