Old/ Deactivated/ Deleted Email Address linked to my EA account

[BlowMills]

Good afternoon,

As my subject briefly explains my EA account is linked to an old email address that has since been deleted. 

I am still able to play Fifa 19 via my PS4 no problem at all; however when I log on to EA's online platform or try to log-in to the Web App, despite knowing my credentials i.e. email and password, it asks to send me a verification security code. Being that I don't have access to the email address I am unable to obtain the code to verify my identity. A viscous circle!!

I have spoken to numerous EA representatives via telephone and online chat who have all told me to complete an online account recovery form; I have done this now several times. The reason being once I have filled out an application form and submitted copious amounts of information including payment details, when my account was set up, my last in-game purchases, my billing address, most recent 4 EA games I have purchased and my brother's girlfriend's sister's ex boyfriend's dog's name, I receive a response hours later informing me that my account recovery has been unsuccessful because the forms submitted have been empty!

I have since called EA and received the same advice; to complete another form (of which takes 20 mins to complete). What is the point in me submitting this online account recovery form for them to tell me the form is still blank? I have requested a PDF version of the form to fill out and return to ensure they receive this information however EA's customer adviser scripts do not cover this question...clearly.

When I have progressed or resumed my case since EA reps have been classing them as solved for their monthly KPIs I receive the same link to Ea Help only this time it gives me the option to call or request a call and no account recovery form at all...

All I would like to do is to change the email address linked to my account or turn off the login verification facility... surely it's not that difficult! I have read through a series of replies to similar questions so please refrain from just posting a step-by-step guide on completing the application form.

Apologies if my post seems unclear, I have explained it to about 17 different people and beginning to become frustrated and under the assumption everyone knows what I mean,

Cheers.

[EA_Darko · Accepted solution]

It is your responsibility to ensure that your account data is up to date @666jthomas.

If you do not update the email on your account and subsequently lose access to it and as a result are unable to verify your account ownership then I am sorry to say but it may not be possible to let you have access to the account. If the information you have is not enough to prove beyond reasonable doubt that you are the account owner then there is nothing more that can be done.

Darko

[EA_Darko]

@BlowMills If you have filled in the form then you will need to wait to hear back from the team. There is nothing we can do on AHQ but ask that you be patient and give the team time to look over what you have submitted and then get in contact with you.

[666jthomas]

Yeah, you're not alone.

When EA set up the account recovery system, their primary goal was not to help its customers.  And it shows.  I've gone through the same thing.  I fill out the form, get immediately told too bad, so sad.

Chat support tells me to provide more information about an account that I haven't used in several years.  I cannot talk to anyone with the ability to solve my problem, because they designed the system to prevent that from happening--God forbid a customer get help with an old account..

[EA_Darko]

Sorry to say @666jthomas but if you cannot verify ownership of your account then our advisers will be unable to allow you access to it. We take account security very seriously and as such you need to prove ownership of an account before any info can be shared relating to it.

Darko 

[666jthomas]

It sure sounds good to say that EA takes account security seriously. So seriously, in fact, that there are more an just a few people who can no longer access their account, THROUGH NO FAULT OF THEIR OWN.

A lot of other companies also take account security seriously--so seriously that they understand that in the digital age, a person changes email accounts. They understand that It's not uncommon for someone to lose access to the email account under which a user account was created.  Seriously enough that they took that into consideration when the developed their account recovery policies.

I've had other accounts for which I lost access due to losing access to my email.  In each of those cases, I was able to call someone in account recovery and explain the situation.  They then  looked at my old account and asked me questions about it.  If I answered those questions correctly, I was granted access to my account.  (This is not a radical business model, by the way.)  Had I not been able to answer those questions correctly, I would not have been granted access to the account.  Account Security!!

But instead, for whatever reason, EA decided that there was no reason for users to speak to people in account recovery--a short-sighted decision to say the least.  And so instead we're told to just "provide as much information about the account as you can and hope for the best".  

[EA_Darko · Accepted solution]

It is your responsibility to ensure that your account data is up to date @666jthomas.

If you do not update the email on your account and subsequently lose access to it and as a result are unable to verify your account ownership then I am sorry to say but it may not be possible to let you have access to the account. If the information you have is not enough to prove beyond reasonable doubt that you are the account owner then there is nothing more that can be done.

Darko

[666jthomas]

Yes, you have made your inability to help quite clear.

[namiking84]

I have the same issue here. Ten years or more? who knows. I've made an account with EA apparently. Now, my xbox gamertag is linked to that account which I do not have an access to and it's a ghost account. It is preventing me from receiving Twitch Prime loot. I've created a new account which I am writing this reply with and there is no way I can link this account with my xbox.

Community Manager says "It is your responsibility to ensure that your account data is up to date." So, basically, customers are responsible for their failures. I get it but what if they don't have any other option than stuck with those ghost accounts? Is EA saying that it doesn't have time for taking care of it since it is customers fault?

[666jthomas]

"Is EA saying that it doesn't have time for taking care of it since it is customers fault?"

That's a polite way of putting it, yes.  A more accurate way would be to say that they just don't care.

[EA_Darko]

If your account has an email that you can no longer access @namiking84 then you need to speak with one of our phone or chat support advisers who will be able to advise as to what you can do to try and recover it.

You can contact our live support at help.ea.com.  

To request a callback or speak with a chat adviser:

Click on your product Origin

Then select 'PC

Manage my Account'

Can't log in

Finally, you can choose to receive a callback or begin a chat.

Darko