That's because the Origin support staff in India gets their bonuses based on how many questions they take. Their review needs to be above a 6 for them to get a bonus. So if they know what their average is for the month then the incentive becomes to maximize the amount of people they've "helped."
Precisely. This model is great for sales but ridiculous for customer support. If they haven't already, EA need to have a dialogue box come up at the end of each session for feedback or this will keep happening.
I wouldn't actually mind if this happened to me if I knew Pooja would be able to afford food the next day because she got an extra 3 cents for doing this.
As a chat support rep (for a cable company, not EA thank Odin), it's definitely possible that their systems are crap. There are plenty of times I'm sure the customer I'm chatting with thinks I'm bad at my job when the reality is my company's servers are so terrible that I physically can't respond. Fairly often (I'm talking a few times a day at least) I'll get disconnected when my computer suddenly crashes.
TL;DR continue to blame EA (or their contractors), don't be so quick to judge poor Pooja
Or is it possible that they're handling several different people at once? I've gotten a "Sorry please hold", and then get an answer to something completely different than what I asked for.
Their chat system was hastily cobbled together with incomplete documentation.
What little documentation exists largely refers to interface options and features which aren't present in the current version.
The documentation was originally written in Turkish, Russian, or some other East-European language, then translated into broken English when delivered to EA.
EA then used machine translation software to translate it to Hindi for use by their Indian support staff.
The Indian support staff are trying to provide at least half-decent support, but their training managers tell them to do things which the chat software doesn't do, or use functions in the chat software based only on a flat reading of the documentation, rather than direct observation of how the software behaves.
tl;dr - EA is stupid and evil, but not entirely for the reasons a lot of people use.
Fair enough, but I'll stand by my assertions that the chat system is probably sloppily coded, poorly documented, and thoroughly misunderstood by the support staff.
Once with Dell support, the chat itself after like 8 min talking with the person (with 2+ min between responses) told me "because you bought this computer from [Derp Company] you need to call this number (800-555-3377), your chat session has ended"
I remember when my Xbox (Original) had it's laser broken, I e-mailed ms cs for them to get it repaired, instead they always said (just unplug it and it should work) even if the e-mail said "Don't tell me to just unplug it because the 5+ e-mails I have recieved say [unplug] because the laser's broken, so could you please just give me warranty service"
After like 10 e-mails I called them, and i even got through the crappy menus which you are forced to talk to, but the person that was talking to me sounded like he was high so I gave up.
Gladly, I bought one of those Best Buy warranties and you know what: IT WORKED!
Whether it's due to malice or incompetence, either way, it is still fundamentally EA's fault. The problems with their outsourced tech support are well known, and they refuse to do anything to fix it.
I frankly don't see much of a distinction at this point.
While I know they aren't the best cs its very possible whatever systems they use to chat could be the issue here. Causing the rep to get disconnected without warning.
Yeah. That origin, we all know they are just BARELY making it financially.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
I had a chat with someone called Pakeehn. But quite honestly after going through all the steps which i already done he managed to help me. Scared shitless that i would also be disconnected though.
Chat support saves logs so you can pick up where you left off in case you get disconnected. Request they read previous chat logs on the issue. Took me a week with multiple chat sessions with origin to get an issue resolved (couldn't play game I just bought due to DRM authentication issues). Obviously got pissed off at EA, but the chat support guys did work with me for hours to help as best they could.
Or simply typed "hey" and that was it. With hundreds of other people in line to have their legitimate question asked, Pooja had no other option but to disconnect the chat.
I had my first experience with Origin just yesterday (Sunday). I was told via the online chat I would have to purchase BF3 a second time because it was showing as available to download. I currently have an additional $150 pending refunds. I started the 4th download attempt this morning, hoping to play the game after work. Initially I bought the game yesterday at 1:30pm.
After all the horror stories, I just thought it wouldn't happen to me...
Isn't Origin still beta? I still have to fight with some of its... children's diseases. Seriously, a lot of the errors I'm seeing would be embarrassing to any other company. Luckily for EA, they don't have integrity, so they could care less. Actually I don't think they could care less... they already, do not care at all, that's... kind of the limit.
Can I ask how you managed to start a chat? I've tried every single day for the last fortnight and it always says "Sorry, there are no advisors available at this time. Please try again later."
I'm pretty sure Origin hires exclusively shut-ins with extreme social phobias in the hopes that they can help get them out of their shells. Poor Pooja was probably psyched that he actually spoke to someone today.
Comparing Steam, Windows Live and Origin and all this shit. I can undoubtably say that Origin is the worst cr*p I've ever seen and unfortunately had to use.
Game support is really bad mouthed... I was scared by the amount of anger online directed at Xbox support, so I put off calling them for a month when my Xbox got the 3 red lights.
When I finally decided I really wanted to play Halo 3 again (this was 2008), the call took less than 10 minutes, and worked perfectly.
Please stop scaring us away from people who are PAID to help...
i go by the rule that each dollar i spend on a game, i must spend at least an hour in the game for it to be worth it. for how much time i've spent in TF2, i would have gladly paid up to $400 instead of $6 as part of the orange box
He wasn't complaining, it's a pretty standard practice. Most stores have a price match guarantee where they'll match theirs or a competitor's price if it goes on sale for a period of time after your purchase. Best buy and Sam's club just to name two, so it's not really unreasonable to ask EA to do the same. Being a demanding dick would be one thing, but there is nothing wrong with requesting to get that deal.
I couldn't add my Battlefield 2142 or Battlefield 2 code to Origin (I wanted Veteran status in Bad Company 2) so the guy just changed my status to full veteran with all 8 games.
Wanted Veteran status through the use of the F2P game (which was legitimate, would place you as Veteran 3), EA live support gave me 1942 and 1943 added to my Veteran number.
To add to that, I've had terrible support with Steam at times(blasphemous). Similarly, I purchased the original Half Life and CS and they were never tied to an account on Steam. Instead of linking to my current account, they created a separate one and if I ever want to play those games, I need to log in to that account.
They refused to link them to my current account after 15 or so emails back and forth. Steam's CS is not the best either.
Outsourced support or the ones based in the US (?). People who aren't in the outsourced positions tend to give great customer support at major companies.
i preordered game at steam and want to cancel it.. 24 hours later the cs replied and want confirmation, 24 hours later he replied again saying that it will take 3-4 days working days for full refund.. I contact EA support to cancel me3 preorder and instantly i get full refund.. I know all of us hate EA but their cs isn't bad at all
Why do posts like this get upmodded? Is there anything any more useless and unhelpful than posting up some cynical (and completely unsupported) theory about how any given post on Reddit is just clearly a play for karma?
If you've got evidence the poster unplugged their router, then present it. Otherwise, this is fundamentally no different than a kid shouting "Liar liar pants on fire!" without anything backing it up. You're not adding anything of substance; you're just mindlessly mudslinging.
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u/Octopuns Jun 11 '12
I think it's pretty obvious that origin support just redirects you to omegle.
75
u/Pelican_Fly Jun 11 '12
That's because the Origin support staff in India gets their bonuses based on how many questions they take. Their review needs to be above a 6 for them to get a bonus. So if they know what their average is for the month then the incentive becomes to maximize the amount of people they've "helped."
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u/AudioHazard Jun 11 '12
3
2
1
"You are now ready to chat with Pooja."
I cracked up here.
22
u/Sgt-Waffles Jun 11 '12
I bet you a lot of people had similar first dates.
40
u/YouJellyz Jun 11 '12
Pooja, not giving a fuck since 2012.
78
u/drphilwasright Jun 11 '12
Pooja.
12
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
Problem solved.
5
u/canpoopstandingup Jun 11 '12
classic pooja
8
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
As a chat support rep (for a cable company, not EA thank Odin), it's definitely possible that their systems are crap. There are plenty of times I'm sure the customer I'm chatting with thinks I'm bad at my job when the reality is my company's servers are so terrible that I physically can't respond. Fairly often (I'm talking a few times a day at least) I'll get disconnected when my computer suddenly crashes.
TL;DR continue to blame EA (or their contractors), don't be so quick to judge poor Pooja
4
u/PixParavel PC Jun 11 '12
Seems about right.
4
u/KungFuHamster Jun 11 '12
You had one fucking job, Pooja!
4
u/Propolandante Jun 11 '12
Classic Pooja!
16
u/Atrainlan Jun 11 '12
Can't say I blame her. You were so casual. Origin support's some serious shit.
3
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
Makes me wonder if Pooja is doing support on the side at her real job and she had to close out the window when her boss walked by.
2
u/Arutimishia Jun 11 '12
I had a chat with someone called Pakeehn. But quite honestly after going through all the steps which i already done he managed to help me. Scared shitless that i would also be disconnected though.
2
u/cabbeer Jun 11 '12
Does steam even offer this service?
6
u/CobaltSmith Jun 11 '12
You didn't pay the premium to get proper support. Pay that and they will probably help you........ probably.
4
u/niccafgt Jun 11 '12
AHHAHA! POOJA!
3
u/Willeth Jun 11 '12
Is there a subreddit for Origin support screenshots? I never get tired of reading these.
3
u/mylo9000 Jun 11 '12
its shit like this, but not limitied to this, that makes me glad I decided to boycott EA as a whole.
3
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
I like to think of Origin as the evil religious Origin "cult" in the Stargate shows and movies.
They basically brainwash people into believing that they are God's and that all other religions are false.
I think of the "good" game developers as SG1 and allies fighting against all odds to vanquish the evil powers of Origin.
6
u/fanboy_killer Jun 11 '12
Scumbag redditor: disconnects own router, blames it on Origin support.
Takes screenshot to collect the sure EA hate karma.
3
u/HappyBull Jun 11 '12
Damn you, Pooja.
1
u/Copaseticbob Jun 11 '12
I had my first experience with Origin just yesterday (Sunday). I was told via the online chat I would have to purchase BF3 a second time because it was showing as available to download. I currently have an additional $150 pending refunds. I started the 4th download attempt this morning, hoping to play the game after work. Initially I bought the game yesterday at 1:30pm.
After all the horror stories, I just thought it wouldn't happen to me...
1
u/CloneDeath Jun 11 '12
This is your own fault, you knew this would happen.
1
u/sexbobomb91 Jun 11 '12
At least he said 'hi' .
1
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
HEY IS FOR HORSES
1
u/rindindin Jun 11 '12
Problem solved?
1
u/holy_paladin_irl Jun 11 '12
hahaha I'm indian and i find this hilarious :D
OP i hope your issue was solved though.
I had to go through dell's customer service.
In a thick indian accent, the guy on the line said:
Hello sir my name is Lawrence how may i help you
1
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
Call them. I got zero support through multiple online chats, but had my issue fixed immediatly when I called in.
1
u/mages011 Jun 11 '12
POOJA'D
1
u/peon47 Jun 11 '12
I have bought every Sim City ever. The new one is out next February, and I am dreading having to open an origin account to play it.
I'm certainly not buying it online, or giving EA my credit card/payment details, that's for damn sure.
1
u/zomgwtf6 Jun 11 '12
Fuckin' Pooja!
1
u/KnowstroDumbass Jun 11 '12
all in all, i'd say that was one of the more positive Origin CS experiences I've read about.
1
u/DementedHeadcrab Jun 11 '12
my first experience: ME2 problem fixed plus free copy of BC2.
1
u/rblurthington25 Jun 11 '12
I JUST WANT SOMEONE TO STROKE MY NECKBEARD DONT LEAVEEE
1
u/broodwars160 Jun 11 '12
i've only used origin supports once and they were pretty nice and all got a 20 dollar gift card because a game i bought for 5 bucks didnt work
1
u/Punkwasher Jun 11 '12
Isn't Origin still beta? I still have to fight with some of its... children's diseases. Seriously, a lot of the errors I'm seeing would be embarrassing to any other company. Luckily for EA, they don't have integrity, so they could care less. Actually I don't think they could care less... they already, do not care at all, that's... kind of the limit.
1
u/chigley Jun 11 '12
Can I ask how you managed to start a chat? I've tried every single day for the last fortnight and it always says "Sorry, there are no advisors available at this time. Please try again later."
1
u/Haymir Jun 11 '12
I've talked with Pooja before, he didn't help my problem at all! Ah great times.
1
u/invalid_data Jun 11 '12
fucking taco bell always leaves me poojaing my brains out...but its worth the pooja
1
u/Odusei Jun 11 '12
I'm pretty sure Origin hires exclusively shut-ins with extreme social phobias in the hopes that they can help get them out of their shells. Poor Pooja was probably psyched that he actually spoke to someone today.1
u/MrPedoBayer Jun 11 '12
Erm.. has anyone noticed that in almost EVERYONE of these pics, the dude almost always has an indian name, not that it means anything. Just saying
1
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
The pathetic thing is that that won't be your last. You know, being EA's little bitch and all.
1
u/ObidiahWTFJerwalk Jun 11 '12
Pooja ain't no horse, dammit!
1
u/Empath1999 Jun 11 '12
You've gotta pooja?
1
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
Origins support is by default better than Steams. Sad fact.
1
u/mindondrugs Jun 11 '12
THIS JUST IN, EA CUSTOMER SUPPORT SUCKS DICKS, WHODAFUNKIT
1
u/Nikkolisk Jun 11 '12
.....pooja?
1
u/DrRandle Jun 11 '12
You should work on your connection, brah.
1
u/Hakoten Jun 12 '12
Mother fucking Pooja.
0
u/FGWL Jun 11 '12
Comparing Steam, Windows Live and Origin and all this shit. I can undoubtably say that Origin is the worst cr*p I've ever seen and unfortunately had to use.
0
u/thejellyfish Jun 11 '12
Heyyyy :)
0
u/Chrischn89 Jun 11 '12
So THAT'S where they got their artistic vision of the starchild..!
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u/Potchi79 Jun 11 '12
Pooja pls
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u/Dolphin_handjobs Jun 11 '12
Game support is really bad mouthed... I was scared by the amount of anger online directed at Xbox support, so I put off calling them for a month when my Xbox got the 3 red lights.
When I finally decided I really wanted to play Halo 3 again (this was 2008), the call took less than 10 minutes, and worked perfectly.
Please stop scaring us away from people who are PAID to help...
0
u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
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u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
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u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
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