Amazon Refuses to Sell SimCity

[Doom972]

Andy, you should know that truth cannot stop the internet hate machine.

True, but you have to look at the big picture. The fact is that EA abused its customers so much in the past, that they are now subjected to a much harder judgement than what another company would get, and can't get away with things others would be. People will use every opportunity to attack EA for any reason due to past experience with EA's service and products, not blind hate. That's how it is when you run a business and have many unsatisfied customers.

They earned that "Worst Company in America" award and now they pay for it. EA will have to do a lot to fix that damage now, and to do that, they'll have to be nicer than most companies.

 

[Jumwa]

How are people defending this by EA?

I mean, when my friends trash on Origin I've been quick to point out my experience with it and that I don't have any issues with it that Steam don't have (minus a few missing features that is).

But credit cards and banks protect customers against stuff like this, i.e. being sold a defective product, and he was fully within his rights to do so. Punishing a customer for exercising--or threatening to exercise--their rights as a consumer is not acceptable business practice.

In my business we get a lot of fraudulent returns from customers who are returning a product for a full refund after clearly having used it fully. I just shrug and accept it as the cost of business. But then I'm also not selling something defective.

 

[Murmillos]

Looks like this needs to be UPDATED - Seems like Amazon is selling the game again, but it does have a note that:
'Many customers are having issues connecting to the "SimCity" servers. EA is actively working to resolve these issues, but at this time we do not know when the issue will be fixed.'

 

[zinho73]

I might have had the occasional trouble with Amazon customer service, but by and large they always come through in the end, so I'm sure they got tired of having to deal with irate customers and realized that the source of the problem wasn't the customers, it was the product.

The fact that a company of EA's size and experience would continue to release such sub par product (Sim City being only the most recent example) is a clear indication that they've got next to no corporate leadership and a real breakdown in their internal organization. I just hope they don't have to trash any more franchises before they shape up.

EA is big, but it is not experienced, their PR practices (including all consumer related stuff) is amateurish at best.

They frequently don't know what to say, how to say it and are simply averse to adopt the most basic consumer friendly procedures. They are quite lucky to have some good game developers on their staff, because they certainly do almost everything they can to spoil the consumer experience with said games.

 

[Atmos Duality]

People have said on the other thread that they haven't had any problems returning the game. I believe that customer service conversation is fake or a misunderstanding.

A possibility, but the fact is, "Adrian's" spiel falls right in line with company policy, no ands ifs or buts about it.
It's on EA's website, in all of its glory.

 

[duchaked]

well it was either Amazon do that or be like Steam having to refund folk for WarZ lol

 

[darksakul]

Just another Reason why EVERYONE SHOULD BE BOYCOTTING EA!

Oh Yeah BOYCOTT EA

 

[Bob Thenecromancer]

(stands up and claps) I don't use Amazon but after this I might start using it.