Seeking Assistance to Lift My Auction House Ban

Josh121 said:

This isnt a data breach, this wasnt a hack, this is simply an individual putting a price on a card and another person purchasing that card.

Have you used the Madden Companion App?

Josh121 said:

You are blaming the player when the problem is with EA. Congrats to EA for convincing the community to blame themselves instead of holding EA accountable for their own game.

EA sucks. We all know it. that doesn't mean you scam people in the community tho lmao

Josh121 said:

1. coin buying and selling should be legal, its only illegial because it doesn't add to EA's profits.
2. Unless you are actually some how hacking the game their is no unethical participation, only bad programming on EA's part.

Feel free to debate coin purchasing in another thread; the TOS is pretty clear, and that's the reality we all deal with.  And as a father of two gamers - both of whom, at a younger age, were taken advantage of in different gaming communities where items were sold on a market like this - I want people of all ages, experience, and street smarts to be able to enjoy games like this.   No coding can erase the importance of good behavior in a multiplayer environment.

Haha! You were the guy talking all that mess about being a high tier player and you gotta do stuff like this to compete.

MomSpaghetti said:

The same reason moss was selling for 5 million at various times, along with all the team diamonds, is that purchasing the LTDs at a low price and selling them high has consistently been a great way to profit during the Christmas promo. I’m not quite sure what you’re implying, but I’m one of many who have successfully used this strategy to earn coins, and then buy the players back after the promo ends.

" . . . but I’m one of many who have successfully used this strategy to earn coins . . . "

The reason this thread exists leads me to conclude you where not successful.

jsmiller2003 said:

I don't disagree with your sentiments here, but the questions are 1) what is coin selling/buying evidence, and 2) what is unethical market participation evidence?  For #1, you'd need to have access to bank/credit card records of the counterparties (that's not happening).  For #2, they do have some evidence - and they use it - in cases where certain transactions occur between the same IP addresses over and over.  That's why they killed the trade market.  But for the #2 that many in this thread have commented on, namely, the "4111111" problem, how can you confirm that other that, other than the fact that just about everyone who's bought regularly on the Madden Companion App thinks this is a problem/trick that confuses even the most aware players.

It's not my goal to absolve EA from their fault in all of this.  The best tool they have to shut down coin selling is to go after the sellers that do so constantly.  Hell, many of them advertise on EA streams!  But at the same time, we need to be realistic - the Auction House plays into the worst of the community's instincts, and attracts bad faith participants like flies to horse dung.  Many of us have been around long enough to know not just who those kinds of people are, but the standard "woe is me!" responses they give on this site and those before it.  I'd feel differently if it was kids/teens.  But in most cases, it's adults.  And it's pathetic.

Spot on. The argument that OP is not to blame or not responsible for their actions because the system did not prevent them from doing so is unequivocally incorrect and quite frankly one of my biggest issues with our modern society. It’s the same argument used for those who abuse glitches and exploits in h2h. I can therefore I do. This is why parents leash toddlers. Unfortunately in this case we are talking about supposed adults. As I’ve said before the judge won’t care that the officer left his keys in the ignition. You still weren’t allowed to take it and go on a joy ride with the sirens blaring.

We all know the actual solution to this problem would be for EA to just fix the damn app but much to our dismay we do not have control over that. We do have control over own actions. That whole serenity prayer thing applies as well.

MomSpaghetti said:

This is fantastic! I just submitted a complaint to the Better Business Bureau using the exact address you gave me, requesting a full refund for all the money I’ve spent since August. The total comes to $955.32, not including the college football game. It’s a bit less than I expected, but still, it’s something! Lol.
 

Here is what my message to the BBB consisted of…..

“Complaint Against Electronic Arts – Invalid Account Ban in Madden 25 Ultimate Team

Dear Better Business Bureau,

I am writing to formally lodge a complaint against Electronic Arts (EA) regarding an unjustified account ban in the Madden 25 Ultimate Team game mode. My account has been banned for alleged coin distribution violations, despite my adherence to the Terms of Service (TOS) set forth by the company.

Since August 15th, 2024, I have invested $955.32  into my EA account, purchasing in-game content and enhancing my gaming experience. However, I was recently notified of a ban on my account with no clear explanation or evidence provided to justify this action.

I have submitted three appeals regarding this ban, each yielding inadequate responses from EA’s customer service. The communication I received was vague and did not address my concerns adequately, nor did it offer any transparency regarding the circumstantial evidence that led to the decision to ban my account.

Given my substantial financial investment and the lack of clarity surrounding the ban, I am requesting reimbursement for all transactions made on my account since August 2024. I believe this is a fair request considering the circumstances and the poor customer service I have encountered.

I hope that the Better Business Bureau can assist in resolving this matter promptly. I look forward to your guidance on how to proceed and appreciate your attention to this issue.

Thank you for your time.

You ever get a response from this?

MomSpaghetti said:

Hello everyone,

I’m reaching out to this community in hopes of finding any additional resources or advice regarding my recent ban from the Auction House in Madden. I’ve attempted to resolve this issue through EA’s customer support three times now, but each time I’ve been met with denials and a lack of transparency regarding the reasons behind the ban.

To give you some context, I’ve been actively trading in the Auction House and have sold multiple Limited Time Players, including Josh Allen, just before the ban was enforced. I was shocked to receive the ban, especially since I consistently invest in Madden Cash and have no knowledge or intention of engaging in coin distribution. At the time of the ban, my account had around 27,000 coins, and I had just sold the Josh Allen card for 4 million coins.

I’m feeling quite frustrated and confused about this situation, as I have always played the game fairly and within the rules. I’m hoping that someone here might have suggestions for other avenues I can explore to appeal this ban or any tips on how to effectively communicate with EA support for a clearer understanding of the issue.

Thank you in advance for any help or advice you can provide. I truly appreciate it!

Get new EA account... Problem solved

zrhea123 said:

You ever get a response from this?

Of course not. The BBB is not a government agency, it has 0 power. It's yelp for boomers.

jsmiller2003 said:

Not trying to bust your chops here, but if you’ve “invested” $955 this year, you’re not naive to the way the Auction House works.  What drove you to post a 1.1m card for 4m?  Either you’re trying to bait a coin buyer into an improper purchase or you’re trying to scam/trick someone else. Why?

I completely agree.

I'm sure that an experienced MUT player would know that a transaction like that looks a lot like Coin buying.

I was banned for sniping cards to build sets; I wasn't even selling the cards.

I spent a month fighting with EA over the ban and it led nowhere; eventually, time passed and my ban was lifted.  EA never told me why my AH was deactivated; my account said I was in good standing and it did not show anything under Ban history.

Violating TOS is very difficult to fight; people have tried to fight EA in court and have failed.

If I were EA, I would need a very, very good explanation as to why that card sold for 4 million.