Authenticators are going out, via USPS
by Mike Schramm 
Jul 9th 2008 at 3:00PM
We had heard that there were problems with the Blizzard Authenticator (a few people who'd ordered them had gotten their money refunded by Blizzard), but apparently there are at least a few going out. Mania got hers -- she says that it works great, that she has already associated it with her accounts, and that she's thrilled with her purchase.Not everybody is so lucky -- reader Tweaky emailed us to say that his order was supposed to go out UPS Next Day Air, but after it didn't show up and he had a tussle with Customer Support, he then found out it was actually going through the USPS and that it would show up late. No word on whether he's seen his yet or not. A few people commented on our last post that they actually had shipping returned to them, so maybe Blizzard originally planned to send some UPS, and then had to switch to a cheaper mailing method.
At this point, Blizzard has the keyfob sold out on their website, and there's no indication when we'll see any more (soon, probably). It appears that not only did they vastly underestimate demand for the Authenticator, but that people are seriously concerned about the security of their World of Warcraft account. No other game company has ever offered anything like this before, but given the response, it could soon become a standard.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Odds and ends, Blizzard, Hardware
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Gordon W Jul 9th 2008 3:05PM
I got my order well before the sold out notice however it still hasn't shipped which makes me think that they may have oversold. I plan on calling blizz support later and will send a note over to the tip line if that is the case.
Tabi Jul 9th 2008 3:08PM
Mine arrived sometime last week (I was out of town). It was easy to associate it with my account, the number you have to type in is only 6 digits, and it seems to work great :)
On the back, it's branded as a "Digipass Go 6"
nbcaffeine Jul 9th 2008 3:11PM
How big was the package it came in? I'm wondering if this will fit in my po box or if I have to go pick up when the office is open.
Tabi Jul 9th 2008 3:38PM
It came in a fairly small padded envelope.
Joe P Jul 9th 2008 3:09PM
Mine still says shipped, however where previously I would click on the order and it would return an error now it finally lets me into the order and shows it's been shipped by Ground. I ordered it on the 30th so I'm hoping it arrives before the end of the week.
Though I'm happy Blizzard is doing this and very much looking forward to the reception of the Authenticator I feel Blizzard sort of dropped the ball in terms of customer service on this.
Tech Jul 9th 2008 3:19PM
I am in the same exact boat as you.
I am still hoping I will receive it some time this week.
peaglemancer Jul 9th 2008 3:53PM
Same, I emailed them without response, so I called. After waiting well over 10 minutes to their epic answering machine music, they let me know it had shipped by USPS and would be here this week (the holiday being the reason for the delay).
Rihlsul Jul 9th 2008 3:10PM
I *just* got an email from Blizz, as I had asked them how mine was coming and if there was tracking information, letting me know it's coming via USPS, so no tracking available.
I check my mail, no dice. Upon getting back to my computer, I pop open this site... read this article..
I'll thank you to stay out of my email! rofl...
Snailking Jul 9th 2008 3:20PM
I'd like to get one, but they won't ship outside the US.
Ignatio Jul 9th 2008 3:44PM
I also ordered mine on the 30th, but it still gives a status of Processed.
darian Jul 9th 2008 5:51PM
I ordered mine the day it appeared as a news item here, and I'm stuck at processed as well.
emptyrepublic Jul 9th 2008 3:46PM
I ordered mine on the 30th of June and it still says "Processed". I presume its in a box and hasn't gone out the door yet. I'm not sure why its taking so long to get this moving.
I'm glad Blizz is providing the authenticator, but they have really dropped the ball in responding to the demand. Given how rampant the gold farmers and account hacking is they should have seen this coming.
Matazuma Jul 9th 2008 3:46PM
Blizzard restock faster please
:(
reformat Jul 9th 2008 10:15PM
The authenticator should be shipped with WotLK for no extra charge. It should not be our responsibility to maintain the integrity of Blizzards intellectual property.
slimj091 Jul 10th 2008 12:26AM
conversely it should not be blizzards responsibility to maintain the security of your system.
Procris Jul 10th 2008 6:03AM
It would be nice if they could ship every copy of WotLk with it but the reality is, if they don't have the supply now, they will never have enough to go with every copy of WotLk if like someone said above is true and they are unique. I'm just hoping something like this people can't find a way to hack or find a way around. I think it will be several months before i manage to get hold on of one of these sadly.
deviationer Jul 9th 2008 3:49PM
sipposed --> supposed
Adorable1 Jul 9th 2008 3:50PM
They are not being delayed! They are being intercepted by the gold sellers - their network is deep and will stop at nothing!
Cryptseath Jul 9th 2008 3:55PM
If the product is just a rebranded Digipass Go 6 from VASCO, is it possible to buy one unbranded to use with this service?
Lucas Jul 9th 2008 4:10PM
Probably not. These devices usually work with a serial number attached to their authentication servers. Those servers run algorythms to figure out what code the device gives you. Getting one directly from VASCO could interfere with this process. I'm not sure, though. In theory it could work, but if Blizz is branding it, it's for a reason.