Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Zynga Puts Random Stranger In Customer Support Role

Posted by timothy on from the have-you-tried-plugging-in-a-toaster-and-dancing? dept.

An anonymous reader writes "A server error has meant that for the past few months, a man not associated in any way with social gaming powerhouse Zynga has been getting customer support emails. When Zynga failed to return his messages, he started replying to the customers himself. Hilariously." Sadly (though perhaps some of his correspondents would disagree), the glitch has now been fixed.

6 of 158 comments (clear)

  1. Zynga's lucky by msobkow · · Score: 5, Informative

    Zynga's lucky he treated the barrage with a sense of humour.

    He could have easily gone into "rant mode" about how people got his email address, torn a strip off them, and pissed off their customer base right royally.

    No surprise that Zynga screwed up, though. They're kind of famous for doing that -- as well as ripping off other designer's game ideas.

    --
    I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
  2. Re:Oh! "Borrowing" Some UI Stuff, Huh? by DerPflanz · · Score: 5, Informative

    Given Zynga's code of ethics (or lack thereof), I would wager this e-mail found its way into "their" product by way ...

    No, it was the email given in the standard Apache 500 Internal Server Error message, as you can see in the article. They put ***@themepark.com as contact address on the fb.themepart.zynga.com server.

    It was a configuration mistake, not a stolen site.

    --
    -- The Internet is a too slow way of doing things, you'd never do without it.
  3. Origin of story by maroberts · · Score: 4, Informative

    Explained here

    --

    Donte Alistair Anderson Roberts - hi son!
    Karma: Chameleon

    1. Re:Origin of story by Theleton · · Score: 5, Informative

      Even though that particular instance didn't happen, getting someone else's old phone number, or a number close to another number (or a business listing the wrong number somewhere), is common enough that I'm sure people play similar pranks all the time. Coming up with a fictional example of something doesn't prove that that kind of thing happening is an urban myth. Another example would be stringing along telemarketers in various funny (?) ways. Just because it's been featured in stand-up routines, sitcoms and sketches, that doesn't mean people aren't actually doing it.

  4. Re:meh! by hedwards · · Score: 4, Informative

    It's not illegal to open emails sent to your account for somebody else, it's just not good manners to do so knowingly. The prohibition on opening mail only applies to mail sent through the postal system. Now, it might arguably apply to UPS and FedEx, but as far as I know, it doesn't. Email itself definitely is not protected in that manner.

  5. Re:Oh! "Borrowing" Some UI Stuff, Huh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    I was a developer on Coasterville. The original code name was "ResortVille", and was pitched as a game for creating elaborate resorts made up of hotels and vacation activities. The creative leads later narrowed the game's scope to a Theme Park fiction. Two of our senior developers had worked on Bullfrog's Theme Park game 20 years ago, so our team chose to codename the title "themepark".