EA Rep Allegedly Argues Over Battlefield 4

There are so many things about this story that could be wrong or misinterpreted (or just plain made up) but it makes for quite the interesting idea anyway. A user on Neogaf claims that, after attempting to get a new, sealed copy of Battlefield 4 from EA so that he could get a refund at Gamestop, they got into a fight with an EA rep over whether or not the game’s current state constitutes that it is broken. 

It seems an odd thing to do: sending your open, played copy of a game to the manufacturer in an attempt at replacing it with a new, sealed copy in order to get a refund, but that’s exactly what Georgc was told by EA was his only solution in getting a refund for his “broken” Battlefield game. 

Earlier this month I contacted EA saying I wanted to return the game because I was having all the problems other people were having. The only thing the rep could do was return the game and give me a new sealed one to return to GameStop. I informed that my return warranty with GameStop was up on the 15. The rep said there would be no problem in returning the game in time. I send it out and the tracking number says that they received the game on the 6th of December.

It takes time for the game to come back, but he’s eventually contacted by an EA rep.

Rep: The game will ship out today or tomorrow. 
Me: That’s great but what about me returning it now my warranty is over? 
Rep: Sorry we can’t give you anything cause you bought it through GameStop. 
Me : they won’t take it back because its over the return period.
Rep: we can’t do anything sorry
Me: but Ea released a broken game and I want my money back because the product was not as advertised.
Rep: bf4 is not broken I play it all the time. 
Me: but it is broken for me and numerous people.
Rep: nope it’s not a broken product.
Me: then why would Ea pull developers from other projects to fix a non broken game?
Rep: I know exactly what you are talking about the game is not broken it was to fix stability……

We go back and forth a bit, me asking for something back from my purchase and he continues to say the game is not broken. I get a little heated and start to yell because I’m getting frustrated. 

Rep: if you continue to yell ill terminate this call
Me: I just want my money back for a broken product…..
Rep: ”’click”’

It’s hard to argue to with the Rep, as much as the first world anarchists would want to disagree. The game isn’t “broken.” There are people out there who have put hundreds of hours into it, and in the echo chamber that is the internet, it’s easy to forget even those shouting the loudest might be in the minority. It’s also never a good idea to shout at the person you’re dealing with. They’re deal with dozens of people a day, some who most certainly deserve their attention more than you do, and they’re probably looking for an excuse to get over what is a fairly pointless conversation.

With that said, there are a few things that stand out. Firstly, EA promised to get him a fresh copy by the fifteenth, which they failed to do, and were the ones who told him to send it in the first place. While they shouldn’t replace it on the grounds that it’s faulty, they should do something because they said they’d make it possible for him to get his refund and failed to do so.