EA named worst company in America

[LongBlade]

EA pinged me a while back with an invite to install their Origin DRM/sales platform. I tried. It crapped out a couple of times and I quit.

SimCity 5 looks kinda cool, but the initial bugs waived me off. I can't really say there is a single title out there that I think "I must have this."

Until they make something that I absolutely cannot live without or they make it easier to buy from them, I just have better things to do. Nothing personal. I'm not angry. I just don't care.

Keep in mind most of their money probably comes from console sales anyway, so whoever is in charge of running their PC business into the ground probably should get a raise as they're doing an admirable job of accomplishing that goal.

[Longdan]

That Origin thing is amazingly obtuse and unintuitive.  You can spend a couple of hours downloading a product and have it crap out
on installation through Origin's unusually stupid interface and have to start over.   A couple of times with that and its No thank you EA.

[TheCommandTent]

The only reason I even dld Origin was because it was required for BF3.  Compared to STEAM the platform is horrible

[Tpek]

Only if you don't care about your customer and can make a lot of money.  You can buy all the EA stuff you like.  I won't.
When a product isn't fun anymore because of restrictive DRM and/or poor customer service it is goodbye and good luck from me.
I buy games for fun.

Maybe if most people acted like you then, EA would have had to change its attitude.
But it seems most people are content with it, even if they won't admit it.

This is business, there is no right and wrong, just profit and loss.

[LongBlade]

Only if you don't care about your customer and can make a lot of money.  You can buy all the EA stuff you like.  I won't.
When a product isn't fun anymore because of restrictive DRM and/or poor customer service it is goodbye and good luck from me.
I buy games for fun.

Maybe if most people acted like you then, EA would have had to change its attitude.
But it seems most people are content with it, even if they won't admit it.

This is business, there is no right and wrong, just profit and loss.

I'm not so sure. I'm thinking this is a poorly run business hiding under the excuse that "PC gaming is dying." The result is that bad decisions are being overlooked because there is the perception that console gaming is what's really important.

If EA's leadership paused long enough to think about the performance of its PC division things might actually improve.

[Longdan]

Invite them to a conference and arrange an "accident"?

[Nefaro]

Only if you don't care about your customer and can make a lot of money. 

This is exactly why EA ranks high in such consumer satisfaction polls.  Obviously the perceived quality in their customer interaction is rather poor.  While companies don't need to buckle for every customer, it's never a good idea to piss off large swaths of your customer base either.   Yet EA looks to be steadily doing so. 

That wouldn't bode too well in the long run, but EA has been gobbling up properties left & right.  Their business model is buying up all the franchises/IPs they can get in order to corner the market on the big names, forcing people to purchase from them if they want their popular favorites.  You've been Wal-Martian'd.  :P

[Longdan]

I think MicroSoft set the trend for that.

[Nefaro]

I think MicroSoft set the trend for that.

I thought it was the railroad & oil barons of the 19th century.

[Longdan]

Them to.  I meant in living memory that's all.  Bandits who fight pirates by imprisoning everybody.