EA Offers Full Refunds For Unsatisfied Origin Customers

[Steven Bogos]

EA Offers Full Refunds For Unsatisfied Origin Customers

"The Great Game Guarantee" allows users to return any EA Origin game within 24 hours of first launching it.

EA have just launched "The Great Game Guarantee" initiative for its Origin digital distribution platform, which offers full refunds of any EA digital purchases for unsatisfied customers. From the F.A.Q: "The Great Game Guarantee allows you to return EA digital game downloads (PC/Mac) purchased on Origin for a full refund within 24 hours after you first launch the game, within seven days from your date of purchase or within seven days from the game's release date if you pre-purchased/pre-ordered, whichever comes first."

"We stand by our games. If you're not completely satisfied with your digital download purchase from Origin, you can return it."

While this is a pretty fantastic deal, there are, of course, some restrictions. First off, it seams only EA published titles are eligible for the refund - at the moment it won't work with third-party titles that are available on Origin. DLC is also excluded, and if you buy games in a bundle, you can't pick and chose certain games to return, you have to return the entire bundle.

Lastly, if you live in Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Korea, Germany, Russia, or Poland, EA wants you to sit tight, as the Great Game Guarantee will not be initially available in these regions.

This is some bizarre-o world stuff going down right here. First there was the Humble Origin Bundle [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126930-Humble-Origin-Bundle-Breaks-5-Million], now this? Maybe EA is not literally Hitler after all. This actually puts Origin one step ahead of rival platform Steam, which only offers refunds in extreme circumstances.

Check out the full F.A.Q [https://help.ea.com/article/what-s-the-great-games-guarantee] if you have any more questions.

Source: EA Games [https://help.ea.com/article/what-s-the-great-games-guarantee]

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[juyunseen]

Interesting idea. I like the concept, but it doesn't change the fact that they have yet to convince me to get an origin account.

 

[RicoADF]

That's all we want EA, give us customer satisfaction and not be anti consumer and we will happily pay for your games. Keep up the good direction you've been taking this week and you'll make the sales. Bravo *claps*

I may actually look at buying a few cheaper origin games, that's how it works provide me with a good service and I provide you with sales.

 

[Dr.Awkward]

...Does this mean I can get Simcity for free?

 

[Phrozenflame500]

Holy shit.

EA one-upped Valve.

Someone send a care package to hell, because Satan is freezing his ass off.

 

[Something Amyss]

That's all we want EA, give us customer satisfaction and not be anti consumer and we will happily pay for your games. Keep up the good direction you've been taking this week and you'll make the sales. Bravo *claps*

I may actually look at buying a few cheaper origin games, that's how it works provide me with a good service and I provide you with sales.

Yeah. Maybe Peter Moore meant his whole "we can do better speech.

Or maybe this is some sinister trap to hide the launch of their new "soul theft" division.

Probably the latter. But for now, I'm impressed that they seem to have gotten this notion in their head that customer satisfaction matters.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

This is a brilliant direction to go in, but I'm leery of saying EA is wonderful just because they've tried this. I seem to remember John Riccitiello being brought in as damage control the last time, promising to move away from the "evil" reputation the corporation had earned over the years, and appearing to do it for a while... before going right back to running it the way a cartoon villain would.

But still, this is a step in the right direction, a direction that ideally these DD platforms would be required to go in by law.

Edit: By the way, part of the reason I'm not totally believing the change of heart: the "new CEO" is actually the old one, the one Ricitiello was brought in to replace in the first place. Who I believe was in turn brought in to replace Ricitiello. The whole company has been messed up since Trip Hawkins left, I guess is what I'm getting at.

 

[Klumpfot]

Nice! I hope Valve follows suit. It took me several emails to get a partial refund (store credit) for Final Fantasy VII on Steam when I was unhappy with it. It would be nice if they'd extend it to third-party titles though, or at the very least give developers the option, but this is still a good thing!

 

[A_Parked_Car]

Hmmm, this is quite interesting actually. I'm hoping this will motivate Valve to do something similar. This doesn't directly impact me at all though, since I haven't bought an EA game since BF3 and nothing they have announced interests me in the slightest.

 

[CardinalPiggles]

Aren't most EA games about 5 hours long? What's there to stop people from completing a game a giving it back?

 

[Shamanic Rhythm]

Lastly, if you live in Australia, it doesn't matter what EA's crappy return policy is because you have a legal entitlement to a refund for products that don't work. Cough cough Sim City.

 

[WeepingAngels]

Interesting idea. I like the concept, but it doesn't change the fact that they have yet to convince me to get an origin account.

What exactly do you want before you sign up for a free account?

 

[Erttheking]

Ok, this is another step in the right direction. Keep it up EA.

 

[juyunseen]

Interesting idea. I like the concept, but it doesn't change the fact that they have yet to convince me to get an origin account.

What exactly do you want before you sign up for a free account?

I have felt no need to download any games off of it, and therefor haven't taken the time to sign up. I'm just not compelled to sign up. But I no longer feel as much animosity towards EA as they're enacting smart business practices.

 

[Tucker154]

Aren't most EA games about 5 hours long? What's there to stop people from completing a game a giving it back?

The download speed. I've only used Origin once, and that was for SWTOR, so I can't say for personal experience, but my friend had alot of trouble downloading games from Origin, which he never had with other services, not just Steam. Though I like that they are making progress, I might reinstall Origin if they keep this up.

 

[Caiphus]

This is actually a very decent move by EA. The piss poor refund policy on Steam has been one of my major gripes with their service. Haven't had to use it. But that's hardly the point.

Anyway. Well done. If Origin had sales I might be tempted to rate it higher than Steam. Blasphemy.

 

[Nazulu]

Could it be that EA has turned over a new leaf? I'm pretty sure they are trying to get more people onto Origin first, especially after all the retarded mistakes they have made.

I'm still waiting for the first developer that isn't forced to pander to everyone.

 

[RicoADF]

Holy shit.

EA one-upped Valve.

Someone send a care package to hell, because Satan is freezing his ass off.

You sir have just won the internet, here enjoy you earned it :

you left me in stitches

 

[KoudelkaMorgan]

I anticipate a whole new genre of youtube vids.

Let's play "X" extreme Origin speedrun. Gotta beat the game before you are stuck with it.

 

[TiberiusEsuriens]

Finally there's something that the PC has been lacking a great deal of lately: Competition!

Now that EA has started doing more customer friendly practices, and the DS3/ME3 hate has all but expired people realize that EA is not really pure evil.