sims 3 store purchases bugged

[PinkFluffBunny]

unable to download/install sims 3 store purchases.

i saw another post similar to this, but it had a reply post marked as "answer" & it isnt an answer for this problem, as ive done all the things in that post with no change. I spoke with EA support minutes ago, & was told this issue has been reported by other users & they are working to find a solution, on their end.

to clarify. a window pops up in game when buying store content, asking for you to log in & even if you enter the correct information, it will say it is wrong, endlessly.

downloading via a browser like Firefox, or chrome does NOT work, it returns 404 errors.

Clearing internet explorer cache does NOT work, it does nothing to change the issue.

I personally spoke to support at 12:15PM EST on 3/9/20 & was told they are aware & working to fix the problem. I was also told to check "the forums" for when it might be resolved by EA ( seems absurd) who comes on here? unless of course they have a problem. no time frame given for when they would fix it, so i guess tough luck is the official stance.

[puzzlezaddict · Accepted solution]

@PinkFluffBunny  There have been a few different intermittent login issues over the past few years.  Some have been global and entirely on EA's end, some are on the user's end, and one was that anyone with an & in their password couldn't login (and received the same message you posted).  This issue isn't global on EA's end, since I can login to the Main Menu (I tried about 20 minutes ago) and there are no other reports from today on the sites I've checked.  I'm not saying it isn't an EA issue, just that it's not affecting everyone.

On your end, the most thorough process would be to change the password to something with only letters and numbers, clear IE's cache again, move the Sims 3 folder out of Documents\Electronic Arts, and try to login to the Main Menu.  Let me know whether this works.

For the store content, if it's being this finicky, I personally would just reinstall it all from scratch.  (You can do this in the clean folder that will be created after you move the old Sims 3 folder out of Documents and launch the game.)  Once store items start disappearing intermittently, they tend not to go back to working.  But when they do work, they show up regardless of whether the player is signed in; they even load when the computer is completely offline.

You can download everything from your daughter's purchase history (for free) on the store site, and install it through the launcher without loading the game itself.  If she owns any worlds, download and install them one at a time, not in a batch with anything else; other items can be in small groups, maybe half a dozen at a time.

[puzzlezaddict]

@PinkFluffBunny  I just logged into the Sims 3 store site (as in, five minutes ago) and downloaded a set.  I wasn't logged into the launcher, because it's never necessary while downloading or installing store stuff.  But I logged into the launcher afterwards as well.  I didn't get any errors, and everything worked quickly.

Try clearing your browser cache, or using a different browser.  (I used Firefox, which works better with the store than Chrome.)  And if, when you cleared Internet Explorer's cache, you didn't uncheck the box to preserve data for favorite sites, please do so.  The launcher may count as a "favorite site," in which case you wouldn't have wiped the game data from IE.

If none of this helps, have your daughter go to ea.com and change her password to something with only letters and numbers, no special characters, accents, etc.  Even though it's less secure, it's worth testing.  Then clear the browser cache again and try to login to the store.

Edit:  I moved my comment to your thread rather than the old one.

Reading your new post, I should also add that the in-game purchase interface is notoriously unreliable.  I never use it—if I want something, I go to the store site.

[PinkFluffBunny]

this is what i get when using FF to download store content. as you can see in my post, ive cleared caches, used different browsers, etc, heck, ive even tried on a entirely separate PC, & yes, also changed passwords too. im glad it works for you, but according to people who DO work at EA, a issue is occurring. thanks for your input though.

please dont take my reply in a rude manner. i DO appreciate your input, & i appreciate you taking the time to reply.

[puzzlezaddict]

@PinkFluffBunny  There was an issue a few days ago that got cleared up within a few hours, but I haven't seen any reports since then.  Given the time zone you listed, I take it you're in the U.S.?  If you let me know your general region, I can ask if there are any other known issues.  (Support is sometimes a bit behind with information.)  Do you use a VPN or proxy, and if so, have you tried disabling it?

By the way, this is the address I use, in a normal or private window:

https://store.thesims3.com/

I've never had any issues using it on any system.  But if your browsers have been set to block certain content, perhaps they're blocking the store too.  Try a browser you've never messed with, or reset the settings to default on one of them.

If that doesn't help, it's possible the issue is your router or ISP.  You can try using your phone as a mobile hotspot, at least long enough to see whether the site loads.  Be sure to use mobile data, not your home wifi.

[PinkFluffBunny]

Yes. im in Massachusetts.

the link you provided DOES work! but im on my work PC, ill have her bring her laptop down, shes home from school sick. We'll try that.

the link you posted, does what it is supposed to do, which is ask for the launcher to be chosen to DL the content.

but we still cant log in to her account in game, so she cant use her content or DLC. i even downloaded Sims 3 to MY PC, to see if it would be a her PC thing, & still no go, i got the same response..

the link you posted DOES work, i am able to download & install it, but once Sims 3 is launched, i have to log in to access DLC/content, etc, & when entering the correct information (ive quadruple checked many times over now) it gives a message like i entered the wrong info.

[puzzlezaddict]

@PinkFluffBunny  The store content should install without any login.  Just open the launcher's Downloads tab, click the box next to what you want to install, and it should take a few seconds.  (It's best not to install too much at once though—the launcher is a delicate creature and can't handle large amounts of data.)

I never play logged into either the launcher or Main Menu, and my packs and store stuff show up every time.  Can you let me know what content specifically isn't loading without a login?  It would also help to know what kind of install this is: Origin, disc, Steam.  There are some issues with the store content patches on non-Origin installs these days.

[PinkFluffBunny]

yes the store stuff all worked fine using the link you posted, thats no longer an issue. the issue is now & was, that we cannot log in to the sims 3 account. i can launch the sims 3, but to access her worlds & DLC, families etc, she needs to log in to the account they are on. but we cant. she has never had an issue logging in, it just  started last night we think, other than then & now, she always logs in. i dont play the game, im a 41 year old man, so i cant tell you exactly what is or isnt part of logging in, but i do know she always does it. it even has a widow sayign that when skipping log in.

if i choose the "forgot password" option, it redirects to EA.com, where i CAN log in perfectly fine, with the right info that sims 3 rejects. to me , it seems liek there is a communication problem between EA servers & sims  or Origin.

EA support is terrible. it says stay on page to wait for chat window, & to click pop up to see how long, but there is no pop up. they just let you sit there infinitely, they ignore you. what an awful company support system. ive sunk literal hundreds & hundreds into this game, you think they could use some of that money to create a proper support team & system. the fact that im in a forum, getting help from someone who doesnt work for EA is VERY telling.

[puzzlezaddict]

@PinkFluffBunny  Saves should always be accessible without logging in, and so should any DLC.  Everything is stored locally and doesn't need an active connection to EA servers.  The reason I'm asking for a specific example of something that's missing is so I can suggest where you might look for it on your daughter's computer (to see whether the content is still present) and how to possibly restore it if it's not.

The only content that should go missing without an active login would be the store stuff that's being advertised but isn't owned by the signed in account.  Additionally, if store stuff is installed via the Main Menu (in your screenshot), it does go missing later, or else it has to be redownloaded a few times before it "sticks."  This isn't supposed to happen, but it does, and that's why we always recommend downloading through the store site, not the game.

As for the inability to login, the other thing to try is moving the entire Sims 3 user data folder out of Documents\Electronic Arts.  But saves, installed store content, and anything else your daughter has added to her game won't load, because the files will all be in the moved out folder; the game will spawn a new empty one in its place.  The old content can be moved to the new folder, but in the interim, it would be hard to test whether installed store content was showing up.  (Or you could just install everything fresh into the new folder and then move the saves over afterwards.)  Either approach works; it's just a question of what you want to troubleshoot first.

[PinkFluffBunny]

i just asked her, & it seems Yes, only what i paid for in the store is what is missing, i dont play, so i was wrong on what she cannot access without logging in. but still, i paid for those items, i wants her to access them when she wants. so there is still the issue, as to why sims 3 isnt communicating with EA properly.

[puzzlezaddict · Accepted solution]

@PinkFluffBunny  There have been a few different intermittent login issues over the past few years.  Some have been global and entirely on EA's end, some are on the user's end, and one was that anyone with an & in their password couldn't login (and received the same message you posted).  This issue isn't global on EA's end, since I can login to the Main Menu (I tried about 20 minutes ago) and there are no other reports from today on the sites I've checked.  I'm not saying it isn't an EA issue, just that it's not affecting everyone.

On your end, the most thorough process would be to change the password to something with only letters and numbers, clear IE's cache again, move the Sims 3 folder out of Documents\Electronic Arts, and try to login to the Main Menu.  Let me know whether this works.

For the store content, if it's being this finicky, I personally would just reinstall it all from scratch.  (You can do this in the clean folder that will be created after you move the old Sims 3 folder out of Documents and launch the game.)  Once store items start disappearing intermittently, they tend not to go back to working.  But when they do work, they show up regardless of whether the player is signed in; they even load when the computer is completely offline.

You can download everything from your daughter's purchase history (for free) on the store site, and install it through the launcher without loading the game itself.  If she owns any worlds, download and install them one at a time, not in a batch with anything else; other items can be in small groups, maybe half a dozen at a time.