Complaint Review: Nexon America

One of Nexon's most shameless scams at the current time is the character name change, which is sold in its "free" online game, Maple Story, for $10. Because Nexon failed to respond in any way to my reports of harassment and abuse by other players for months, the only available option was to change my character's name in order to play unmolested, and I therefore purchased the above-mentioned $10 cash shop item in early November 2007.

The item's description included a statement that the change would be effective after the next server check following this purchase. Despite numerous server checks to date, my character's name remains the same and has not been changed in the game. It, however, has inexplicably been changed on the web site (www.nexon.net), and my numerous submissions regarding this issue to Nexon's Customer Dis-service staff on that web site have been ignored, responded to with meaningly boilerplate text that does not address the problem at all, or stalled for weeks and months without even an offer of resolution.

To make matters worse, the characer name change, as with most cash shop items, expired three months after its purchase (i.e., early February 2008). There was nothing that I could do to activate the name change since that action had to be taken by the tech staff at Nexon during a server check, of which there were MANY following the date that I bought this item. All power and control was in Nexon's hands, and they opted to do nothing except take my money.

Had I not had the foresight to screen shot the fact that this item was still in my inventory just prior to its expiration, I would have no proof that I did not delete the item, another sneaky maneuver that Nexon likely used successfully with countless others to scam $10 from each of them. Almost all cash shop items are activated or used by double-clicking the item once it has been placed in your inventory. The character name change, however, is deleted if this is done and only one brief warning is given to announce this deviation from the normal procedures followed with respect to cash shop purchases.

My initial inquiry to Nexon was immediately closed and responded to with an expression of thanks for my "suggestions" and "feedback". I was additionally instructed to report such issues in the feedback category despite the fact that I was requesting technical assistance in the activation of an item which was supposed to be effective during the server check following my purchse of the item. Before submitting this complaint, I actually waited patiently through quite a few server checks in the hopes that the character name change would go through at some point.

My other inquiries regarding this inoperable and never activated item were met with similarly moronic responses. One response suggested that I read the FAQs section of the web site for the answer to this problem, said solution not surprisingly being included anywhere on Nexon's web site. A separate response told me that I should not have deleted the item from my inventory even though I made it clear in my message that I had not done so, and the writer emphasized that no refunds would be issued for deleted items. A more recent email to Nexon, which I had submitted more than two months after the purchase of the still unactivated character name change, told me to be patient and wait for the next server check or two.

My latest email of inquiry to Nexon was submitted on February 4, 2008, five days prior to the expiration of the $10 item. I stressed the fact that no attempt had been made to rectify this situation despite several messages begging Nexon to change my character's name as promised when I made this purchase three months earlier and the pressing issue of time running out. Shockingly, the status of my inquiry was changed to "escalated," and GM Shade answered with a request for information (old and new character names, date of purchase of the character name change and the specific server on which my character resides) in order to look into the matter and take care of the problem. Although I forwarded all information in full detail, including not only the date but also the precise time of this purchase, there has been no response at all from anyone at Nexon in the last four weeks!

Other issues which have been totally ignored by Nexon as well were: (1) the fact that my main character cannot gift items despite having the nx and an abundance of gift points available in my account, (2) the fact that a nearly $5 friendship ring never produced any effect when my friend's character and mine wore them and stood near one another, (3) the lack of promised compensation by Nexon to all owners of merchant stores, of which I was one, in the form of maple points after a mid-January system crash, and (4) other cash shop items which were purchased in good faith but which did not work at all.

How Nexon America can repeatedly get away with such blatant fraud and deception is beyond me. If a class action suit were ever instituted against this organization, I am positive that the number of victims of its scamming and illegal business practices would be in the thousands. This company has to be reported to the proper authorities, especially because so many children are being exploited since they definitely cannot grasp the severity of Nexon's abuse.

Pamela
West Orange, New Jersey
U.S.A.