I preordered a limited edition game package on October 3rd, 2008 at $149.99 and paid an additional $9 for expedited shipping to receive the package the week of its release. The release date for the game was October 14th. There was no notification of any package release or preparation for release even 2 days after its release. The normal edition of the game was available at retail outlets the 15th.

I contacted EA numerous times to see if there was any update on the limited edition delivery. If there was a delay in them getting the contents together for it, then I would accept a delayed date. However, they did say that they were shipping out and I had heard from online sites that there were delays. So no problem, I had not been charged yet on my credit card.

Wednesday Oct 15, I contacted an EA Store representative about the package. He was trying to tell me that the package was sent out and that I should receive it by Friday. However, there was no notification message to me and the website still only showed the package as processing, which it had read since the 3rd.

The rep said that it should be there and to call back if no email or package wasn't received by Friday 3PM. I called back on Thursday since the status on the site had not changed and there was still no charge, nor email about shipment. At this time, many people on forums had started saying that they did get email notifications and seeing charges go through. The rep I talked to this day said that it should have ben out and that his sytem showed as shipped. At this time, the site still showed it in the same processing state it had been in. The rep said he would escalate this to management.

In the atfernoon on Thursday Oct 16th, I saw that a shipping email was sent to me, the site status was updated to complete, and I was charged for the package. A tracking number was supplied in the email saying that it was shipped with Fed Ex, but the number was actually for UPS. Going onto the UPS site, it showed that they had received notification of a package, but that nothing had been received by them yet. Fine, it might be later in the day, but at this point, I was starting to get sour about having paid for expedited shipping when this was anything but expedited.

On Friday, I contacted EA Store again during the day since the status still showed at UPS as only having received notification and still no package. They said it was out and I should get it. I told them that it was a UPS id, not FedEx and that their store site was broken in that I could not properly see my order reliably, nor the customer support questions I had enetered. Friday went by and no change in the UPS status, and no package. Friday night I added yet another update to the one question I could see on the support site that I had entered (though it still said that there were 3 questions). At this point I started to address my anger and concern and that I felt that I should be provided an update and at the very least be reimbursed for the expedited shipping charges.

Saturday, I received an update to my update on the one question I can access on the site that basically only iterated that the ID was indeed for UPS and not Fed-Ex. Yet the status is still not update which means that even if they get the package to UPS on Monday in time for overnight, I would not receive my package until a full week after its release. I responded back (the site did not show the rep update on my question, though it did say it was last updated by EA; again, the site tools are broken) that I demand the issue to be escalated to management since I have now been charged since last week, with no UPS update on having received the package and that I shoudl get an immediate response, be refunded the shipping charges and possibly be credited for something due to poor customer service and follow through. I put these points in the message to EA store hoping that it will motivate the rep to send the message to management.

At this point, I doubt I will see the package on Tuesday and am considering calling my credit card company to have the amount charged to it refused. This is absloutely a poor way to provide service to someone giving them $150 for what should be a premium experience. At this point I will NEVER order form this service again, and even considering not buying any products put out by this compnay in the future.

Sincerely,

Kenneth Stanford