A dissatisfied Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II player who had been banned twice decided to pay an unannounced visit to an Activision facility in Austin, Texas to discuss the situation.

According to PC Gamer, the player stated in a now-deleted Reddit post how a ban appeal was refused on Oct. 28, so they opted to use a different email address and buy a second copy of the game to play. On October 29, a ban was also issued on that copy. The guy claims to have spent $140 on the game in total.

The gamer recounted what happened next in the Reddit post:

"Today (10/31) I decided to go to the nearby Activision office in Austin, TX to attempt to speak with an employee due to the fact that it is impossible to speak to someone over the phone ... I was met by a security guard in the parking lot at Activision who told me that I would not be able to speak with anybody."

Except for the security officer, no one at the studio had any direct contact with the banned gamer. The event has elicited a mixed reaction online, with others in the gaming business urging gamers not to do this owing to staff safety concerns. Responses to the Reddit post appear to be divided between those who applaud the player for taking action in the face of a lack of customer service and those who regard it as threatening conduct.

Obviously, no one should go to a development studio to propose a ban without first getting authorization. Online criticism of poor customer service should be welcomed, as long as it is done without aggressive or threatening language or conduct. If it's genuinely horrifying, others will join in, and the web press will take note and look into it.