Online Zipzo is under fire



Posts: 2,243 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: 東京

This is what happened to Arks Layer...**IMPORTANT** - Today, 09:00 PM Today, 09:00 PM Hello everyone. Friends, gamer buddies. Even teammates in-game. Social acquaintances. I wish I could make this short and simple, but it is not short and simple, and you do not deserve just short and simple. I see this turning in to a mess of a thread, and could possible implode the dynamic of how the English speaking PSO2 community works as a whole, it affects all of us, and honestly I wanted to avoid this.



Before I continue, it's important to reiterate that I am no longer involved or associated with Arks Layer and so I am unable to assist you with outstanding issues that you are having, and I always have been unable to.



I do however recommend that anyone still under the Arks-Layer name also separate yourselves. I would recommend that handling of the English patch be re-configured to be under alternative methods. That the functions of the Tweaker be expunged to alternative methods as well. There really is nothing good that can come out of this, but if you are still tagged with Arks-Layer, I can only recommend you get out of there ASAP.



I began working with Arks Layer almost 3 years ago under the prospect of providing e-commerce services to customers who predominantly were composed of the PSO2 English-speaking player base at large. Many of you are probably customers or have been in the past. Thank you for your patronage, it really did go a long way to assisting in everything that Arks Layer does, and of course eventually, supported a lifestyle for me that allowed me to put all my focus in time in to providing for/helping you.



When the service launched way back then, business was slow but we organically built up a great returning customer-base, as we continued to provide relatively quick service for your orders. Eventually I was purchasing thousands and thousands of dollars in orders for people daily. This meant long, extensive trips to multiple convenience stores and shops paying thousands of USD at each establishment to fulfill the necessary orders. It's as awkward as it sounds, I mean can you imagine showing up at a 7-11 counter with $3,000 worth of codes, most of them separated by 10, 20, 30, 50, 100 dollar increments? ...but it became a part of the job and I loved doing it, knowing I was helping out my fellow gamer. As someone who lives in Japan and at one point was also that gamer back at home wishing anything Japanese was easier to deal with, I felt like it was my duty.



In the past several months, that once friendly service has become non-existent, and less recently become downright shoddy compared to the beginning months. You're probably all wondering why. I too had to essentially watch what was a full-time job that I enjoyed melt away before my eyes.



So What Happened?



As you know, AIDA is at the helm of the Arks Layer name. If I could go this entire post without mentioning AIDA's name, I would, but seeing as they are ultimately and intrinsically a major factor in what has transpired, it's impossible not to invoke the name. Up to this point I've generally always considered AIDA as not just a close business partner but a friend and so the idea that I'm intending to enact some kind of witch hunt would be silly, I'm only stating the facts.



The mechanic of our business ran as follows...it was a 5 step process.



1. AIDA receives payment.

2. AIDA creates a comprehensive list of all orders made.

3. AIDA sends me said comprehensive list, along with the money in order to make the purchases.

4. I purchase the orders, and copy every single digital code on to a document (bulk of the work).

5. I send this document to AIDA, which is then used to help AIDA distribute the codes through e-mail.



I posted a detailed summary of how things worked very early on in the PSO2 reddit, but the system improved drastically over time as orders picked up.



Over the past few months and for a while even before, the process has been stumbling around step 2, preventing the rest of the process from occurring. Orders became less frequent, and I thought this was simply due to slowing business, or simply people were just turning to other sources like the PSO2es method.



In actuality AIDA became negligent in sending me orders as promptly. She would disappear for long periods of time, days even, without responding to my messages (when we used to communicate daily). Then, when I would finally receive an order it was...well...not much. Over time the gap between communication with AIDA simply became wider and wider, which meant less & less orders being fulfilled. Thing is, business wasn't necessarily slowing, as those of you who are waiting on an outstanding order may know, there's more to it than that.



AIDA came forward and admitted that the money was gone. Right now there is ~$20,000 dollars worth of outstanding orders and...$0 in AIDA's account to fulfill those orders, and thus there is nothing to send to me, and thus no orders can be fulfilled.



I was angry and confused, because this was the reason that orders were simple not coming in. To make matters worse, I had an inbox that was filling with messages from (rightfully) concerned customers, of which I had no power to help. AIDA didn't have the money to send me in the first place. AIDA cited lots of personal reasons for lack of responsiveness, personal life issues from all sides of the spectrum. It took me messaging AIDA with an ultimatum a few days ago to trigger a response. I threatened that I would go on PSO-W and tell everyone I have no idea what is going on and AIDA could either be dead or just run off. AIDA responded very promptly to that threat. That's right, I've spoken with AIDA very recently, they haven't simply disappeared, you (the customer) are being ignored.



The worst part is I cannot tell you what happened to your money. That is the part of this that makes coming forward feel so...well, pointless. AIDA owns the account for which all the money goes to at point-of-sale. I cannot and could not even while still a part of Arks Layer help you aside from the same methods you used...contacting AIDA to figure out what happened. However, there are a few notable situations that would allow you to make certain assumptions, but they are only that, assumptions, and I'm not here to spread rumors.



AIDA promised a few days ago to me that they would send a universal e-mail to all in-flux customers detailing the situation and claiming full responsibility for the situation, and that they would work to pay off everyone eventually, all $20,000 that disappeared. Yet...this has also not occurred. People citing no communication many days after that promise. Again, AIDA is unresponsive through the regular channels we communicate and I'm left feeling obligated to do something about this, so here I am.



I'm deeply sorry for the massive inconvenience that has been caused to all customers of Arks-Layer, and I can really only extend my condolences for the finances lost due to what I can only refer to as incompetence on a grand scale. I too am suffering because of this situation, and while I've not immediately lost any money, there is much lost in the way of the potential for me to have been able to continue doing this (and I grew fond of doing it). The best thing I can do is hope that my and everyone else's request to freeze and investigate their account are heard and promptly met.



Again, I strongly recommend all those who are still associated with Arks-Layer in any way, detach themselves, and create channels through which the patch, and all other services rendered through that name, can be distributed elsewhere, or through alternative methods. I don't want to know what kind of trouble you might get in to being even somewhat closely involved with whatever AIDA has done.