EA ORIGIN IS A SCAM - DO NOT BUY FROM THIS WEBSITE

So I decided to purchase the Sims Medieval.  I am a big fantasy fan and I have had fun with some Sims game in the past.  IT was still $49.99 at Wal-Mart so I decided to look around online to see if I could get it cheaper.  EA has this new store interface called Origin... which gives a bad name to my favorite MMORPG of all time, Ultima Online, but I am not going to go there.  Anyways, for $29.99 I figure I will download the game, save $20.00 and check it out.

This is where the nightmare begins.

I pay my money, download the game, and go to patch it.  The patcher tells me that the game isn't installed.  All of this after downloading a 5+ GB game and patch that took me about 15 minutes to download.  The game says it is on version 1.3.xxx but the patch will put the game at 2.x.xxx. I've worked in the software industry for a long time and the jump from a 1.x to a 2.x is usually a pretty big jump.  If I am going to waste hours of time on a Sims game I don't want to have my progress get ruined because I am not running with the latest fixes.

I check my installed programs in Windows and sure enough, the Sims Medieval isn't there.  I run regedit and it's all over the place.  I look in the Origin games folder and it is in there.  I try to run the game without the patch and it starts... Something fishy is going on.

I use the Origin EA online help chat thing and within seconds I get someone who will supposedly help me.  I tell him my problem, and he tells me to run without the patch since it works that way.   I tell him that this is not an acceptable solution so he has me upload my DXDiag file.  Copy pasted about 5 times to get the whole she-bang in the chat dialog....  In the time it has taken me to recount this I am still waiting for a response from him.

HERE IS THE TEXT OF OUR CHAT:


Brian:
Thank you for contacting Origin Help. My name is Brian. How may I assist you today?

Brian:
First and last name please.

you:
can you look at my previous contact with your so-called tech-support?

you:
Lxxxx Cxxx

Brian:
No, how may I assist you ?

you:
Ok, I bought the Sims medieval 2 days ago

Brian:
Sure.

you:
I have downloaded, patched, and reinstalled, removed from the registry, followed your advice, etc 3 times now\
you:
aand even though I can play the game, when I try to patch it says that the game isn';t installed

you:
so I am playing on the downloaded version from origin, not the latest patched version

Brian:
The patch is only for the base game.

you:
and on top of that, it isn;t the special edition like I paid for but the regular version

Brian:
Exspanions do not need the patch.

you:
I don't have the expansion

you:
when I start the game it tells me to patch, when I finish downloading the patch it tells me I don;t have the game installed

Brian:
Do not patch the game by -pass that part.

you:
lol seriously?

you:
so the current game is at 2.0.xxxx and I am at 1.3.xxx

you:
that is your solution?

Brian:
Hold one second please.

you:
I bet you are going to go away and never come back like the last agent I waited over 20 minutes for

Brian:

Brian:
1. Hold down the Windows key and press R
Brian:
2. At the Run command, type in dxdiag and select OK
Brian:
3. Select "Save All InfIn order to best troubleshoot your issue, we will need additional system ormation" at the bottom of the program
Brian:
4. Save the DxDiag file to your desktop.
Brian:
5. Go ahead and upload the file to the Live Chat
Brian:

you:
I am getting ready to report you to my credit card company for fraud

you:
I have done that twice already

Brian:
No , I'm  here to assist you .

you:
and the agents never came back

Brian:
Okay try it with out the patch.

you:
I can play it without the patch but it has the pre-2.0 patch bugs

you:
so this whole origin thing is a scam? are you even part of EA?>


you:

Hello?

you:
Hello?

you:
HELLO?

you:
H E L L O ?

you:
HHHHHHHH EEEEEEEEE LLLLLLLLL LLLLLLLLLL OOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!


<NOTE: I HAD TWO CIGARETTES AND TOOK A SHIT WHILE I WAS WAITING FOR HIS RESPONSE>

you:
Uhh... is anyone going to come back and at least tell me to go fuck myself or do I just wait here all night>


30 MINUTES LATER STILL NO RESPONSE!


So yeah, EA Origin is a scam.  Don't buy shit from them.  Stick to Steam.  Yeah they suck too but at least they back up what they sell.