Network Connection Issue

[SmallGoat_98]

I am beyond frustrated.

For several days, I've been dealing with a huge issue across multiple EA titles; NHL 21 and Madden 21. This problem takes the form of 'Network Connection Issue' (see attached pictures)  A major reason I even play these games is to play online with my friends, something I've been unable to do for almost a week now. I had been enjoying these games up until this was happening, but now I've lost access to Madden community rosters, NHL updated rosters, and ALL online features. I can't play EASHL, HUT, nothing. 

I have tried to troubleshoot this on my own. First off, my network connection is stable. I can go on the internet on my phone and laptop, and even play other non-EA titles like Call of Duty Cold War online with friends just fine, and have done so as recently as today. If that weren't enough, I've already used the PS4's internet connection testing capabilities to see if there is any underlying issues in my network, and of course there isn't; my connection is stable with 100% signal strength. I have a paid-for and valid PlayStation Plus account, nobody else uses my account, I'm not banned anywhere, and the servers aren't down for Madden or NHL (my friends are playing without issue right now). 

I went through the EA troubleshooting webpages, thinking this must be a common issue resolved all the time, but I have been sorely disappointed. I followed several solutions as suggested by these pages, including restarting my router and numerous system restarts. Next, I contacted EA customer support directly through the chat function, and this was also a totally pointless endeavor. The service agent was all but useless in terms of offering any sort of help outside of redirecting me to the generic troubleshooting pages I had just visited, or suggesting the steps off of these pages. To top it all off, the final suggestion that was offered to me after over an hour of back-and-forth chat was to seek out PlayStation support, even though this is CLEARLY an EA-exclusive issue. 

Today, I've cleared my cache and reset the network on my PlayStation, both external methods I had to find on my own through extensive online searching (because EA hasn't done anything so why not exhaust every avenue), and these didn't work either.

To say that I've experienced poor customer service is a gigantic understatement. In this basic request of asking for games I bought to work as they should, I have been given no help and am still experiencing these issues, which has limited any enjoyable experiences I had playing these games to basically none at all. I have fulfilled my end of the bargain, in providing currency in exchange for a game, the console itself to play the game, and a stable internet connection for online play. For some reason, that for the life of me I can't figure out, EA has decided to renege on their end of that transaction, and left me with a game so restricted in it's features, it may as well be in Alpha.

At this point, I don't even care about getting any real technical solution to these problems; my expectations are low. While I would love to be able to simply carry on and enjoy these games as I had been before this problems presented, that isn't possible and unless a fix comes soon, I can't see it happening at all. My primary concern now is to get refunds for both NHL 21 and Madden 21, because in both cases I'm not receiving what I paid for. Given that there seems to be no actual customer support email address for me to contact, I'm wondering if anyone knows someone who I can contact for my money back on these purchases. 

[EA_Aljo · Accepted solution]

Hi there, @SmallGoat_98.

Thanks for reaching out to us. I'm really sorry for all the frustration with this. I'll try to help get it resolved. So far, I'm not seeing any issues with your account so we'll need to go through some troubleshooting. It sounds like you've power cycled so we'll skip that step. Are you playing on a wired or wireless connection? Also, have you tried using alternate DNS settings? If not, try the instructions here. If you don't see a difference, try the Google DNS servers. Those are: Primary alt number 8.8.8.8 - Secondary alt number 8.8.4.4.

[EA_Aljo · Accepted solution]

Hi there, @SmallGoat_98.

Thanks for reaching out to us. I'm really sorry for all the frustration with this. I'll try to help get it resolved. So far, I'm not seeing any issues with your account so we'll need to go through some troubleshooting. It sounds like you've power cycled so we'll skip that step. Are you playing on a wired or wireless connection? Also, have you tried using alternate DNS settings? If not, try the instructions here. If you don't see a difference, try the Google DNS servers. Those are: Primary alt number 8.8.8.8 - Secondary alt number 8.8.4.4.

[20Reid16]

I tried the same reset settings in the link and I’m still having issues connecting (ps4)

[EA_Aljo]

Hello, @20Reid16 

Did you also try power cycling your console and network equipment? If not, please follow these steps: unplug your modem, router and console. After 2 minutes plug in the modem and router. Let them come back online completely. Then plug in your console and start it up. Let me know if that helps or not. Thanks!

[chrisrelentless]

I am having this issue as well with Need for speed rivals. I'm bothered that they can collect the money for the game but I'm unable to play the game online. I don't intend to make this personal or anything but I want my money back if I'm unable to play the game. Really irritating to pay for something you cannot use. 

[EA_Aljo]

@chrisrelentless 

Can you give me some more details? Are you getting a message about not connecting to the servers when you first load into the game? Also, what system are you playing on?