Questions Still Swirl Around EA's Origin Bans

[ThunderCavalier]

What I read:

"Do not badmouth EA, or we will restrict access to our games for you."

 

[Daish]

have a look at what i just got a 72 hour ban for ..................... this is the 2nd time ive been banned for something i quoted and never said.

http://imageshack.us/f/847/bannedagaincensored.jpg/

i contacted EA Support over 10 times now showing the the screenshot and telling them that i never said that. they will just keep telling me that i did say that. and a Senior was in charge of the bans and they could not do anything.

----------------
Hello ,

Your Electronic Arts account has been suspended for 72 hours for violating the Terms of Services for Electronic Arts Online.

Violation:Inappropriate language

[That fag team DICE have proved they are a pack of useless lying arseholes and won't get another $ from me[/quote] yes a lot of us got let down by BF3]

You can read the Terms of Service for Electronic Arts Online by going to the following web address.

http://www.ea.com/global/legal/tos.jsp

If you feel that this action is unwarranted, or if you wish to dispute the claims of this email, please submit a dispute form by using the following link:

http://support.ea.com/cgi-bin/ea.cfg/php/enduser/terminated_form.php

The Electronic Arts support team is available at http://support.ea.com should you have any general questions or concerns about the rule or its enforcement in the game, as we feel it is important to understand the rule completely before returning to the game world.

Sincerely,
Customer Support
Electronic Arts, Inc.


EA.com Customer Relations
----------------

 

[Glenn37216]

I just recieved the ban hammer for 72 hours for an incident that happened to my son on Battlelog. Seems a EA server admin banned him for using the m98 sniper rifle and going 30-0 on a tdm..

Here's the kicker; he wasn't banned from just the server but from Battlelog/Origin itself.

After along heated discussion with EA SUPPORT,they told me he was banned for bad mouthing a EA ADMIN in a game server , not in Battlelog itself. I was like WTF? You mean to tell me you can be banned for talking smack in game? Yes , you can according to Ea support.


This isnt the outragous part. For some reason , a seperate Origin account (mine) that was on the same pc and tied into a different email was banned also. So 2 accounts was banned over 1 incident that happened in a game server? Yup , turns out Origin scans your pc and looks for Ea games , and other Origin accounts. So screw up on one... and even your offline accounts that are on the same pc will not work .. .Now thats one bad a$$ ban hammer.


As of right now, we have 8 EA titles we bought and paid for that we cannot play until this ban is lifted. -ONLY 1 of them is actually using the same Email that is associated with Battlelog /Origin. Now if this doesn't scare the average gamer away from Origin titles... I don't know what will .

 

[Antari]

Its times like this I'm thankful I hate EA. They've done some shitty stuff in the past but this one takes the cake. I seriously can't understand why ANYONE buys anything they put out once they have even the slightest idea how they do business.

 

[MaximumTacos]

Hello ,

Your Electronic Arts account has been suspended for 72 hours for violating the Terms of Services for Electronic Arts Online.

Violation:

[Suspended {72 hrs}For TOS Violation Inappropriate Language maximumtacos Chat log: soldier shapes / camo to watch for, and the people camping in corners with it./quote so its no longer INFARED = IR YOU NOOB B---- C--- maximumtacos
]

You can read the Terms of Service for Electronic Arts Online by going to the following web address.

http://www.ea.com/global/legal/tos.jsp

If you feel that this action is unwarranted, or if you wish to dispute the claims of this email, please submit a dispute form by using the following link:

http://support.ea.com/cgi-bin/ea.cfg/php/enduser/terminated_form.php

^^Censorship is mine, also I had to neuter an end-quote bbcode tag that was left in the "evidence" section, as it was screwing up the quotes here on Escapist.

So I go to find out what's going on here:

Angad: Thank you for providing information, Please allow me some time while I check your information.
Angad: Please note that your account [[email protected]] has been permanently terminated from the Electronic Arts Online service for violating the terms of services. The account will no longer be accessible in any way, and all property, items, and characters associated currently are or will soon be deleted.
Angad: Is there anything else I can do for you?

you: EA game's policy is to not restrict access to singleplayer
you: This suspension is preventing me from accessing singleplayer
Angad: Please be informed that your account not only suspended, But it is also Banned, So you will no longer to play the game in single player.
you: How is that right if EA's policy is to not do anything to restrict singleplayer for forum TOS violations
Angad: Please understand the difference between Suspended and banned terms, And your account is suspended and banned too, So I would suggest you to please wait for another 72 hours.

The best part is that the offending post wasn't made by me, but was directed at me and has my username in it, so, voila, BAN.

I will be starting a blog documenting my contacts with EA customer service. So far I have a recorded phonecall with a very nice but powerless support guy (I may not use that one as it wasn't that funny) and screenshots of Angad's chat with me. Next I will start phishing out various numbers of people in EA customer support (company #s not personal) and call them about the problem.

MAIN THREAD of discussion: http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/9.328868-EA-now-issuing-permanent-Origin-bans-through-content-filter

 

[SmegInThePants]

if this happens to a lot of people, and every single one of them took it to small claims court to get their purchase money back, ea would be forced to either send a rep out to all sorts of different courts all around the country for 50 dollar lawsuits (and it'd cost more than that just in travel $) or be a no show and lose via default judgments, causing them to lose money no matter what they choose.

 

[saucecode]

if this happens to a lot of people, and every single one of them took it to small claims court to get their purchase money back, ea would be forced to either send a rep out to all sorts of different courts all around the country for 50 dollar lawsuits (and it'd cost more than that just in travel $) or be a no show and lose via default judgments, causing them to lose money no matter what they choose.

Yea, but thats all because the person who could be with over $500 (NZ) worth of EA Origin games can't play them anymore, because of a violation of ToS in a forum.

I actually thought that there would be seperate ToS for the forums and the games.

Its like saying that you cheated on your test, and so tonight you're forced to eat a lump of cold poison rather than dinner.

 

[Aroth Khashar]

Though honestly, I'm all for just starving Origins in general, letting it flop about in its own filth before finally suffocating in it. Though... I think The Old Republic is attached to Origin, so... might not be too easy then.

TOR can be purchased digitally through Origin, but it's not required to log in or play. Bioware likes to make that clear. I sense even they don't want to deal with gamer aggro surrounding Origin.

Do you mind quoting the exact source of your information? I ask because I don't think I have seen an official statement from either BioWare or EA regarding this, but the general consensus I gathered from the TOR forums was that the game will require Origin to log in.

 

[Thuggych]

Though honestly, I'm all for just starving Origins in general, letting it flop about in its own filth before finally suffocating in it. Though... I think The Old Republic is attached to Origin, so... might not be too easy then.

TOR can be purchased digitally through Origin, but it's not required to log in or play. Bioware likes to make that clear. I sense even they don't want to deal with gamer aggro surrounding Origin.

Do you mind quoting the exact source of your information? I ask because I don't think I have seen an official statement from either BioWare or EA regarding this, but the general consensus I gathered from the TOR forums was that the game will require Origin to log in.

Sorry, I don't have the official bioware post handy, But I can tell you, as a beta-tester, while I have SWTOR installed, I've never installed Origin and am able to launch the game fine. Also from what I can tell, my SWTOR account and EA (now converted to Origin) accounts are separate.

Edit: Found it
http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=6823172#post6823172

Bottom post from Stephen Reid. You have to download through Origin if you bought the game digitally, but once installed, the game is independent from EA's platform

 

[lordlillen]

oh god help us when origin invades PS3/360, thats my only safe haven because EA hasnt completely screwed us consol gamers.

 

[Vakz]

Do you mind quoting the exact source of your information? I ask because I don't think I have seen an official statement from either BioWare or EA regarding this, but the general consensus I gathered from the TOR forums was that the game will require Origin to log in.

Try googling. It's the first hit on "will old republic require origin".

Fourth post: http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=8488436

EDIT: Seems someone already had, and I should refresh pages before pressing quote..

 

[Aroth Khashar]

Sorry, I don't have the official bioware post handy, But I can tell you, as a beta-tester, while I have SWTOR installed, I've never installed Origin and am able to launch the game fine. Also from what I can tell, my SWTOR account and EA (now converted to Origin) accounts are separate.

Edit: Found it
http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=6823172#post6823172

Bottom post from Stephen Reid. You have to download through Origin if you bought the game digitally, but once installed, the game is independent from EA's platform

Try googling. It's the first hit on "will old republic require origin".

Fourth post: http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=8488436

EDIT: Seems someone already had, and I should refresh pages before pressing quote..

Thanks guys. I normally try to find stuff like this myself, but lately Google has been less than helpful for any search I do with more than 3 or 4 words and the search function on the forums at www.swtor.com is even worse for me >_>. Since someone mentioned having heard/seen it first hand I figured it was easier to just ask for their source.

Either way, that link is getting bookmarked and shall serve me well in the near future. Thanks again.

 

[Vakz]

Thanks guys. I normally try to find stuff like this myself, but lately Google has been less than helpful for any search I do with more than 3 or 4 words and the search function on the forums at www.swtor.com is even worse for me >_>. Since someone mentioned having heard/seen it first hand I figured it was easier to just ask for their source.

Either way, that link is getting bookmarked and shall serve me well in the near future. Thanks again.

To be fair, still thread still made me cancel my TOR-preorder. My problem is not with Origin alone, it's with EA. As OP showed, his ban was not exclusive to his Origin-games, his Bad Company 2 was banned as well, despite him not having it on Origin.

 

[Aroth Khashar]

Thanks guys. I normally try to find stuff like this myself, but lately Google has been less than helpful for any search I do with more than 3 or 4 words and the search function on the forums at www.swtor.com is even worse for me >_>. Since someone mentioned having heard/seen it first hand I figured it was easier to just ask for their source.

Either way, that link is getting bookmarked and shall serve me well in the near future. Thanks again.

To be fair, still thread still made me cancel my TOR-preorder. My problem is not with Origin alone, it's with EA. As OP showed, his ban was not exclusive to his Origin-games, his Bad Company 2 was banned as well, despite him not having it on Origin.

Thus the reason I stay as far away from EA's online domains as possible. That said, I don't think I have seen any instances of this happening with a BioWare forum where it wasn't resolved and rectified in short order. Thankfully, the SWTOR website and forums are administered by BioWare, not EA. Yes, I know BioWare is owned by EA, but they retain as much (if not more) autonomy in their domains as Blizzard has in its.

 

[Dendio]

Yes, I know BioWare is owned by EA, but they retain as much (if not more) autonomy in their domains as Blizzard has in its.

EA is all over the bioware website, links et all.

There is not one activision logo or advertisement on the blizzard website family.

Vivendi owned blizzard and then bought out activision, not the other way around.

 

[spartandude]

oh god help us when origin invades PS3/360, thats my only safe haven because EA hasnt completely screwed us consol gamers.

people have had EA acounts banned, including Xbox/Ps3 games that were connected to them (some of them are) for having complaints on their xbox and PSN profiles, the entire account banned!

 

[RatRace123]

And this be why I get hard copies of games if I can help it. Of course this is made easier since I mostly play console games which, at least for now, don't need to be constantly hooked up to the internet.
For now.

This whole thing reeks of suck though. So what if your customers badmouth you on your forums? They're still paying you money; something they won't do if they're accounts are banned.

 

[spartandude]

Maybe we should teach EA a lesson and STOP BUYING THEIR PRODUCTS.

Seriously, it's not that hard. Next time they produce something you WANT, remember that it is exactly that, something you want, not NEED. We can live without it.

I completelyy agree with you, in fact i really want BF3 and i really want to play ME3 when it comes out, but i'm hating EA so much for what they're doing to people ive decided to sadly boycott them

sadly however most people will go by a principle of "it aint happening to me so i dont care" and EA can get away with it.