EA Refuse to Refund SimCity - Possible account ban if you take action

[Rydian]

Remind me why I don't PC game again?

Because you're scared of change, and the idea of having to do any more setup than "insert CD and hit play" strikes fear into your heart?

Consoles get bad shit too, the answer is always to check out a game before you buy it.

 

[Count Duckula]

Why on earth would someone make an online only game that clearly has single player? Do they care more about pirating than their own reputation?

It's as much if not more about planned obsolescence and control than traditional copy-protection DRM.
Kill used sales, cut off the servers when they feel fit so that anyone who wished to play it will have to buy the 'latest and greatest' version (or the older versions designed in times that were better for consumers).

I can't decide if the whole server capacity issue is a good or bad thing. It sucks for those trying to play now but surely someone evil being bad at what they do is a good thing, if only because it makes it plainly obvious to the masses the downside of the new model.
If it worked perfectly they would only learn this down the track when EA no longer feels keeping the servers going is in their financial interest.

 

[chris888222]

I'm not sure if anyone has seen this:

http://m.kotaku.com/5989630/ea-will-give-a-free-pc-game-to-anyone-who-bought-simcity

 

[Rydian]

It sucks for those trying to play now but surely someone evil being bad at what they do is a good thing, if only because it makes it plainly obvious to the masses the downside of the new model.

Spore, Assassin's Creed, whatever other games.

How many times will it take?

I'm not sure if anyone has seen this:

http://m.kotaku.com/5989630/ea-will-give-a-free-pc-game-to-anyone-who-bought-simcity

Because changing the game is out of the question?

Are they that intent on making consumers get used to an online-only format or something? 'Cause that'd be scary.

 

[ov3rkill]

Latest news is that they're offering a game as compensation for the trouble. Not sure what game though.

Once and for all, online-only single player game just doesn't work. I hope it will not repeat over and over again just like with Diablo 3.

 

[Rizsparky]

I'm not sure if anyone has seen this:

http://m.kotaku.com/5989630/ea-will-give-a-free-pc-game-to-anyone-who-bought-simcity

Free game.. with micro transactions

 

[chris888222]

Because changing the game is out of the question?

Are they that intent on making consumers get used to an online-only format or something? 'Cause that'd be scary.

I dunno. I never really support EA anyway. I just saw this on the web and thought that it was quite a horrible refund.

 

[Dr. Ivo Robotnik]

Well, at least they're doing a free game thing, I suppose. Doesn't really make up for this idiotic horror, but finally a semi-positive move's been made.

 

[The_Hulkster]

To be fair, they will only "take against his account" when he claims the transaction as a fraud with his credit card company.
This is rather normal.

 

[Bladexdsl]

Latest news is that they're offering a game as compensation for the trouble. Not sure what game though.

.

any $ it will be at least a 2-3 year old game it won't be anything NEW

 

[Dr. Ivo Robotnik]

To be fair, they will only "take against his account" when he claims the transaction as a fraud with his credit card company.
This is rather normal.

True. By contrast, however, offering refunds and then instantly going back on it is what sparked it, and I feel that an outrage over THAT is perfectly acceptable, perhaps even a necessity.

 

[The_Hulkster]

True. By contrast, however, offering refunds and then instantly going back on it is what sparked it, and I feel that an outrage over THAT is perfectly acceptable, perhaps even a necessity.

Also true.
I was merely pointing out an invalid argument.

 

[Dr. Ivo Robotnik]

Also true.
I was merely pointing out an invalid argument.

Duly noted. It's a legitimate thing to do - someone withdrawing funds after purchasing a product should see account action.

However, the circumstances SHOULD serve as a mitigating factor, in my view.

 

[DSGamer64]

I hope this is the straw that finally breaks the camels back and that consumers file a class action lawsuit against EA. They deserve it, this is the second colossal cluster fuck and attempt at banning Origin accounts in less then a year, the last was how much they fucked up the Mass Effect 3 ending. There is a reason why I stopped buying EA products for the PC, if they have the testicular fortitude to ban players just because their products suck and they file complaints, I don't want to support companies who behave like that. It's absolutely retarded that EA thinks their business practices are acceptable, and I hope this bad PR ultimately kills them as a company.

 

[trance]

EA can't refuse refunds in regions with established Consumer Law or similar protection (against things like either not fulfilling a purpose, or inability to be ready (or repaired) in a decent period of time), and they know that.

But, I know for a fact that Australian Consumer Law has classified digital software sales a merchantable quality regardless of physical or digital sale, or whatever a digital seller says in their TOS or equivalent. It's worked against Nintendo, for example, who state in their policy that they don't refund digital sales, yet they had no choice but to.

 

[Guild McCommunist]

I hope this is the straw that finally breaks the camels back and that consumers file a class action lawsuit against EA. They deserve it, this is the second colossal cluster fuck and attempt at banning Origin accounts in less then a year, the last was how much they fucked up the Mass Effect 3 ending. There is a reason why I stopped buying EA products for the PC, if they have the testicular fortitude to ban players just because their products suck and they file complaints, I don't want to support companies who behave like that. It's absolutely retarded that EA thinks their business practices are acceptable, and I hope this bad PR ultimately kills them as a company.

Having an ending you don't like is absolutely no basis for a class action lawsuit. Let's not forget they released, I dunno, a free bunch of DLC to "fix" the ending and a ton of free multiplayer DLC as well.

But boohoo EA is evil because I buy luxuries from them that I don't like.

I think gamers don't need to sue EA, they need to grow a fucking brain and realize that buying games with DRM is a terrible idea and sends them the message that DRM is fine since people buy it anyway.

EDIT: For the record what EA is doing here is inexcusable but consumers are just so goddamn blind that they didn't give a shit about always-online DRM. EA won't change because of a class action lawsuit by whiny neckbeards over "I DIDN'T LIKE THE MASS EFFECT 3 ENDING!" They see numbers, and when their numbers are low because they put stupid shit like this into games, then they'll change.

...But this leads to the point that gamers are also retards and will say "I'll boycott this evil game!" and then buy it anyway.

 

[Bladexdsl]

I should have known EA would find a way to fuck up simcity. They've done it to every single game now like red alert, the sims you name it and they've fucked it! I wish they never enslaved bought maxis

 

[DSGamer64]

Having an ending you don't like is absolutely no basis for a class action lawsuit. Let's not forget they released, I dunno, a free bunch of DLC to "fix" the ending and a ton of free multiplayer DLC as well.

But boohoo EA is evil because I buy luxuries from them that I don't like.

I think gamers don't need to sue EA, they need to grow a fucking brain and realize that buying games with DRM is a terrible idea and sends them the message that DRM is fine since people buy it anyway.

You'd think that EA would have grown a brain by now, but they have been doing stupid shit for ages, as soon as Origin came out, gaming was doomed. I think a class action lawsuit over SimCity 5 is necessary in order to get EA off this stupid egotistical high horse that they have been riding the last few years.

 

[Guild McCommunist]

You'd think that EA would have grown a brain by now, but they have been doing stupid shit for ages, as soon as Origin came out, gaming was doomed. I think a class action lawsuit over SimCity 5 is necessary in order to get EA off this stupid egotistical high horse that they have been riding the last few years.

It's not really "stupid" by their standards when people are still buying the game en mass and the DRM is preventing piracy for now. It's stupid for gamers to buy this.

However some great SGS material there.

EDIT: But on the Mass Effect 3 thing since it really boggles my mind that anyone would consider that evidence in a class action lawsuit...

• George Lucas releases THREE Star Wars prequels, all of them absolutely terrible which ruined so much of the franchise. No lawsuits, the movies do amazing in theaters and such.
• George Lucas re-releases the original Star Wars movies with terrible digital re-edits and refuses to re-release the original, untarnished Star Wars. No lawsuits.

But "MASS EFFECT 3'S ENDING WAS BAD THIS DESERVES A LAWSUIT." Grow the fuck up gamers.

 

[Dr. Ivo Robotnik]

I have to agree on the whole Mass Effect 3 controversy. Yes, the ending was probably shit, and poor marks to the creators.

Suing someone for finishing up a story badly? That's so preposterously stupid it's ludicrous.

My dear mr. McCommunist, would you be so good as to stop speaking my thoughts out loud, or at least writing them out verbatim before I can state them? It's mildly vexing.




Yes, this is my way of saying "I agree totally".