sims3 starter pack product code

[0806tice]

 my wife and i just started origin accounts for both our daughters who love sims3. my problem is i just spent forty dollors for two starter packs at walmart but one of the new games say product code has been used but there is no way since i just opened it. and where is the 24/7 help i already posted my question two hours ago used facebook and responded to a email, what gives? And dont tell me i mixed them up or it was used cause i know better. please help..........anyone

[0806tice]

not happy cause they said at walmart you cant play a game on two different computers so i got sims3 for both my daughters the first one downloaded on my oldest computer but then when i opened the other NEW one it says the product code has already been used. how can that be. i need another code so i can download her starter pack of sims3 or how can i get my money back cause im not happy at all. please let me know what and how to fix this issue.

[rumbutter]

 to contact CS

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guide on how to contact CS

http://answers.ea.com/t5/Beta-Archive/How-to-contact-a-Game-Advisor-using-the-new-EA-Help-page/td-p/...

just a thought do/did you do two seperate origin accounts for each of the girls or just the one account ? as that may be the issue each one would need their own origin account anyway you would need to contact CS as above with help for account/invalid codes

[D184788]

Same thing just happen to me . i got a hold of a tech but he was no help what so ever. He told me to take the game back to walmart. I called walmart and they said this happens a lot that EA package used or none valid product codes . it seems like a big money scam from EA. They should make sure the codes are valid before they package the product. I have seen a lot of sites talking about product codes not working. EA should at least contact the people who are haven these issues and give them a working code . not make them run back to the store to replace the game or get a refund . its not the stores fault. I still need a product code for my sims 3 starter pack and yet EA wont give me one . im so pissed off. Looks like ill be running back to walmart to get my money back . no way am i taken another chance of haven this bull * happening to me again and to think i was going to punches more games in the future.

[roberta591]

@0806tice Big box stores sell the sims 3 packaged with a disc. There seems to be some vendors that are spoofing codes (on Ebay?). These vendors are not authorized by EA to sell codes and what happens is a true buyer gets burned. OR what I have seen is shoppers go into these stores and open the product and copy the code and then return the product to the shelf. The product is then sold to an unknowing customer. Many big box stores buy their product from a distributor who then sells it to one or many big box stores. Resale stores have the same problem. They pay for a sims 3 disc with a code that has already been used. As the big box store is NOT an authorized seller, the customer needs to return the purchase to the place of sale for an exchange or refund and let the big box store return the product to the distributor (their problem). First let me say that the disc is generic (meaning they are all the same for a given product) and contain the old DRM (SecuROM and SafeDisc) that is no longer supported by Windows and OS X operating systems. I think Sony paid someone to develop SecuROM. Once the product was developed SecuROM was never really supported and really acts like a rootkit (if it looks like a rootkit and acts like a rootkit maybe) that is never updated to fix holes that are found over time. The new DRM is Origin (no more install limit and no more disc required to play) which makes the disc pretty much useless because you have to update the disc version to Origin because all the DLC has been updated for Origin and will probably not work with the old DRM. Many software companies are getting away from physical distribution. The last two Tombraider games and Fallout 4 required Valve's Steam activation. I bought Fallout 4 from Amazon and it came with a disc I never used. I used the enclosed code and got the digital download from Steam. I include this because Origin is much like Steam. I recently bought an Xbox live code from an Ebay seller (had bought from twice before) and got an error when I tried to enter the code. After hours (over 8 hours) of chatting and faxing with some rude lady(?) Days later I found out from Microsoft Xbox support that if I turn off the automatic replenish that it also rejects card codes (what?). Over 12 hours to redeem a code bought from Gamestop and the code was good. Same thing happened to may PS3. after a year of using it the console quit working. After a few trips to Gamestop it turns out you have to register the console (after a year?)! This happened just before the PS4 was released. Just take the game back to that big box store and get an exchange or refund like any other purchase you would make there. I hope this explains some of the mechanics of software sales.

[roberta591]

@D184788  If you buy a TV by manufacturer XYZ from a big box store what is the first thing you would do when it doesn't work out of the box. You would return that TV to place of purchase. Same principle. That big box store is NOT a representative of EA and EA does not get any profit from that sale from the big box store. If you read my post above the code was probably good when the item was packaged. I continue to see The Sims 3 (and other games like it) sold in used book stores. The DRM on the disc is out of date and the code more then likely won't work. This game is just like the windows operating system that most of us like so much. You have to activate the installation for it to continue to work.  Most software is sold with an EULA (end user license agreement). You do not own the software - what you are paying for is a license to use the software under the TOS (terms of service). Example I have business internet service from the local cable company. One time the internet went out and I called the support number. This was Monday and I was told someone would be out Thursday. I politely read the person the commercial terms of service that I'm paying for and 3 hours later I had a technician standing in my house with a new cable box. The TOS gave me 12 hour response and I think their service date was more then the 12 hours I was paying for. I now have an understanding with the cable company but luckily I have few problems with the cable internet. I'm old school. I liked the art work you used to get on a lp record. I like the idea of buying a game on disc but computers are now being sold without an optical drive. How do you get artwork on a thumb drive? BTW Amazon IS an authorized EA reseller. The few issues I've had with Amazon were resolved with one phone call - Bezos got the system down pat. Now the three richest women in the United States seem to want to sell but have trouble with follow through. Big box stores seem to want to sell a lot of what they don't know a lot about what they sell.