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

[Rydian]

• Cheaper console price (a great gaming computer that plays everything well will probably fetch around $1000+)

I posted one $120 less than the PS3 launch...

 

[TheDreamLord]

Whether or not a refund was deserved is beside the point

1. He threatened EA as a company by reporting the charge as fraud. That is a very serious accusation, one that leads to law suits.
2. Brian (the Customer Service employee) never said that the customer would have his Origin account blocked. He said that there was a chance that action would be taken against it. That means there was a POSSIBILITY of some sort of penalty.
3. Customer Service does not speak for EA as a company anyway.

Yeah, but somebody else in this thread posted a conversation too. They were threatened with an actual ban. Not just a penalty. And they weren't threatening marking the charge as fraud.

 

[retKHAAAN]

I posted one $120 less than the PS3 launch...

lol...a semester @ community college costs less than the PS3 launch... Not the best console or time period to compare to...

 

[Rydian]

lol...a semester @ community college costs less than the PS3 launch... Not the best console or time period to compare to...

Well the 360 was $400 if that helps?

 

[JoostinOnline]

Yeah, but somebody else in this thread posted a conversation too. They were threatened with an actual ban. Not just a penalty. And they weren't threatening marking the charge as fraud.

Where? I did a search and can't find it.

And why is everyone in a PC vs Console debate? It has nothing to do with the topic.

 

[TheDreamLord]

Where? I did a search and can't find it.

And why is everyone in a PC vs Console debate? It has nothing to do with the topic.

It was either here, or on Reddit. I'm scatter brained or whatever that'd be called.
Also I'm not sure.

 

[JoostinOnline]

It was either here, or on Reddit. I'm scatter brained or whatever that'd be called.
Also I'm not sure.

I don't put much faith in a conversation some random person posted on the internet. Even if it's legit, my third point still applies.

 

[Guild McCommunist]

Well the 360 was $400 if that helps?

That's still a $320 gap from your "cheap" PC example.

Especially nowadays consoles are cheaper. I mean they're from like $200-$350 ($350 being the high-end Wii U model). Sure, the Nextbox and PS4 will be more expensive, but not the $600 the PS3 was at launch. Everyone knows that was a huge mistake.

 

[retKHAAAN]

That's still a $320 gap from your "cheap" PC example.

Especially nowadays consoles are cheaper. I mean they're from like $200-$350 ($350 being the high-end Wii U model). Sure, the Nextbox and PS4 will be more expensive, but not the $600 the PS3 was at launch. Everyone knows that was a huge mistake.

In all fairness, the PC he linked earlier was $480. Still 20% more costly than the launch 360, but then again, also $280 more than current 360 pricing.

 

[Guild McCommunist]

In all fairness, the PC he linked earlier was $480. Still 20% more costly than the launch 360, but then again, also $280 more than current 360 pricing.

(Not directed entirely towards you but since you brought up the info I missed) How long will a $480 PC stay relevant and usable? I mean I can assemble a cheap gaming computer for probably $500-$600 but in a few years it's gonna age rather poorly. If I invest $1000+ in a gaming PC it'll stay relevant for several years. But I can also invest $400 in a PS4 and it'll be getting games consistently for the same time span.

Computers are a huge investment and not everyone wants to spend that money on one. Not to mention consoles bring a lot to the table. I'm only now looking for a high end computer for video production and that's because that's my major.

 

[Rydian]

That's still a $320 gap from your "cheap" PC example.

lolno, $479 - $400 is not $320.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883227448
$479, $120 less than the price the PS3 came out at, and will play future games for a while.
(Just a quick prebuilt example, if you want actual suggestions that's better for another thread.)

Especially nowadays consoles are cheaper. I mean they're from like $200-$350 ($350 being the high-end Wii U model). Sure, the Nextbox and PS4 will be more expensive, but not the $600 the PS3 was at launch. Everyone knows that was a huge mistake.

Somebody better pick up that phone... because I called it.

"But consoles get cheaper over time" - Because the hardware they're using gets older. Same with PCs. That PC has way more modern parts than the PS3, for example. I could find you a cheaper/used one along the level of the PS3, but even theoretically you'd be much happier with newer parts than older ones.

 

[Guild McCommunist]

lolno, $479 - $400 is not $320.

I thought you were talking about $120 from the launch PS3 which was $600. So +$120 = $720. My bad (not sarcastic).

 

[Foxi4]

I like it how you're trying to be the contrarian here Rydian, but the truth of the matter is that a gaming PC will not support games with consistent quality over the time span of 7+ years without any upgrades along the way (unless you get a ridiculously expensive build) wheras console games are scaled to work... well, on a console. Like I said it earlier in this thread - pop it in and it "just works", unlike with PC which is far more "High-Maintenance" in comparison.

 

[retKHAAAN]

lolno, $479 - $400 is not $320.
Somebody better pick up that phone... because I called it.

Wait...does that $479 include a monitor?

 

[Guild McCommunist]

Gaming PCs don't have Dragon's Dogma so pffffffffft.

Go play your shitty RTS games, I'm gonna stab a dragon in its asshole while it flies off into the sunset.

 

[Foxi4]

I'm gonna stab a dragon in its asshole while it flies off into the sunset.

That sounds quite sexual.

 

[Rydian]

I mean I can assemble a cheap gaming computer for probably $500-$600 but in a few years it's gonna age rather poorly.

My PC right now is using 2009 parts and still plays all the new releases. New games are coming out with 5-year-old video cards listed in their requirements.

The discrepancy is because you're not measuring PCs and consoles the same.

• When it comes to PCs, you take a PC from a few years ago and compare it to a PC of today and it looks weaker. You won't be able to turn the settings up as high, so you think you're getting less because you can see the "more" right there.
  
  
• You take a console from a few years ago and compare it to a console of today and it's... wait, it's the same console. There are no settings to tweak, and if there are they're locked at what the console can make, so you don't think you're getting less because the "more" isn't dangled in your face.

Technology has progressed in both cases, but the console in peoples homes have not, so there's no gap people think they need to cross. The gap is THERE, it's just the consoles don't display the progression as quickly. If you get both a gaming PC and a Console at the same time, they'll continue to play games of the same level for the same amount of time. Yes you will need to eventually lower the graphical settings on the PC, just like ports to the console will cut back on features and graphics in order to run on the hardware when it gets older (or if it started out weaker than average in the first place, obvious Wii mention here).

Consoles aren't magic boxes, they're cheap prebuilt gaming computers with a locked OS/boot. The CPUs they use are modified desktop CPUs, the GPUs are modified desktop GPUs (often less-so than the CPUs), etc.

I like it how you're trying to be the contrarian here Rydian, but the truth of the matter is that a gaming PC will not support games with consistent quality over the time span of 7+ years without any upgrades along the way

I've done it. People just tend to get crap or don't get good deals for the money in the first place. When you get a console you're getting a good deal on (mostly-)balanced hardware right off the bat. There's no "Gaming computer!" with Intel graphics, if you get a 360 you're getting the same capability as your friend is, and you're getting the best deal the creating company could get to put acceptable hardware in that plastic case. They did it for you.

(unless you get a ridiculously expensive build)

In general, people don't even mention stuff like the Geforce Titan because... that's just stupid.

wheras console games are scaled to work... well, on a console.

The phrase you're looking for is "cut-back"

Wait...does that $479 include a monitor?

No.

Does that $400 include a TV?

Nice attempt though.

 

[retKHAAAN]

No.

Does that $400 include a TV?

Nice attempt though.

Attempt at what exactly? When you originally posted that PC my response was:

I have a console for when I want to play video games. And I have a laptop that I take with me pretty much everywhere I go for work. One stays home, while the other goes. One remains in use by family while the other is used by me. And I promise that I paid less for both of those combined than you did for your PC (that I'm guessing can only be used by one person at a time).

What I failed to point out then, was that I actually paid less for my console and laptop combined than the cost of the PC you linked...(and my computer came with a screen)
I paid for the ability to do all the things I want to do.
While you paid (substantially more, I'm sure) for the ability to do all the things you want to do, plus a plethora of things you'll never go anywhere near.
So, who got the better value?
Answer:
I got the better value for my purposes while you got the better value for your purposes.
I'm able to console game on the family TV (which we actually won in a raffle, otherwise we'd still be using our 32" CRT...) while my wife and son can look at dinosaurs on the laptop.
I can plug numbers into my Excel spreadsheets for work while my son is streaming Go Diego, Go! on Netflix.
You spend far more time on your computer so you are able to find more value in customization/power/multitasking/etc...

Not everyone is a gaming "purist" who needs to experience every pixel, blade of grass, indie game, etc... to find value in the experience. Claiming one to be superior over the other is simply a matter of perspective...

 

[Guild McCommunist]

No.

Does that $400 include a TV?

Nice attempt though.

TVs are a thousand times more commonplace than a monitor. It's not exactly a fair comparison to say that an investment in a monitor is no different than that of a TV.

 

[McHaggis]

At the same time, EA's EULA/Origin's TOS do not sit above EU law, where the good or service sold was not as advertised and/or defective (edit) which warranted a refund.

Though I don't know enough about EU law to back the intricacies of it, that is just what was where he got off saying he was going to claim a malicious charge on his card.

Yeah, that's pretty much it. If he lives in the EU, they're not permitted to deny him a refund if the game doesn't work as advertised or described. The UK's Sale of Goods Act bolsters that law; it's your statutory right to request a refund for defective goods and services within a specific time frame depending on the classification. For example, a claim can be made against an electronics retailer for misrepresented or defective goods up to 6 years after purchase (not sure how it works with digital goods). However, it's always the seller's responsibility and never the manufacturer's, so if he bought the game from a retailer he has to request a refund from them.