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[lifa-cobex]

Reddit user Flying Officer made a post on r/gaming on August 10th, 2018 that gained a lot of attention and ended up making its way to r/all on the front page of Reddit. The post outlined how his Origin account on PC was deleted and all of his games were removed from the account. He made multiple attempts to get it restored but EA’s technical support didn’t care and didn’t make any effort to restore the account, even when he provided receipts, transaction numbers, credit card history of his purchases and order histories. EA’s support staff made the circular logic that since his account was deleted there was nothing they could do since there was no account history to check, which is why he took the issue to Reddit.

The corrupt moderators attempted to remove the post because it called out EA for their scumbaggery, but after a lot of complaints the post was restored. For those of you who don’t know, the moderators of r/Games and r/gaming bury posts that outline corruption or malfeasance taking place within the gaming industry. It’s part of their modus operandi as revealed in the leaked moderator logs, where any post dealing with corruption or bad industry practices are deleted or filtered out, either through a bot or through manual deletion by Reddit’s staff.
The post was later restored and gained even more widespread attention due to Reddit’s corrupt moderators trying to censor the news.
Eventually a representative for Electronic Arts stepped in to explain the situation, apologizing for Origin’s poor customer support. Going by the handle of Part Welsh, the EA rep explained in a lengthy post…

“I’ll echo the sentiment shared by many of you on the thread – no this isn’t acceptable to us that in this particular instance, we haven’t been able to directly resolve this issue via our dedicated support teams, and that it’s taken an early morning hunt for memes for me to discover this thread, which has since hit the top of /r/all. I’m grateful that it’s providing us the opportunity to rectify the issue, but we will assess everything related to this case to understand why this has happened in the first place – in case it can help to prevent similar occurrences for folks in the future.

Please also understand that no matter how this issue gets resolved, I won’t be in a position to ever talk about the specifics relating to the account of one of our players. That’s not cool, that should never happen, but please respect that these things aren’t always what they seem.”

More info in link......
NSFW ADS!
https://www.oneangrygamer.net/2018/...-proving-dangers-of-all-digital-future/66237/


Reminds me of the age old argument about software purchases not really your property.
If the disturber (i.e Steam, origin, Sony etc etc) goes offline or simply decided for whatever reason to take away, then so do your rites to the content you purchased.

Thoughts.....



edit: Here is the reddit post....

 

[Louis Cyphre]

First off we need to have the full story and background of this user. There are agreement terms and one of the scary things as we all know is digital games do not have the same accessibility as physical copies. I personally think that they should be able to ban you from connecting your account but any games that can be played offline should still be yours.

 

[Woo-Fu]

Sounds like a technical difficulty that support had no means to address. Probably should have been bumped up the chain of command until it reached somebody with the initiative and power to do something new. Seems like it has at this point.

If you have ever worked multi-level support you know that things like this happen every now and then. You try to put in policy/systems that minimize these events and their impact but you're not going to catch all of them, indefinitely.

 

[Iaterain]

I don't know where to begin...
EA who refuse to restore person's account or corrupted Reddit moderators who were sweeping problems under the carpet?

 

[DeepEnigma]

I don't know where to begin...
EA who refuse to restore person's account or corrupted Reddit moderators who were sweeping problems under the carpet?

Hey now, they are probably EA Game Changers, cut them some slack.

 

[Hendrick's]

Why is there so much douchery and drama in the gaming industry these days? Oh right, I mean in the world...

 

[Bryank75]

Now remember, EA, MS and Bethesda want an all streaming future...where they have full control of a access to games you buy. Imagine the abuses they could commit.....it would be perverse.

 

[Hissing Sid]

Now remember, EA, MS and Bethesda want an all streaming future...where they have full control of a access to games you buy. Imagine the abuses they could commit.....it would be perverse.

Yeah but think of the benefits. I wouldn’t have to get off my arse to change games anymore and I’d save at least a couple of square inches of floor space in case storage.

 

[mcz117chief]

Now remember, EA, MS and Bethesda want an all streaming future...where they have full control of a access to games you buy. Imagine the abuses they could commit.....it would be perverse.

Right. Digital only future means you can un-person anybody at any time with video games being the least of my worry if some tech-corporation decides to play God with the world.

 

[ILLtown]

I've never been suspended from Xbox Live, but it definitely worries me that if I was permanently suspended for some reason, I'd be unable to re-download any of my games and content. I would like someone to test that policy in court, especially here in the UK.

Reading the full details of the case this thread is about, it definitely seems like a fuck up on EA's part, both technical and with customer service. The guy's account seemingly just disappeared, as if it had never existed, so when he contacted CS, even though he had proof of purchases via email receipts and what not, they would search for his account, find it didn't exist, and he was stuck in limbo.

It seems they have mostly made it right, as the guy's latest update says that he has a new account, EA gave him his old username back, and they've added all of his purchases back to his account with the exception of his Battlefield V pre-order (which he thinks they will fix too), and they gave him 12 months of Origin Premier as compensation.

Had this not blown up on Reddit, I wonder what would have happened. The guy would probably have just been screwed is my guess.

 

[AndrewRyan]

Why are the reddit moderators protecting these sleazy business practices? Are the getting kickbacks somehow?

 

[lifa-cobex]

Why are the reddit moderators protecting these sleazy business practices? Are the getting kickbacks somehow?

If i took a stab in the dark, I would say promotional benefits.
i.e receive games before release or to a larger extent, money being exchanged.

 

[Skyfox]

Cloud powah

 

[JohnnyFootball]

Thoughts?

There is more to this story than what the "victim" of letting on.

Before I pile on with the "EA is evil" stuff, I want to know more.

 

[lifa-cobex]

Reading through the other comments. It looks like he wasn't alone.

 

[MrTroubleMaker]

Wow what a crappy situation to be in. Garbage EA support and corrupt reddit mods.

 

[ILLtown]

Why are the reddit moderators protecting these sleazy business practices? Are the getting kickbacks somehow?

Sometimes it's because they don't want witch hunts to be instigated.

There was one case where a guy started a thread claiming that he'd won a competition organised by a gaming YouTuber, but the YouTuber was refusing to send out the prize. It led to the YouTuber in question receiving tons of downvotes on his videos and nasty comments from people calling him a scammer, but it turned out that the Redditor had lied. He had seen the list of competition winners, then signed up to Reddit using one of the usernames of the winners in order to make his false claim seem more legit, but the actual guy with that username had received his prize days earlier.

Also, sometimes it's because a thread attracts so many rule-breaking posts that they lock it down because they can't keep up with moderating it.

I know shady shit goes on too, cos I've seen the mod logs in some cases, and I would be willing to bet that there's mods who are in the pockets of certain companies, but yeah - sometimes it's not always as simple as that.

 

[Kadayi]

Reads like a case of needing to have been referred up the line. If they'd have only deleted the account on his request and he has 2FA, that would point to him either being, drunk, hacked or having pissed off a significant other with his constant Battlefield playing.

 

[Deanington]

You know its weird. I am always getting emails that I requested security codes to log into Origin. Which I haven't attempted to log in to Origin in a long time. Is somebody trying to log in with my email/username?

Anyways, this is a good reminder that I need to be more conscious about my digital spending and security.

 

[camelCase]

Support person: "What do you mean, YOUR games?"

 

[WaterAstro]

Obviously, if he talked to Dutta, he would be smiling.

 

[SLoWMoTIoN]

Now remember, EA, MS and Bethesda want an all streaming future...where they have full control of a access to games you buy. Imagine the abuses they could commit.....it would be perverse.

I mean Steam does similar shit as well. Going all digital means you are in their hands.

 

[Rhazer Fusion]

Imho, anyone who is begging for an all digital future is either delusional to the situation at hand, really hates getting up to change discs or have money to burn. Reasons like this is why.

 

[DonJimbo]

Digital future is going to be really interesting

 

[EDMIX]

Digital future is going to be really interesting

lol I know right.

But hey folks, EA has changed, they've turned over a new leaf, you see the free DLC they giving out and stuff. /s

 

[Boss Mog]

The day gaming goes all digital is the day I quit gaming.

 

[EDMIX]

The day gaming goes all digital is the day I quit gaming.

Same

 

[Bryank75]

I mean Steam does similar shit as well. Going all digital means you are in their hands.

I mean streaming in particular..... very risky. Not so bothered if you have it downloaded and traditional consumer rights apply.

 

[techblogger911]

I just read the post, SICK. He got his games but the stats and all are wiped.

 

[idontlikeusernames]

The day gaming goes all digital is the day I quit gaming.

I'm replaying GTA San Andreas on the PS2.

 

[AV]

Is somebody trying to log in with my email/username?

Yes. You should put any email addresses you use/have used into this site. If you get any hits, it's time to change some passwords.

https://haveibeenpwned.com/

 

[Neo_GAF]

I don't know where to begin...
EA who refuse to restore person's account or corrupted Reddit moderators who were sweeping problems under the carpet?

pretty much this.
i smell corruption and black-mailed mods all over the place.

 

[Spheyr]

Why are the reddit moderators protecting these sleazy business practices? Are the getting kickbacks somehow?

Petty tyrants in paper kingdoms

 

[Rhazer Fusion]

The day gaming goes all digital is the day I quit gaming.

I’ll quit too and just stick with retro consoles. I could accept digital a little better if the games were less expensive, but at an inevitable $60 for most games, I’ll have to pass.

 

[Mochilador]

That's terrible. Both EA and the mods from that subreddit.

 

[Blam]

reddit mods love a power trip thats all it is

 

[Harlock]

SidAlpha has a good video about the issue. The main problem is EA not having a policy to keep a deleted account in backup for some time. Something so important can't be allowed to be 100% erased, exactly for cases like this one.

 

[zombie_gamer87]

This is scary, could happen with Steam too.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

This is why support digital storefronts like GOG.com that allow you to download your own DRM-free copy. No matter what happens to your account, their servers, or the internet at large, you can have your own backup with no "check in" required.

 

[iconmaster]

If you care about having access to the game in the future, buy it physically. And don't spend more on a digital purchase than what you're willing to throw away and never see again. For me, that's twenty bucks.

 

[mckmas8808]

Now remember, EA, MS and Bethesda want an all streaming future...where they have full control of a access to games you buy. Imagine the abuses they could commit.....it would be perverse.

EXACTLY!!!! And yet I hear podcasters (that I respect and like) every month talk about the all streaming console future. And they are OKAY WITH IT!!! Like WTF? This is the bad side of an all streaming or mandatory always online console. How people can't see the downside to this is amazing to me.

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

If you care about having access to the game in the future, buy it physically. And don't spend more on a digital purchase than what you're willing to throw away and never see again. For me, that's twenty bucks.

Yep! That's a good rule to follow. My only exception(s) are rare, out-of-print, or unavailable arcade games (like shmups and puzzle games) that would otherwise cost me $100s to own. I'll throw $7.99 at a game like that.

 

[DonJimbo]

I'm replaying GTA San Andreas on the PS2.

Youre replaying the legend thumbs up

 

[DonJimbo]

lol I know right.

But hey folks, EA has changed, they've turned over a new leaf, you see the free DLC they giving out and stuff. /s

Sarcasm ?
EA got worse trought the years i miss old EA very much

 

[DeepEnigma]

If you care about having access to the game in the future, buy it physically. And don't spend more on a digital purchase than what you're willing to throw away and never see again. For me, that's twenty bucks.

That is what I do. I buy only new physical (and never sell my games), and when there are deep discount digital sales for my favorite titles/franchises, I will double dip for the convenience factor.

 

[DeepEnigma]

Now remember, EA, MS and Bethesda want an all streaming future...where they have full control of a access to games you buy. Imagine the abuses they could commit.....it would be perverse.

EXACTLY!!!! And yet I hear podcasters (that I respect and like) every month talk about the all streaming console future. And they are OKAY WITH IT!!! Like WTF? This is the bad side of an all streaming or mandatory always online console. How people can't see the downside to this is amazing to me.

Yep. MS and those publishers that were on-board with their 2013 reveal are still slowly drip-feeding that 'always online' initiave. The end goal has not changed, only the PR and goodwill tactics to get them there. They realized you could not shock gamers into it, so they changed the game, but the goal is still the same. "Games as a service" initiative, but make it seem like a sweeter honeypot on the way to get to the endgame of digital rights management (control).

 

[DunDunDunpachi]

This is like a cruel flashback to the 80s and 90s: the kids with rich parents had a shelf full of games and the poor kids had to rent from Blockbuster or Hollywood Video. Except now I am my own "rich parent" and I've got a great shelf of games, whereas the digital owners keep "renting" year after year until they get permabanned or until a loophole with their digital license is uncovered and used to pull the game from the store. Suckers!

Remember, it's not just the storefront but also the publishers who want a digital future. It'll give them the same leverage that allowed them to pull The Simpsons (arcade), X-Men (arcade), Scott Pilgrim, TMNT Re-Shelled, various Vs Capcom games, Rampage: WT...

I have useless icons on my XMB (X-Men and Simpsons require a "check in") that I paid for. TMNT still works, somehow, but maybe that one got axed too (haven't checked in a while).

 

[ultrazilla]

This is why I've been screaming to the heavens and back. Fellow gamers-you DO NOT WANT an "all digital future". There's that old saying "Be careful what you wish for because you may end up not liking what you get."

You must ALWAYS, ALWAYS support physical releases(when you can). I realize there are some "digital only" titles and I'm not overly concerned with those, just the industry as a whole- AAA games/studios/publishers who are aggressively pushing for "ALL DIGITAL" releases.

While I think there may be more to the story in regards to the OP situation, it is still a HUGE RED FLAG regarding how an "all digital future" will take place. You won't own any of your games and you'll be at the company's mercy. Company goes out of business? Too bad. Servers go down? Too bad. Little Billy reported you for bogus multiplayer harassment and your account is now banned? Too bad.

Do not embrace an all digital future. Always demand physical when you can. Cheers!

 

[dirthead]

This is why I've been screaming to the heavens and back. Fellow gamers-you DO NOT WANT an "all digital future". There's that old saying "Be careful what you wish for because you may end up not liking what you get."

You must ALWAYS, ALWAYS support physical releases(when you can). I realize there are some "digital only" titles and I'm not overly concerned with those, just the industry as a whole- AAA games/studios/publishers who are aggressively pushing for "ALL DIGITAL" releases.

While I think there may be more to the story in regards to the OP situation, it is still a HUGE RED FLAG regarding how an "all digital future" will take place. You won't own any of your games and you'll be at the company's mercy. Company goes out of business? Too bad. Servers go down? Too bad. Little Billy reported you for bogus multiplayer harassment and your account is now banned? Too bad.

Do not embrace an all digital future. Always demand physical when you can. Cheers!

It doesn't have to be physical releases. It just has to be digital purchases that aren't shit.

GOG is a really good example of how to do it right. Games can't have DRM and you must be able to download and backup your own offline copies of the games you buy. That's all you have to do, and it's fine. Hell, that's probably BETTER than physical releases on consoles, which you basically have no control over.

 

[dirthead]

This is scary, could happen with Steam too.

I think it's more like "will" happen with Steam too. People don't realize how fragile that whole ecosystem is. Valve's games held the whole thing together, they don't make real games anymore, everyone else is getting into the digital store business, the market's going to be split 20 ways. Valve could find themselves fucked within the course of a couple of years, and I don't care what anyone says, that company is obviously a complete fucking mess organizationally. Any company that can't even complete a game series that it starts has serious fucking problems. They also have no real contingency plans. After Gabe kicks the bucket, the company's basically going to implode.

If you really think about it, you don't want a private company to run something like Steam. It's just not reliable enough. I WANT a big corporation with succession plans that can survive multiple generations of staff for a service like that. I don't want it all resting one one obese dude pushing 60.