EA Offers Full Refunds For Unsatisfied Origin Customers

[Weaver]

I gotta give credit where credit is due, this is a great move and it's really nice to see something consumer friendly from EA.

Realistically, you can't have the "evil overlord of videogames" forever before it starts hurting your reputation and your bottom line. Eventually, you're going to have to work to improve it, and I'm personally quite happy to see it.

 

[1337mokro]

HATE----LOVE_____HATE++++++LOVE!!! DON'T KNOW>>> LOVE HATE EA????!!!!

This is basically a return policy. This is an AWESOME thing. If I buy a shitty game on origin, I CAN return it. This does mean that sales are less likely to happen because PC games are no longer a permanent sale. Though I would likely favour this over any kind of sale.

Good job EA, I have to give props there.

 

[Charli]

*nod* as you should. Now as long as this process is painless and you don't have a room full of monkeys on technical support when a game launch or older game goes awry this should work out well for you EA.

 

[dragongit]

People have to remember that the return policy only applies to EA titles. Which for Origins means a fair majority of it is eligible. Can Valve with Steam even do that? They are a distribution service and developer, not a main publisher like Ubisoft, Activision, EA, ect. By the same principles they could only apply it to their own games, like Half life, Portal, and Left 4 dead. Valve would be unable to do the same unless they got permission from every publisher that sells their games through Steam.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

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.

agreed, i'm actually giving a "not bad/impressed" face while reading this article, and to be honest i understand there policy of 24 hours/within 7 days of purchase, most games can be beaten in that time, so people COULD theoretically beat most games and just turn them back in for full refund. also, laws in different countries can a ***** to work with, so hopefully they get this smoothed over so everyone can enjoy it.

still, between the humble bundle being 100% donated to charities, and this, they are trying VERY hard to get access to my wallet, if DA3 is remotely decent and doesn't show signs of shortcuts or this:

then I'll consider getting the game...hell I might just buy it digitally from origin...*gulp* for full price.

 

[lacktheknack]

As I've said (over and over again), corporate arms-races are a GOOD thing.

I wonder how many people will stretch as haaaaaaaard as they can to twist this into a bad thing, like they did with the whole "giving $7M to charity" thing. At least now I can REALLY annoy those people by asking "Would you rather they didn't offer the refunds, and thus remain the same as Valve?"

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

Yeah, I was going to say, this is something even Steam doesn't offer- though I wouldn't be surprised to see Valve try to catch up in the relatively near future. I'm no fan of Origin, but competition is a good thing!

 

[Abomination]

This is the last thing I expected to happen. EA leading the charge in the right direction for once.

Then again I suppose a broken clock is right for 2 seconds of every day.

Or I guess a better analogy would be they've kept charging in the wrong direction for so long they're now on the other side of the world... so they're finally getting closer. Extreme version of "taking the long route".

The big positive of this is I can see Valve having to offer the same sort of deal to remain competitive... then again, when was the last time you played a Valve title that wasn't F2P?

I did recently get a refund from Steam for Blade of Destiny (do not buy this game, it's horrid) and it only required 2 days and 2 e-mails, but I wasn't the only one getting a refund for the game because it was released in an unplayable state.

 

[Sectan]

EA used to be the the man. My Gamecube game collection is filled with games from EA. Now if they turned their shit around and stopped being "evil" I wouldn't mind seeing a few more EA emblems staring back at me from my game collection.

 

[MCerberus]

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.

If someone told me Bigfoot, the Mothman, and Nessie bought a third-party game on origin, it's the last part I'd have trouble with.

 

[Jamous]

What the shit is this? EA taking steps in a positive direction? Surely not.

 

[Bat Vader]

As I've said (over and over again), corporate arms-races are a GOOD thing.

I wonder how many people will stretch as haaaaaaaard as they can to twist this into a bad thing, like they did with the whole "giving $7M to charity" thing. At least now I can REALLY annoy those people by asking "Would you rather they didn't offer the refunds, and thus remain the same as Valve?"

People twisted seven million dollars being given to charity as a bad thing? Only way I could see that as a bad thing if the charities were for mad scientists and super villains needing money to cause evil.

This is pretty good of EA to do this. I am hoping that games I bought before this was implemented can also be returned because I have some that I don't really care for. I am hoping to see out of this that both Steam and Origin eventually get to the point where they allow people to trade their games in.

 

[lacktheknack]

People twisted seven million dollars being given to charity as a bad thing? Only way I could see that as a bad thing if the charities were for mad scientists and super villains needing money to cause evil.

My favorite line: "Well, EA is CLEARLY up to something. We should get the FBI/CIA to investigate them immediately."

It somehow triggered my "donkey laugh", "kill everybody" and "Lord have mercy on our souls" reactions all at once.

 

[Gorden Springel]

Wish I could get a refund for simcity... What a disappointment

 

[Ftaghn To You Too]

What the fuck, EA. You bastards, stop doing good things so I can continue to hate you.

 

[NWJ94]

Okay not being able to return 3rd party is stupid, but still...

-Fired unpopular CEO
-Started having more regular sales
-Supported (well kinda) used game sales
-Mirrors edge 2
-Humble Bundle
-Returns policy for digital which even Steam doesn't have.

I was really skeptical when they started talking about a new direction and "doing better", but I'm going to have to admit that they seem to be turning themselves around. Their still going to have a ways to go to convince me that their really going to stick with it, but even so this really is a great step for the digital market.

Come on Valve the gauntlet has been thrown down, you have some solid competition from EA (Man I NEVER thought I would say that.)

 

[Azaraxzealot]

Well. Huh.

I wonder what the Valve defense force have to say about this? Because this is a HUGE one-up on Steam

 

[Bat Vader]

People twisted seven million dollars being given to charity as a bad thing? Only way I could see that as a bad thing if the charities were for mad scientists and super villains needing money to cause evil.

My favorite line: "Well, EA is CLEARLY up to something. We should get the FBI/CIA to investigate them immediately."

It somehow triggered my "donkey laugh", "kill everybody" and "Lord have mercy on our souls" reactions all at once.

Part of me likes to think that comment is a joke but another part of me feels like the comment isn't a joke and that the person was being serious. Hopefully Valve/Steam follows suit with letting people return their games.

 

[Infernal Lawyer]

As I've said (over and over again), corporate arms-races are a GOOD thing.

I wonder how many people will stretch as haaaaaaaard as they can to twist this into a bad thing, like they did with the whole "giving $7M to charity" thing. At least now I can REALLY annoy those people by asking "Would you rather they didn't offer the refunds, and thus remain the same as Valve?"

I'll give it a shot anyway.

Remember that guy who was threatened with the banhammer for asking for the refund for SimCity that he was promised?

http://www.gamechup.com/ea-refuses-to-refund-user-for-simcity-threatens-account-ban/

Last time I asked Valve for a refund, they gave it to me without any hassle, rather than hold my account to ransom if I didn't shut up.

If this really is legitimate and they don't pull any shit like they did with SimCity, then great! They'll have outdone Valve two weeks in a row then! But for now I remain cautiously optimistic.