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Is EA the worst company in America?

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  • BizkitNLBizkitNL Member RarePosts: 2,546
    I'm pretty sure that gamers are the biggest trolls on the planet, hence a game publisher somehow being worse than a bank :).
    10
  • preston326preston326 Member UncommonPosts: 115
    Originally posted by Myria

    How anyone could possibly think a company that sells an entertainment product, something completely, utterly, and totally optional, something that would effect your life not in the least if you never bought one of their products, to even suggest such a company could be the "worst company in America"...

    The very notion is so absurd, so utterly, mind-bogglingly stupid, as to bugger the imagination.

    The level of whiny arsed narcissism required to think not getting your Sims3 fix on launch day comes anywhere near the level of companies that price fix foods, extend wars for profit, or manipulate people out of their homes and life savings -- things that, unlike whether or not you got to sit on your arse and enjoy a video game on time, actually fucking matter -- is hard for me to even imagine existing.

    That this is even a question is a testament to every sad gamer stereotype there ever was. It's embarrassing that anyone even had the gal to think this warrants discussion, and the only redeeming feature is that at least there seems to be a fair number of people who recognize that.

    Very well said. It seems like majority of today's gamers are narcissist and complete idiots. 

  • CaldicotCaldicot Member UncommonPosts: 454
    Everything King Midas touched was turned into gold. It seems everythin EA touches is turned to shit.

    If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe. - Carl Sagan

  • SirBalinSirBalin Member UncommonPosts: 1,300
    Originally posted by Isturi

    "EA responds to what could very well be their second ‘Worst Company in America’ award in a row."

    "EA squares off against Ticketmaster. The company would be the first in the contest’s history to win the award twice. Both companies have somehow beat out Carnival" LMAO so true.

    We all know that EA suckes at MMO gaming. Just did not realize how bad they sucked of other style of game play.

    What do you guys think is EA the worst company in America?

     

    Edit for Title corection.

    It is amazing in how someone can word things. I do appoligize to anyone and or to EA who may feel that I was attacking EA in a nagative way. Looking back I did not mean to indirctly imply that EA is the worst company in America. I simply just wanted to get a honest opinion from posters of this comunity in if they agree or disagree if EA should win the contest of being "The Worst company in America" award.

    So I changed the title of this thread to "Is EA the worst company in America?" This of course is my attention from the start to pose this question from post one. After all my poll did convay that.

    P.S. I got the question from EA Chief Operating Officer, Peter Moore, Who asked “Are we really the “Worst Company in America?” As quoted from the link above.

    Obviously a silly poll...sure they have their problems and you can say they suck if you want...but worst in the world...come on.

    Incognito
    www.incognito-gaming.us
    "You're either with us or against us"

  • LugorsLugors Member UncommonPosts: 184
    Originally posted by Quizzical
    Originally posted by Burntvet
    Probably not, there are companies that do far more unethical things and to the detriment of the general public, it is just the average person doesn't see it. Monsanto, Exxon, a little research will yield others.... But also, ask that question on a gaming site, and what do you expect people to say?

    Suppose that the question is "Who is the worst gaming company in America?"  Is there any real doubt about who would win?  Is there any real doubt as to whether it would be a landslide?

    Okay, so let's change the question to "Who is the worst energy company in America?"  Now it's not so obvious who will win, is it?  People who hate ExxonMobil are likely to hate all energy companies that deal with fossil fuels.  There isn't one that you can point to and say, that particular company is terrible, but most of the rest of the industry is fine.

    It's the same if we asked "Who is the worst financial company in America?"  Again, it's not obvious who would win, nor whether it would be in a landslide.  While many banks have drawn the ire of large numbers of people, few have managed to become hated by large numbers of people who have no problem with most of the financial industry.

    Within the gaming industry, however, EA is uniquely bad.  When some big gaming company does something outrageous and scandalous, EA seems to be the culprit more often than not.

    This post hits along the correct line of reasoning.  Bank of America may be bad, but I don't see a big difference between them and Morgan Stanley or the vampire squid of Goldman Sachs.  The industry is corrupt, and the punching bag that is BoA is no better or worse than the others that pay for better press or treatment.  Same for Big Oil.  In many of those cases, people hold political views about the industry, and pick what they view as the most visible or most egregious of the industry.

    Where EA holds a special place in peoples hearts is the fact when compared to their peers, they are really notably bad.  They have the market position to dictate terms to the consumers that gamers neither want nor do they enjoy.  They have acquired studios known for making great games, and cashed in on mediocre follow ons.  They are more known now for their WTF were they thinking moments of Mass Effect, Sim City and SWTOR than their successes lately.
  • BahamutKaiserBahamutKaiser Member UncommonPosts: 314
    Does the US government count?

    Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes.
    That way, if they get angry, they'll be a mile away... and barefoot.

  • PwnagraphicPwnagraphic Member Posts: 8

    I'm not sure where all the hate for EA came from and what started it, but I've never really been a fan of any of their products aside from BF3.

    It's going to be hard for them to clean up this image and they HAVE to know this isn't good for business. What do you do as a CEO of a company when this happens? Are you the cause? Lazy employees? Both? So many questions.. AND MORE! 

  • GrayGhost79GrayGhost79 Member UncommonPosts: 4,775
    Originally posted by Pwnagraphic

    I'm not sure where all the hate for EA came from and what started it, but I've never really been a fan of any of their products aside from BF3.

    It's going to be hard for them to clean up this image and they HAVE to know this isn't good for business. What do you do as a CEO of a company when this happens? Are you the cause? Lazy employees? Both? So many questions.. AND MORE! 

    What do you do as a CEO of a company when this happens? You leave... 

    http://kotaku.com/5991181/ea-ceo-john-riccitiello-steps-down

    lol... 

     

     

  • Yyrkoon_PoMYyrkoon_PoM Member Posts: 150

    As a former employee of both EA and Ticketmaster, it is an easy choice. Ticketmater is hands down the absolute worst company to work for.

     

    I really enjoyed working for EA, so Activision or THQ would be my choice for worst gaming company.

     

    I am surprised that companies like Phillip Morris or RJ Reynolds Tobacco companies have not been mentioned, or even companies like Colt Firearms, Vivid Entertainment, or even say Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, Inc. (incorporated in the state of Georgia) did not make the list is somewhat telling.

  • LoktofeitLoktofeit Member RarePosts: 14,247
    Originally posted by preston326
    Originally posted by Myria

    How anyone could possibly think a company that sells an entertainment product, something completely, utterly, and totally optional, something that would effect your life not in the least if you never bought one of their products, to even suggest such a company could be the "worst company in America"...

    The very notion is so absurd, so utterly, mind-bogglingly stupid, as to bugger the imagination.

    The level of whiny arsed narcissism required to think not getting your Sims3 fix on launch day comes anywhere near the level of companies that price fix foods, extend wars for profit, or manipulate people out of their homes and life savings -- things that, unlike whether or not you got to sit on your arse and enjoy a video game on time, actually fucking matter -- is hard for me to even imagine existing.

    That this is even a question is a testament to every sad gamer stereotype there ever was. It's embarrassing that anyone even had the gal to think this warrants discussion, and the only redeeming feature is that at least there seems to be a fair number of people who recognize that.

    Very well said. It seems like majority of today's gamers are narcissist and complete idiots. 

    Either that or some of the people in this thread are taking the poll and its responses out of context. The poll is on The Consumerist, and the question is in regards to consumer facing interactions - in-store dealings, customer support, communication with the consumer, etc. "Extend wars for profit" doesn't really come into play unless you are saying that somewhere CSRs were delaying call queues or denying refunds because their effort and money was being diverted to subversive acts in the Middle East.

     

    There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
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  • YaevinduskYaevindusk Member RarePosts: 2,094

    Now, I may be taking things out of context as this is a consumer report.  But the collective thought that EA is the worst company as a whole in America is not true (as some who simply hear the question out of context may still agree it is).

    EA is definitely NOT the worst company in America (subject to personal experience when it comes to each consumer, but I'm still talking in general and not within the boundaries of the consumer report context).  It's one of the worst video game companies in America, to be sure.  But there are companies out there that helped cause the recession that the world is facing.  There are also companies that contribute to the death of humans by selling unsafe and addictive items to them.  There are companies that use child labor in foreign companies, paying them pennies for their work and selling around the world for inflated prices (not really relevant from some consumer point of views, unless you are a morally upstanding consumer).  In addition there are institutions meant to rip thousands and thousands of dollars off of individuals and even take away all that they have in the name of profit.

    This is nothing but an unpopularity contest.  The worst EA has done to us is charge us a few dollars for DLC and maybe shut down or stopped supporting a video game we like.  They may also have closed a lot of companies, but really all of the above is something that a lot of companies have done.  If that's what we consider to be the worst company in America as consumers, then we are lucky to be living in first world countries to think this warrants being called the worst corporation in America.  It is likely that EA's recently published game of Sim City probably pissed a lot of people off what with Maxis also lying to the consumers about single player and map boundaries... (and I still think The Sims 3 is a scam) but still.

    Let's take a look at what internet companies are doing to us:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ilMx7k7mso

    Yet still that's first world problems.  But at least EA provides us with quality games as a whole as opposed to the BS we have to endure with the internet.

    Due to frequent travel in my youth, English isn't something I consider my primary language (and thus I obtained quirky ways of writing).  German and French were always easier for me despite my family being U.S. citizens for over a century.  Spanish I learned as a requirement in school, Japanese and Korean I acquired for my youthful desire of anime and gaming (and also work now).  I only debate in English to help me work with it (and limit things).  In addition, I'm not smart enough to remain fluent in everything and typically need exposure to get in the groove of things again if I haven't heard it in a while.  If you understand Mandarin, I know a little, but it has actually been a challenge and could use some help.

    Also, I thoroughly enjoy debates and have accounts on over a dozen sites for this.  If you wish to engage in such, please put effort in a post and provide sources -- I will then do the same with what I already wrote (if I didn't) as well as with my responses to your own.  Expanding my information on a subject makes my stance either change or strengthen the next time I speak of it or write a thesis.  Allow me to thank you sincerely for your time.
  • PhryPhry Member LegendaryPosts: 11,004
    Originally posted by Yaevindusk

    Now, I may be taking things out of context as this is a consumer report.  But the collective thought that EA is the worst company as a whole in America is not true (as some who simply hear the question out of context may still agree it is).

    EA is definitely NOT the worst company in America (subject to personal experience when it comes to each consumer, but I'm still talking in general and not within the boundaries of the consumer report context).  It's one of the worst video game companies in America, to be sure.  But there are companies out there that helped cause the recession that the world is facing.  There are also companies that contribute to the death of humans by selling unsafe and addictive items to them.  There are companies that use child labor in foreign companies, paying them pennies for their work and selling around the world for inflated prices (not really relevant from some consumer point of views, unless you are a morally upstanding consumer).  In addition there are institutions meant to rip thousands and thousands of dollars off of individuals and even take away all that they have in the name of profit.

    This is nothing but an unpopularity contest.  The worst EA has done to us is charge us a few dollars for DLC and maybe shut down or stopped supporting a video game we like.  They may also have closed a lot of companies, but really all of the above is something that a lot of companies have done.  If that's what we consider to be the worst company in America as consumers, then we should consider ourselves lucky to be living in first world countries to think this is the worst corporations in America have to offer.  It is likely that EA's recently published game of Sim City probably pissed a lot of people off what with Maxis also lying to the consumers about single player and map boundaries... (and I still think The Sims 3 is a scam) but still.

    Let's take a look at what internet companies are doing to us:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ilMx7k7mso

    Yet still that's first world problems.  But at least EA provides us with quality games as a whole as opposed to the BS we have to endure with the internet.

    people who think EA is the worst company in america must be idiots, and im pretty sure that it would be very, as in extremely easy, to find a half a dozen companies with very questionable ethics, and thats just within the financial services sector. the question should have been is EA the worst gaming company in america, and even then, i don't think they even qualify, sure they've done a few things, as in dozens, to annoy people from dodgy drm and canning games that players were into, i'll probably never forgive them for Earth and Beyond myself, and the whole Mass Effect 3 thing was irritating beyond belief, but worst company.. seriously..  not even close. image

  • QuizzicalQuizzical Member LegendaryPosts: 25,347
    Originally posted by Tokken

    NO. They've had a lot of good sports games.

    Which games are those, again?  I have one of their basketball games, and I've played one of the Madden games.  Both were astonishingly awful.  As in, whoever thought this was ready for release should be fired awful.

  • QuizzicalQuizzical Member LegendaryPosts: 25,347
    Originally posted by Elikal

    Keep in mind, the question was about the consumer standpoint. It wasn't the question, which has the worst slave labour or whose products pollute the oceans the most. It was about consumer treatment and product quality and how they deal with their customers.

    This is an important point, and one that Loktofeit basically also made.  If a poll is on a web site called "Consumerist", you'd expect them to be talking about consumers.  A poll of the worst company in America is basically a poll of which company treats consumers the worst.

    A similar bracket on monster.com would probably focus more on which company treats its employees the worst.  A bracket on the Sierra Club web site would focus on which company is most damaging to the environment.  A bracket on the Citizens Against Government Waste web site would focus on which company most bribes the government to spend on stuff it shouldn't.  A different site with a different focus would change the winner of the bracket.

    But let's not forget the real purpose of the bracket:  publicity for the Consumerist web site.  And it worked, didn't it?

  • IsturiIsturi Member Posts: 1,509
    Originally posted by Quizzical
    Originally posted by Elikal

    Keep in mind, the question was about the consumer standpoint. It wasn't the question, which has the worst slave labour or whose products pollute the oceans the most. It was about consumer treatment and product quality and how they deal with their customers.

    This is an important point, and one that Loktofeit basically also made.  If a poll is on a web site called "Consumerist", you'd expect them to be talking about consumers.  A poll of the worst company in America is basically a poll of which company treats consumers the worst.

    A similar bracket on monster.com would probably focus more on which company treats its employees the worst.  A bracket on the Sierra Club web site would focus on which company is most damaging to the environment.  A bracket on the Citizens Against Government Waste web site would focus on which company most bribes the government to spend on stuff it shouldn't.  A different site with a different focus would change the winner of the bracket.

    But let's not forget the real purpose of the bracket:  publicity for the Consumerist web site.  And it worked, didn't it?

    The prob is Quizz is that people forgot what CUTOMER servise really means. It not just EA and all the other national companies but it trickles down to local retail or a good example is I ride the city bus were I live and it blows huge as far as they go as a company imho so it just seems that companies in general do not care about it at all, the bottom line is the all mighty dollar.

    image

  • QuizzicalQuizzical Member LegendaryPosts: 25,347
    Originally posted by Isturi
    Originally posted by Quizzical
    Originally posted by Elikal

    Keep in mind, the question was about the consumer standpoint. It wasn't the question, which has the worst slave labour or whose products pollute the oceans the most. It was about consumer treatment and product quality and how they deal with their customers.

    This is an important point, and one that Loktofeit basically also made.  If a poll is on a web site called "Consumerist", you'd expect them to be talking about consumers.  A poll of the worst company in America is basically a poll of which company treats consumers the worst.

    A similar bracket on monster.com would probably focus more on which company treats its employees the worst.  A bracket on the Sierra Club web site would focus on which company is most damaging to the environment.  A bracket on the Citizens Against Government Waste web site would focus on which company most bribes the government to spend on stuff it shouldn't.  A different site with a different focus would change the winner of the bracket.

    But let's not forget the real purpose of the bracket:  publicity for the Consumerist web site.  And it worked, didn't it?

    The prob is Quizz is that people forgot what CUTOMER servise really means. It not just EA and all the other national companies but it trickles down to local retail or a good example is I ride the city bus were I live and it blows huge as far as they go as a company imho so it just seems that companies in general do not care it all about, the bottom line and that is the all mighty dollar.

    Well yes, companies are in business to make money.  That's their reason for existence, and if they don't do it, they go out of business.  It's kind of like how the reason employees work at their job is because they want a paycheck.

    Would you be willing to pay more for a given good or service if the company treats you well?  If not, and you'd just buy from the cheapest vendor without regard to customer service, then you don't want to be treated well.  You want the company to cut corners and pass the savings on to you.  If that's your choice, then that's fine, but don't complain about poor customer service.

    The thing that motivates corporations is making money.  If treating customers well means that they'll make more money, then they'll work very hard to offer excellent customer service.  But offering good customer service costs money, so it only makes them money if they can increase what they charge by more than the cost of providing good customer service.

    In some industries, there is room both for cut-rate vendors and also for premium vendors who charge more but provide better service.  In computer games, it breaks down somewhat, as people make their choices more on the basis of the games that they want to play than on the basis of the company's reputation for customer service.

    Are you willing to boycott a company over bad customer service, even if they make games that you would otherwise want to play?  Or at least to use poor customer service as a strike against them, and sometimes decline to buy a game that you would have bought from a different company?  If a lot of people do, then most game companies will figure out that offering decent customer service is important, and act accordingly.  If people aren't willing to base buying decisions on customer service, then companies will figure out that customers don't care how they're treated, and will cut costs there.

    You're right:  all that they care about is the bottom line and the almighty dollar.  But that's a good thing, not a bad thing, as it's the leverage that we have to make them do what we want.  If no one buys anything from a company, they don't make money, and will either go out of business or figure out what they need to change to convince people to buy from them.

  • LawlmonsterLawlmonster Member UncommonPosts: 1,085
    As a consumer of games, I think EA is abhorrent. As an individual who recognizes that other industries are doing far worse to our economical well being, or even physical well being, I could care less about EA. Worst gaming company? To me, without a doubt. Worst company in the United States? Absolutely not.

    "This is life! We suffer and slave and expire. That's it!" -Bernard Black (Dylan Moran)

  • IsturiIsturi Member Posts: 1,509
    Originally posted by Quizzical
    Originally posted by Isturi
    Originally posted by Quizzical
    Originally posted by Elikal

    Keep in mind, the question was about the consumer standpoint. It wasn't the question, which has the worst slave labour or whose products pollute the oceans the most. It was about consumer treatment and product quality and how they deal with their customers.

    This is an important point, and one that Loktofeit basically also made.  If a poll is on a web site called "Consumerist", you'd expect them to be talking about consumers.  A poll of the worst company in America is basically a poll of which company treats consumers the worst.

    A similar bracket on monster.com would probably focus more on which company treats its employees the worst.  A bracket on the Sierra Club web site would focus on which company is most damaging to the environment.  A bracket on the Citizens Against Government Waste web site would focus on which company most bribes the government to spend on stuff it shouldn't.  A different site with a different focus would change the winner of the bracket.

    But let's not forget the real purpose of the bracket:  publicity for the Consumerist web site.  And it worked, didn't it?

    The prob is Quizz is that people forgot what CUTOMER servise really means. It not just EA and all the other national companies but it trickles down to local retail or a good example is I ride the city bus were I live and it blows huge as far as they go as a company imho so it just seems that companies in general do not care it all about, the bottom line and that is the all mighty dollar.

    Well yes, companies are in business to make money.  That's their reason for existence, and if they don't do it, they go out of business.  It's kind of like how the reason employees work at their job is because they want a paycheck.

    Would you be willing to pay more for a given good or service if the company treats you well?  If not, and you'd just buy from the cheapest vendor without regard to customer service, then you don't want to be treated well.  You want the company to cut corners and pass the savings on to you.  If that's your choice, then that's fine, but don't complain about poor customer service.

    The thing that motivates corporations is making money.  If treating customers well means that they'll make more money, then they'll work very hard to offer excellent customer service.  But offering good customer service costs money, so it only makes them money if they can increase what they charge by more than the cost of providing good customer service.

    In some industries, there is room both for cut-rate vendors and also for premium vendors who charge more but provide better service.  In computer games, it breaks down somewhat, as people make their choices more on the basis of the games that they want to play than on the basis of the company's reputation for customer service.

    Are you willing to boycott a company over bad customer service, even if they make games that you would otherwise want to play?  Or at least to use poor customer service as a strike against them, and sometimes decline to buy a game that you would have bought from a different company?  If a lot of people do, then most game companies will figure out that offering decent customer service is important, and act accordingly.  If people aren't willing to base buying decisions on customer service, then companies will figure out that customers don't care how they're treated, and will cut costs there.

    You're right:  all that they care about is the bottom line and the almighty dollar.  But that's a good thing, not a bad thing, as it's the leverage that we have to make them do what we want.  If no one buys anything from a company, they don't make money, and will either go out of business or figure out what they need to change to convince people to buy from them.

    Er um ask your grandad what customer service was like back in the 50's 60's 70's 80's even the 90' Ask them what is it like to pull up to a full service gas station and get the windows washed the oil chk the tires chk all for just pulling in to buy gas.

    Do you remember door greeters at WalMart I sure do. Dont see them anymore.

    How about talking to a real person instead of someone from India or worse a Automated system?

    Trust me I can go on with more examples but the list would be way to long. In short customer service is a thing of the past and EA got the blunt end of it because at one time EA stood for customer service not no more.

    image

  • ShazzelShazzel Member Posts: 472

    Any customer service you receive at Wal*Mart is incidental. If you wanted something or needed to ask a question it wouldn't be unusual to spend 25+ mins looking for an employee that can help.

     

    Electronics? just forget it... one overworked employee with 20 people waiting. I guess they think they are saving money but look at all the lost sales.

  • FromHellFromHell Member Posts: 1,311

    Better candidates:

     

    Goldman Sachs

    BP

    McDonalds

     

     

     

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  • nerovipus32nerovipus32 Member Posts: 2,735
    Originally posted by FromHell

    Better candidates:

     

    Goldman Sachs

    BP

    McDonalds

     

     

     

    BP are not American

  • WarmakerWarmaker Member UncommonPosts: 2,246

    I wouldn't say EA is the worst company in America.  Some banks come to mind for me in this regard.  But EA to me has dethroned Activision as the worst game publisher in America, who themselves took it away from EA several years ago.  Now EA got their crown back!

    YAY!!! image

    "I have only two out of my company and 20 out of some other company. We need support, but it is almost suicide to try to get it here as we are swept by machine gun fire and a constant barrage is on us. I have no one on my left and only a few on my right. I will hold." (First Lieutenant Clifton B. Cates, US Marine Corps, Soissons, 19 July 1918)

  • ScotScot Member LegendaryPosts: 22,823

    As it is one of the top games companies in the world we expect a lot. We expect it to set a standard of quality for others to reach, it is not doing that. We expect it to set a standard in decent buisness practice. It is not doing that.

    EA's failings are more note worthy because we expect the best. But that is no excuse, they are a giant and are making profits to match. They need to live up to their logo, not hide behind it.

  • catlanacatlana Member Posts: 1,677
    With companies like Monsanto poisoning the ground & tobacco companies poisoning the air as well as deliberately addicting consumers, people who voted for EA are pretty much hopeless. You wonder why employers look down on gamers? The lack of awareness implied in this award is part of the reason why.
  • Darkfalz89Darkfalz89 Member UncommonPosts: 581
    Originally posted by catlana

    With companies like Monsanto poisoning the ground & tobacco companies poisoning the air as well as deliberately addicting consumers, people who voted for EA are pretty much hopeless. You wonder why employers look down on gamers? The lack of awareness implied in this award is part of the reason why.

     

    Can't deny this, but as far as the worst/greediest american game developers go they take the cake. I get that mmos need to profit and reach some new audience's, but when the lowest common denominator (which is the larger audience they gear their games toward) even says it sucks you may have a problem. They have effectively ruined several great ips and their respective companies. Delivering half baked games and pushing dlc down people's throats (im looking at you too capcom).
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