http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/list/2.page JForum - http://www.jforum.net
Now, I had already sent this response to them after they gave me my first answer providing me a bunch of cut and paste useless FAQ's, and before I found the answer about where to find the install files on my harddrive.... BUT yet, they still want to play stupid and force ppl into purchasing that Extended Download Warranty.

[quote]Response (EARepPaolo)
09/13/2008 08:21 PM

Greetings,

Thank you for contacting Electronic Arts.

We apologize for inconvenience this may cause but, you will not be able to back up your download version game with CD/DVD. However, you will still be able to re-download your purchased game from EA download manager.

Sincerely,

EARep Paolo
Player Relations
Electronic Arts.
Customer
09/11/2008 01:02 PM

Hello again,

You now I really have to ask, did you even read this question at all? Because the FAQS that you gave me a rather insulting since I can find the answers to those questions myself by viewing your FAQ database, and not only that they absolutely do not have anything to do with what I orginally asked.

AS A PC USER.I purchased the download version of Spore and had to use your Download Manager to install. I would like to know why I am paying to RENT this game? Why was I not provided a copy that I could save to disk? I'm not impressed that I have to pay the Extended Download warranty, you state it's optional but it's not. I should have the choice if I would like to buy that or not, by EA withholding the download that can be saved to disk you are forcing customers to pay that extended download warranty. I don't want the Mac version of the download I would like the PC version. Again I ask how this can be resolved?[/quote]

I guess I am posting this because the way I look at it is, they can't have it both ways. Those of use that have purchased the download version should right away have the ability to save this download on our hard drives, or on disk. We shouldn't be forced to look around and search on our hard drives for the file. And a simple request asking them where that file is located most certainly shouldn't get a response like this. IF the file can't be "backed up" as they say, then they should be making that file so it's unlimited download FOREVER. Not forcing their buyers into purchasing the Extended Download warranty of 2 yrs. It's pure BS...

I really do enjoy this game...but it's the crap like this that makes me NOT want to recommend this game to any one. In fact...I haven't and most likely still will not.

Now I don't even know if those same DRM restrictions are on the download versions...but gah...it just keeps going in circles I tell ya



With that all being said, I did find this rather amusing this morning
[url]http://userfriendly.org[/url]
[img]http://www.userfriendly.org/cartoons/archives/08sep/xuf011914.gif[/img]]]> http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/11191.page http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/11191.page GMT http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/11252.page http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/11252.page GMT http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/11255.page http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/11255.page GMT The original is 6 months.
Perhaps it varies depending on Country..I'm in Canada
BUT that still shouldn't make a difference, they shouldn't be charging that at all or rather eluding that it is an "optional purchase". If they are telling customers that they can't back it up on disk and have to continue using the Download Manager then it should unlimited indefinitely]]> http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/11263.page http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/11263.page GMT ]]> http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/11291.page http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/11291.page GMT http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/11310.page http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/11310.page GMT It was deliberate misinformation on their behalf

At any rate, were you able to locate the file on your harddrive, you'll also need to log back into your account and review your purchase history grab the unlock code there and write it down

lol..actually that's pretty funny in itself as well. With your purchase they provide the unlock key in the receipt, but the Download Manager doesn't require it to be manually entered when installing, it does it for you. So if they don't want you installing manually on your own why bother giving the key then?
]]> http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/11325.page http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/11325.page GMT
C:\ProgramData\Electronic Arts\EADM\cache\{ 2263211535 }\spore_dd

Don't forget to copy your unlock code into a text document and keep it with the backup. And yes, EA customer support is terrible.]]> http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/11519.page http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/11519.page GMT
Haha... when I read "Stunned by EA's Customer Support" I thought that for once, someone was actually [i]impressed[/i] by it! Obviously I'm a little more jaded...]]> http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/14334.page http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/14334.page GMT http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/14339.page http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/14339.page GMT http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/14345.page http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/14345.page GMT
Guess the rules vary from country to country but i think that this is the only kind of "pressure" that you can put on them if you already bought and dont want to return the game // cannot return the game.

Probably higlighting the problems in amazon comments or forums will have less impact.

I did a 15 sec google search and found this for canada, no idea if that is the right institution for you: http://www.consumer.ca/1625

]]> http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/14362.page http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/14362.page GMT http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/14373.page http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/14373.page GMT [/quote]


If I remember correctly, when I went to buy and download the Creature Creator, that the so-called Optional 6mth thing was [b]ALREADY[/b] selected. And so I had to actually de-select it.

Now this may seem trivial, and obviously at that point the purchase was not final; but at its most basic level, what you're doing here is a legal transaction that has contractual obligations. And so while it is upto you to be mindful of what you're entering into, by the same token it could (potentially) be seen to be illegal what they're doing.
By automatically having the optional extended 6mth selected, it is akin (not the same though really) to selling a unsolicited supply of a product, which is actually against the law (least in Australia it is, by the Trade Practices Act). Though this is looking at it at its most extreme, given the nature/type of the transaction.
]]> http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/14406.page http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/14406.page GMT
C:\ProgramData\Electronic Arts\EADM\cache\{ 2263211535 }\spore_dd

Don't forget to copy your unlock code into a text document and keep it with the backup. And yes, EA customer support is terrible.[/quote]

It is very possible that the customer support people have no idea this can be done. Hell maybe EA doesn't even know this can be done and if they did they would probably correct it. No point in trying to cheat people into buying the extra download time if they can just copy the game to a disk.

Of all the complaints about EA I think this is one of the really legitimate ones. It’s just not a very customer friendly concept no matter how you look at it. It was free to download for the life before and I think they changed it when they hit a slow spell to try to bring in more cash. Just copy it to a disk, be happy and let them think they own your world.
]]> http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/14415.page http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/14415.page GMT [/quote]

The governing body that rules the vendor does not have laws against the your observation. Yes, the selection for the extension is made automatically and requires the other to manually remove it. Sadly, this is not an illegal practice.]]> http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/14418.page http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/14418.page GMT
People get unsolicited crap all the time; spam, emails, junk mail, credit cards etc. There's little difference between that and this. Guess only difference is, that you're actually buy the related product.
Lets say you buy some white good appliance for $500 over the phone from a catalog, lets say a Fridge. How would you feel if it got delivered to your home, along with an invoice for $550, the additional $50 being for a fridge warranty. Under law, you would not be required to pay for something you did not ask for, if indeed you weren't asked, in this case the fridge warranty.
Obviously/clearly it's not the same, but to put it into perspective, well.
]]> http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/14443.page http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/14443.page GMT ahhh well, can't please all of them all the time

In this case when you go to checkout, the 6 months is automatic..it's the 2 yr EDS (Extended download service) that is optional. And yes, preselected for you, so you do have to wary when you are checking out. Me, I'm always the cynic and pessimist and question everything. I opted to deselect it on the grounds that that I would be provided the download to save to disk. And while I was able to actually locate those files with help from a previous post, the average person is not going to know that and no chance in hell CS is telling them.

Tropod - I like your fridge analogy, but I have a spin on it because this is really what the issue is for me.
How about you buy this fridge for that $500 over the phone, it's delivered. With it comes a short little cord that will apparently evaporate in 6 months from the time it's plugged into the outlet. On your bill there's the extended warranty for a new cord that will last you 2 years. Little were you aware that the original cord will however last long as you don't cut it in half or something. You call the company and ask them what that's about and the they feed you the song and dance of ignorance and "sorry, you need the extended warranty, which is proprietary and can only be acquired from here". It's a fridge for chrissakes! It automatically comes with a built in cord..lol

Again, as much I will moan about all of this. I DO like the game...I really do. And I have hopeful expectations for it's future and look forward to seeing them. It's the business practices of EA that really put me off

Oh and for the person that mentioned that perhaps CS wasn't aware that this could be done. You know, I did give that some consideration. The email I posted here wasn't my first email to them. That was just the most recent and the only one thus far that even addressed what the issue was. I can give them that perhaps they didn't know, but to me...it seems otherwise and they've been trained to help maintain that "extra charge"

*sighs softly*
guess I'm done moaning for "the time being". Thanks for the replies guys ]]> http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/14590.page http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/14590.page GMT I am so happy I always buy discs

So, but to repeat the statement - go to the BBS or consumer support instutions etc. if enough ppl do this instead of writing endless forum posts something can be moved. ]]> http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/14688.page http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/14688.page GMT
Now tell me that downloading a pirated copy is bad... To bad it is the only way to have a backup of the game, that you can be sure to work in, say 10 years from now...]]> http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/14728.page http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/14728.page GMT If it wasn't for pirates I would STILL be unable to pay my legitimately purchased copy of C&C3, since the Securom on that refuses to recognise my CD. Good thing a no cd crack was available pretty quickly for that game.]]> http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/15545.page http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/15545.page GMT
I prefer the refrigerator that I can only plug into three different outlets/houses before it stops working and all my food gets spoiled. If my power fails, the fridge detects that and considers it to be one of my three allotted outlets. I should also note that only one person in my house can use this fridge- even when plugged into the just a single outlet- so that I'm asked to buy separate refrigerators for each family member in the household.

Best of all, none of this refrigerator's features were posted on the exterior of the box it came in. In fact, I had to unpack the fridge and plug it into my kitchen before I even found out about the restrictions.

I suppose that's what I get for buying that fridge on the day it came out rather than wait for other customer reviews. Needless to say that I will never again be foolish enough to buy ANY appliances from the manufacturer of this particular refrigerator.

]]> http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/15775.page http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/15775.page GMT
I looked at the download option when I was deciding where to buy the game, and at that time you could re-download it for either 30 or 90 days, but after that unless you paid extra (for "extended download service") you were hosed.]]> http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/15799.page http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/15799.page GMT
EA has a customer service line?

I always thought you just called and talked to an abused chinese kid who's only allowed to heckle you if he wishes to get his daily ration of 10 slivers of rice?

SPORE I'm sorely in denial O.O

Also to anyone saying that 10 years is an exorbient amount of time, keep in mind last year they closed 31 game servers effectively causing all those games to no longer work online.

Most were at most 2 years old, so this game will likely get nuked earlier than 10 years .

The second they start making money hand over fist they generally kill a project, look at what they did to west wood and the renegade game (That game was mega fun for its time but they killed it the second they finished consuming west wood and even stopped producing any new copies of it and killed support for it).]]> http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/15800.page http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/15800.page GMT
Fortunately, I was smart enough (dumb enough?) to pre-order a physical copy of the game, but I'm no more pleased with the situation than yourselves.

I too, think it's bogus **BS** that you only get a limited number of downloads. I believe you paid the same amount of money I did for the game, and I can reinstall as many times as I like-- oh, wait, except I have to go through a lot more BS to get it unlocked to reinstall it more than three times, in the event my crappy VISTA (Microsoft sucks) crashes on me more than three times, or refuses to allow the game to install properly.

You know, I'm not that old (24), but I remember a time when the upgrade of computers and programs meant that you could do MORE things with them. Where the hell did we start allowing LESS control and freedom by the users with MORE advanced technology?

]]> http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/15806.page http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/15806.page GMT
I was going to post MY crappy EA customer service responses here as well, as their ineptitude in responding to me blows the previous posters out of the water, however it appears that I either deleted them, or hid them from myself to curb my own frustration. Sorry folks.]]> http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/15813.page http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/15813.page GMT
I was going to post MY crappy EA customer service responses here as well, as their ineptitude in responding to me blows the previous posters out of the water, however it appears that I either deleted them, or hid them from myself to curb my own frustration. Sorry folks.[/quote]

I can't see my support desk questions in the "My Questions" section either. But if I follow the link from the e-mailed support tickets I can get to it. I suspect you didn't delete them- you just can't see them unless you go through your email links. Apparently that part of the tech support website needs some... er... tech support.
]]> http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/21569.page http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/21569.page GMT http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/21704.page http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/21704.page GMT
It's sad that you need to, though, don't you think?]]> http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/23195.page http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/23195.page GMT
The Empire observes that the DRM restrictions are still in place.]]> http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/23218.page http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/23218.page GMT ]]> http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/24533.page http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/24533.page GMT http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/24558.page http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/24558.page GMT
[quote=kaiysith]If you want to back it up, the installation files are located by default in this location.

C:\ProgramData\Electronic Arts\EADM\cache\{ 2263211535 }\spore_dd

Don't forget to copy your unlock code into a text document and keep it with the backup. And yes, EA customer support is terrible.[/quote]

Just use your DvD Burners packaged software to burn it on a disk, and you should be good to go.]]> http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/24579.page http://forum.spore.com/jforum/posts/preList/1635/24579.page GMT