Account Locked - Seeking Help and Clarification

I’m reaching out here to explain my situation and seek assistance as I’ve encountered an issue that has left me frustrated and locked out of my Path of Exile account. Here’s what happened:

A couple of days ago, while chatting in global, I typed the message: "Guys, make sure to use code 'ORBS' for an 8% discount." This was intended as a joke directed at the rampant RMT (real-money trading) bot spam that had been flooding global chat at the time. Myself and a few other players were mocking the bots and their spam, and my message was never intended to promote or participate in RMT in any way.

Shortly after sending this message, I received a prompt stating that I was banned from using global chat for 24 hours. While this was surprising, I understood that the system might not interpret context and accepted it as a minor consequence. However, just a few seconds later, I was forcibly disconnected from the game with a message stating that my account had been locked and that I should contact support.

I’ve since submitted a support ticket to GGG explaining the situation, but it has now been several days, and I have yet to receive a response. In the meantime, I’ve been completely locked out of my account, which feels like an overly severe punishment given the circumstances.

To provide some context about my history:

I have played Path of Exile and Path of Exile 2 for over 4,000 hours without any infractions.

I have never participated in RMT trade or engaged in any behavior that violates the terms of service.

I have supported the game significantly, spending several hundreds, if not over a thousand dollars on supporter packs and MTX over the years.

I understand and respect GGG’s stance on maintaining a strict policy against RMT and bot-related activities. However, this feels like a misunderstanding. My intent was solely to mock the bot spam in global chat, not to promote any illicit activities. Being indefinitely locked out of my account for this feels disproportionate, especially considering the time and resources I’ve invested in the game.

I’m posting here in the hopes that someone from GGG can see this and help escalate my support ticket, or that the community might provide guidance on what steps I can take next. I sincerely enjoy Path of Exile and the amazing community around it, and I’d love to resolve this issue so I can get back to playing.

Thank you for reading, and I appreciate any assistance or advice you can provide.