Getting a response from support

There may well be lots of people on here but if I pay for something, is it wrong to expect support? Is it wrong to expect a reply to an email sent to support?

I sent two emails to Tech Support about a game that had 'frozen' i.e. I could not select a piece to make a move, even though my next move was check-mate http://www.chess.com/echess/game?id=117985470

Now I've lost on time-control - yet I've got two emails from chess.com telling me I'd won both games in that tournament against the same opponent and my 100% winning record in Chess 960 has gone. I've got a time-out on my record - previously 0% - and a reduced rating (not so important)

If Chess.com take my money, then I expect things like this to be resolved. I won't be renewing my membership.

Of course it's not unreasonable, but you didn't state when you wrote to support, so we are not in a position to judge.

How long have you been waiting for an answer? (in absolute terms and relative to the game-- i.e. you wrote in on September 19th at 17:00 PST and you lost on time on 03:00 PST on September 20th, or something like that.)

I generally find that it can take from several days up to a week to get an answer but they are almost always responsive. (I don't remember an instance where they didn't respond.)

I haven't experienced a locked game in quite a long time. If I remember, it usually just means you have lost your connection. In a correspondence game, I would think you would be able to restart the application in plenty of time to make a move.

Thanks for responding notmtwain.

I wrote to support within a couple of hours of my move being available, so in theory there was 3-days, less ~2-hours for me to make the move.

Support didn't reply BUT, somehow I was granted the 'win' in the game in the link above and an email was sent:

[Event "September 960 - Round 1"]

[Site "Chess.com"]

[Date "2015.09.20"]

[White "SixSamuraiSlo"]

[Black "Maytin2"]

[Result "0-1"]

[WhiteElo "1508"]

[BlackElo "1662"]

[TimeControl "1 in 3 days"]

[Termination "Maytin2 won on time"]

[Variant "Chess 960"]

[SetUp "1"]

[FEN "brnqknrb/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/BRNQKNRB w KQkq - 0 1"]

 0-1

Telling me I had 'won' the game. 
Okay, as my next move would have given me mate, yes, I understand if there was an issue, 
it might be easier to 'give' me the win.

I received a second email, at the same time, telling me I had 'won' the same:

[Event "September 960 - Round 1"]

[Site "Chess.com"]

[Date "2015.09.20"]

[White "SixSamuraiSlo"]

[Black "Maytin2"]

[Result "0-1"]

[WhiteElo "1508"]

[BlackElo "1662"]

[TimeControl "1 in 3 days"]

[Termination "Maytin2 won on time"]

[Variant "Chess 960"]

[SetUp "1"]

So support were aware of the problem but they haven't resolved it.

I sent my second email a day or so later and another email, when the game in question, was appearing sandwiched between two games in 'my move' of 4 and 6 hours, still stating I had 3-days to make the move (I took a picture of the screen)

The auto-response each time, was we'd get back to you within 24-hours. The first two emails were both sent with more than 24-hours remaining.

I tried IE, Chrome and Firefox browsers. I tried the game on two different PCs and on my mobile phone; I simply couldn't select a piece to make a move.

Have you tried accessing the games through a different method. Up in the top you should see a little icon with a hand moving the pieces. What hapens when you click this? Normally it takes you the game with the lowest remaining time. Try this and get back to me on it. 

@ForeverHoldYourPiece:

3 x different devices and 4 x different browsers (counting the one on my 'phone) and being unable to select ANY piece to move, indicates a technical error on chess.com.

Receiving 2 x emails telling me I'd won on 'time' and getting (an incorrect) ratings upgrade for 'winning' suggests support staff at chess.com were aware of the problem (following my initial email)

Failing to reply to a customer's legitimate request is rude; failing to resolve the problem is poor customer-service.

    There's gotta be something wrong with YOUR computer because at the same time that your unable to move, 12 million people are playing just fine.

Try updating your adobe flash. 

Also, while this is a long shot, make sure your online chess hasn't been set to vacation. That often is the issue in the inability to move pieces. 

Thank you all for your replies.

RonaldJospehCote: There is nothing wrong with my computer. As I've already stated, I have tried 2 x different computers and a mobile phone. I was able to make moves in all my other active 63 games but not this specific game.

I do appreciate your comments but I am now showing as game 'lost' even though my opponent actually wrote in the comments section for the tournament, that I had won.

However - and this makes me think this is a write-only, don't read comments - forum, I have posted above the emails I received from Chess.com, stating I had won the game, 3 x days ago.

Well, I read your copy of the emails from the staff but there's nothing I or anybody else outside the staff can do about the situation.

We have to wait and hope that the staff can work out a solution. It's amazing how often CEO Erik will pop into these discussions.

I experienced the same "freeze" problem in one of my tournaments about a month ago and got the "automated response" from chess.com. V3 has taken priority over paying customers. Hopefully this V3 process will be over soon.

Thank you for that notmtwain. I appreciate there is nothing - including the Tournament Director - can do and it's a technical issue for Chess.com to address.

I'm miffed at losing my 100% winning record.

I'm miffed that a tournamnet in which I was doing well in all the games is now out of kilter.

Above all, I'm annoyed that clearly the Chess.com staff are/were aware of the problem, because they 'gave me the game' in the email of 3 x days ago; but they've not responded to any of my emails about the problem and I'm merely using this forum as a way of highlighting shoddy service.

Thanks for that. Your wit is clearly beyond compare.

Well then how do YOU explain that you can move in 61 games but not in 1 ?   Did you flip the board, are you trying to move the wrong color?

Why do I need to explain? I've spent days trying to make the move. There is a fault with the system; my game became 'frozen' which happens as a couple of other posters have also stated in this thread; I had checkmate next move (which is apparent if you look at the link to the game) so why would i not make the move?

My post - this thread - isn't about the fault in the software, it's about the lack of response from Tech Support to my problem; one they addressed by simply 'giving' me the win (presumably because as I'd written to them with the move I wished to make, they could see I would win) but 'giving' me the win, didn't stop the automated wind-down of the game's clock.

These things happen. Something similar happened to me last week. A game that said < 2 minutes for my opponent for days. At some point after switching back to V2, I was awarded a win, but the game had disappeared for ever.

Servers, computers, software, 'IT-specialists', connections, you name it. Anything down the line could be the culprit. Better to let it go and move on. You will never get an answer that's satisfying. I know, I've been there

NR.

Thanks for that nobodyreally. My opponent in the game - who has been most courteous throughout - suggested switching to 'old Chess.com' however I'm fairly new on here and don't know how that works.