Both my friend and I having been having issues with EA's Tiger Woods 09 (ok I know it's not a AAA title, but we like the series.) We have both sent emails to EA's customer service team about the issues, today my friend gets a reply that is tantamount to saying that a game will play differently from 360 to 360 or PS3 to PS3, now I consider myself to be an intelligent (not according to Emofag, but that's his choice.) and clever bloke, but I have never ever heard of such a lame excuse for bad coding in all my many years of gaming and working. Basically it sounds like EA are just doing the usual ship it out and don't give a damn what condition the game goes out in again.

you still bought it

I wouldn't have expected anything more from EA.  They're bastards.  That's SO funny, too!  As that's one of the advantages of consoles over the PC; that if you program for one, you've programmed for all!  Then again, if you release a shitty game for one...!

Chee Saw


I wouldn't have expected anything more from EA.  They're bastards.  That's SO funny, too!  As that's one of the advantages of consoles over the PC; that if you program for one, you've programmed for all!  Then again, if you release a shitty game for one...!

Right, because shitty customer service is limited only to companies like EA...

Microsoft's customer service is as bad. O2's customer service is as bad. BT's customer service is as bad....

Shit, ...when you call BT... or almost any company in the UK... you get put through to INDIA!!!

It's the simple fact that training in [UK] call centres is atrocious at best. They hire idiot 16 year olds, pay them fuck all, give them a photocopied handbook and let them bullshit customers. If you can't find your answers online, forget it. Ringing into a call centre is the worst possible thing you can do.

And if you think "...the game will play differently on every machine..." is the company line... you're a moron. That's just some plank who didn't know the real answer and didn't want to find out, and/or be helpful. But sure, just blame it on EA... because that's what EA's like... 

Nitro, I appriciate that other companies have crap customer service, the point I was making was that the 'Try playing it on a different console.' reply in an email from a member of their staff is something that even a 16 year old wouldn't do, I just find it amusing that someone working for a company with a brand name such as EA would reply in writing with something like that, it's like Sony saying you can't watch Casino Royale blu disk on your PS3 you have to buy a stand alone blu ray player. But it also highlights the inability of companies these days to do any proper QA testing before sending out 'finished' articles.

Nitro

Chee Saw


I wouldn't have expected anything more from EA.  They're bastards.  That's SO funny, too!  As that's one of the advantages of consoles over the PC; that if you program for one, you've programmed for all!  Then again, if you release a shitty game for one...!

Right, because shitty customer service is limited only to companies like EA...

Microsoft's customer service is as bad. O2's customer service is as bad. BT's customer service is as bad....

Shit, ...when you call BT... or almost any company in the UK... you get put through to INDIA!!!

It's the simple fact that training in [UK] call centres is atrocious at best. They hire idiot 16 year olds, pay them fuck all, give them a photocopied handbook and let them bullshit customers. If you can't find your answers online, forget it. Ringing into a call centre is the worst possible thing you can do.

And if you think "...the game will play differently on every machine..." is the company line... you're a moron. That's just some plank who didn't know the real answer and didn't want to find out, and/or be helpful. But sure, just blame it on EA... because that's what EA's like... 

Have you ever "worked" in a call center?  I quote the word because I can't call it work, it's not a job it's soul-sucking slavery.

When I was in college I did tech support job at a call center, I only lasted 2 and a half months, I'm telling you it was a fucking nightmare.   Never again.

You talk to teenagers because most adults won't take the abuse you get working in a call center, it's not even abuse from customers, it's mosty abuse from management.  And no one is helpful or ever knows shit because as soon as they actually learn to do the job, they find a better job, and ANYTHING is better than a call center, so it doesn't take much.  I saw atleast 3 people quit per week, and they brought in 20+ new hires per month to fill in the empty seats, it was unreal.  The most "veteran" agent at that place had been there like 8 months, and the call center itself had been around for 15 years, just unreal.

Don't expect help when you're calling a call center, the only thing that's running through the agents minds is "hmm, what am I going to wear for tommorow's interview at X company for a REAL job" they don't give a shit because they dont want to be there, and they face no consequences because most would actually be relieved if they got fired so they get more time to go look for a real job.

And the reason the jobs are outsourced to India aren't just because they can pay them less money, Indians will work for years at a call center and become really familiar with the product, so besides their crappy accent they actually know the job better and get more satisfed customer despite the accent barrier.  In the western world there are just too many opportunities for you to stay long at a shitty job like that.

Fuck EA!

Greedy bastards that encourage stagnation in the industry.  That's what I think of 'em.  Underpaying employees.  Buying up promising companies and stifling their creativity by making them stay with "safe" IPs.  Releasing the same shit every year, which they can do because of the exclusivity contracts.  Setting rigid deadlines that developers must follow, and thereby causing them to release crap games.

Nitro, can I borrow your butt-plug so I can go screw these guys the way they screw gamers?

Oh, and Microsoft, from my experience, has excellent customer service.  Maybe it's just me, but I've never had to wait for long on hold before the phone was answered by an actual competent person.  Granted I haven't had to call much.  Maybe thrice in the last 3 years, but still.  No problems so far.

Fuck EA!

Yeah, Fuck duh po-lees!

My brother's first job was for a call center, actually it was telemarketting.  He lasted a whole two days.  

Nitro and Emo are right when they say call centers are useless.  Why would anyone call them, what do you expect them to say?  Unless you have a legitimate reason to return something, forget it.  They're useless for information and they don't care about you at all.  Nor should they.  

This is what I do, if a product needs customer service...I won't buy it.

alijay034


Nitro, I appriciate that other companies have crap customer service, the point I was making was that the 'Try playing it on a different console.' reply in an email from a member of their staff is something that even a 16 year old wouldn't do, I just find it amusing that someone working for a company with a brand name such as EA would reply in writing with something like that, it's like Sony saying you can't watch Casino Royale blu disk on your PS3 you have to buy a stand alone blu ray player.

The company name on their paycheck probably isn't even Electronic Arts. I'm pretty certain EA outsource things like customer service teams. But the "try playing it on a different console" line is standard for most companies... even Microsoft. I'm assuming they thought the disc might be warped or something, so to identify whether it was the disc or your machine they were going to the standard checklist.

Now i don't know what problems you have been having... you didn't elaborate, ...but you'd have been better taking the game back to where you bought it.

alijay034


But it also highlights the inability of companies these days to do any proper QA testing before sending out 'finished' articles.

No matter how much is spent on marketing... it's only going to sell to the people who were always going to buy it... so while i'm sure it pisses you off that it was released with obvious bugs/glitches/numerous flaws etc... you're alternative golf game options are limited... so the EA directorate assumes you'll make do.