Re: Buy with a VPN : EA's position on this subject.

by EA_Mako
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Buy with a VPN : EA's position on this subject.

★★★★ Apprentice

Hello everyone,

 

Today I would like to talk about a "sensitive" subject in an honest way: buying abroad with a VPN.

 

It is a sensitive subject because this process is relatively illegal, it is quite unclear. It's even more vague with Electronic Arts and that's why I create this topic.

 

First of all, I have already contacted EA Agents, the employees who deal with banning cases. The answer seems to be clear: It's not allowed. Well, some employees say it's legal... So, we'll say that according to the majority of employees, buying on Origin abroad via a VPN in order to take advantage of lower prices, is a risk of being banned.

 

If I understood correctly that there was a risk, I still have two questions. They remained unanswered in my file because 3 times I received the SAME copy/paste answer telling me that it was forbidden (so the messages are read halfway or not at all).

 

1. Where is this prohibition mentioned in your terms of use? I don't question it but I read it all and I didn't see any mention of only "VPN".

 

2. Here is THE point that the reason for my topic. Why does Electronic Arts proceed with a two-tiered justice? Why do some players who want to save money get banned permanently while other players have been buying EA games for YEARS without ever being sanctioned?

 

I understand and accept the interdiction.
What I don't accept is that Justice is not equal to everyone. Why should one person be able to save money without any penalty while another gets his account banned without warning?

 

I'll speak honestly, I wanted to pre-order Battlefield 2042 via VPN in Argentina because it's half the price of my country. I asked around and what shocked me is that Electronic Arts' position on this is not clear. On the Internet you get two versions of answers: "Yes, it's forbidden. No it's legal".

I have a lot to lose if my account gets banned so I decided not to do it. However, I see lots of people who have done it and have no penalties. Not even a warning with an order cancellation.

 

Call it jealousy, yes it is but I don't understand how something that is banned by Electronic Arts can be sanctioned 1 out of 10 times.

 

If I could get someone from Electronic Arts to answer my questions. I especially want to know why there is no automatic penalty if it is supposedly forbidden.

 

P.S. I apologize for my poor English. I hope the whole is understanding.

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Re: Buy with a VPN : EA's position on this subject.

Community Manager

Hey @-7Z7-,

 

Thanks for the questions! I did want to try and clarify what we can in this case.

 

Just to be clear, those you've spoken to about this are correct in that falsifying your account information in order to purchase something in a country you don't live in is a violation of the User Agreement, which can result in actions up to and including a permanent ban. This would be true whether using a VPN or changing your account details directly.

 

While a VPN is not explicitly called out in the User Agreement, you are required to use truthful and accurate information when creating your account and making purchases. 

 

This is something our team regularly checks for during the purchasing process, and any accounts found to be violating this will be subject to the previously mentioned sanctions.

 

This policy is true across the board, so while some people may not have been caught yet, that doesn't mean they won't be or that this type of behavior is permitted. This is something we continue to monitor and action as we come across it.

 

I definitely understand this can feel unfair if you're noticing other people get away with it in some cases, but what you're likely not seeing are all those who've lost accounts to this behavior so it's definitely a good call to stick to the version intended for your region and country of residence as you've done here. Thanks for the feedback on how this looks otherwise.

Mako.png

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Re: Buy with a VPN : EA's position on this subject.

Community Manager

Hey @-7Z7-,

 

Thanks for the questions! I did want to try and clarify what we can in this case.

 

Just to be clear, those you've spoken to about this are correct in that falsifying your account information in order to purchase something in a country you don't live in is a violation of the User Agreement, which can result in actions up to and including a permanent ban. This would be true whether using a VPN or changing your account details directly.

 

While a VPN is not explicitly called out in the User Agreement, you are required to use truthful and accurate information when creating your account and making purchases. 

 

This is something our team regularly checks for during the purchasing process, and any accounts found to be violating this will be subject to the previously mentioned sanctions.

 

This policy is true across the board, so while some people may not have been caught yet, that doesn't mean they won't be or that this type of behavior is permitted. This is something we continue to monitor and action as we come across it.

 

I definitely understand this can feel unfair if you're noticing other people get away with it in some cases, but what you're likely not seeing are all those who've lost accounts to this behavior so it's definitely a good call to stick to the version intended for your region and country of residence as you've done here. Thanks for the feedback on how this looks otherwise.

Mako.png
Message 2 of 4 (4,830 Views)

Re: Buy with a VPN : EA's position on this subject.

★★★★ Apprentice

Hello Mako,

 

Thank you for your clear and precise answer. Since I have been looking for this answer, I should have asked here first.

 

I am reassured that the sanctions will come sooner or later. I really hope that it is equal on this point for everyone.

 

Thanks again for taking the time to respond.

Message 3 of 4 (4,817 Views)

Re: Buy with a VPN : EA's position on this subject.

Community Manager
@-7Z7-
Glad to help clarify things! Have a great weekend and take care.
Mako.png
Message 4 of 4 (4,812 Views)