blizzard Charity Server Blades Arrive Damaged to Collectors

[Stan 5,022]

Some server blades that were put on sale to support Pencils of Promise back in September have started arriving broken to buyers according to recent reports.

Server blades that were used to run World of Warcraft servers back in the day were put on sale by Blizzard as part of the 15th-anniversary celebration. With an estimated delivery time of between 12 to 15 weeks, server blades have now started arriving to collectors, and based on recent reports, many of them did not arrive intact and had a broken case.

Source: Reddit u/Creeperella

Source: Reddit u/Thouforsak3n

Source: Reddit u/Micnev

Source: Reddit u/BlakeBolt

Source: Reddit

The server blade was priced well over $300 USD after tax and if yours did not arrive intact, your best bet is to contact support for assistance as indicated in the FAQ linked below.

Blizzard (Source)

Q: What is a server blade?

A:  World of Warcraft realms are hosted on HP BladeSystem, which combines server, storage, network, power, and management capabilities into an integrated system. These blades were part of the hardware that provided the processing power to run the game from 2010-2016.

Q. Will I be able to purchase a specific server blade?

A. Due to advancements in the technology behind World of Warcraft and the ability to host many realms on one blade, there’s no way to guarantee purchasers will receive a server blade that previously hosted a specific realm they were interested in.

Q: What does the server blade come with?

A:Each blade server comes with a decorated plexi-glass cover and a World of Warcraft 15th Anniversary plaque.

Q: Is the server blade functional?

A:The server blade is not functional and contains no data. This retired HP server blade is intended only to be a unique collector’s item and not a piece of functioning hardware.

Q: Do I have to pay for shipping?

A: Yes, purchasers will have to pay for shipping.

Q: When will I receive my World of Warcraft server blade if I purchase one?

A: Barring unanticipated circumstances, the expected delivery time for items is 12–15 weeks after the final payment is received and acknowledged.

Q: How will my World of Warcraft server blade be shipped?

A: Your World of Warcraft server blade will ship in custom 15th anniversary packaging and a brown box with foam padding to help protect it during shipping.

Q: What should I do if I have any issues with my order?

A:If you encounter any issues with your World of Warcraft server blade order, contact customer service for assistance.

*Purchaser shall pay shipping costs. Sale ends September 24, 2019, or while supplies last.

[elmurufdd 45]

from talking with someone who got a broken on its wasnt full shipping issue it was from lack of packing . they were packed poorly with little to no padding should have been wrapped in foam paper and in peanuts or shredded egg crate i know most of the money when to  charity but they could have spent a *filtered* bucks to pack a 300 dollar item properly 

[Nuk 0]

My server blade also arrived damaged, it was quite disappointing considering how much had been spent on it.

[darkgreenwax 410]

that's unfortunate ⚰️?️

[dartbodman 64]

That's the authentic WoW experience

[lolblizzard 38]

you pay for trash you get trash..

[m2geek 4]

Blizz will say that this is working as intended and close the ticket. 

[CaperfinWoW 21]

ohh man that sucks. I heard from others it may be a shipping/packaging issue.

[pjs72 0]

i see a lot of disappoint people out there dedicated themselves good buyers and you blizzard destroy that these people payed top dollar for a item that was 15 years celebration in your faq's stated the box will be filled with foam to protect i see a blade just been throw in there and "hope" for the best it be destroyed while been shipped, try compensation 1 year of game time 500.00 in gold few mounts for the trouble people bought these blades a collector piece and just dont give a ***** shame on you blizzard really 

[Misuteri 26]

6 hours ago, m2geek said:

Blizz will say that this is working as intended and close the ticket. 

Quite possibly the most true to life statement on the issue.

Funny thing about satire, it’s surprisingly close to the truth.

Edited December 31, 2019 by Misuteri

[Thouforsaken 0]

I'm one of the people pictured above. Problem seems to have been a combination of both shipping at the busiest shipping time of the year plus the absolute bare minimum either blizzard or whomever blizzard outsourced this to used to protect the product. Four pieces of foam was certainly not enough to protect this product being shipped internationally. Its rather disheartening because it cost me somewhere around 500+ AUD.

[m2geek 4]

16 hours ago, Misuteri said:

Quite possibly the most true to life statement on the issue.

Funny thing about satire, it’s surprisingly close to the truth.

If it were me, i'd be heartbroken by the fact it got broken and just see about getting it fixed by insurance. Blizz's response would be "too bad, working as intended"

[Badadada 184]

I'm a bit skeptical on this, as it's the hardware that has historical value here, not the plastic case. If it broke but the blade did not it's a job well done, since the only purpose of that acrylic box is to protect the item encased within it. People should get a replacement of that free of charge, but if the blade server itself is intact the damage incurred is certainly not in the multi-100 $ range. More like 15$.

[Nightblaze 0]

Does anyone have a clue which Blizzard customer support is to be contacted? And how?

 

The online forms don't have a category for this and there seems to be no phone number (at least here in Europe / Germany) to talk to someone from Blizzard about the procedure here.

 

No doubt, the whole packaging and shipping procedure was handled extremly amateurish by Blizzard or its (Sub-)contractors. 

But still, that doesn't free them from taking responsibility here. Givn that these plexi boxes are extremly cheap to produce and deliver, it shouldn't be too hard for Blizzard to establish a RMA process here

 

[Dalind 0]

The issue with the customer service is that the vendor changed on Oct 8th.  The Charity Blades sale ended in Sept.  You need to log into the Gear Store (https://gear.blizzard.com/us/customer/account/login/) and process as a return (Exchange is an option down the path) and request the service there.  The people who answer the phone are a different vendor and do not have access to the order numbers. (they will not be able to help you and will absolutely frustrate the hell out of you).  Once you do the online return, you will get an email requesting pictures with the unit and a piece of paper with both your order and RMA number, as well as a note that it will take 3-5 days more days for them to figure out how they are fixing this.  Here is my response from them (my numbers removed obvs):

Your Blizzard order number: 1xxxxxxx9

You can check the status of your Return by logging into your account

Greetings and apologies for any frustrations with the condition your World of Warcraft Charity Server Blade arrived in. We are currently in discussions of our available resolutions for damaged orders and hope to have an update within 3-5 business days. We are unsure if we will be able to provide replacements, but if we are not will we move forward with a full refund. For the moment please email a few photos showing the damage and a piece of paper with your order number (1xxxxxxx9) to [email protected] using the subject "Damaged RMA 1xxxxxxx4."

Thank you again
Blizzard Gear