Has anyone started a class action yet?

[penelope]

Serious question. This is unacceptable and I can't freakin' return the game, my warranty is about to run out and it seems the EA people are purposely taking WEEKS to send empty boxes to run those 60 days quicker.

Uncool. At this point, I just want my $185 back, but I've no recourse whatsoever...

[willko]

just out of curiosity, how is your warranty about to run out? the game has only been out for 26 days and your warranty is for 60. your warranty isn't even half way through

[FU5 AJ]

i'm not 100% sure but this is my perception of how most warranties work...or should work.

your claim to warranty was made before the 60 days so there is no problem there.

after you receive the new product it should be warrantied for an additional 60 days from the day you received it.

i'm sure someone will tell me if i'm wrong!

[admanimal]

EA has stated on several occasions that they effectively haven't even started counting the 60 days yet and are more interested in making sure everyone has working gear (however disorganized their warranty service may be).

As far as warranties go, you don't always automatically get the clock reset when you get a replacement- it depends on the particular company's policy. However, it is the law in at least several states that the time when the product is being serviced cannot count against the warranty period. So if you have to wait two weeks between putting in a claim and having a working guitar, that two weeks does not count against the 60 days. Again, whether this applies depends on what state you live in.

[Jixzer]

I'll add to the previous post by adding that EA has been working very hard to get replacements out to people. It hasn't always been roses for some people, but since a good majority have received replacement equipment with little to no resistance from EA, a class action lawsuit wouldn't get very far.

[elite04]

actually my lawyer says since EA is knowingly supplying the public with defective equipment a class action suit is very much possible

[admanimal]

actually my lawyer says since EA is knowingly supplying the public with defective equipment a class action suit is very much possible

I'll translate what your lawyer was really thinking when you asked that: "ka-ching ka-ching ka-ching $$$$$$"

[jq715861]

actually my lawyer says since EA is knowingly supplying the public with defective equipment a class action suit is very much possible

I'm going to assume your lawyer has proof. Ask him what it is. I'm curious.

[Jixzer]

Then your lawyer is an idiot!

Unless the known defective equipment causes harm, there is no cause for a suit. Secondly, since they are doing everything in their power to supply the customer with replacement equipment at no cost (the $125 is a protective measure that you get back, so that equals no cost), they are fulfilling the same obligation that most companies do when they recall defective items. Hence, no suit.

No depraved indifference....no lawsuit.

That's not to say that some lawyer won't attempt some frivolous charge, but it won't go far.

[admanimal]

Not to mention that even if a class action suit was viable- for relatively small issues like this they tend to be a huge waste of time for everybody but the lawyers! By the time such a suit would make it through the system (i.e. a year or two), we will have working gear anyway. And even if the suit was somehow magically settled in a week or two, that's not going to make EA's replacement process go any smoother all of a sudden.

[Jaacar]

Yeah, for once I agree, a class action would be pointless. Lets hope that Harmonix sees what is going on and thinks about this "fee-ask-oh" (yes, I know it's spelled wrong, just look at the words, you'll figure it out eventually) and perhaps goes to a different company when looking to release Rock Band 2.

[elite04]

lol (FEE-ASS-CO) i think this spells it better .

[Jixzer]

lol (FEE-ASS-CO) i think this spells it better .

Only if your into that sort of thing (http://www.wecometoplay.net/wow/Screenies/gfight.gif)....I'm just saying!

[BAzombie]

Then your lawyer is an idiot!

the $125 is a protective measure that you get back, so that equals no cost

If your lucky enough to have a credit card and an extra $125 to tie up. What about kids ?

Also, what about all the bundles that are still wrapped and are not even under the tree yet. The warrant will be 35 days allong before the box even gets opened.

[Jixzer]

If your lucky enough to have a credit card and an extra $125 to tie up. What about kids ?

Also, what about all the bundles that are still wrapped and are not even under the tree yet. The warrant will be 35 days allong before the box even gets opened.

Kids? More than likely, mom and dad bought it anyway, or at a minimum, they live with them and can ask to "borrow" the money.

As far as getting it early and not opening till Christmas...I don't know...call EA and let them know your situation. Besides, based on what I have heard, the faulty equipment goes bad in a matter of hours, so you should still have plenty of time.

[rareexample]

EA's really good at taking advantage of people's laziness, impatience and stupidity. A lawsuit would be futile.

EA's surely one of the most profitable fastest growing industries thanks to the think tanks behind this knowledge. Their number one goal is to make money, lots of it.

When you open the box, the first thing you see is the bright red paper saying
"DONT RETURN THIS TO WHERE YOU PURCHASED IT, GOTO http://support.ea.com/rockband"

How do you think that paper got there? How did 60 days get calculated as warranty? Since when can we not return a product from where it was purchased?

To make the Christmas date and keep costs below the magic number they had to skimp. How can they get X number of units built in time for Christmas? Cut corners, quality control, testing, low cost parts.

I can just picture the staff going " Ummm... boss, this broke within 1 hour " Well too late, we sent the prototype to the factory and thousands have been built.

So they must ship them anyway right? This is where taking advantage comes into play.

Ever try to get support from EA? Not fun? Why is that?

Helping you is the least profitable thing for them, so their goal is to make it as painful and unpleasant as possible so you never contact them again, thus saving them money.

Why do you think there's no 1800 number, why do you think when actually get to speak to support they're absolute morons? They're not really, they just follow a pre fabricated script to get you to hang up as quickly as possible because time is money.

Genius really... So they make you jump through hoops and pop a vein to assure that you never waste their time and money again.

Most people will give up at stage 3 of the hurdle jumping that is the support process. Goal achieved.

Looking at the numbers

20% won't even bother to look into returning the product, they'll just buy another.
20% will give up at a few steps into http://support.ea.com/rockband
10% will give up when they have to use their credit card
20% will run out of warranty time
10% will have voided their warranty by trying to fix it themselves
19% will actually receive their hardware which will break again and have no 2nd warranty
1% will come to the forum and wonder how to start a lawsuit

You're probably thinking. Well if their hardware keeps breaking, how they going to fix it, keeping profitability in mind.

Well now that we all know that RockBand is indeed an awesome game and we've had a taste, we'll want more. This isn't rocket science.

Better quality peripherals will be launched in the coming months which can be purchased individually but at a higher cost to cover manufacturing of higher quality products. Expect guitars and drum sets to launch at over $100 bucks a pop. New special RB packages will be above the magic number, I'm guessing in the high 200's to low 300's.

So to the 1% that are actually strong minded enough to refuse to fall victim to this kind of corporate behavior, we stand 0% chance. Because all of our money and efforts combined can even come close to take on the type of lawyers they have prepared for such a suit.

Point is, well guess I don't have a point. We all know this, it's not rocket science. All we can do is wait for the peripherals to launch and give them more money. We've become a sad pathetic breed of consumers. :(

[LongDarkBlues]

since they are doing everything in their power ...
Doing everything in their power would have been not caving to corporate pressure to release a game they all knew wasn't ready to release because they still hadn't completed designing the peripherals.

[LongDarkBlues]

...
What this guy said.

[zerogeo3]

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

OMG Class Action, because? Lets see they have been fixing all the problems as fast as they can, and from my understanding the 60 days hasn't even started yet.

People need to take a breath.

Most if not all Electronics, now include the infamous red paper saying not to return to retailer paper. My HD-DVD player had it, my BluRay player had it, My TV had it. This is not a new thing. AS for the hold on the CC it is just that a hold in case you do not return their item. If you don't want to use a CC, they have an option for that as well... Babies...:eek:

[admanimal]

Helping you is the least profitable thing for them, so their goal is to make it as painful and unpleasant as possible so you never contact them again, thus saving them money.


That would be the most shortsighted business decision ever. EA is not that dumb. It only saves them money on that particular day, but in the future when all of the annoyed people who didn't get service from them decide to stop buying $60 EA games, it turns into a big loss.

[Jaacar]

That would be the most shortsighted business decision ever. EA is not that dumb. It only saves them money on that particular day, but in the future when all of the annoyed people who didn't get service from them decide to stop buying $60 EA games, it turns into a big loss.

Too late for one (well, three, my two brothers as well). EA is officially off the shopping list. Sorry Burnout Paradise, won't be playing on my Xbox360 anytime. This whole thing has left a really bad taste in my mouth for EA. Harmonix, I know you are trying. EA, I know you are going through the hoops because you have to and even then, only if you are being pushed by the customers it seems. Don't believe me? Read these forums. Why is it that a customer with a broken guitar has to call/write/whatever multiple times to ensure their product is being replaced?

[elite04]

also burnout was kinda ruined from the demo id played seems they took out crash courses!!!

[Ravaana]

I don't know about all of this. I mean, it seems to me that alot of the reasons these things break is because people treat them like real instruments.

My Guitar began to continuously strum, and I sent that in and got another replaced within a few weeks. The drums are fine... and the mic, well it's possibly the better quality of the three -_-

I remember people complaining about the Guitar Hero controllers breaking, which work with Rock Band by the way. heh... A friend of mine broke my Guitar hero guitar by using something as a pick. And the Whammy bar wil burst if you obsess over using it.

Even professional drum machines will break if you hit them too hard, or excessively. You can pad them, but it will only slow it down. Hell, real drum head burst after so much stress. Pad them and try to calm down a bit.

The main reason why a class action would be fruitless is because of that. The instruments are not real. And there are warningsin the manuals about abuse and excessive force when playing. EA knows that people get excited and usually break things themselves.

It's true that the things are cheaply made, and could have been made at better quality. No.. SHOULD have been better quality, but the replacement process is really not that bad.

It's not like calling some number and being transfered to 30 different countries for tech support.



Besides, replacing things costs money. So does accepting out calls. There isn't a conspiracy to stop you from calling in. Even without the 800 number, it costs a lot. So they will release a better product to try and make up for the loss.

[plankeye]

Jixzer,
Have you tried out our pedal yet?
We were wondering if you like it.

[Highlandlassie1]

I have had 3 guitars go out, 2 bass pedals, and a mic replaced.

That said, I still think this is the greatest videogame to date.

Class action suit?

You have to be joking.

Be patient while they get things sorted out and enjoy the best game ever made.

Sending it back would only be cheating yourself out of a fantastic experience.

[aaron_wil]

EA's really good at taking advantage of people's laziness, impatience and stupidity. A lawsuit would be futile.

EA's surely one of the most profitable fastest growing industries thanks to the think tanks behind this knowledge. Their number one goal is to make money, lots of it.

When you open the box, the first thing you see is the bright red paper saying
"DONT RETURN THIS TO WHERE YOU PURCHASED IT, GOTO http://support.ea.com/rockband"

How do you think that paper got there? How did 60 days get calculated as warranty? Since when can we not return a product from where it was purchased?

To make the Christmas date and keep costs below the magic number they had to skimp. How can they get X number of units built in time for Christmas? Cut corners, quality control, testing, low cost parts.

I can just picture the staff going " Ummm... boss, this broke within 1 hour " Well too late, we sent the prototype to the factory and thousands have been built.

So they must ship them anyway right? This is where taking advantage comes into play.

Ever try to get support from EA? Not fun? Why is that?

Helping you is the least profitable thing for them, so their goal is to make it as painful and unpleasant as possible so you never contact them again, thus saving them money.

Why do you think there's no 1800 number, why do you think when actually get to speak to support they're absolute morons? They're not really, they just follow a pre fabricated script to get you to hang up as quickly as possible because time is money.

Genius really... So they make you jump through hoops and pop a vein to assure that you never waste their time and money again.

Most people will give up at stage 3 of the hurdle jumping that is the support process. Goal achieved.

Looking at the numbers

20% won't even bother to look into returning the product, they'll just buy another.
20% will give up at a few steps into http://support.ea.com/rockband
10% will give up when they have to use their credit card
20% will run out of warranty time
10% will have voided their warranty by trying to fix it themselves
19% will actually receive their hardware which will break again and have no 2nd warranty
1% will come to the forum and wonder how to start a lawsuit

You're probably thinking. Well if their hardware keeps breaking, how they going to fix it, keeping profitability in mind.

Well now that we all know that RockBand is indeed an awesome game and we've had a taste, we'll want more. This isn't rocket science.

Better quality peripherals............. :(

You, sir, are talking out of you a$$. Stop trying to create a bunch of hype stating that the price is going to be between 200-300.

Coming from a person that has worked in retail for many years (both in the store side and corporate side) customer will fight to near death to get what they want. Nobody is just giving up like you state. And those percentages? Complete and utter BS.

[webduelist]

a lawsuit would just be completely stupid 1. lawyers cost alot of money
2. its china's fault
3. it takes alot of time and money
4. is that how we solve everything in this day is by sueing,

people have lost respect for everything I remmeber when I would go to walmart and people would put the carts in the return and neatly too, now they are either in the parking lot of just thrown in there because some say oh they pay someone for that.

my point is you have lost respect for everyone and everything, harmonix and ea did a fantasic job making this game the game its self is great, you should look up to them, do you really think they wanted this to come out of the game no, they wanted people to have fun with it, so grow up and let them do there job.

[Jixzer]

Jixzer,
Have you tried out our pedal yet?
We were wondering if you like it.

Unfortunately no. I'm currently visiting my parents for Christmas and New Years and I don't get home till the 3rd of Jan. However, I will be installing it as soon as I get home and I'll let you know. :)

[Jixzer]

Plankeye,

I got my pedal attached yesterday and I absolutely love it. Great job man.

[EAxViolet]

Sorry to lock the thread, but I want to make sure we are keeping this section on topic. I'm more than happy to help out with any issues or questions that come up but this sort of discussion isn't contributing to that.

Please make sure you start your topics in the proper section.

~Violet