Hellgate: London flavored chat log:

[05:01] Turk: HELLGATE!
[05:02] Gawain: I’m not as crazy as that.
[05:02] Gawain: thats fucking crazy ass crazy.
[05:02] Gawain: I saw that and I was like.. oh, hes just fucking with me.
[05:02] Turk: sorry
[05:02] Gawain: no.. you really did buy it.
[05:02] Turk: yes
[05:02] Gawain: so then I was like… well, they must have fixed a bunch of shit.
[05:02] Gawain: and then I was reading and you’re like “they haven’t fixed shit”
[05:02] Turk: I’ll update later with the current status
[05:03] Gawain: the extra funny comes in when you see that post right above the post with the forum pic on it.
[05:03] Turk: yeah yeah
[05:03] Gawain: jesus you’re not… subscribing… are you?
[05:03] Gawain: oh my god.
[05:03] Gawain: you’re subscribing.
[05:03] Turk: just to for a month
[05:03] Turk: to see, it’s only ten bucks
[05:03] Gawain: jesus christ you are sick. you need help.
[05:03] Turk: yeah
[05:03] Turk: the december patch sounds nice
[05:03] Turk: stonehenge as a hub
[05:03] Turk: outside areas
[05:04] Turk: again if they can fix shit
[05:04] Turk: and that is a big if
[05:04] Gawain: I don’t know you anymore.
[05:04] Gawain: fucking subscribing to hellgate.
[05:04] Gawain: jesus.

It gets worse. Below are two entries from my online banking statement:

11/05/2007 POS PURCHASE 11/03 20:55 HELLGATE PING0 800-346-3425 CAUS VCP 9.99
11/05/2007 POS PURCHASE 11/03 02:40 HELLGATE PING0 800-346-3425 CAUS VCP 9.99

So I’m already in for more than I wanted. Though the official website makes no mention of this billing issue (why scare away more suckers?) in the private forums the do at least admit they are aware. They offer little help. You can fill out an Ask a Question form. I received an email with this very unreassuring message:

Your inquiry has been received. You should receive a response from a Hellgate Customer Service Representative within 24 hours.

By my clock 24 hours have passed and I have yet to hear back from them. My bank account has not been credited. Perhaps Gawain is right and I’m sick and need help. But I hope they get the game in order. The glimmer of fun is there. The december patch also sounds like it has potential. I’ve heard mention of Stonehenge as a hub and the inclusion of more outside areas like forests. I just hope it doesn’t take longer than a month or two to fix these issues.

Here are some links from the game sites with more on this billing fuck up: Hellgate Billing Issues, Hellgate Subs Gone Wild?, and Hellgate London Subscribers Report Extra Charges, Restricted Access to Membership Benefits. Also worth reading is the Shacknews review of the game. Which gives a honest dead on review on how the game really is.