Wii > Troubleshooting > Wii Shop Channel
Troubleshooting: Wii Shop Channel
Please select a topic
Please use the list on the left to select the application
or feature that you are looking for help with.
or feature that you are looking for help with.
Error Messages
Please use the list on the left to select a topic.
Basic Use
Please use the list on the left to select a topic.
Purchase Issues
Please use the list on the left to select a topic.
Virtual Console & WiiWare
Please use the list on the left to select a topic.
Wii Gifting
Please use the list on the left to select a topic.
Wii Points
Please use the list on the left to select a topic.
Error Message: "You Cannot Use the Shop Channel Because You Have Not Agreed to the User Agreements."
Situation:
- Error Message: "You Cannot Use the Shop Channel because you have not agreed to the User Agreements."
- Appears when trying to access the Wii Shop
Important Note!
If the User Agreements button does not appear, perform a system update.
What to do:
- Review and agree to the User Agreements. (How To)
Was this information helpful?
Hangs/Freezes While Connecting
Situation:
- Wii Shop Channel freezes on connecting, never loads, or stays on the connecting screen for a long time
What to do:
- If this only happens very seldom, it is most likely due to high traffic.
- If this happens often, click here for Wi-Fi troubleshooting.
Was this information helpful?
Billing Address Error
Situation:
- Error message regarding billing address when attempting credit card purchases
Is the credit card billing address in the United States, Canada, Latin America or Other Country?
Applies To: United States
Important Note!
If using a Visa or MasterCard prepaid/gift card, please check the instructions that came with the gift card. Some gift cards require the use of a pre-designated address; others require personal billing address information to be entered before use online.
What to Do:
- Verify that the city, state, ZIP code, and county (not country) have been entered and spelled correctly. For assistance determining the exact information needed, click here.
Still Not Resolved?
- If you are still receiving errors after verifying your billing information, there may be an issue with the card you are attempting to use. You will need to contact the company that issued the card for further assistance.
Applies To: Canada
Important Note!
If using a Visa or MasterCard prepaid/gift card, please check the instructions that came with the gift card. Some gift cards require the use of a pre-designated address; others require personal billing address information to be entered before use online.
What to Do:
- Verify that the city, province, and postal code have been entered and spelled correctly. Use the Canada Post website to determine the exact address needed.
Still Not Resolved?
- If you are still receiving errors after verifying your billing information, there may be an issue with the card you are attempting to use. You will need to contact the company that issued the card for further assistance.
Applies To: Latin America
What to Do:
- Please call 1-800-255-3700 so that we may assist you further.
Applies To: Other Country
What to Do:
- The Wii Shop Channel will only accept billing addresses for the country the system is set to.
- If the system is from a foreign country, please contact the local distributor for assistance.
If the system is North American, foreign addresses cannot be used to make purchases on the Wii Shop Channel. A credit card with a North American billing address or a North American Nintendo Points card must be used.
Was this information helpful?
Blocked From Purchasing
Situation:
- Unable to make purchases with Credit Card on Wii Shop
- Wii Shop Channel or Credit Card has been restricted from making any future transactions
What to do:
- Please call 1-800-255-3700 so that we may assist you further.
Was this information helpful?
Can't Add Points with a Credit Card
Situation:
- No option to add points with a credit card
What to do:
- Check the country setting (How To) and verify it is correct. Some countries do not have credit card options available.
Was this information helpful?
Missing Wii Shop Points
Situation:
- Points in the Wii Shop account are missing
What to do:
- Please call 1-800-255-3700 so that we may assist you further.
Was this information helpful?
Wii Shop Content Missing
Situation:
- Wii Shop content is no longer on a console or no longer accessible
- There is a point cost when attempting to redownload a previously purchased game
What to do:
- Please call 1-800-255-3700 so that we may assist you further.
Was this information helpful?
Downloaded Game Is Not Appearing on the Channel Menu
Situation:
- A downloaded game is visible in Data Management, but is not visible on the Channel Menu
Note:
Games that were not purchased on the Wii Shop Channel for that particular Wii console will not be playable. Save data can be transferred over from another console, but the game itself will give an error message.
What to Do:
- Scroll through the channel pages on the Wii Menu to verify that the game is not just on another page.
- Access the Wii Shop Channel and re-download the title. As long as you are using the same Wii console you used to originally download the game, you will be able to re-download it at no cost.
Was this information helpful?
Video Problems with VC Games
Situation:
- Video or display issues with virtual console games
- Dim, ghosted, blank screen, invalid format, etc.
Applies To: Wii—Arcade, Commodore 64, Nintendo 64, Sega Master System, TurboGrafx 16
What to Do:
- Newer televisions and other electronic components may have video processing systems that cannot properly interpret the signals used in these earlier games.
- You may need to alter how you have the system hooked up.
- Where is it connected? If the system is hooked up to something other than the TV (like through a cable box or other video/audio component), try connecting directly to the TV. If the system is hooked up directly to the TV, try going through a VCR or other similar component.
- Can you try another input? Most newer TVs have multiple inputs that serve various functions. Try using different inputs.
- Are you using Component Cables? If so, adjust the progressive scan setting of the system to something different. (Generally, switching from interlace to progressive scan is more likely to solve the issue.)
- Is there a setting on the TV? Check your TV manual to see if there are any settings that determine how the input being used displays the signal. Adjusting these may help.
Situation not resolved:
If the Virtual Console game is still not displaying properly, but all other games work fine, please call 1-800-255-3700 so that we may assist you further.
Was this information helpful?
Can't Receive Gift
Situation:
- Can't receive gifts through the Wii Shop
- Receiving an error Message when attempting to receive gift
What to do:
- Parental Controls are set on one or both of the Wii consoles to not allow messages. Because a message is sent along with the gift, the gift cannot be sent while messages are restricted through Parental Controls. The ability to send or receive Wii Messages would need to be temporarily enabled on both Wii consoles. For more information on working with Parental Controls, please click here.
Related Articles:
Was this information helpful?
Can't Send a Gift Through the Wii Shop
Situation:
- Can't send gifts through the Wii Shop
- Error Message when attempting to send gift
Which message is being received?
Applies To: Friend Can't Receive Gift
What to do:
- Gifts cannot be sent under the following circumstances:
- The recipient has never used the Wii Shop Channel
- The recipient already has the game
- The recipient doesn't live in the same country
- The recipient has turned off the ability to receive gifts in their Wii Shop Account
- Contact the recipient to determine what is preventing the gift from being sent.
Still Not Resolved:
- If you have contacted the recipient and have verified all of the reasons listed above, and they're still unable to figure out why this message is occurring, please call 1-800-255-3700 so that we may assist you further.
Applies To: Network Functionality Restricted
What to do:
- Parental Controls are set on one or both of the Wii consoles. Because a message is sent along with the gift, the gift cannot be sent while messages are restricted through Parental Controls. The ability to send or receive Wii Messages would need to be temporarily enabled on both Wii consoles. For more information on working with Parental Controls, please click here.
Was this information helpful?
Wii Shop Gift Never Arrived
Situation:
- Sent Gift from Wii Shop never arrived to Recipient
What to do:
- Recipient: Check the Wii Shop Channel on their Wii console. If a gift has arrived, the first screen they will see is a notification of the gift. (Gift messages can also appear in the Message Board, however if the recipient has WiiConnect24 turned off, they may not see it. Checking the Wii Shop Channel is the best way to tell if a gift has arrived).
- Sender: Confirm that a Wii Shop transaction occurred for the gift in question by checking your Wii Shop Account Activity. To do this, go to the Wii Shop Channel, and select "Account Activity" from the Wii Shop Channel main screen. Look through the listed transactions.
- If the transaction is not listed, then the Wii Points were not deducted and the gift was not sent. Please try to send the gift again.
Still Not Resolved:
- If there is a record of the transaction and the Wii Points were deducted, please call 1-800-255-3700 so that we may assist you further.
Was this information helpful?
Lost Nintendo Points Card
Situation:
- A Nintendo Points card was lost before it could be redeemed
What to do:
- We are unable to assist with lost Nintendo points cards.
Was this information helpful?
Nintendo Points Card Not Working
Situation:
- Nintendo Points card is not working
- Card may be damaged or illegible
Important Note!
Wii Points cards purchased in one region will not work on a Wii console from a different region.
What to do:
- Please call 1-800-255-3700 so that we may assist you further.
Was this information helpful?
Purchased a Foreign Nintendo Points Card
Situation:
- A foreign Nintendo Points card is not working.
Important Note!
Wii Points cards purchased in one region will not work on a Wii console from a different region.
What to do:
- Nintendo Points cards purchased in one region will not work on a Wii console from a different region.
- We are unable to exchange Nintendo Points cards designed for sale in one region for Nintendo Points cards in another region.
- You may want to give or sell the card to someone who will be able to redeem it, or work with the retailer who sold you the Nintendo Points card.
Was this information helpful?
