Sims 3 expansion won't download
We are having this problem in February 2023 - with only the Pets and Into the Future Add-ons. SIms3 base game plus 9 other add-ons install correctly, just not Pets and Into the Future. We've be...
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I sent email to the EA help desk, and after talking with three EA reps who were totally clueless, the FOURTH one said this:
I would like to inform you that we've received many reports about this issue already that players are reporting for Sims 3 that DLC install is stuck on preparing.
I have checked the issue you are facing and can see that the issue is a known issue and our team is working on a fix for the issue as soon as possible.
At this point, we appreciate your patience while we investigate what's going on. There are hundreds of reports of the same problem.
Though I know nobody likes to wait but rest assured the team is actively working on it.
So he says they're working on it. I've sent a reply back, asking how we'll know when it works again, since we don't all want to simply try downloading every day.
EA_Cade
Community Manager
Community Manager
@Corylea wrote:
I sent email to the EA help desk, and after talking with three EA reps who were totally clueless, the FOURTH one said this:
I would like to inform you that we've received many reports about this issue already that players are reporting for Sims 3 that DLC install is stuck on preparing.
I have checked the issue you are facing and can see that the issue is a known issue and our team is working on a fix for the issue as soon as possible.
At this point, we appreciate your patience while we investigate what's going on. There are hundreds of reports of the same problem.
Though I know nobody likes to wait but rest assured the team is actively working on it.
So he says they're working on it. I've sent a reply back, asking how we'll know when it works again, since we don't all want to simply try downloading every day.
Hi @Corylea
Any updates on this issue will be posted here, as I said back on page 3.
This issue involves multiple teams across EA to resolve and we're working as quickly as possible to get it done.
Greetings all.
I tried to reinstall The Sims 3 with literally every single expansion and every single stuff pack and everything installs 100% EXCEPT Island Paradise which perpetually gets stuck in "preparing download". I have tried all the suggestions listed here: https://help.ea.com/in/help/ea/ea-app/game-download-install-load-troubleshoot/ as well as here: https://bestgamingtips.com/fix-ea-desktop-stuck-on-preparing/ but nothing is correcting the problem.
I have also attempted to install The Sims 3 Island Paradise on my laptop via EA App but got the same result - the same is perpetually stuck on "preparing download". So something tells me the issue is in EA's end. I see community manager @EA_Cade has responded but it doesn't seem any progress is being made with the issue.
EA ID - Anklesteiner
Product not being installed - The Sims 3 Island Paradise
Error code - I don't have one? How do I do this?
@Anklesteiner @sirkate and anyone else still affected, have you tried the suggestion in post 26? It's helped some players in this thread and others.
@puzzlezaddict, I can't locate a good download link for Origin, so I have not been able to try that.
Same problem here.
Island Paradise, Into The Future and Movie Stuff is stuck on "preparing" here.@RandersDreng Please try the suggestion in post 26. I left a download link in post 62.
@sirkate Glad to hear it, and enjoy your game.
Greetings again folks.
I appreciate the work around and the hard work people have put in to solve this issue but I really want to call out and criticize EA. It was EA's choice to sunset development and support of Origin and force people into using the EA App when clearly there are still massive bugs and massive issues that need to be solved. I am incredibly disappointed in EA that I have spent money on products that I cannot access on a platform that I was forced into using. I never had this issue with Origin. It has persisted for far too long on the EA App. It has been weeks since official response and frankly I don't believe anyone at EA cares or is working on this issue because it seems like a fairly simple issue to solve and not something that requires weeks. And if it does transparency about whatever the issues might be would be appreciated. We are in the dark here without any recourse, save for the work people outside of EA have put in but we shouldn't have to jump through massive outside EA hoops to play a product we have purchased on an app that EA forced us into using. We should be able to download and play the products we have purchased on the application that EA has forced us into using.
Please, please, please fix this issue and please be more transparent and honest about what the issues are and what the real timeline is. I'm calling out the EA representatives that have responded thus far for more information. @EA_Cade , @EA_Solaire
Edit - the work around suggested in post #26 doesn't work for me because I am not allowed to run both the EA App and origin at the same time.
Edit #2 - Nevermind my first edit. I opened Origin and my Sims 3 downloads all started and everything downloaded while Origin was open. Awesome work @itsmeelisemarie
Hi everyone,
I'm having the same issue with Island Paradise, everything else worked fine.
I tried the Origin workaround and it didn't work for me, just forced me to update the EA app and the Island Paradise download is still not working. Thanks so much for the suggestion though!
@EA_Cade My user ID is Jaime_Girl84, and the pack that won't work is Island Paradise. It's not even giving me an error code.
Did EA ever get back to you, or lift a finger to fix this? It's been months without a solution now.
- @BananaBanshees this is my hot take of the situation: EA is just hoping that we’ll get tired of waiting and then just download the sub-par Sims 4 games instead (which I already own but dislike) so they can earn even more money. They don’t care about their customers, they care about profit. As long as it’s a small group of simmers voicing their issues they won’t try to fix it. At the end of the day, the fact that this has been going on for months is all the proof I need that they don’t care about their customer base. Final advice: just buy the games on Steam, bypass EA completely and never have anything to do with them or their app ever again.
@tonjehel I mean, I completely agree with you that EA is a horrible company. But that's just sort of a known fact. They were voted the worst company in business for multiple years in a row: https://www.businessinsider.com/ea-voted-worst-company-in-america-2013-4
@EA_Cade Is there a way to get a refund for the extensions I bought but could never use because EA is unable to offer the services and products it charges for? I sent in direct tickets but EA never responded. @tonjehel may be right. It may just be time to give up on EA entirely.
