Can't use serial code

[19489139839]

Hello, I am back with another problem.

As I said before, I got a new laptop. Turns out my sister had all the serial codes. I used them perfectly fine, and they downloaded perfectly fine. I don't have a disc tray, so that's why I have to use the serial codes. But, when I entered the code for Seasons, it said it had already been redeemed. I had deleted every trace of the sims 3 on my old computer, so I thought it would've erased anything having to do with a code. But the code for Seasons, Monte Vista, and Hidden Springs will not work. I thought about the possibilities of why it wouldn't work, and maybe I used the disc for every other game besides those 3. I could buy a portable disc tray, but I don't wanna spend money on it only for a game. But I will if there is no other solution. Thank you for reading. 

[puzzlezaddict · Accepted solution]

@19489139839  There's no point in buying a disc tray—if a pack isn't listed in your account, Origin won't authenticate the disc install of that pack or let you play with it.  (This is only for combined disc/Origin installs in Windows.)  As CinderellaGirl91 said, you probably used the code for Seasons already.  If you didn't add it to this Origin account or a previous one, you might have registered it on the Sims 3 store site.  Origin and the store share information, so a code used on one platform will not be usable in the other.

If you still have the code but can't figure out what account Seasons might have been added to, you can contact EA customer support to ask for help.  A support rep can look up the code and the account to which it was added.  As long as you still have access to the email that this second account used, you should be able to ask that your two accounts be merged.  It would also help if you had any proof of purchase (photos of disc, case, and insert; or receipt) to provide.

https://help.ea.com/en/contact-us/

Monte Vista and Hidden Springs need to be downloaded through the store (https://store.thesims3.com/), not Origin.  (Discs won't work either.)  Once you sign into the account in which the content was originally purchased or registered, you can download all of your content from Purchase History, or directly from the product pages.  Again, if you can't find the account that owns this content, you'll need to contact EA support for help.

There is one backdoor way to find out which email address you used to use for the store, if you still have an intact game folder on an old computer.  In Documents\EA\TS3\Downloads, you may see a file labeled [your email].bin, which would be that address.  Then you can use that email to login and get your store content, or ask that it be merged with your newer Origin account.

[CinderellaGirl91]

Hi, I had the same problem with Showtime and University Life - I called EA to get it sorted but unfortunately I could not get it resolved and had to repurchase the two games. Apparently it is when you register the game on Origin, do you have another (older) Origin account?

[19489139839]

I've used the same account for the sims 3 this entire time. I don't see what could be the problem.

[puzzlezaddict · Accepted solution]

@19489139839  There's no point in buying a disc tray—if a pack isn't listed in your account, Origin won't authenticate the disc install of that pack or let you play with it.  (This is only for combined disc/Origin installs in Windows.)  As CinderellaGirl91 said, you probably used the code for Seasons already.  If you didn't add it to this Origin account or a previous one, you might have registered it on the Sims 3 store site.  Origin and the store share information, so a code used on one platform will not be usable in the other.

If you still have the code but can't figure out what account Seasons might have been added to, you can contact EA customer support to ask for help.  A support rep can look up the code and the account to which it was added.  As long as you still have access to the email that this second account used, you should be able to ask that your two accounts be merged.  It would also help if you had any proof of purchase (photos of disc, case, and insert; or receipt) to provide.

https://help.ea.com/en/contact-us/

Monte Vista and Hidden Springs need to be downloaded through the store (https://store.thesims3.com/), not Origin.  (Discs won't work either.)  Once you sign into the account in which the content was originally purchased or registered, you can download all of your content from Purchase History, or directly from the product pages.  Again, if you can't find the account that owns this content, you'll need to contact EA support for help.

There is one backdoor way to find out which email address you used to use for the store, if you still have an intact game folder on an old computer.  In Documents\EA\TS3\Downloads, you may see a file labeled [your email].bin, which would be that address.  Then you can use that email to login and get your store content, or ask that it be merged with your newer Origin account.

[19489139839]

OK, thank you for the help