Like selling a car and keeping the key

[Marabouskill]

I bought a game for my daughter so she would have fun. Instead she had to listen to a frustrated father.
I have installed the game once via Origin. I feel fooled by this company! I have bought a physical disc. I have a receipt and activation code. Should I ask for permission to reinstall my game !? Should I need to call support, and sit in a long phone queue, to get permission for, reinstalling my license of this game!?
We can not play our game... Like selling a car and keeping the ignition key. I have never seen anything like this. This has to be illegal? And all the tips you get, the so called "solutions"? A one-time game is what it is, wear and throw!

Will you receive any apologies from the company? A relatively reasonable solution? Any explanation?
Nothing is yours, everything is on loan. This must be illegal and contrary to my opinion, if I buy a product, it´s mine and nothing but mine. Do I feel upset? Guess!
Soon in a music store near you! A one time only activation code, for your favorite artist latest album.

[roberta591 · Accepted solution]

@Marabouskill  When you purchase the Sims 4 you do not "own" the game. What you pay for is a license to use the software. This is in the form of a code you use to activate the license (game). Once the game is activated that code is locked to the Origin account in use at that time. You can download and install the game on as many computers as you like from the Origin account the code was used to activate the game. The game can not be user deactivated. Log in to the Origin account and install the game from there.  YOU HAVE TO USE YOUR DAUGHTER'S ACCOUNT TO USE THAT CODE. One code - one Origin account. I have 3 licenses - one for me, one for my wife. and one for my son. If you are trying to activate your daughter's code on a new account - that will NOT work. The physical disc is generic and EA can give you the disc and you still can not activate the game. With optical drives disappearing from computers, digital download will probably be the new delivery method. Valve's Steam seems to be doing a pretty good job. When I bought Fallout 4 with disc from Amazon - I still had to activate the game to my Steam account. Just like Origin that game is locked to my Steam account and I can not deactivate it. My son plays Fallout 4 from his own account that he uses and paid for his own license. The game will not play until you activate the game to a Steam account. Log into Origin using the login your daughter used and the game should be there for download to another computer. Please refer to the EULA (end user license agreement) as to your rights. Microsoft is doing the same thing with their oem licenses - once you activate the code that code is locked to that computer forever and can not be used on another computer. When the computer dies the code dies with it. The Sims 4 is a single player game which means one user one code. If you are trying to reinstall the game to your daughter's computer all you need to do is log in using her log in and password and if you unistalled the game from her computer the icon should say download. If you install the Origin client on another computer and log in using your daughter's login the icon should say download. Just like Steam.

[roberta591 · Accepted solution]

@Marabouskill  When you purchase the Sims 4 you do not "own" the game. What you pay for is a license to use the software. This is in the form of a code you use to activate the license (game). Once the game is activated that code is locked to the Origin account in use at that time. You can download and install the game on as many computers as you like from the Origin account the code was used to activate the game. The game can not be user deactivated. Log in to the Origin account and install the game from there.  YOU HAVE TO USE YOUR DAUGHTER'S ACCOUNT TO USE THAT CODE. One code - one Origin account. I have 3 licenses - one for me, one for my wife. and one for my son. If you are trying to activate your daughter's code on a new account - that will NOT work. The physical disc is generic and EA can give you the disc and you still can not activate the game. With optical drives disappearing from computers, digital download will probably be the new delivery method. Valve's Steam seems to be doing a pretty good job. When I bought Fallout 4 with disc from Amazon - I still had to activate the game to my Steam account. Just like Origin that game is locked to my Steam account and I can not deactivate it. My son plays Fallout 4 from his own account that he uses and paid for his own license. The game will not play until you activate the game to a Steam account. Log into Origin using the login your daughter used and the game should be there for download to another computer. Please refer to the EULA (end user license agreement) as to your rights. Microsoft is doing the same thing with their oem licenses - once you activate the code that code is locked to that computer forever and can not be used on another computer. When the computer dies the code dies with it. The Sims 4 is a single player game which means one user one code. If you are trying to reinstall the game to your daughter's computer all you need to do is log in using her log in and password and if you unistalled the game from her computer the icon should say download. If you install the Origin client on another computer and log in using your daughter's login the icon should say download. Just like Steam.

[Marabouskill]

Yes, I know that I don´t own the game. But I activated the license code, on the only account that we have in Origin. The same computer. I must be able to uninstall and reinstall the game? I know that the code is activated. But still, there´s no new account. It´s still on my daughters laptop, my daughters origin account. I´m totally confused. I´m lost here.  

[Marabouskill]

Thank you for your time. A call to support. It´s fixed Regards Robert