SWTOR account creation broken

SWTOR account creation seems broken.  I bought a subscription through steam and installed the game.  Went to account creation and selected a display name, email address and password and clicked to create and it said successful.  However when trying to log-in Im told details dont match.  Double checked all entries and they are correct.  Tried to get display name sent to email, nothing happens.  In fact nothing has been emailed to me to confirm anything (checked junk folder).  Tried creating another account, same details but different user name.  Again says creation successful ignoring previous attempt.  Again doesn't work.  If this can't be fixed I will petition steam for a refund.  It''s not supposed to be eligible for a refund, but if I can't even access the game, I reckon that should be good enough to persuade them.