EA just approved my refund for SimCity

[ResonanceSD]

So I was super excited to get the new SimCity, I even posted about it here.

However, after a few weeks of giving EA the benefit of the doubt, even my magnificence can be proved completely wrong.

Broken utilities, pathing issues (and given the reliance of the entire fucking game on pathing), poor communication and the beyond ridiculous Nissan Leaf DLC, I applied for, and got a refund.

And I'll happily be voting for EA in the "worst company evar" poll. Because unlike Bank of America, EA will at least pretend to give a shit about it.

 

[CyanideSandwich]

Wow, really? I didn't expect for them to do that, but I guess after all the flak they're copping, they really want to improve their image.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

pretty interesting, i thought by now they would've cut off customer support with some bullshit "cap limit" for refunds or something.

still, broken game is broken, glad you got your refund, you can join us awesome pleb's in simcity 4

 

[ResonanceSD]

simcity 4

SC4 never stopped crashing for me, I think my PC is too advanced to run it these days.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

simcity 4

SC4 never stopped crashing for me, I think my PC is too advanced to run it these days.

really? what mods and stuff are you using? unfortunately there are a bunch of mods that cause mine to crash (especially that main one, i forgot the name of it, but its the main recommended mod to get) so i had to strip it down to the plain deluxe version, which it still is a great game regardless.

also, most newer/advanced graphics cards do have problems running simcity 4, i can't remember the settings since i haven't fucked with them for a while, but there are some launcher mods that help fix those issues if you can find it! after a few checked boxes the game was running great for me maxed out when before it would chug on loading 10 pixels.

 

[ResonanceSD]

NO mods, just rush hour.

I don't like the game enough to spend time patching it by myself. That's why i got the refund, either provide something that works, or someone else is getting my money.

 

[frobalt]

I can't help but wonder whether people are poking holes in this game just for the hell of it now.

Fair enough, I understand being annoyed if a game is buggy as hell, but it's not like it's the first game to ever be released with bugs in, so why is it being made a big deal of?

Also, EA are the publishers of the game, not the developers. Maxis are the ones that are responsible for the bugs being there. Although, I s'pose it's possible that EA rushed the game to completion so the developers didn't have time to fix it.

Voting them the worst company for it though? Bit of an overreaction, don't you think? I think you should be happy that you got the refund and leave it at that.

Yes, I know this post is going to be unpopular because it seems like I'm defending EA - I just can't grasp why people jump on the hate bandwagon with EA at every opportunity they get. If you don't like the way EA does business then don't do business with them. It's as simple as that.

I know that things with Sim City have gone wrong because of mistakes made by EA/Maxis, but I really do think this thread on the matter is an overreaction.

The thing with being super excited for something is that you will be disappointed a lot easier when it fails to meet your high expectations for it.

 

[ResonanceSD]

I can't help but wonder whether people are poking holes in this game just for the hell of it now.

Fair enough, I understand being annoyed if a game is buggy as hell, but it's not like it's the first game to ever be released with bugs in, so why is it being made a big deal of?

Also, EA are the publishers of the game, not the developers. Maxis are the ones that are responsible for the bugs being there. Although, I s'pose it's possible that EA rushed the game to completion so the developers didn't have time to fix it.

EA completed its acquisition of Maxis on July 28, 1997. Compared to other companies acquired by EA, such as Origin Systems and Westwood Studios, the absorption of Maxis took a slower pace, and the company staff was lost only gradually.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxis#Acquisition_by_EA

Oh and just as an FYI, this one line from you completely invalidates any credibility you had coming into this discussion.

I know that things with Sim City have gone wrong because of mistakes made by EA/Maxis, but I really do think this thread on the matter is an overreaction.

Sure, if you like paying $80 for crap, more power to you. I like to get my money's worth, and when I don't, the company doesn't get my fucking money.

The thing with being super excited for something is that you will be disappointed a lot easier when it fails to meet your high expectations for it.

The thing with saying "we're going to release a working product" is that when you don't, people get shitty at you.

 

[Ed130 The Vanguard]

So I was super excited to get the new SimCity, I even posted about it here.

However, after a few weeks of giving EA the benefit of the doubt, even my magnificence can be proved completely wrong.

Broken utilities, pathing issues (and given the reliance of the entire fucking game on pathing), poor communication and the beyond ridiculous Nissan Leaf DLC, I applied for, and got a refund.

And I'll happily be voting for EA in the "worst company evar" poll. Because unlike Bank of America, EA will at least pretend to give a shit about it.

Wow.

What did you have to sacrifice to achieve this? A goat? Your right hand? First born child?

(Seriously what did you do).

 

[ResonanceSD]

So I was super excited to get the new SimCity, I even posted about it here.

However, after a few weeks of giving EA the benefit of the doubt, even my magnificence can be proved completely wrong.

Broken utilities, pathing issues (and given the reliance of the entire fucking game on pathing), poor communication and the beyond ridiculous Nissan Leaf DLC, I applied for, and got a refund.

And I'll happily be voting for EA in the "worst company evar" poll. Because unlike Bank of America, EA will at least pretend to give a shit about it.

Wow.

What did you have to sacrifice to achieve this? A goat? Your right hand? First born child?

(Seriously what did you do).

2 steps

1: Email

Listed the known, unpatched faults with the game
linked them to a youtube video I'd made detailing the faults and quoted Australian Consumer Law at them.
yelled at them for the Nissan leaf DLC

2: called them and badgered them for a few minutes

 

[Ed130 The Vanguard]

2 steps

1: Email

Listed the known, unpatched faults with the game
linked them to a youtube video I'd made detailing the faults and quoted Australian Consumer Law at them.
yelled at them for the Nissan leaf DLC

2: called them and badgered them for a few minutes

If I remember right, Aussie and NZ consumer laws are pretty similar.

That's good to know, if I still bought EA products.

Thanks!

 

[solemnwar]

... so they actually gave you the refund for a broken product (which so many companies wouldn't ever do because fuck gamers)... and you're STILL unhappy and voting for them as worst company.

What the hell else do you want them to do, give you a gold plated computer? Yeah it sucks that a game you were excited for was less than stellar (understatement!) but at least they DID something

It's not like they're the only company to release a broken product. See: every Bethesda game ever, pretty much.

 

[Sectan]

pretty interesting, i thought by now they would've cut off customer support with some bullshit "cap limit" for refunds or something.

still, broken game is broken, glad you got your refund, you can join us awesome pleb's in simcity 4

Haha I went the same route and bought Simcity 4 during the Simcity shitstorm. Some escapists should use dropbox or whatever it's called and start a region together. That'd be pretty neat.

 

[bug_of_war]

So I was super excited to get the new SimCity, I even posted about it here.

However, after a few weeks of giving EA the benefit of the doubt, even my magnificence can be proved completely wrong.

Broken utilities, pathing issues (and given the reliance of the entire fucking game on pathing), poor communication and the beyond ridiculous Nissan Leaf DLC, I applied for, and got a refund.

And I'll happily be voting for EA in the "worst company evar" poll. Because unlike Bank of America, EA will at least pretend to give a shit about it.

Ju- what th- are yo-

You get a refund...and now you're going to vote EA as a BAD company when they did something nice for you? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!? someone gives you a refund so you turn around and kick them in the balls? ARGH!!! My brain.

EA completed its acquisition of Maxis on July 28, 1997. Compared to other companies acquired by EA, such as Origin Systems and Westwood Studios, the absorption of Maxis took a slower pace, and the company staff was lost only gradually.

Oh for fuck sake...yes EA owns Maxis, but that doesn't mean the CEO and all the big controlling people of EA made Sim City. The people at Maxis made Sim City, and just because there may be no more original members left at Maxis does not mean that Maxis is no longer Maxis. I bet you a million dollars there is not a single original member left in most vehicle and airplane makers/businesses but they're still here making the same stuff basically. Maxis made a game full of bugs, EA should have checked that the bugs got fixed, but the games faults should still be on the developer more so than the publisher.


EA is neither saint nor sinner, but this is seriously childish to have people like ResonanceSD getting a refund yet still bashing the publisher and the assuming that Maxis is no longer Maxis because EA aquired them. This is why people see gamers as being childish.

 

[frobalt]

I know that things with Sim City have gone wrong because of mistakes made by EA/Maxis, but I really do think this thread on the matter is an overreaction.

Sure, if you like paying $80 for crap, more power to you. I like to get my money's worth, and when I don't, the company doesn't get my fucking money.

The thing with being super excited for something is that you will be disappointed a lot easier when it fails to meet your high expectations for it.

The thing with saying "we're going to release a working product" is that when you don't, people get shitty at you.

I understand being annoyed with such quality.

But saying that EA are worthy of being the worst company because of it is an overreaction, in my opinion. Again, it's not the first buggy game to be released and it won't be the last.

I'm not even sure how big a deal the bugs you listed are - I've played the game and it seemed to run fine for me. Although, I will admit that I haven't put much playtime into it yet.

EA completed its acquisition of Maxis on July 28, 1997. Compared to other companies acquired by EA, such as Origin Systems and Westwood Studios, the absorption of Maxis took a slower pace, and the company staff was lost only gradually.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxis#Acquisition_by_EA

Oh and just as an FYI, this one line from you completely invalidates any credibility you had coming into this discussion.

Beats sounding like a child:

And I'll happily be voting for EA in the "worst company evar" poll. Because unlike Bank of America, EA will at least pretend to give a shit about it.

You're going to vote them worst company just because you know them 'winning' it will get to them. If I lost credibility for not being aware of the Maxis/EA merger, then you sure as hell lost credibility for that.

They refunded you for your bad experience - Move on. If they had refused to refund you then your continued anger would be justified, but as it stands it seems to me like you're just jumping on the EA hate bandwagon.

 

[ResonanceSD]

Lol to the two of you yelling at me for voting.

1) The consumerist poll means fuck all

2) The other guy in the poll won't even pretend to give a shit about the result

3) EA released a bad product, I'm giving them an appropriate grade with my poll vote

4)

... so they actually gave you the refund for a broken product (which so many companies wouldn't ever do because fuck gamers)... and you're STILL unhappy and voting for them as worst company.

Behave poorly and watch your business suffer, this is a lesson that gamers have been unwilling to teach publishers, and now the fuckers walk all over us. Are you enjoying day-1 DLC and online passes?

Ju- what th- are yo-

You get a refund...and now you're going to vote EA as a BAD company when they did something nice for you? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!? someone gives you a refund so you turn around and kick them in the balls? ARGH!!! My brain.

They charged me full price for a product and service, neither of which have worked to date. Hence I got a refund.


EA have appalling practices and products, hence I'm voting for them.


Can't really make it any clearer than that.

Dear any EA employee who may be reading this,

 

[madster11]

... so they actually gave you the refund for a broken product (which so many companies wouldn't ever do because fuck gamers)... and you're STILL unhappy and voting for them as worst company.

They only gave him a refund because the small claims tribunal costs us nothing to go to, and there's a 0.01% chance they would rule in favor of EA. So they either refunded OP now, or they refunded OP a little in the future and possibly incur a fine from the aus govt.

Unlike other countries, we don't take no shit. Your product either works perfectly or you give the consumer their money back. Failure to do so doesn't mean thousands of dollars in lawyer costs and court dates. It means 1 small visit to a little office in Sydney or wherever and 30 minutes spent explaining your side of what happened.
And then, because you're EA, you're ordered to pay back the full retail price plus any additional expenses (usually like $10 for travel expenses and any paper used to print things), and then tribunal decides if they want to take further action against the company.

 

[ResonanceSD]

... so they actually gave you the refund for a broken product (which so many companies wouldn't ever do because fuck gamers)... and you're STILL unhappy and voting for them as worst company.

They only gave him a refund because the small claims tribunal costs us nothing to go to, and there's a 0.01% chance they would rule in favor of EA. So they either refunded OP now, or they refunded OP a little in the future and possibly incur a fine from the aus govt.

Unlike other countries, we don't take no shit. Your product either works perfectly or you give the consumer their money back. Failure to do so doesn't mean thousands of dollars in lawyer costs and court dates. It means 1 small visit to a little office in Sydney or wherever and 30 minutes spent explaining your side of what happened.
And then, because you're EA, you're ordered to pay back the full retail price plus any additional expenses (usually like $10 for travel expenses and any paper used to print things), and then tribunal decides if they want to take further action against the company.

Quoted for truth,

Although EA tried their best to bend me over for the phone call.

http://www.ea.com/au/1/australian-support

"Electronic Arts Support Hotline: 1902 261 600*

*8-bit calls charged at $2.48 per minute, GST inc. Calls from Mobile and Public phones higher "


When you call, you listen to a 40 second advert for EA + instructions which you can't skip.

^ for this alone, they deserve to diaf.

 

[MeChaNiZ3D]

And if they had just done that from the start, with everyone, maybe they'd have salvaged a bit of reputation from it.

 

[madster11]

Best part is that EA can't even try to dodge the small claims because they're a 'service' - our 'services' are under the same shit, anyway.

Although EA tried their best to bend me over for the phone call.

http://www.ea.com/au/1/australian-support
"Electronic Arts Support Hotline: 1902 261 600*
*8-bit calls charged at $2.48 per minute, GST inc. Calls from Mobile and Public phones higher "

When you call, you listen to a 40 second advert for EA + instructions which you can't skip.

^ for this alone, they deserve to diaf.

When the bill comes, call telstra or whoever you're with and tell them you were never told about the addition charges for that phone call. Chances are they'll try to pursue it, so simply ask to speak with somebody who can cancel your phone service. Almost always they'll figure out a way to reduce or get rid of the charge.

If you were on the phone for long enough, you could always now go down to the small claims office and tell them about it. Good chance they'll just send through a letter telling EA to cancel the charge.